Rotary Club Bali Seminyak worked long and hard on a project that would give a bus to the Puspadi Bali Foundation. Puspadi Bali works across the island providing 100% free services to handicapp
ed and disabled community members. The Foundation supplies wheelchairs, does physiotherapy, makes and fits prosthetics, brings information about safety practices, diabetes, and much more to poor communities throughout Bali.
A huge barrier for the disabled is the difficulty they face trying to reach the Puspadi Bali free clinic in Denpasar. It is frequently impossible for many of our disabled to travel on the back of a motorbike. And for Puspadi Bali, delivering wheelchairs to patients was limited to one wheelchair at a time, tied on to the back of a motorcycle. Clearly, it made sense for Puspadi Bali to turn things around by bringing their services TO the disabled…and thus the need for a specially outfitted bus.
The hoped-for bus didn’t materialize. The project application was turned down by Rotary International. Rotarians from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, USA, and Bali were hugely disappointed, as was Pak Latra, Director of Puspadi Bali.
BUT IPP Marie Francoise and PEN Dr. Patrick Monsarrat refused to simply live with this disappointment. “We’ll raise the money for the bus independently”, they said. And in a short time they’d raised almost half the cost of the bus! In the meantime Pres Alex, in the course of his duties as GM at the Trans Resort Bali, met a remarkably kind and generous young man who asked about the club’s current projects. When this big hearted person heard about the need for the bus he asked “How much more money do you need?” and donated that amount for the bus. The bus could now actually be purchased!!!
The bus is now being specially equipped for handicapped patients and will give Puspadi Bali the transportation to bring their services to the disabled living in distant communities. Club members have run the gamut of emotions, from disappointment to DELIGHT! Indeed, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”
MORE GOOD NEWS!! Rotarian Jeni Kardinal’s project application to Australia’s Direct Aid Program has been funded! The project will translate a gorgeously illustrated book about saving our environment from English to Indonesian. Children will love it!
Rotarians Florian Nitsch and Marilyn Carson have submitted project applications to Rotary District 3420 for two small projects. One will teach young people how to raise organic foods in their school gardens and the second will provide scholarships to poverty level students. Fingers crossed these projects get funded.
The power of a great idea, perseverance and crowd funding was what made it possible for Jeroen van Overbeek and his team at Social Impakt – www.social-impakt.com – to raise sufficient funds for 1500 water filters….all destined for distribution to villagers in Karangasem, many living in evacuee camps. Put the dirtiest of water into one of these fileters and WOW!!!…it’s clean and potable.
From Rotary Club Bali Seminyak, we send you our best wishes for this New Year!
Marilyn Carson
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