How Does Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset Choose Its Projects?

Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset [RCBUS} is noted for its hand-on projects which, year after year, enhance the lives of people in Indonesia. As a Club, RCBUS identifies a need, compares it to the 7 focus areas [peace building and conflict prevention, disease prevention and treatment, water sanitation and hygiene, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, community economic development, and protecting the environment] of Rotary International to see if the possible project would allow us to support the mission of Rotary International, plans the implementation of the possible project using volunteer RCBUS members, searches for strategic partnerships, and, of course, discusses the finances needed to complete the project.

This year’s Swing for Living project continues to support the development of women and children along with community economic development. The program began 2 years ago under the director of then President Kartika Dewi. RCBUS teaches local women to sew and crochet. Balinese women have always had multiple jobs: take care children and family, doing all the housework, providing help to the community, and assisting at temple and cultural events, among other duties. It is important for women to make their own money, not only for their self-esteem, but to enable each of them to support her entire family. Sewing For Living teaches marketable skills that women can use from their homes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these women are the sole providers for their families. Sewing for Living produces crocheted and sewn items of clothing for babies, children and adults along with blankets, toys, market bags and purses. Over 300 of these items were sent to Germany where they were placed in Christmas markets to be used as incentives for donations.

Sewing for Living works to support another RCBUS project, the WEHEA Project, an environmental endeavor in Kalimantan. Participants in Sewing for Living create orangutans. The income from the orangutans supports both the creator and the WEHEA project. The Sewing for Living project has touched the hearts of people world-wide. Private individuals and Rotary Clubs from both Australia and the United States donate materials for the women to use to produce the items they create. If you are interested in joining or supporting this project, please join Rajut Dan Jarit on Facebook for more information or contact Rohani on WhatsApp at +62 0852 37377258.

The WEHEA Project is a multifaceted undertaking that involves the preservation of the WEHEA rainforest in East Kalimantan, agroforestry projects to provide food and create clean drinking water supplies, rescuing orangutans and other endangered animals which live there, preserving the homes and the culture of the Dayak people who live in the forest, and supporting microbusinesses in the Dayak villages to strengthen their local economies. This project supports the environmental focus of Rotary International along with community economic development.

Recently, RCBUS members, Hans Schmid and Marion Hook, and RCBUS Volunteer, Nyoman Jiwa, traveled to Merasa Village and the WEHEA National Forest, both in Kalimantan, to assess the progress of the project. They visited the city of Berau, Merasa Village, a ranger’s camp in the WEHEA National Forest, and the Animal Rescue Center in another part of the WEHEA National Forest, They discussed collaborative efforts for continued funding via private donors and environmental groups in Germany along with the possibility of opening an ecotourism site with the potential help of the Australian Government. The three people from RCBUS were pleased to see the renovations at the ranger’s camp, the health of the animals at the Rescue Center and the continued efforts to collaborate with potential funders world-wide.
Clean water supplies have been a focus of RCBUS since its inception. This focus continues as RCBUS members work together with the people of Seraya Village in Karangasem Regency. RCBUS donates and manages the installation of water tanks in the village to provide fresh water to the families who live there. As the year progress, RCBUS plans to introduce methods of water conservation and water harvesting which will offer subsistence farmers inventive ways to manage their water supplies to their crops and homes, hopefully extending the growing seasons for fruits and vegetables, particularly during dry season.

Other RCBUS projects include the distribution of school supplies and a mobile library. These two projects are aptly managed by RCBUS’ Rotaracts, the leadership development division of Rotary Club which focuses on people between 18 and 30 years of age; distributing rice, oil and eggs to people who are suffering from joblessness, and supporting local NGOs and charities.
RCBUS supports its projects via fundraising activities (our second annual golf tournament, Bogies for Bali) will occur on September 10th at Handara Gold & Resort Bali); collaborations with other Rotary Clubs in Australia, Germany and the United States; and private donations.

Members of RCBUS are friendly people of action. If you are considering joining RCBUS and would like to attend a meeting to see what we are all about, please contact Marion Hook at marion.hook@gmail.com for more information. We meet every 2nd Monday at Warong Mina Ubud and every last Monday of the month at Sthala Ubud Bali, a five-star hotel managed by Marriott International. It is located in Lodtunduh Village in Ubud. If you would like to join this dynamic group of people from three different continents who love Bali and work to help the people who live here, information to do so can be found at http://rotarybaliubudsunset.org/how-to-become-an-rcbus-member/