Richard (and Danielle) Foss are from Colorado Springs, Colorado and spend about half of their time at their home in Ubud. He is a retired US Army Officer and for many years was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado.  Richard is a member of the Colorado Springs Interquest Rotary Club and his wife is the Secretary of the Bali Ubud Rotary Club.  Shortly after the second Bali bomb they were staying on the beach in Amed. The fragile tourist economy of the area was devastated.  This led to the beginnings of the Bunutan Economic Development projects. 

Water for drinking and for cooking is a scarce commodity in the dry NE of Bali where the normal dry season lasts from March to October.  While we will be talking mainly about water projects we are also aware that potable water is not the answer to all their problems. But it is the keystone.  Economic opportunity, health and education must also be addressed.  RC Bali Ubud's first goal is to try and bring drinking water closer to the isolated mountain dwellers. So far, about four thousand people have daily water needs available within 15 minutes of their homes served mainly by many storage tanks (both concrete and fiberglass) and more than 10 miles of connected piping. This activity was supported by various Rotary clubs with materials, and the labor was by the local people so that they joined in its ownership and responsible care in the future.  Project #7 has been completed and Project #8 is about to take off.