The Bumi Sehat Foundation: One Hundred Dollars To Save A Life
Childbirth is one of the most beautiful creations of the universe, and it is still considered a godly gift for which every woman yearns. The ugly truth according to the WHO, about a thousand women in the world die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, everyday. In developing countries, common complications such as obstruction,
Caring: An Overused Word in Bali
It’s a lovely simple word isn’t it? Yet it conveys a great deal. People care for their families both emotionally and physically. We tend to “care” for older and younger people, the disabled, the ill, the needy, but also “care” about issues: politics, global warming, sustainability, traffic. Well at least we argue with people over
The Strength of Belief in Bali
What do you believe in? Well the great majority in Asian countries still believe in God, but sadly (for me at least) many Western countries have abandoned traditional religions and tried to replace them with a huge variety of spiritual and non-spiritual beliefs and practices to satisfy the human need to explain our existence (meditation,
Sawah Bali: The Organisation Preserving Bali’s Rice Fields
The most commonly identified issues in Bali are environmental degradation, health problems, food insecurity, identity and land loss, water scarcity and economic inequality. Due to increase in tourism, land has been sold relentlessly and development made on fertile sites. The soil in Bali is dead due to no use of biomass and excessive use of
The Zero Waste to Oceans Conference: Preventing Plastic Pollution
Atop the verdant compound of the ROLE Foundation’s centre in Nusa Dua, the views out across Bali down to the ocean were clear as crystal. This was the venue for the Zero Waste to Oceans Conference held on the 22nd of February 2017, an initiative organised by the Danish Embassy in Indonesia to create a
Bali’s Traditional Children’s Games
We all know children learn through playing and by using their imagination. However, with technology, children nowadays are missing out on the real fun of traditional games that their parents and grandparents played during their childhood. Indeed technology-based games are helpful in stimulating a child’s brain but there are more benefits derived from playing traditional
Diversity in Indonesia
Indonesia has a great national motto:Bhinneka Tunggal Ika – Unity in Diversity. The Founding Fathers of this vast archipelago state certainly got it right, both with this fantastic statement and their much misinterpreted, but actually equally powerful State Ideology, Pancasila, the five guiding principles: 1. Belief in the One and Only God2. Just and Civilized
Eradicating Plastic in Bali
Everyone loves a holiday. You fly somewhere exotic to sit on a beach and forget about everything – your work, your problems, your waste… few people adhere to their home recycling regime when on holiday, but while you may forget, someone has to think about it. The use of plastic has become synonymous with serious
Avani Eco : Replacing Bali’s Plastic [Video]
Bali’s successful tourism industry has come with a price; waste. With development increasing on the island of the gods, and with larger numbers of people coming to the island each year, Bali’s waste management has become a problem. It’s estimated that 1.5kg of rubbish is disposed of per room night of every hotel on the island.
Bali’s Biggest Beach Clean Up Takes 40 tons of Trash off Bali’s Beaches!
On Sunday, 19 February 2017, volunteers all across the island’s coast gathered at their local beaches for Bali’s Biggest Beach Clean Up. 1000s of individuals from children to politicians, locals and expats, came together to show their love for Bali by cleaning up the coast line and participating in Bali’s biggest beach clean-up. An initiative started by the
My View on Views
In most countries in the world there is a very clear principal of town and city planning which allows development in specific areas and restricts in others. In some areas no development is allowed at all. In Indonesia, as in many developing countries, there is a combination of poor planning, very poor enforcement and a
Empowering Remote Villages With Education and Life Skills
Established in 1998, East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) is a non-profit organisation with the focus on the village people in the east side on Bali. Village Ban is one of their ongoing projects. It is the most remote and disadvantaged village in Bali, located on the steep and dry eastern slopes of Mount Agung and
The Uniqueness of Bali…Under Threat
Many years ago a very experienced and erudite editor was working for me on a regional travel magazine based in Singapore. His job was to go to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka to review hotels and write destination stories. What a great job! One day he came to me and said, “Alistair, I just