Komang Sarira spoke to the Rotary Club of Bali Lovina about the “Yayasan Bali Sejahtera”, a foundation set up to help disabled people to learn life skills.

Rotary Club of Bali Lovina supported Yayasan Bali Sejahtera with a donation to start up a libraray.

This report is based on an interview by Secretary Kadek Arsana, and covers the same material as was in the talk. Komang Sarira, who among his friends is called Ari, is the founder of Yayasan Bali Sejahtera which is based in Sumberkima village, Gerokgak District – West Bali.

Kadek Arasana: What is the background of this foundation?

Ari: This foundation was set up on the 1st of June 2008; it comes with a vision that educating the community through training for simple skills. Those are the spearhead of an independent life, to face the accelerated economic situation in globalization for the achievement of independency. For the last few years, disabled people were considered as useless and weak; we want to change this image, and show to all that we are not disabled but dif-able (people with different abilities).

Kadek Arasana: what are your missions?

Ari: They area:

• Stabilizing the understanding that the skills (in any form) that are very positive and are needed for all people;
• As early as possible should develop optimal ability and interests of the community in various skills so that the creation is useful and to avoid activities that are negative;
• Should develop confidence, a positive mentality through ability / skills, so that there is a growing sense of confidence in a steady life;
• Fully preparing the workforce with professional expertise in various skills, especially for disabled people;
• Developing partnerships with all businesses in the utilization of human resources and the work that has been produced

Kadek Arsana: What are your programs?

Ari: To realize the vision and mission, Bali Sejahtera Foundation has established several programs which are divided into two categories those are:

• Social Program (Special involve people with disabilities) and
• Arts and Culture Program (Involving disabled and normal children).

Social Program includes computer lessons, sewing lessons, massage courses, handicraft skills, and education / training to improve professionalism (Capacity Building)

While Social programs including dancing lessons, training to create handicrafts (make plaited leaf), cooking courses, and using waste products to create useful items.

Kadek Arsana: What are your constraints?

Ari: The success of a plan or program is not as easy as we think. This is caused by several factors, both of human resource (HR) factors and economic factors. Thus we realize that we will face a lot of challenges, but we are sure that whatever we do for as long as we can, positive changes will always get positive feedback and will be helped by many parties, especially those who have Vision and Mission the same as us.

If you are willing to make a visit to the foundation or for further information, please contact

Yayasan Bali Sejahtera

Jl. Bangsal, Dusun Mandarsari- Sumberkima

Gerokgak 81155,

Singaraja -Bali

Ph. (+62) 81338718380

On 27th & 28ty February, a Rotary Conference for District 3400 was held for two days in Yogyakarta. . Six members from Rotary Club of Bali Lovina attended and it allowed them the opportunity to meet with fellow Rotarians from all over Indonesia and South East Asia. The photo shows from left, Daniel, Lia, Ginny, Conchita, Summy and Robbie

Participants from District 1620, Belgium, visit Rotary Club of Bali Lovina.

The photo to the right shows our visitors with the children from Windows to the World, President Conchita and GSE team.

On February the 11th 2009, Group Study Exchange participants Isabelle van Loon, Tobias de Pessemier, Frederik Claerhout and Matthieu Veys with team leader Bob Rubens, paid a visit to Rotary Club of Bali Lovina’ s club meeting.

The group were on Bali for one month. During this time month they visited numerous Rotary Clubs in Bali and stayed in the homes of Rotary members. They stayed in Lovina for 3 days.

Planet (left) and Suki (right) from Citra Usadha shown with Rotarian Ginny in the photo on the left. A fun family event (with several of the local HIV Aids volunteers’ participants in the photo on the right) was held in the main recreational park of Singaraja to commemorate World AIDS day.  Government officials from the health department were in attendance.

During the weekly meetings of the Rotary Club of Bali Lovina a raffle is held as a fundraiser for our projects. Starting in September 2008 the weekly prize will be a book called "Turtle and Dolphin", written by Maggie Dunkle

She was our guest speaker on the 25th of May, 2008.

Maggie works and lives on Bali. She writes books for children. The books are about the topic that concerns her most, “Our world, and how we should preserve her”. They are trilingual (Balinese, Indonesian and English), and talk about life here in Indonesia. So children of both Indonesians and expats can read and relate to them. They come with beautiful pictures too.

Many members who win the books give them away to schools in the area.

On the left is the book cover, and on the right is Maggie Dunkle with her book.

Serve with My Heart..”

Keliek J. Soegiarto

District Governor 2008 - 2009

It is a great honor to be Leader of leaders, sharing ideas and inspirations, in the dawn of the Rotary year of July first, 2008.

Being a President is a privilege God has given to you, all Rotary leaders, to help the Rotary Clubs in the district to serve the community, and do good to the society, something we, Rotarians, should be proud of.

It is a fact that the present world is not a safe place for children to live in. RI President 2008 - 2009, Dong Kurn Lee, has reminded us that every year 30,000 kids under five, in the world, die because of illnesses, which should be avoidable, such as malaria, dengue fever, thalasaemia, hare lips and cleft palates, hydrocephalic diseases, diarrhea, typhoid, and others. In our beloved country, Indonesia itself, around 100,000 of them die everyday, which means one dies every two minutes.