Whist Bali is a World-Renowned holiday destination, often deemed as a paradise, there are still many locals in desperate need of help. Funds are needed to improve public healthcare and education for the severely disadvantaged.
Robert Epstone
(Founder of Solemen Indonesia)
Behind the glitz and glamour of Bali’s south, there is a myriad of orphanages that house many underprivileged children, and those with disabilities. And it’s not a secret that poverty has been shown to negatively influence the health and development of these unfortunate people in a number of ways.
“Our main strategy at Solemen is to help an increasing number of families in need. In addition to our existing work we now operate our “Gift of Sustainable Nutrition” program – the creation of sustainable food supply via permaculture gardens in poor communities in Bali,” Robert explained.
Robert and his companions were dubbed ‘Sole Men’, and so Solemen Indonesia, a non-profit organisation was born. “I set upon a mission to walk 535km across Bali to raise awareness and funds for the plight of the disadvantaged with pre-arranged health checks and presentations for children every few days along the route. In fact, I vowed to do it barefoot.”
Robert further explained that the understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today – right now – is a powerful insight and motivator. At the same time, idealistic acts, even highly symbolic ones, have the power to inspire others to act, and sometimes in numbers significant enough to make a major or even complete impact on the problem at hand.
Get in touch with Robert Epstone via
robert.epstone@solemen.org
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SOLEMEN
Solemen is founded by Rotarian Robert Epstone from the UK, a man who vows to be barefoot until he is able to raise USD 1,000,000 to help underprivileged people. The reason for being barefoot is “to be in solidarity with those who don’t have a choice to wear or not wear shoes”.
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Being a Bali-based non-profit organisation, Solemen’s aims are to help the severely disadvantaged especially on the island by providing education, healthcare and support for their well-being. Whilst Bali is a world-renowned holiday destination, often deemed as a paradise, there is little in the way of public healthcare, understanding or funds to help the severely disadvantaged. Sadly, this means many Balinese suffer unnecessarily. The foundation’s main strategy is to help an increasing number of families in need. In addition to its existing work, Solemen now operates the “Gift of Sustainable Nutrition” programme – the creation of sustainable food supply via permaculture gardens in poor communities in Bali.
www.solemen.org
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PUSPADI BALI
Puspadi Bali is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with physical disabilities in Bali and Eastern Indonesia. They identify, define and advocate for the needs of persons with physical disabilities, and plan and implement strategies to meet those needs. Puspadi Bali has their own workshop, designed in 2011 by a team of international experts, where they produce and provide prosthetic and orthotic mobility aids including leg (above and below knee) and foot prostheses, braces, ankle foot orthoses, foot orthoses, back slabs, and orthopedic shoes. Patients are provided with a comprehensive assessment, fitting and follow-up by the foundation’s physiotherapist and workshop team to ensure that the mobility solution is suitable for their needs.
In 2011 Puspadi Bali partnered with the United Cerebral Palsy Wheels For Humanity (UCP WFH) to implement the first Adaptive Wheelchair program in Bali, ensuring that individuals requiring wheelchairs are identified, assessed, fitted, supplied, monitored and provided with long-term ongoing support.
www.puspadibali.org
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THE JOHN FAWCETT FOUNDATION
The John Fawcett Foundation is an Australian-registered incorporated organization that works in Indonesia under the auspices of its Indonesian action arm, the Yayasan Kemanusiaan Indonesia (YKI). YKI receives country-wide recognition for its successful humanitarian programmes, which are conducted in cooperation with Provincial and District Governments. The programmes target people who are economically disadvantaged and all services are provided free of charge.
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The Foundation grew out of a number of Rotary projects established by its namesake, John Fawcett, in Bali, and is best known for its Sight Restoration and Blindness Prevention Project, incorporating the Mobile Eye Clinic for Cataract Surgery. The John Fawcett Foundation is committed to more than just sight restoration. Other projects include Children’s Corrective Surgery, Assistance to Desperately Ill Children and Young People, and Prosthetic Eyes.
www.balieye.org
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YAYASAN SENYUM BALI
The mission of Yayasan Senyum is to reduce the suffering currently associated with craniofacial abnormalities and to improve quality of life by facilitating the delivery of health care to people with craniofacial disabilities in Bali and other Indonesian islands in partnership with local and international health care professionals. Yayasan Senyum Bali runs a half-way house known as the “Smile House”. This house is located on Jalan Pulau Aru 9 Denpasar, close to Sanglah Hospital which is the general hospital in Denpasar where most of the patients’ operations assisted by the foundation, take place. The Smile House is used for patients to be accommodated prior to and after their operations as well as the head office of the foundation.
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One of the foundation’s projects to raise awareness is by visiting some schools to introduce their activities and distribute donation bags to the children, so that they can fill this bag with various unwanted pre loved goods which will then be donated to their patients, or sold at the Smile Shop in Ubud.
www.senyumbali.org
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EAST BALI POVERTY PROJECT (EBPP)
The East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) is a non-profit organisation established in 1998 by a British resident in Bali after an appeal for help by an isolated 7,200Ha mountain village, forgotten by time and progress. The participatory community surveys in 1998 with 1,056 of the 3,000 families in the 19 sub-villages revealed thousands of people living in abject poverty without water, sanitation, roads, schools, health facilities and electricity. Illiteracy was approaching 100%. Malnutrition and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) were endemic, with iodine being the essential nutrient for healthy child births, and brain and body development.
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With the philosophy of “helping people to help themselves”, all programmes are designed as models that can be replicated, and executed by local people who transfer knowledge directly, and appropriate technology within their communities.
www.eastbalipovertyproject.org
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BALI PINK RIBBON
Bali Pink Ribbon promotes breast cancer awareness and provides support to all those affected by breast cancer. The organisation aims to bring the important message of proactive self-breast examination and going to a hospital for annual breast screening from the age of 35.
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The Bali Pink Ribbon Walk was established in 2009 and is now in its sixth year, and Bali Pink Ribbon became a registered Foundation in April 2013. The Pink Ribbon Walk has become the main fundraiser for their breast cancer awareness campaign and is becoming more customised to accommodate Balinese traditions. It has been very encouraging that BPR events have been increasingly covered by the media and that local sponsors have become more conscious and sympathetic to supporting the campaign.
www.balipinkribbon.com
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