When the bomb went off in Kuta last October, the reactions were mainly those of grief, horror and surprise. After the first few weeks of emergency care, it was time to try and figure out how to help those affected heal–on all levels: emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually and economically. The Bali Relief efforts have been enormous–an outpouring of medications (80 percent of them outdated, I’m told), medical support, and money came onto this tiny island. After all the fanfare, and the extravanga free concerts with the big name stars, a number of us wondered what else could be done.

Cody Schwaiko of YKIP (Yayasan Kemanusian Ibu Pertiwi, which was initially established to assist the bomb victims) asked me if I knew a dalang (shadow puppeteer) who could create a story about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that could be taken into the villages, particularly in and around Kuta.

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Rotaract Projects: Help Nyoman Kanca

Appeal for Funding to Send Nyoman Kanca to Adelaide, Australia for an operation in 2007 at the Australian Cranifacial Unit.

The South Australian Government provides the operation, accomodation at the hospital and a large team of specialists to look after Kanca.

Yayasan Senyum, Bali coordinates getting the patient to Adelaide.

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You can Help this young man
Donate today…!

to this apeal by Rotaract Club of Bali Ubud.

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Bali’s new Village Ecotourism Network provides an alternative to mass tourism.

Ibu Soma balances precariously on a small wooden stepladder. It wobbles a little, but she is practised at this. Rolling up her sleeves, she reaches into the tree and claims her tiny prizes one by one. They are sunset-coloured capsules, which she will sun-dry and husk, revealing the perfect coffee beans within. Her daughter picks some of the lower beans and slowly they begin to fill their basket. The work is methodical, and made even more meditative by the peacefulness of the forest-gardens around them.

The silence is interrupted only by birdsong. From far off, however, come the sounds of footsteps. Eventually a small group of visitors round a bend, pattering quietly in damp undergrowth and murmuring softly. They are headed by Gede, one of Bu Soma’s fellow coffee farmers, and a local eco-guide. They stop to admire Bu Soma’s harvest, and soon the little patch of garden is filled with chatter and laughter.

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Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi (YKIP) or the Humanitarian Foundation for Mother Earth is dedicated to helping the needy in Bali through health and education programs.

YKIP is a foundation dedicated to improving the lives of the needy in Bali through Health and Education Projects. Established only days after the Bali Bomb Blast of October 12, 2002, YKIP’s founders were business people, doctors, officials and volunteers who assisted during the crisis. It soon became evident that in order to accommodate the tons (literally) of medical supplies and monetary donations from well-wishers around the world, a transparent and responsible organization needed to be established. As many of our founders are members of Rotary International, we were able to establish YKIP as such an organization in the eyes of potential donors. We received endorsements from the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, the diplomatic community in Bali, and the Governor of Bali. Our members come from a variety of faiths and from many different nationalities.

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The Rotary Club of Bali Ubud will be celebrating it sixth anniversary this year. During these past few years the Club has successfully worked on projects related to HIV AIDS and has put enormous effort into major support to Aceh following the devastating tsunami. (Asri Kerthyasa, Ubud Rotarian continues to work for tsunami victims and sits on the committee in Jakarta that oversees Rotary International’s work in Aceh.) The Club held fundraisers and formed partnerships with other Rotary clubs to build a clinic in Aceh. And this past year the Club contributed an ambulance to the clinic in Aceh.

Recently, again in partnership with other Rotary Clubs, over 600 wheelchairs were given to handicapped Balinese. The Club has also sponsored the Ubud Rotaract Club (young people 18 to 30) and their most recent project has been to raise funds for Yayasan Sengang Hati, a foundation that helps handicapped children and adolescents.

Rotary Ubud projects now in process include the continuing development of a huge garbage collection and recycling center located in Temesi. This project has received international recognition and continues to expand. A second very large project is the Schools Project which provides teaching and learning materials to elementary schools in the Ubud area. There are 44 schools in the Ubud area with an enrollment of over 7,000 children!

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