Projects in the Works

Upcoming Bali Sponsor Trip

Our second annual Bali Sponsor Trip is all set.  Here is your chance to join us on a well planned, small group trip to meet the girl(s) you are sponsoring.  During our two weeks in Bali you'll get to see the arts and culture of the Balinese people, and visit three or four of our orphanages and get to know the girls.  And, we promise you that you'll have experiences not normally available to tourists.  We'll also leave you with a little free time for shopping and free-lance exploring.

We will be a nimble group limited to 12 people.  We travel in a small mini-bus.  We get around quickly and easily.

We'll be departing from San Francisco on April 19, 2012; returning on May 3rd.  Here are the highlights:

Flying on Singapore Airlines

Four nights in Sanur, a lovely beach commuinty.

Four nights in Lovina, located on the black sand beaches of northern Bali

Five nights in Ubud, the artistic and cultural center of Bali.

We have Dana Lee, the best tour guide in all of Bali, with us for the entire trip.

In addition to visiting the orphanages, you'll get to see volcanos, temples, dances, artisians, Balinese culture, spectacular scenery, and who knows what else as we wander around the island exploring.

Cost, including airfare, hotels, breakfasts, several other meals, and local transportation will be approximately $3,200 per person, double occupancy.   Quite a bargain, we think.

Here's a link to last year's trip:

#mce_temp_url#

Take a look.  I think you'll see that we had a wonderful time together.

Questions:  Just give me a call (425-771-7990) or email me at 

bill@balifund.org

View Photos

Update on the Lantern Moon Project

I am happy to report that the Lantern Moon project is progressing nicely.  The staff at the Orphanage is busily engaged in production of several beautiful new products for Lantern Moon, all of which will be first shown to the public at a major industry trade-show this coming January in Long Beach, California.  Several hundred items are already completed with shipment scheduled for mid-December.

In addition, I carried back and forth several brand new samples ... all of which were readily received by Lantern Moon and well within the capabilities of the sewing team at the Orphanage. Volume is now picking up to the point were the Orphanage is preparing to hire one or two new people to keep up with the demand.

Although this work is just a start for now, it holds the potential to be a meaningful source of self-sufficiency for the Orphanage and the Foundation.

Thanks again to Joel and Sharon Woodcock, the owners of Lantern Moon, for having the spirit and the heart to pursue this project with us.  

View Photos

Update on the Forestry Project

We saw impressive progress here.  Already, one hectare (2.5 acres) has been cleared and planted.  The second hectare is in the process of being cleared and will be planted soon. Seedlings for this second hectare are already being germinated.

Using this special, very fast growing, hybrid Albasia tree, commercially valuable wood will be produced in approximately five years.  It is quite amazing to see 60 day-old trees already well above knee height!

I have added several new photographs of this important plantation project to the photo album.

View Photos

Update on the Water Tank Project

Once again we visited the village of Seraya, located on the side of a volcano in the very far east end of Bali.  Quite challenging living conditions, to say the least, considering that the people in this village live for several months each year with absolutely no local water source.  Twenty-three water storage tanks have now been completed, with another five funded and under construction.  

This is important progress.  Instead of one tank for 10 families, the Foundation is now able to allocate one tank for just five families. The goal remains at providing at least 200 such tanks ... still a long way to go.  Each tank requires about US$800 worth of sand and cement delivered to the site.  Then, with plans and direction provided by the Foundation, the villagers construct the tanks from native stone.  Anyone want to provide the funding for a tank?

I have recently added several new photographs in the album.

View Photos

Bus for the Untal-Untal Orphanage

We are pleased to report that funding has been arranged to purchase a small bus to transport those girls who must attend high school at some distance from the Orphanage.  This will permit the girls to continue to live at the Orphanage and will avoid having them relocate to other locations.

The new (used) mini-bus has been purchased and is now in use transporting quite a few girls to their distant high schools.  Take a look at the happy faces in the two photos.

View Photos

Lantern Moon

The Bali Fund is now coordinating with a Portland based company called Lantern Moon.  Their Business is centered on importing handcrafted items made by women in Viet Nam and then distributing those products throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

On the last two trips to Bali I have been coordinating the development of sample products that could be made at the Orphanage and distributed by Lantern Moon.  Our most recent batch of samples was very well received by Sharon Woodcock who is now ready to initiate a Bali Tropical Line of products to accompany their many fine products from Viet Nam.

View Photos

Community Development for Children (CDC) Projects

The Widhya Asih Foundation also conducts a variety of CDC projects.  The largest of these involves working with the people of the very poor village of Seraya, located on the mountainside in the far east of Bali, to build tanks so the villagers can store water for use during the several months of the dry season.  At this time of year the local rivers and streams all dry up leaving virtually no water available to these people until the rains begin again.  Thirteen of these 38,000 liter (10,000 gallon) tanks have already been constructed and are now in use.  Sixteen more are already funded and will be built soon.  The goal is for a total of 200 such tanks

To accomplish this the Foundation provides the sand, gravel, cement, and design criteria for the tanks.  With guidance, the villagers then construct the tanks for themselves using readily available local stones.  Cost for the materials is approximately $780.  Quite the bargain we think when you realize that this money provides subsistence water to 10 families for three to four months when no other source of water is available except through a several hour hike up the mountainside to a small spring.

In addition to the project in Seraya, the Foundation is also helping provide people wih fresh water from a new well, a storage tank, and distribution piping in the village of Ubung, near Denpasar.  This project also includes constructing four toilets for the villagers.  Previously, the only water source was the local river.

Work is also underway inthe village of Pedawa, near Singaraja, to help children with school fees and uniforms that the parents could not possibly afford.  In addition, five families are being provided with three pigs each to assist them in becoming more self-sufficient.

View Photos

Forest Plantation Project

The Foundation has recently been given 10 hectares (25 acres) of unimproved land in the central highlands of Bali.  With the guidance of a local forestry consultant, they are proposing to cultivate Albasia Forests on at least 7 hectares of this land.  Their consultant's analysis projects that an initial investment of approximately U.S. $4,400 per hectare will yield a crop of harvestable trees worth $42,000 at current market prices after five years.  This gain of $37,600 would provide support for nearly 100 children for a full year

The Current Need - Start-up Funding:  The Foundation needs $4,400 for each of the first five years, a total of $22,000.  After this, proceeds from harvesting timber can be reinvested for land clearing a replanting.

View Photos