Bulletin 14 April 2014

Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset

District 3420 / No. 79571

Meeting every Monday at 5:30 PM at Maya Ubud Resort, Ubud

 Beware the barrenness of a busy life.  – Socrates

 Bulletin April 14, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS, CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS

Pres Sue reported briefly on the Board meeting which preceded this meeting.  The Board voted to donate Rp 5 juta (about $500US) which the Ubud Rotaractors had requested to meet the expenses of two officers to attend the District Conference in Makassar.

Rtn Ron Dixon will attend the next Rotaracts meeting on May 6; new member Rtn Kathy Alexander will attend to explore their interest in Earth Day participation.

And speaking of Earth Day, it will be celebrated near Ubud with a festival on April 26-27 (next weekend) organized by Darsih Gede and Indonesia Organic. RCBUS has offered to cover their raffle table on Saturday the 26th and we’re still looking for another volunteer to work with Rtn Rosalind on Saturday afternoon.

Ron and Rtn Rich Foss outlined a new project proposal they are developing for a water supply plus a sustainable livelihoods initiative in

Banjar Lingguwana in Karangasem. Ron’s previous attempt to introduce laying hens as a livelihood venture in one of these dry areas began well, but the chickens soon stopped laying and died for reasons unknown. He is now exploring the possibility of introducing Muscovy ducks (kiririk) and goats, along with animal husbandry training and support.

Guest Speakers

 Citra Savitri

Our Speaker this week was Citra Savitri from Kopernik, a successful Bali-based NGO that sources appropriate technologies and distributes them to remote communities throughout Southeast Asia. Its goals include:

Women’s empowerment

• Access to clean water
• Clean, safe biomass cooking stoves
• Emergency response
• Affordable, renewable lighting
• Educational toys to inspire interest in science

Citra described a recent project to bring solar lights to an off-grid community in Kalimantan, and its ripple effects which included improved health, ability to save money, more effective studying, and reduced cooking times. Kopernik’s policy is to raise money for the project, provide the technology at cost to the villagers over time, and reinvest the money in new projects. Learn more about the programs at www.kopernik.info.

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