In March and April, two important days invite us to take a moment to celebrate the women around us: International Women’s Day on 8 March and Indonesia’s Kartini Day on 21 April, a commemoration of Raden Adjeng Kartini who fought for women’s rights and education.
Here in Bali, where women are really the backbone of society through their efforts balancing the demanding efforts of work, family and ceremonial life, there is much to be admired. Here we spotlight four incredible women in Bali who have dedicated their lives to helping others in their own way, from other women to children, in culture, healthcare, education and livelihood.
Ni Ketut Arini Alit
Born in 1943, Ni Ketut Arini is a living legend. Considered a maestro in Balinese classical dances, the now 80 year old dancer continues to teach at her sanggar in Denpasar, ensuring that young generations of Balinese learn the proper techniques and also continue the legacy of age-old classical dances.
Ibu Arini comes from good musical stock: her father, I Wayan Sapluk, played the gamelan; and her uncle, I Wayan Rindi, was himself a legendary dancer and became Ibu Arini’s first dance teacher when she was seven years old. With the help of other masters, including I Nyoman Kaler and I Ketut Mario, she perfected a range of classical Balinese dances, including the many styles of Legong, and later revived almost forgotten dances like the Margapati and Candrametu.
In 1973, Ni Ketut Arini opened ‘Sanggar Tari Warini’ (Warini Dance Studio) in her house in Denpasar, where for the last 50 years she has been teaching Balinese of all ages the techniques that were once bestowed to her. She continues to teach the classes personally, fit and graceful as ever. She teaches between 100 to 200 students every week, ranging from four years of age to those in their 50s. “Dancing is a form ngayah (worship/service) for us Balinese, so it is imperative that we keep it alive,” says the maestro, who often teaches the ceremonial rejang (for unmarried women) and rejang renteng (for older women) dances. “Dancing cleans and clears our mind, when we dance, we become closer to alam semesta, the universe.”
Read the longer story of Ni Ketut Arini Alit here.
Margaret Barry, OAM
Founder and CEO of Bali Children Foundation (BCF), Margaret Barry’s efforts through the foundation has helped thousands of children in Bali and other areas of Indonesia.
“I started the work in October 2002 after the first Bali Bomb. Witnessing the heroic and successful efforts from volunteers helping the injured, I thought that synergy of Balinese, expatriates and tourists working together could be directed to a broader purpose. Soon we learned the atrocity was an act of terror originating in a poor community in Java. I knew of several Balinese isolated and impoverished communities that could be potentially radicalised and saw education as a way to elevate these villages. That’s where BCF’s vision of Education to Employment came from,” explains Margaret, who was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her work in 2018.
She explains the the core mission of the foundation: “We select and survey remote villages with underserved schools, we provide scholarships to the 10-15% most impoverished children, upgrade classrooms, donate equipment and waste management facilities in small schools with inadequate budgets. BCF also delivers curriculum in these schools. Classes in these schools include English, STEM (an integrated subject for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and Remedial Literacy & Numeracy. We equip Grade 1 students with tablets for Literacy and Numeracy and train their government form teachers to deliver this Ed Tech curriculum.”
The results in education are phenomenal, often out-performing the national average, essentially leapfrogging the children from undereducated to academic stars. For example, BCF-engaged school scores for reading and counting are 34% higher than non-BCF school equivalent. For older students, the BCF Grade 12 scholarship graduates in 2023 saw 88% of them entering college, university, apprenticeships or were employed three months within leaving school. One graduate is even working towards her Australian medical license, having graduated as a doctor, and still finds time to mentor young BCF students.
Read the longer story of Margaret Barry, OAM here.
Robin Lim, CPM
Certified Professional Midwife, Ibu Robin Lim, founded Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Healthy Earth Mother Foundation) in 1995, and though starting by providing reproductive healthcare services to local communities, their good work transcends these boundaries with operations in four clinics in Indonesia and two in the Philippines. Their ‘mothership’ in Bali is based in Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, where Ibu Robin herself first lived when arriving on the island in 1993.
“Soon after settling in Bali, I became pregnant with our son… As a student midwife, I sought prenatal care with two midwives in the Ubud area, who supported me to birth my child at home. They explained to me that there was a very high maternal mortality rate in Bali,” shares Ibu Robin. A Dr. Inne Susante then shared a study she had for UNICEF, which showed that the lion’s share of deaths were mothers bleeding to death in childbirth. “These were young women in the prime of their lives, perishing just because they had had a baby.”
Ibu Robin’s own home birth, her experience as a training midwife and author of ‘After the Baby’s Birth’ was noted in nearby communities. “Husbands of women in labor began to come when their wives were in labor, asking me to help,” she adds. With assistance clearly needed in this area, Yayasan Bumi Sehat was founded in 1995. “The midwives at Bumi Sehat are committed to reducing the number of maternal and infant deaths via the simple and effective model of Midwife-to-Mother care,” explains Ibu Robin, 2011 CNN Hero of the Year. “Optimal healthcare, regardless of one’s financial situation, is a human right. This is why Bumi Sehat’s services are free or for those who have the means to pay, our services are by donation.”
Since their founding, Bumi Sehat’s services have expanded, aiming to treat both the symptoms and causes of healthcare and wellbeing challenges. They run a Rehabilitation Center for those needing mobility assistance, helping seniors to special needs children; a program to help patients living with HIV/AIDS; run a Youth Center providing English and computer skills, a teen health education program, and provide scholarships for young students. In 2022 alone, at Bumi Sehat Bali, they brought 290 news babies into the world, provided 4,312 prenatal checkups, paediatric care for 308 patients,13,830 general medical check ups. The list goes on. And services extend to their other five clinics.
Read the longer story of Robin Lim here.
Fena Evans
Truly embodying the vision of Hari Kartini, Bali WISE (Women of Indonesia Skills Education) has educated over 1750 women since its inception in 2007. Working closely with NGOs, orphanages and local schools, Bali WISE identifies marginalised and at-risk women who need help and will benefit from a life-changing skills education.
“We invest in people who want a better future and life and strive to recruit those who desire it,” shares Fena Evans, Executive Director of ROLE Foundation, under which the Bali WISE program runs. Fena joined ROLE as an intern during her studies back in 2012, the BALI Wise program wasn’t running effectively but Fena believed in its mission, drawn by the potential she knew it would have on young women. Convincing ROLE’s founder to keep the program going until she graduated, she promised to return to make it a success.
“I did not know what to do, but I strongly believed I could do something good,” adds the strong-willed director. “I reached out to potential education partners and asked them to help me design a hospitality curriculum training program. The response was terrific, and we have been fine-tuning our program with the guidance of industry practitioners ever since.”
Though only six-months long, the program produces superb results, with women transformed with new practical and life skills, plus, crucially, a real confidence in their own ability. The first half of the program is training at their Nusa Dua centre, providing a range of classes from basic hospitality workshops, to marketing, family planning, financial management and job interview skills. The next three months, students are given real practical training in a business, normally a hotel. Bali WISE even secures job placements for them after graduation. Importantly, students are supported throughout the program, provided with accommodation, meals, uniforms, learning materials and even a small monthly allowance (up to IDR 600.000, which many send to their families).
Read the longer story of Fena Evans here.
