Congratulations are in order. On June 29, 2020, Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset [RCBUS] announced its new Board of Directors: Kartika Dewi will serve as President and Immediate Past President, Kadek Erawan as President Elect, Brian Goldman as Treasurer, Sue Bishop as Secretary, Ray Bishop as Fundraising Chair, and Marion Hook as Communications Chair. The properly socially distanced meeting was held at Café Hana in Ubud. Members also joined in via Zoom from as far away as Australia as we embraced the “new normal”. Hans Schmid was welcomed as RCBUS’ newest member.
RCBUS proudly continues to grow its membership, even during the current chaotic social environment. We are able to do this because we are Rotarians committed to providing and completing projects that have a lasting, positive impact on the local community.
RCBUS’ newest member, Hans Schmid, presented information to the club describing the Wehea Project, part of an effort to preserve the tropical rainforests in Indonesia. The Wehea National Forest is located in East Kuatai Regency, East Kalimantan, Borneo. Its 38,000 hectares (93,900 acres) are home to endangered primates such as the Bornean Orangutan and the Miller Grizzled Langur. It also houses the endangered Sun Bear and Sunda Clouded Leopard. Thirty percent of this rainforest has already been logged. Another 40 % has been only lightly explored.
Rainforests are vital for the survival of the Earth. Wehea’s rainforests are unique and must be preserved to be studied and enjoyed by future generations. Unfortunately, the destruction of rainforests continues. That destruction diminishes the Earth’s supply of CO2.
The goals of the Wehea Project are to:
• Preserve the area
• Extend the area
• Increase the area’s protection status
• Create limited tourism to the area
• Use existing infrastructure to create a relocation program
• Create an international volunteer program
The needs of the Wehea Project include:
• 1 Ute
• 2 motorcycles
• Maintenance of existing streets and buildings
• Funds for building and maintaining a new bridge
• Salary for the ranger who works there
New partners are also needed to sustain the Wehea Project. Partners supply needed funding and a means to distribute information about the project to others worldwide. RCBUS has agreed to make Rotary International aware of the Wehea Project. Primates help Primates!
We may be a small group of people, but we have instituted positive, sustainable change. An example – Last year our new Board members and club member were announced during a meeting at Tegal Dukuh Camp in Taro. Its owner, environ mentalist Wayan Wardika, told us of his ideas to improve the physical and economic environment of the region. RCBUS raised money to purchase a machine for Wayan that chops organic waste into compost. The machine has been purchased from funds members raised on 3 different continents and is in use. As a result, compost can now be made quickly, so almost all the area’s organic waste is being converted into compost. That compost is being distributed to local farmers who are using it to grow food for their families and their livestock and to sell in the markets. People are eating healthier food and living in a less toxic, more chemical free environment. Less refuse is being taken to landfills which are actually overflowing. Extra compost is being sold to private homeowners, hotels, resorts and restaurants to use in their landscaping. That improves the economy tremendously in the Taro area. RCBUS helped to literally change the physical environment, the economic environment and the health of this beautiful village. Wayan, who is orchestrating this wonderful endeavor, said that he was so excited when the machine arrived, he forgot to eat lunch.
On July 27, 2020, RCBUS voted to support English language classes offered at Rumah Belarja Sedwa school in rural Bangli, Bali. The classes serve as a learning center where students can practice their English. The practice sessions are free to local children. The courses are taught by Balinese who live in Bangli. English lessons are crucial to the futures of the students at Rumah Belarja Sedwa. A good knowledge of English opens many job opportunities to people in Bali. RCBUS will provide funding to help the learning center purchase partitions to protect students and faculty from sun and rain, a projector to use to show movies and slides to enhance English lessons, and a bracket to enable the projector to be mounted on a wall.
Additional projects for 2020 include the following:
• Equipment for Bali Sehat Medical Clinic in the Karangasem Region
• Kedampel Water Project
• Rotaract Mobile Library Project
• Sewing for Living
• Support for the following groups:
1. Bali Children’s Project
2. John Fawcett Foundation
3.Various projects focusing on HIV education, healthy hygiene, clean water supplies, and support for women and children
More information about RCBUS’ projects can be found at http://rotarybaliubudsunset.org/club-projects/.
If you would like to join this dynamic group of people 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/.
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