East Bali Has Risen From the Ashes - by Michele Cempaka
Many people think of Bali as one of Indonesia’s most affluent islands, but few know about the abject poverty that exists in East Bali in the mountain villages of the Karangasem region. A British resident felt moved to take action when a 7,200 Ha mountain village made an appeal for help. Out of this action came the conception and establishment of The East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP): a non-profit organisation which officially began operating in 1998. At this time, 1,056 of the 3,000 families in 19 sub-villages participated in surveys which revealed thousands of people living in abject poverty without water, sanitation, roads, schools, health facilities and electricity. Illiteracy had risen to a shocking 100%, while malnutrition and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) were widespread. It is a well known fact that iodine is an essential nutrient for healthy child births, brain and body development. EBPP conducted interviews in November 1998 to determine the priorities of the families. Over 1,000 families requested education for their children as a foundation for a better future. This was a giant step towards creating a productive collaboration amongst the most disadvantaged communities.
“With the philosophy of “helping people to help themselves”, all programs are designed as models that can be replicated, and executed by local people who directly transfer knowledge and appropriate technology within their communities,” says David Booth, Founder of EBPP.
Since 1998, the children who have participated in the EBPP have made giant strides with their education. On June 14, 2009, the children featured their art at Three Monkeys Cuisine and Art Café in Ubud in an exhibition entitled: ‘Mountain Villages in Black and White Ink’. This well received exhibition was the culmination of art classes that were introduced in their schools as part of the standard curriculum. A talented young Yogyakarta artist, Suratmin Bagus Priyo, volunteered his time for two days in September 2008 to train the children in six EBPP schools. Their heartfelt paintings of verdant terraced hillsides, Balinese temples and the lush natural environment of Bali portrayed a simple life far away from the chaos of modern Bali. The viewer got an intimate look inside the children’s remote mountain village environment which few people know about.
In 2006, EBPP found that the best sport for children to learn was Karate, because the children don’t need flat land, equipment or a large group to participate. EBPP found a 2nd Dan Black Belt INKAI instructor who originally came from Karangasem, to teach the children karate. By 2007, he was working full time going to a different school every day. He succeeded in launching an official INKAI Karate Branch in the Karangasem Regency, enabling the children to enter in all regional and national competitions. On July 12, 2009, 90 of EBPP students had their next “belt” exam: all successfully graduated to their next belt and they’re on their way to becoming INKAI Karate Champions!
In early 2009, EBPP began their first Creative writing Course which was initially piloted in both Cegi and Pengalusan schools. A large part of this course involved teaching the students journalism. Children were taught how to conduct interviews, formulate good questions in order to write a solid news story and the process they must go through in order to write a clear and comprehensive story. Over the past several months many visitors have been invited into the schools in order for the children to practice their interview skills in English and Indonesian. The ultimate goal of this successful creative writing course is for the students to compile and publish a monthly newsletter, with articles about their every day lives, happenings at their schools, etc. The children are now able to use laptop computers, which were donated by Annika Linden Foundation and by Tjeerd Hoekstra’s community in Holland.
Achievements seem to naturally occur with this dynamic program, which is continuously evolving. Currently, 350 children are being educated in 6 EBPP Schools. Out of these children, 166 have graduated from primary school and 64 children have graduated from Junior High School through July 2009 and three from Senior High School in 2009. Fifty-six children are now in EBPP Junior high school in five hamlets. In addition, there are more than 61 EBPP children in the first ever Senior High School program which was established in the village in 2006. In 2009, three children graduated and there are hopes of many other children completing Senior High School. There is a comprehensive library in each of the six EBPP schools and a central library housed inside the ‘EBPP Centre for Sustainable Development’ which offers more than 3,000 titles. All children also receive school meals and multivitamins.
From their initial education programs, EBPP has expanded to include programs which tie together human and natural resources for mutual benefit to improve living ecosystems, provide sustainable food sources for thousands of people and sustainable livelihoods for the present and future. The EBPP also wants to ensure the preservation of the local environment and ecosystems through their various environmental initiatives.
Their Bamboo Reforestation project was conceived in response to the aftermath left behind from Mt. Agung’s eruption in 1963. Situated between Mt. Abang and Mt. Agung, Desa Ban was severely affected by this eruption. Desa Ban is surrounded by harshly sloping lands comprised of arid, volcanic ash. The community’s lands continue to struggle with reforestation. One solution is agro-forestry and the continued growth of environmentally-sound business programs that can help improve the environment and the lives of the locals. Bamboo is a sustainable wood, because it is one of the fastest growing plants in the world which can be easily harvested and replanted without depleting its supply. Bamboo also offers the best known method of carbon sequestration, and is one of the finest and most dependable construction materials in the world. With the help of Linda Garland, one of the leading bamboo experts in the world, EBPP has taught local villagers how to plant bamboo, harvest it in a way to ensure the carbon will remain sequestered in its roots, and use it for various building projects ranging from huts to houses.
EBPP has also implemented another great program which utilizes vetiver grass to help prevent landslides. It can be used as building material for greater road protection, and can also provide protection from floods and assist in fortifying farm lands. According to David Booth, vetiver is a fast growing clump grass with sterile seeds that make it impossible for the plant to spread like a weed. It has a solid and deep root system which penetrates up to 3 meters below the ground surface. In addition, vetiver acts as a purifying agent, improving soil fertility and water quality, and is one of the most effective natural methods of carbon sequestration. Vetiver can also be harvested in a variety of ways that can provide building materials and crafts that can be sold to help stimulate the local economy. In line with this, EBPP created a vetiver handicraft ‘bag/basket’ training course taught by the world’s top vetiver grass trainers from Thailand, with the goal of educating a group of the EBPP staff, school teachers, and village leaders so that they could then pass on this information. Once the local community learned how to create a variety of handicraft products using vetiver grass, EBPP then assisted them with marketing their products locally with the eventual goal of marketing internationally.
Other ecological programs underway are EBPP’s Biogas and Solar Power Electricity programs. Biogas can be utilized for cooking and heating functions similar to regular propane gas. Biogas is cow manure that is collected and mixed with water in a large metal drum. This mixture will rapidly start to ferment, releasing methane gas. The gas is transferred from the metal drum into rubber inner-tire tubing which is then used by the villagers for cooking. The Solar Power Electricity program was implemented to assist those in the remote regions who have no access to the electric power grid. It has been installed in five EBPP Schools and the eight most isolated posyandu – enabling cadres to communicate local health emergencies.
Future plans for EBPP? Senior High School children will learn how to create arts and handicraft cooperatives as a sustainable business. As previously illustrated, they have already sold paintings during the launch of their first exhibition and have sold many more since. The concept is based on the Indonesian School cooperative system and EBPP’s concept since 1998: Income from sales are used to buy the materials for continued development, with the eventual goal of building their own studio/gallery which is currently being designed by a volunteer bamboo architect – and should serve as a model for sustainable bamboo construction. Senior high school children will also establish their vetiver grass handicraft cooperative. Since EBPP invited the expert trainers from Thailand to help students develop the best techniques for creating unique vetiver grass handicrafts, EBPP students already have their first exclusive order for an American Surfing accessories company. Finally, EBPP plans to continue their reforestation projects in Desa Ban, where there are still many Hectares of mountain slopes that were destroyed from the 1963 Mt Agung eruption. This rejuvenation project will be fully supported by Ms. Linda Garland and her Ubud-based Environmental Bamboo Foundation [EBF], by providing EBPP students with advice, training and seedlings.
For more information about the EBPP or to make a donation, please visit their website at: www.eastbalipovertyproject.org or email: info@eastbalipovertyproject.org
