Blitar, Java, youth detention center. It is rainy season, and we are an hour away from Surabaya to Blitar. With me are my colleague Yusti and our guest, the Indonesian coordinator of a large foundation which supports children’s projects. The four-hour drive runs alongside Lapindo, the place where mounds of earth try to protect the slowly sinking villages from the hot poisonous liquid mud oozing steaming from the earth. Seven villages have already disappeared, with no end in sight. Truckload after truckload is being emptied to strengthen the dam, which keeps the mud from the highway and other villages.
To top this, our car began to spout hot steam from the motor, leading us to leave the car in a hurry. After finding a replacement vehicle, we were able to continue on our way to Blitar, where we were expected. My colleague Yusti was celebrating her new status as a professor and she had decided to invite all employees and inmates to celebrate the occasion with us. In the car were 250 individually-wrapped meals prepared in Surabaya. They were distributed by our anti-violence team to all 180 inmates and 70 employees.
Yusti must have told the employees that it was my birthday. To my great surprise, I was received with a band, composed of our Antiviolence group and a song especially composed for me. It was so lovingly prepared and was immensely touching. Many of the employees and inmates congratulated me. It is a birthday I shall never forget.
The main purpose of this visit was to introduce our guest, the Indonesian coordinator, to our now five year-old program directly in the prison. The previous day was spent introducing her to the university and the social lab, as well as to our team. The goal was to eventually receive the necessary financing for the proposed three-year training of trainers, who were to introduce our empowering approach to the other two childrens’ prisons in Indonesia, thus reaching over 600 children. Following her evaluation, we shall be able to apply to the head organization.
Lagu Damai, Ubud, Bali. Banjar Bindu, where our Agro and retreat center is located, approached us to support them with a campaign to “clean Banjar Bindu” . Like so many others, the villagers are very unaware of the damaging effects of plastic, which is discarded everywhere. On the whole of Bali, there are only two recycling facilities. Recycling is very expensive and the people are not used to—and see no reason to have to pay for—garbage pick up. Our local foundation, Lagu Damai—along with our high school and university students—is planning to run a campaign and teach first the local youth, and then the various households, about the effects of burning plastic and burying it in the land, as well as the health hazard this poses for the people. The aim is to address the health of the children—something for which the Balinese care for very much—and thus possibly motivate the adults to protect the environment and pay for recycling the plastic. The project is planned to extent over a period of one year.
The Jiwa Damai agro and retreat center is now ready to receive guests to attend workshops and interns wanting to experience tropical flora and fauna, as well as learn about Balinese ceremonial plants and join the lifestyle of the Balinese for a short period of time.
We greatly appreciate your continued support.
The agro garden staff is looking for know-how and volunteers who wish to donate time and assistance.
The Jiwa Damai center is looking for an electrical engineer to overhaul the electrical system and to design a sustainable solar power system.
Financial support
US checks can issued and mailed to:
PsychoPolitical Peace Inc. Non Profit
150 W 80th Str. #6c
New York, NY 10024
Or transfer directly to our Indonesian account:
Yayasan Lagu Damai,
Jl Raya Andong 14,
Ubud Bali.
Bank Negara Indonesia
Ubud Bali,
Indonesia,
SWIFT: BNI NI DJA
Acct number: 0049401042
Sunday, June 1, 2008
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