Project information Bali.

1. Project: Information program about mental disabilites in Bali, Indonesia
2010
Julie van der Meer Mohr en Sharony van ’t Wel
For the final project of our bachelor study in Social-Pedagogic Services at the Haagse
Hogeschool we conducted research in the spring and summer of 2009 for the Dutch
foundation Sjaki Tari Us (www.sjakitarius.nl) into general understanding of mental
disabilities among children in Bali, Indonesia. This foundation has been actively supporting
mentally disabled people in Bali for the past three years. They offer meaningful day-time
occupations for young children and young adults with mental disabilities. The motto of the
foundation Sjaki Tari Us is: ‘Not less gifted, but otherwise gifted’ (‘Niet minder, maar anders
begaafd’).
From our research it became clear that there is a great lack of understanding of mental
disabilities in Indonesia. This applies not just to the local population but also to hospitals and
schools, where there is scarcely, if any understanding at all. As a consequence children and
young adults with mental disabilities are concealed at home, and they get no chance or
opportunities to develop. This has strong, negative consequences for their opportunities later
in life.
On the basis of this research we began working on an information-program on mental
disabilities, which had as a consequence that we gave two workshops for various schools, for
various hospitals and for the Department of Health. In these workshops participants are
informed on recognizing a mental disability, on interacting with mentally disabled people and
on prevention. Ways of finding help and support were also described. The result was great
enthusiasm on the part of the participants, and in the weeks thereafter we (the foundation)
received 25 new applications for children to join our day-time program. In this way a start
has been made, but it is of great importance that the various contacts made are maintained to
make the initiative successful.
In Spring 2010 we will both be ready with our studies in Social-Pedagogic Services.
Thereafter we plan to return to Bali, Indonesia in order to develop further the information-
program on mental disabilities for different kinds of local hospitals and child-care centres,
different kinds of schools and educational institutes, the government and people from the
villages. We will give workshops, visit different organisations, inform and collaborate with
the local government and visit villages in order to introduce our information-program. In
these ways, we want to extend the basic understanding of mental disabilities and reduce the
taboo it is under. Our aim is to achieve a situation in which children and young adults with
mental disabilities can be discussed and addressed more openly so that the children concerned
are recognized as such and are referred to appropriate instances such as the above-mentioned
foundation. These children can then spend their days in meaningful way and learn skills
appropriate to their capacities in order to be able to lead lives that are as autonomous as
possible. We would like to do this on the basis of the research we have conducted this year.
The information-program will be initiated in the area of Ubud in mid-Bali, since the
foundation is based here. Our aim is to expand this gradually to other districts in Bali and
perhaps later to other islands in Indonesia.

2. We want to carry out this information-program in close co-operation with the Balinese
employees of the foundation. The mission of the foundation is to transfer everything in the
long run to the local population. This goes equally for our project, which we would like to
hand over to our Balinese colleagues.
In order to carry this project out well we think we will have to stay at least one year in Bali.
Because it is difficult to predict the actual course the project will take – it may be possible to
hand it over completely to our Balinese colleagues within a year, it may take longer – we have
opted for this provisional time-scale. In discussion with each other and with the foundation we
have also agreed on a period of one year for the work, after which we will evaluate the results
and discuss with all the parties whether further collaboration is desirable and practicable.
The foundation will cover all the “infrastructure” costs needed for our project, such as the
sound-system for the workshops, office space to work in and the renting of the spaces needed
to give the workshops etc.
Because the foundation must deal continuously with gifts and donations, which vary a great
deal per month, it cannot give us an overall guarantee that it can cover further costs, including
our living costs. There will certainly not be any income from the project, so that in order to
carry out the project we are dependent of (several) external funding sources.
Budget for the project in Bali for one year on the basis for two persons:
Visa costs: 2 x € 50,00 = € 100,00 per month.
Accommodation: 2 x € 100,00 = € 200,00 per month.
Transportation: 1 x € 40,00 per month.
(rental for moped that we will share)
Another option will be to buy a new moped at the start of the year, which will costs around
€ 500,00.
Insurance: 2 x € 120,00 = € 240,00 per month.
(travel insurance, 3rd party insurance, medical insurance)
Living & transportation costs: 2 x € 150,00 = € 300,00 per month.
Unforeseen costs: € 70,00 per month
Total costs for two persons per month: € 950,00
Air fare Amsterdam - Bali: + / - € 800,00 x 2 = € 1.600,00
Total costs for two persons for one year: € 13.000,00