Balinese village benefits from luxury resort's social conscience
Saturday, May 7, 2011
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comments for Nusa Dua Hotel
T'S already the dry season in Bali but water sluices through the city streets in the island's south, a deluge unthinkable at this time of year.
Hawkers try to shield their wares from the torrent and children giggle in the rain or run along the median strips, begging money from passing cars.
But out in the remote hinterland east of this bustling tourist hub, it's so much worse. In the village of Ban at Karangasem, dilapidated bamboo huts fill with water, making life more miserable still for the Balinese who live here. Most of the villagers lack basic education and access to clean water and electricity.
Unlike Bali's lush south, this region is arid and children have to walk many kilometres to school and back. Their mothers earn a living weaving bamboo, their fathers seek work in cities such as Denpasar. The region is overlooked by the lucrative tourist trade that converges on the established beach hot spots of Kuta, Nusa Dua, Seminyak, Legian and Jimbaran, and the arty hill-station of Ubud.
But these villagers are not alone: the Balinese government's Social Welfare Co-ordinating Board has launched a pilot project delivering housing and environmental solutions to disadvantaged communities in the region. And one of the beneficiaries of tourism, Ayana Resort and Spa Bali, has come on board as a sponsor, funding the construction of 51 brick houses for local families.
The villagers helped build these houses, working under the supervision of construction engineers from Ayana and using materials donated by the resort. Funds from additional donors were used to install a freshwater pump and solar energy panels that will enable the women to increase their weaving output as they work well into the night.
"We are delighted that this program has made a meaningful contribution to the lives of Ban villagers, effectively improving their quality of life," says Charles de Foucault, the French-born general manager of Ayana.
"Despite the images of paradise, many Balinese are still living below the poverty line and it is our responsibility to give back as generously as they welcome us with open arms into their country and their homes. We are committed to continuing this work in partnership with the Balinese government, to help in whatever capacity is needed to improve the livelihoods of people across the island."
It's not the first time Ayana has partnered with the government on social responsibility programs and it certainly won't be the last: the next beneficiary will be the northern town of Singaraja, the former colonial capital of Bali.
The provision of housing in derelict villages is a fitting project for Ayana; its name means "place of refuge" in Sanskrit. And, realising the great gulf between the world of pure luxury of the clifftop resort at Jimbaran where they work and most villages in Bali, Ayana's staff have sought out the people of Ban, delivering books, satchels and writing equipment as well as a pair of breeding cows.
It's been a priceless gift for a community just up the coast that was so desperate for a helping hand, as villager Men Pugluk confirms.
"I didn't have the courage to ever dream of having such a house," he says.
source; www.theaustralian.com.au
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Hawkers try to shield their wares from the torrent and children giggle in the rain or run along the median strips, begging money from passing cars.
But out in the remote hinterland east of this bustling tourist hub, it's so much worse. In the village of Ban at Karangasem, dilapidated bamboo huts fill with water, making life more miserable still for the Balinese who live here. Most of the villagers lack basic education and access to clean water and electricity.
Unlike Bali's lush south, this region is arid and children have to walk many kilometres to school and back. Their mothers earn a living weaving bamboo, their fathers seek work in cities such as Denpasar. The region is overlooked by the lucrative tourist trade that converges on the established beach hot spots of Kuta, Nusa Dua, Seminyak, Legian and Jimbaran, and the arty hill-station of Ubud.
But these villagers are not alone: the Balinese government's Social Welfare Co-ordinating Board has launched a pilot project delivering housing and environmental solutions to disadvantaged communities in the region. And one of the beneficiaries of tourism, Ayana Resort and Spa Bali, has come on board as a sponsor, funding the construction of 51 brick houses for local families.
The villagers helped build these houses, working under the supervision of construction engineers from Ayana and using materials donated by the resort. Funds from additional donors were used to install a freshwater pump and solar energy panels that will enable the women to increase their weaving output as they work well into the night.
"We are delighted that this program has made a meaningful contribution to the lives of Ban villagers, effectively improving their quality of life," says Charles de Foucault, the French-born general manager of Ayana.
"Despite the images of paradise, many Balinese are still living below the poverty line and it is our responsibility to give back as generously as they welcome us with open arms into their country and their homes. We are committed to continuing this work in partnership with the Balinese government, to help in whatever capacity is needed to improve the livelihoods of people across the island."
It's not the first time Ayana has partnered with the government on social responsibility programs and it certainly won't be the last: the next beneficiary will be the northern town of Singaraja, the former colonial capital of Bali.
The provision of housing in derelict villages is a fitting project for Ayana; its name means "place of refuge" in Sanskrit. And, realising the great gulf between the world of pure luxury of the clifftop resort at Jimbaran where they work and most villages in Bali, Ayana's staff have sought out the people of Ban, delivering books, satchels and writing equipment as well as a pair of breeding cows.
It's been a priceless gift for a community just up the coast that was so desperate for a helping hand, as villager Men Pugluk confirms.
"I didn't have the courage to ever dream of having such a house," he says.
source; www.theaustralian.com.au
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