The major interests of Rotary Clubs around the world are pretty much the same – to make a difference to the lives of less fortunate groups in the community through supportive projects, programs and activities of various types; to raise funds to cover the costs of these programs; to attract new members to help maintain the momentum; and to have fun while we are doing it!
RC Bali Nusa Dua has been doing this now for 25 years, and this year has been busier than most. In April, we celebrated our Silver Jubilee with a 25th Anniversary Gala Evening at the Hilton Bali Resort, entertaining 180 guests and raising over Rp 100 million for our continuing program.
But the reality of life for many in Indonesia is never far away …..
Rotary Response to Lombok Earthquakes
The earthquakes that rocked Lombok from the end of July until end of August 2018 damaged 83,352 structures on Lombok and left more than 300,000 homeless. Rotary Clubs in Bali were quick to react, and within only a few days were on the ground in Lombok, delivering essential supplies, shelter materials and medical assistance to as many as possible. A Rotary Disaster Relief (RDR) Committee was formed with Nyoman Suastika as the Chair, to ensure that Rotary’s efforts would be directed and coordinated to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
After listening to a presentation from Past President Budi Laksono from Rotary Club Semarang Pandawa, Rotarians including District Governor I Wayan Suryawan, PDG Hanny Arianto and other PDGs and senior figures, it was decided that the RDR would raise funds to build temporary housing in an INDONESIA ROTARY VILLAGE, with donations from all Rotary Clubs in both District 3420 and District 3410 (Java and Sumatra), individual Rotarians, their families and their friends.
The concept is that small prefabricated houses can be built and erected very cheaply, from cheap but good quality materials, with a size of 3.6 X 3.6 m for around Rp 6 million. These will provide good accommodation and shelter, particularly through the wet season that will soon make life more difficult for the many displaced people in Lombok. ROTARY HOUSE is a HUNANTARA (short for Huni Sementara meaning to live in temporarily). The houses have an expected useful life of three years and will help get residents through the upcoming raining season which of course is very much needed by everyone who has lost their home.
‘KAMPUNG ROTARY’ is located in Karang Bedil Hamlet, Gondang Village, Gangga District, North Lombok Regency and will provide units for 112 families. A second, ‘KAMPUNG ROTARY 2’ will house 50 families in West Lombok Regency, while plans are also being made for ‘KAMPUNG ROTARY 3’ to be located in East Lombok Regency .
Several houses in Gondang Village are already occupied, and the more ROTARY HOUSES that can be built, the more effective the program will be in providing relief for the many victims.
As of today there are 77 individuals, clubs and companies and also Rotary friends who have contributed to realizing the ROTARY VILLAGE – and if you would like to donate to this very worthwhile program, please see instructions at the end of this article.
Fore… Some More Houses!
On September 9 RC Bali Nusa Dua held its 18th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, one of Bali’s most popular tournaments. This year we had a special reason to work hard – the Club pledged to donate 50% of the funds raised from its auction fund-raising program to Lombok Earthquake Relief (with the rest needed to maintain our ongoing projects for HIV/ AIDS, Cleft Lip and Palate operations, free prosthetic legs, school scholarships for economically disadvantaged youth, and other important activities that make a difference throughout Bali).
That fifty percent came to a little over IDR 42 million, which will provide an additional 7 shelter units to Rotary’s program for the residents of Karang Bedil Hamlet, Gondang Village, North Lombok bringing the total housing units built until mid-October to 119 units!
To learn more, to donate or get involved in the community come join us for lunch – we warmly welcome anyone who is looking for opportunities to make a difference in our community. RC Bali Nusa Dua meets every Thursday for lunch 12.30-1.00PM at Bali National Golf Resort Clubhouse). More info and contact details can be found on our website, https://rotarybali.org.
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