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Make 2021 A Year Of Positive Change!

Let me help you overcome three of your possible challenges!

Challenge # 1.  You believed social media posts when they said that knitting would be a way to relieve your stress during quarantines and lockdowns.  Then found out you hate knitting.  Now you have enough yarn to make 5 seaters, 4 scarves and 3 hats and no inclination to use it.

Challenge # 2. On January 1^st, you resolved to declutter your living space, BUT you’re a crafter and all crafters have a stash of materials.  What do you do with yarn that you need to get rid of to free up space?

Challenge # 3.  You sincerely want to help people but don’t know where to start.

Donating is the solution!

Please donate to “Sewing For Living”, a project sponsored by Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset, (RCBUS) which is teaching local women to sew and crochet.

Why it is so important for local women? Balinese women have always had multiple jobs: take care children and family, dong all the housework, providing help to the community, and assisting at temple and cultural events, among other duties.  Many of these women are marginalized: they have no rights to any family assets and go to their husband’s village upon marriage. If they try to separate from their husband, the original family will not take them back, leaving them with no livelihood. It is important for women to make their own money, not only for their self-esteem, but to enable each of them to support her entire family. This is especially true right now as 85% of Bali’s economy relies on tourism and international tourists have not been allowed in Bali since April, 2020.  Yes, many families are facing an existence with no income.

Please help these women.

Rid yourself of that yarn in your crafter’s stash that you’ll never use.  Or go out and purchase yarn on sale or from a thrift or secondhand store.  Send these materials to:

Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset

C/O

Marion Hook

Jiwa House

Jalan Sandat No. 9

Ubud, Bali 80571

Indonesia

 

Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset and I can guarantee that the women in the classes receive your donations.  They will create saleable items from it which will be marketed in a worldwide network.  We’ll document your donation and the shipping costs and email you a receipt when you include your email address in the package.

 

Please spread the word about this endeavor to friends, relatives, social media, churches, organizations – anyone you think might help.

 

Mission of your donation: You might just save a life!

Harvesting Water

Harvesting Water

by MarionHook

Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset [RCBUS} will initiate water harvesting in the arid Karangasem region as its newest project.  Water harvesting is the collection of rainwater runoff in order to provide water for use by humans, animals, or crops.  RCBUS water harvesting methods are of little or no cost and will help alleviate some of the water shortage problems in this area.  Rain is:

• Free
• Good for plants and animals
• Can be used by humans AFTER it is boiled
• Helps replenish ground water
• Improves the environment
• Adds to the water supply in general
• Reduces the need for trucked water

OLLA (pronounced oy-yah) POTS

Olla pots are an ancient method of irrigation that has been used for over 4,000 years. The pots are a very cost effective,efficient watering system.Ollas are large, round, unglazed clay pots that have a neck.  Wide pots are the most efficient. To irrigate your garden or individual plant, bury the Olla in soil leaving the neck exposed.If you plant seeds or plants around the buried Olla, radius is based on the size of the pot. The pots usually hold about 6 liters of water, but they can be any size.  They should be buried no further than 45 cm from the plants in need of water.  Fill the Olla with water, place a rock on the neck of the pot to prevent evaporation of the water and let the pot water your plants.  It works because the unglazed clay is porous. After a few hours water slowly seeps out through the clay wall of the pot, directly irrigating roots or seeds around the pots.  In time the plants’ roots will literally wrap around the pot. The plants use of the water. There is no evaporation of water because the water source is in the ground. Plants can’t be over or under watered because they will take only what water they need.  The pots will need to be filled once or twice a week. Because the top of the Olla pot extends above ground,it can be refilled as water is absorbed.

The benefits of Olla irrigation are:

• Water delivered directly to the root zone
• No runoff or evaporation problems
• Plants receive consistent moisture
• Inexpensive
• Easy to use
• No need for water pressure or pump

RING AND OTHER WATERING BASINS

This passive watering system is well suited for trees and large plants.  Simply choose a tree or plants that you wish to water. Dig a shallow, sloping trench around a plant or tree.   The radius of the circle should about 91 centimeters. Start digging the trench at ground level and slope it to the tree trunk where the trench should be about 7 centimeters deep.  Surround the circular trench with a layer or two of stacked rocks, each the size of a fist or a bit larger.  Rainwater will be captured in the trench and sink slowly into the ground, watering the tree or large plant instead of creating a fast runoff.

Water harvesting can also occur it small, stone lined basins are placed between smaller plants.  Such basins will capture the rainwater, keeping it from becoming runoff while slowly watering the roots of the plants.

The benefits of water basin irrigation are:

• Water delivered directly to the root zone
• Reduced runoff or evaporation problems
• Plants receivemore consistent moisture
• Inexpensive
• Easy to use
• No need for water pressure or pump

SIMPLE RAIN BARRELS

A rain barrel is a large container that can be used to collect water during a rainstorm.  It can be made of plastic, metal, glazed pottery or even bamboo lined with plastic sheeting.  Place the rain barrel in a place where there is a vigorous runoff of water when it rains known as the catchment area.  This could be by the corner of a building with a pitched roof or by rock or land formations that have runoff channels.  After the barrel has been chosen, choose a material for a gutter.  The gutter will be used to direct the runoff water from the catchment area into the rain barrel.  Gutters can be made of PVC piping, bamboo or tin bent to form a V shape.  Attach the gutter in the catchment area where it will capture the most amount of rain fall.  For example, attach the gutter along the edge of a roof that slopes downward to the barrel.  As it rains, the runoff from that section of the roof will be captured in the barrel.  Remember to cover the opening of the rain barrel with fine mesh or cloth and secure it.  This is to prevent debris from entering the collected water.  It will also prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs in the water.  With a simple rain barrel, the water can be dipped out and used to water plants and animals and for humans to use to bathe. If the water is to be used for human consumption, it must be boiled for a minimum of 3 minutes.

If you would like to know more about water harvesting, no matter where you live, pleasecontact http://rotarybaliubudsunset.org.

If you would interested in joining this dynamic group of people who love Bali and work to help the people who live here, information to do so can be found at http://rotarybaliubudsunset.org/how-to-become-an-rcbus-member/.

NEXT MEETING February 8th 2021, 6:00-6:40 PM

Next meeting will be held by zoom meeting