Three organisations focusing their efforts on protecting, educating and empowering women, predominantly those from disadvantaged backgrounds or challenging circumstances here in Bali. Read about their amazing initiatives and work, and see if it inspires you to support.
Bali WISE
Bali WISE (Women of Indonesia Skills Education) is a women-centric programme run by the ROLE Foundation. The organisation identifies marginalised or at-risk women and provides them with an immersive six-month programme of life-changing education and work experience. The goal of Bali WISE is to set young women up for prosperous careers, where they will be able to live independently.
Since 2007, Bali WISE has had 2003 ‘alumni’ graduate from their programme, 50 to 60 percent of whom received job offers before their official graduation. Every quarter, Bali WISE welcomes up to 35 students between the ages of 17 to 24, and provides them with dormitories, cash, uniforms, medical and study requirements on top of an express three-month programme of learning in their centre in Nusa Dua. All this before bridging them to partner businesses who accepts the students for a three-month internship.
For many years, the programme focused on training and experience for the hospitality industry, which continues to be a success. However in 2023, Bali WISE began a digital marketing option to diversify career outcomes for their students. This was brought about by the uncertainty in tourism after natural disasters and the pandemic hit the island. Now, a handful of the students – if they choose to follow this path – are taught skills in online marketing, graphic design, copywriting and other digital tools that opens the doors to a wider range of potential jobs.
Since it began, Bali WISE has been a resounding success, with early alumni success stories reaching as far as working Budapest Airport and another becoming a flight attendant for a major Middle East airline. Bali WISE funds come from grants and sponsorships from businesses in Bali who continue to see the positive effects of their work, but they accept sponsors for students and welcome businesses open to host interns for meaningful work experience.
+6281238030693
@baliwise
baliwise.org
PKP Community Centre
In the quiet highlands of Banjar Selasih, Desa Puhu, Gianyar, a powerful movement is taking root. PKP Community Centre, also known as Pusat Kegiatan Perempuan (Women’s Activity Centre), stands as a sanctuary for women and children seeking safety, dignity, and a second chance at life.
Established in 2013 by Ibu Sari, PKP was born from lived experience. After enduring a painful divorce, prolonged trauma, and separation from her daughter for over 16 years, Ibu Sari faced severe depression and social stigma – realities shared by many divorced and marginalised women in Bali. Rather than surrender to despair, she chose to transform her suffering into service. PKP became her answer to the silent struggles of women ostracised for divorce, infertility, disability within the family, violence, poverty, or social exclusion.
Today, PKP provides a Safe House sheltering 18 individuals, along with counselling services that offer what many women have long been denied: a listening ear without judgement. Beyond refuge, the centre champions long-term empowerment. Scholarship programmes currently support 85 children, while job training in sewing, cooking, gardening, and natural product-making equips women with practical skills to rebuild their livelihoods.
PKP’s impact extends far beyond the individual. Through seed funding, job placement, and its Paket Sembako Sehat (PSS), or Healthy Staple Food Packages programme – rooted in a circular economy supporting local farmers and small shops – families reduce financial stress and regain stability. Additional income means better nutrition, continued education, and renewed hope for the next generation.
Operating through social enterprises, including catering, sewing services, and educational visit programmes, PKP sustains its mission through a 3B philosophy: Berkmakna (Meaningful), Bertumbuh (Growing), and Berkelanjutan (Sustainable). In an island celebrated for its beauty, PKP reminds us that true harmony begins when every woman feels seen, heard, and empowered to redraw her own life map.
+62 822 3795 7829
@pkp_communitycentre
pkpcommunitycentre.org
Bali Life Foundation
For many impoverished families in South Bali, survival can mean difficult compromises. At the Street Kids Centre and Women’s Workshop, run by Bali Life Foundation, a different path is being created – one that begins with empowering women.
Founded in 2006 by husband and wife, Brad and Siska Little, as a children’s home, Bali Life Foundation soon recognised that keeping children off the streets required more than classroom support. In 2012, the foundation expanded its vision with the launch of the Street Kids Centre and, crucially, the Women’s Workshop, a programme designed to strengthen mothers as the cornerstone of sustainable change.
While children attend the informal school – complete with classrooms, library, and play areas – their mothers step into a space of productivity and possibility. The Women’s Workshop programme operates daily, offering training in handicraft production, sewing, crochet, and jewellery-making, alongside English lessons and practical life skills such as basic budgeting and assertive communication.
The concept is straightforward yet powerful: skills must translate into income. The women are paid for every item they create, with handmade products sold through collaborations with hotels, villas, and coffee shops across Bali, and even reaching customers abroad. Each day a mother earns is a day her child does not need to beg at a traffic light.
Beyond financial stability, the workshop fosters confidence and community. It provides a safe, flexible environment where women share experiences, support one another, and rediscover their sense of capability. For many, it is their first opportunity to contribute a steady income to their household.
By investing in mothers, the foundation addresses the roots of vulnerability. The Women’s Workshop is not simply about craft – it is about dignity, independence, and generational impact, proving that when women are equipped to thrive, entire families rise with them.
+62 813 3988 2783
@balilifefoundation
balilife.org
