Our Concept
In Bali, there is an excellent social support system. Old people are revered, respected and taken care of by their families and villages. So if you're old and destitute and on the streets, it means that something has gone seriously wrong. It could be that there was a village dispute, or a family dispute, a religious issue. Or you come from a different part of Indonesia as a laborer many years ago, and now you're old and poor and no support system either here or back where you came from. At any rate, you find yourself on the streets of Denpasar, rummaging through rubbish to find scraps of food, sleeping on the sidewalks, begging when you can. It's a terrible life, and it's a terrible end to a life. And if you were extremely lucky, a kindly passer-by or the police would pick you up and take you to Wana Seraya, on the outskirts of Denpasar.
We started by supporting this old people's home in 2004. It's a government-run home, one of only two in Bali, but the problem was that they didn't have a budget back then. The residents were living on rice and not much else. So we started a weekly food delivery of 150 kilos of fish, meat and vegetables. But the place was falling down. So we renovated it, built a sick ward and a clinic and brand new accommodation for another 40 people, and spruced up the rest. Then we hired doctors and nurses and therapists. And the place was looking quite good. You can see pictures of it here on the right.
There are lots of poor elderly people in Bali; the two homes that exist cannot possibly meet the need. We have now purchased a nice piece of land adjacent to the Green School in Ubud, where we will build the very first eco-home for the elderly in Asia. If we are lucky, we will have all the money and permits in place by the en of 2009 and can start building in 2010. If you wish to help us, please make a donation, large or small, all is welcome. |
