Yoki’s Home
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
The House CPF Built
It has been my great pleasure to write my introductory series on the people and ceremonies of the Batur Caldera, and the new “Off The Beaten Track” tours that Gede and the Cempaka Putih Foundation have created in order to help generate funds, increase tourism revenue, and create awareness of the cultural heritage of the area. I hope that I have been able to express my impressions and my wonderment, and have perhaps been able to interest a reader or two in learning more about this fascinating region of Bali.
It may seem to some that the rich cultural and religious practices of Bali, as well as the influx of tourist revenue on the island, create an inconceivable contrast with the poverty and misfortune many people experience. This is especially marked in the isolated, relatively cool, dry, and dusty volcanic environment of the Batur Caldera. For this reason, we would now like to introduce and report on some of the projects that the Cempaka Putih Foundation has begun, in order to directly assist some of their most poverty stricken neighbors.
Area Surrounding the Family Home
Prior to getting involved with the Cempaka Putih Foundation, I had an impression that poverty was directly related to crime and moral decay. However, after spending time with Gede and visiting some of the families assisted by CPF, it has become clear that the poverty they experience is due to isolation and a lack of access to education and basic support. The people I met created a positive impression on me that was only confirmed by their gracious reaction to even the smallest assistance. On my first visit to Kintamani, I was honored to witness exactly this humble gratitude, of giving to those in need.
It was a cold, misty, and rainy day when Zoray and I drove up to Kintamani, wearing a plastic raincoat poncho, on a scooter! Gede was actually surprised that we had kept our appointment. The cold rain and mist obscured any view of the spectacular lake and mountain that are the main draws of tourism to the area. There was no trace of any tourists, police, or street vendors that morning. Perhaps it was, indeed, the perfect weather for my first visit, and to visit the house the Cempaka Putih Foundation had raced to finished, just in time to shelter the family against the weather and elements of the rainy season.
Gede Chats With Neighborhood Woman
After sitting with Gede for some time, and discussing ideas for my time in volunteering with him, he was eager for me to see Serronga, Songan Village, and to show me the house the Cempaka Putih Foundation had built, using donations and volunteer labor. After a muddy slippery ride in Gede’s car, we arrived at Serronga. I found the setting rural, yet beautiful in its serene simplicity.
The modest home we went to visit did not have electricity or running water, though there were a few cows, chickens, and dogs running around fields that looked freshly harvested, and in need of being ploughed and worked again. Gede informed me that, modest though it was, the house is a marked improvement on the previous one room bamboo thatched dwelling. Although not plastered and painted, the brick house at least has a waterproof roof and ceiling.
The New Kitchen
As the family still does not have electricity or a gas stove, fire is the only way to cook. For safety, and to prevent smoke inhalation, the new house has a separate kitchen, with its own outside entrance. Lunch had already been cooked and the fire was out as I entered, but I noticed that the ceiling of the kitchen doubles as pantry for food and basic appliances.
As I walked into the house, I was surprised to be greeted, with a warm smile, by a little boy lying on a mat and playing with a bamboo stick. This was I Komang Yoki, who suffers from a debilitating congenital disease that has stunt his growth and left him paralyzed. When his parents aren’t home, a woman in the community helps to look after him during the day.
Sleeping Area
I continued to view the bedroom of the house, where the entire family sleeps. It is also quite basic, with no soft luxuries like mattresses. There were only a few pillows and blankets to keep warm during the cold Kintamani evenings. With limited donation funds, basic needs like this could be met, and would be as appreciated as a fully interior decorated designer mansion.
It was my first visit to the area, and I felt totally overwhelmed with empathy for the little boy. I had to step outside to calm myself. On the step, I started to talk with Gede about my impressions and feelings. As I became more emotional, I asked Gede if we couldn’t take Yoki to the beach, or at least find him more toys to play with as I think it must be very frustrating for him in the house all day.
Strangely, I felt some instinctive desire to take him away from there, as though I could provide a better place for him. These thought were, of course, completely irrational, and I began to realize that this small dwelling isn’t just a house. It is a home. This is Yoki’s home that he shares with his family, who love and care for him, in the small village community where he is known, happy, and accepted.
That is the wonder of the work of the Cempaka Putih Foundation. It is a grass roots effort, by people from the area, attempting to help their friends and neighbors by bringing the things they need most right to their doorstep. Sometimes the neighbors even pitch in to create that doorstep for them!
No donation is too insignificant to make some small difference in the life of a child or a family affected by such poverty. Even when things are unwanted or superfluous to one person, they are sure to make someone else’s life better.
In these times economic uncertainty, it is perhaps wise to realize that it was not from giving too much that we are losing our security. It might rather be said that it is from taking too much. Donating to any project, and in particular the Cempaka Putih Foundation, is an opportunity to change lives, and bring some comfort to people who are very much in need.
A Warm Smile
I hope that by telling the story of the people and their culture, and by working with the Cempaka Putih Foundation, I might strike a chord as to the importance of preserving, protecting, and supporting the people and culture of the Bangli regency. Your support, no matter how small, could help the area gain strength, and win the fight against poverty. Thanks to support from our existing contributors, Yoki got a home and this rainy season will be dry and warm.
If you have any comments or suggestions please contact us! We are always open to suggestions and appreciate all help offered. We have the PayPal and bank transfer options available for making donations, and would love to hear from you would like to volunteer your time and skills.
If you are in Bali, please consider taking the “Off the Beaten Track” Tour with Gede and CPF volunteers (suggested minimum donation of $45 USD per passenger, all profits go directly to CPF projects) to learn more about this unique regency, and the issues, ideas, and goals of the people who live there.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Dee
