Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla's remarks at a tourism marketing seminar on Wednesday, June 28, 2006, have drawn on onslaught of stern criticism from various circles, and an apology and clarification from the Nation's second highest executive.

The controversial comments by the Vice President and reported in the Jakarta Post, said he would not object if many Middle East tourists chose to visit the West Javanese hillside area of Puncak and made "short-term" marriage contracts with local widows and divorcees. Continuing with the theme, Kalla said it would be matter of little consequence if these temporary unions resulted in offspring; children, who according to the Vice President would posses a better genetic heredity and the physical endowments needed to become successful TV and film actors.

A Torrent of Criticism

Two days after the Vice-President’s comments, on Friday, June 30, 2006, the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians for Human Rights joined eight other women's organizations in roundly condemning Kalla, saying his comments degraded and defiled Indonesian women.

According to Tunggal Pawestri, the Chief of Division for Women and Elections for Central Election Refore (Cetro), quoted in the Indonesian language Kompas: "As regards the protection of women, the statements by the Vice President are entirely inappropriate, and demonstrate a racialist strain because these suggest that genes and parentage should determine participation in television serials. And he (the Vice President) does not have a thoughtful appreciation for the problems of poverty and its connection to causing women to become objects for sex-based tourism."

In a press conference called by the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians for Human Rights, Jusuf Kalla's remarks were claimed to have reduced the humanity of women, making them a commodity in an underhanded sexual transaction, acts specifically outlawed under the marriage laws of 1974.

The Caucus further crticized Kalla's statements, saying they were out of step with efforts by the House of Representatives (DPR) to formulate legislation to halt the illegal trade in women. According to the Caucus members speaking at the press conference, Indonesia is on the watch less for its poor record in preventing the commercial exploitation of women and children.

Indonesia is a signatory to an international treaty against transnational organized crime and the trade in humans.

Joining the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians for Human Rights in signing a statement condemning the Vice President's statement were 15 female members of the DPR representing three major parties.

Eva Sunardi, a Parliamentarian from the People Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the she would reject those who suggest the Vice President's comments were merely a "joke." Sunardi commented: "This is not a joke, but defilement. How can the humanity of women become material for a joke when women are reduced to a mere commodity?"

The Vice President Responds

Responding the torrent of harsh criticism his comments evoked, Vice President Jusuf Kalla told the press that his "off-the-cuff" remarks were never meant to be taken seriously.

Quoted in the Jakarta Post, the VP said: "My message at that time was that we should seek other alternatives to lure Middle Eastern tourists to Bali, Yogyakarta and Sumatra by trying to change the way the image that Puncak is always a destination for them . . . I never said that I support the use of women (to attract Arab tourists). I am just trying to encourage the use of other ways of attracting tourists that what is practiced in Puncak."

Muchlish Hasyim, Media and Press Advisor to the Vice President, said the Vice President wished to apologize if his remarks offended anyone.

More information: Editorial: The Vice President on Vice

The Bali Bangkit Committee have organized an exciting program of Ubud-centered cultural events, tours, and an art auction to be held July 12-23, 2006.

Here's the schedule for the Spirit of Bali Revival:

• July 12, 2006 – Mask & Wayang Exhibition - 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. an opening of the exhibition and performance by I.B. Anom. Location: Kampung Seni Kubu Bingin, Banjar Tegal Bingin Mas, Ubud.

• July 13-15, 2006 – Viewing of Auction Items Preceding Art Auction by Larasati of the Works of Balinese Traditional Artists Viewing on Thursday and Friday July 13-14 between 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and on the day of the Auction July 15 between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. - Location: Maya Ubud Resort – Ubud

• July 13, 2006 – Mask & Wayang Exhibition - 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cak Rina Kecak Dance Performance. Location: Kampung Seni Kubu Bingin, Banjar Tegal Binging Mas, Ubud.

• July 14-23, 2006 – Balinese Traditional Painting Exhibition - "Tradition and Reputation" - Location: Agung Rai Museum (ARMA).

• July 14, 2006 – Children Traditional Balinese Dance & Garden Dinner Party - Location: Agung Rai Museum (ARMA).

• July 14, 2006 – Book Launching and Arts Awards – "Bravo Bali – Lexicon of 200 Years of Balinese Traditional Painting" and AMEX Art Awards - Location: Agung Rai Museum (ARMA).

• July 14, 2006 – Mask & Wayang Exhibition - 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Regog Ponorogo Performance; 6:00 -8:00 p.m. Mask Dance – Tari Topeng Tu Gek Carangsari. Location: Kampung Seni Kubu Bingin, Banjar Tegal Binging Mas, Ubud.

• July 15, 2006 – Art Auction by Larasati of the Works of Balinese Traditional Artists - Location: Maya Ubud Resort – Ubud

• July 15-16, 2006 – Golden Morning Tour – Free of Charge Sunrise Tour to Traditional Balinese Village and Surrounding Agricultural Lands - Departure at 6:00 a.m.. Location: Departure from Agung Rai Museum (ARMA).

• July 15-16, 2006 – Free of charge tour to Jatuluwuh Rice Terraces, Mask and Wayang Exhibition and the Tradition and Reputation Art Exhibition - Departure at 8:00 a.m.. Location: Departure from Agung Rai Museum (ARMA).

• July 15-16, 2006 – Free of charge tour to the location of Walter Spies Villa in Sidemen, Mask and Wayang Exhibition and the Tradition and Reputation Art Exhibition - Departure at 8:00 a.m.. Location: Departure from Agung Rai Museum (ARMA).

• July 15, 2006 – Mask & Wayang Exhibition - 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Stage presentation of Balinese traditional music performed by I Wayan Sutawa, a child dalang master. Location: Kampung Seni Kubu Bingin, Banjar Tegal Binging Mas, Ubud.

• July 16, 2006 – Mask & Wayang Exhibition - 6:00 – 6:45 p.m. A contemporary Wayan Beber performance presented by a child dalang from Malang; 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cak Rina Kecak Dance Performer. Location: Kampung Seni Kubu Bingin, Banjar Tegal Binging Mas, Ubud.

Singapore Airlines and the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism (IMCT) have signed a marketing agreement to jointly boost and sustain tourism to Indonesia. The Agreement is valid for a year from 1 July 2006.

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Singapore Airlines and IMCT will continue their global collaborative activities to develop and promote Indonesia as a destination for international tourists.

The primary focus of the joint activities is to promote the image, awareness and familiarity with Indonesia. Marketing campaigns will be conducted by Singapore Airlines and its affiliate SilkAir in America and selected countries in Europe and Asia.

Singapore Airlines and the IMCT will each contribute US$200,000 to fund the proposed activities in these markets.

Singapore Airlines will also use its extensive global network to actively promote Indonesia through joint participation in international travel fairs, educational and familiarization trips for travel agents and journalists, sales missions and consumer promotions. These activities will be publicized through the travel and trade media in the selected markets and the Airlines' proprietary communications channels. In Indonesia, the IMCT will sponsor all ground arrangements such as land transport, domestic air travel, hotel accommodation, and visits to Indonesian tourist attractions.

The agreement was signed in Bali by Xavier Lim, Divisional Vice President (Marketing) Singapore Airlines and Thamrin Bachri, Director General for Marketing, Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Said Xavier Lim: "The extension of the MOU reflects our long-standing commitment and steadfast support for Indonesian tourism and tourism-related industries and strengthens our partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Jointly, we will continue to work hard to promote Indonesia's vibrant culture and its varied and exciting attractions in key markets in the Singapore Airlines' route network. New markets like China and India have the potential to make significant and sustained contributions to the expansion and development of the Indonesian tourism industry."

Thamrin responded by saying , "We look forward to increasing the number of joint promotions between Indonesia and Singapore."

Following the signing of the MOU, Desmond Lim, Manager Bali, on behalf of the Airline, presented a check for US$13,000 to the Governor of Bali for the Bali Cultural Fund.

Indonesian press reports over the past week suggest that the execution of the three Bali bombers, condemned to death before a firing squad, may take place in the near future.

The Denpasar (Bali) Prosecutor's Office has formally requested the Justice and Human Rights Minister for permission to proceed with the execution, according to a statement made a representative of the Attorney General's Office, I Wayan Pasek.

In a departure from standard procedure in which those sentenced to death are normally executed in the region where their crime was committed, it appears that the 3 men will instead die on remote Nusa Kumbangan Island, the location of Indonesia's highest security prison and facility where they are currently being held in isolation from other prisoners. While the exact dates and location of the execution are a closely guarded secret, normal procedure dictates that State Officials will inform the families of the condemned men when the execution become imminent and then, at any time within days or week of that notification, the men will be brought in the early morning hours from their cells and taken to a secluded field or empty beach, tied to a pole, and shot through the heart by a firing squad.

Following confirmation of death by a medical examiner, the bodies of the three bombers - Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron will then be afforded a courtesy denied their bombing victims and released intact to their families for burial.

Barring a promised last minute appeal to the Supreme Court by the attorneys for the convicted bombers, the execution could take place in the very near future as the families of the men have all signaled that they will not legally contest the death order of the Indonesian Courts.

Execution of Drug Offenders Looming

Bali's former Chief of Police and now Head of the National Anti-Narcotics Police Team, Made Mangku Pastika, has publicly called for the execution of 16 of 43 people now housed on death row for drug offenses. Speaking before a group celebrating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Saturday, June 24, 2006, Pastika called on State Prosecutors to complete the decision of the Indonesian Courts for those who have exhausted all possible avenues of appeal.

That the end for the 16 convicted drug felons is near was made more certain in the week following Pastika's call when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a public statement that his office would not approve clemency from convicted drug offenders now on death row.

Pasek, a spokesman for the Attorney General's office, further sealed the fate of the 16 convicts when he announced last week in response to Pastika's call that he could now "clarify that 16 men and women . . .will soon face the death penalty" in connection with their drug convictions.

The devastating earthquake that shook Central Java and Yogyakarta on Saturday, May 27, 2006, claimed over 6,000 lives and damaged a number of important heritage sites.

Included among the long list of cultural treasures lost was the Dalem Pujakusuma, a noble residence that served as home to two of Central Java's leading schools of Javanese traditional dance - Mardawa Budaya and Pamulangan Beksa Ngayogyakarta. Founded respectively in 1962 and 1976 by the late K.R.T. Sasmintadipura (1929-1996), these schools represent a rich living repository of dance forms from Yogyakarta's Royal Court.

The Dalem Pujakusuma, which served as both the school and the daily residence of the descendents of school's founder, was flattened by the earthquake.

Raising the Roof for Friends in Yogya

A special evening of both Balinese and Javanese dance and music has been scheduled in Ubud on Friday, July 14, 2006 at the Pondok Pekak located on the east side of Ubud's central soccer field staring from 7 p.m..

The women's gamelan group of Pondok Pekak will perform Balinese music and dance together with a rare and remarkable performance by American Garrett Kam. Kam, a native of Hawaii and a noted Javanese dancer, art historian and curator at the Neka Museum will perform a program of Royal Javanese dances rarely seen outside their palace of origin.

Garrett began learning Javanese court dance in 1975. From 1979 to 1982 he lived in Yogyakarta, where he studied intensively from master teachers of the Sultan¹s palace, including studies at the Mardawa Budaya and Pamulangan Beksa Ngayogyakarta schools. Garrett has taught and performed Javanese dance in Hawaii, California, Michigan, Oregon, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Cambodia. He has been living in Bali since 1987.

Those attending the evening are asked to make a minimum donation of Rp. 50,000 (approximately US$5.30) with proceeds going to help restore the now destroyed schools of traditional Javanese dance.

Few will argue that the beauty of Bali is captivating. Living proof of this fact is found in the Ubud-based artists, Kerry Pendergrast. Born in Perth, Western Australia in 1963 she visited Bali where she met her Indonesian artist husband, Pranoto. Living in Bali's artists' community of Ubud since 1993, she is the mother of two children.

Her time in Ubud and her marriage to a talented artists provided the personal impetus for Kerry's development as an artist. From the Pronoto Gallery in downtown Ubud, she organizes weekly live model sessions, attended by models and artists from around the world.

Her premier exhibition at the Seniwati Gallery – Art by Women in Ubud in 1998 launched Kerry's budding artistic career. Since then she has held solo exhibitions in Indonesian and Australia as well as group shows. Her love of pastels as a medium for her work began in 2001 during a holiday in Lombok.

Bali, in My Eyes

Her latest solo exhibition "Bali, in My Eyes" will be held at the Bali Mystique Hotel at Jalan Petitienget 2000X in Kerobokan from July 25 through August 31, 2006.

The paintings exhibited will be soft pastels rendered on sandpaper. Kerry’s choice of soft colors on a rough background is tied to the resulting luxurious textures and enhanced colors this medium provides. Kerry enjoys completing her pieces in front of a scene, capturing the light, and feeling an interaction that is immediate and fresh.

Her current exhibition, like many of her past compositions, reflects the stunning, tropical scenery of Bali that gives her an endless supply of subjects, such as temples, rice fields, beaches, mountains and lakes.

For more information on the exhibition telephone ++62-(0)361-730465.

A controversial dance and music piece Tajen was first staged in 2001 by Kadek Suardana and Ulf Gadd, reflecting the experience of recent years in Indonesian history where provocation often results in conflict.

5 years later and with the assistance of the Arti Foundation,, an updated version entitled Tajen II will be presented as part of the month-long 27th Bali Arts Festival.. Guaranteed to be highly entertaining, Tajen II opens with a dream-like sequence, moves to excerpts from traditional Balinese Janger vocal choruses and then builds to a powerful climax in a pseudo ‘cockfight’ depicting the turmoil of the uncertain situation many Indonesians now confront.

Music for the performance is a combination of Balinese ethnic and other ethnic instruments, modern 'high-tech' instruments, - presented live or in a recorded format.

Tajen II is directed by Kadek Suardana, choreography by Ulf Gadd, starring Nyoman Sudarta, Dedi Diana, Jane Chen, Palupi, Nyoman Sura, and others.

The Arti Foundation

Founded in 1998 by Balinese theater director/composer Kadek Suradana, journalist Gde Aryantha Soethoma, Swedish choreographer Ulf Gadd, and others - The Arti Foundation is dedicated to creating an organization committed to the conservation and development of Balinese performing arts and culture in general. The term "arti," which translates as "meaning," was chosen to reflect the foundation's aim of providing a forum for creativity and professional training for young artist-performers in Bali. The challenge faced by the foundation and its members is to 'stay true' to their cultural heritage while responding creatively to an increasingly globalized age.

In the context of its conservation and cultural development works, Arti has been producing innovative stage performances; artistic events, publications, and other social activities.

Tajen II

Thursday, July 6, 2006

8:00 p.m. at : Gedung Ksirarnawa, Bali Art Centre, Denpasar

More than 70 important Balinese paintings, covering the entire milieu of the Island's most important schools of painting endeavor, will be on display at an Exhibition "Tradition and Reputation: Exhibition of 100 years of Balinese Traditional Paintings" set for Ubud's Arma Museum July 14-23, 2006.

The exhibition, to be held in both Jakarta and Bali, has been collected and curated by Agus Dermawan, a keen collector of Balinese painters in his own right, based in Jakarta. According to the Jakarta Post, the exhibition is divided "into 11 categories according to time, place and style." Among the Balinese painting styles represented in the exhibition are Kamasan, works by foreign artists living in Bali, Batuan style, the Ubud Style of the Pita Maha Group, Young Artists' style, Pengosekan style, Keliki style, and Kapal style.

Gathered from important private collections, the works of some of Bali's most famous artists will be included: Ni Made Suciarmi, Ida Bagus Made Togog, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, I Nyoman Lesug, I Nyoman Meja, Ida Bagus Nyoman Rai, I Ketut Soki, I Dewa Putu Sena, I Wayan Surana, I Gusti Agung Wiranata, Arie Smit, Theo Meier, Rudolf Bennet, Antonio Blanco, Walter Spies, and Miguel Covarrubias. The two paintings by Spies and Covarrubias are on special loan to the exhibition from the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Dermawan has compiled a 320-page, full-color book containing all the paintings and their histories.

36 year-old Dean Keddell has been appointed Chef de Cuisine at the Ritz Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa's signature Dava Restaurant.

A native of New Zealand, Keddell's past assignments include serving celebrity guests, such as Academy Award winning actress Charlize Theron, at Australia's Lizard Island where he worked as Executive Chef; and on Hamilton Island where he served as Chef de Cuisine. The Australian-raised Kiwi carries a distinguished culinary record, having opened eight restaurants over the span of a 20 year career that also included the celebrated Mu Shu and Whitewater Restaurants in Sydney, where he earned Chef's Hats Awards from The Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide.

Keddell joins the talented award-winning Ritz Carlton Team as the Resort marks its tenth anniversary. Resort General Manager, David Wilson, commenting on his new team member, says, "Dean brings a unique flair to Dava and gives his dishes an incomparable edge with his 'Asian-Modernistic' style of cooking that uses fresh seasonal cuisine indigenous to Bali and a mix of influences from Australia and Asia. It's undeniably superb cuisine."

Dean’s focus on local ingredients, such as ginger flower, taro, lobster and giant river prawns served with a variety of textured foods, salsas, oils and light reductions create signature dishes that reflect the resorts exotic destination and contemporary dining surrounds.

"My food is freshly modern, Asian and very light. I enjoy exploring foreign and local flavors and creating new boundaries to food that is representative of where I am. The dishes created for Dava are distinctly unique to this superb location," says Keddell of the new cuisine served in the ultra stylish 80-seat destination restaurant with adjacent Martini Club.

Dean's New Menu for Dava

With more than 20 years experience, Keddell's creativity in the Dava kitchen extends to signature arrangements on the menu such as Red Braised Pork Hock, Seared Scallops in Ginger, Mango, Chili, Spearmint and Tamarind, Sweet Corn Pancakes with Semi-Dried Cherry Tomatoes and Goats Cheese with a Black Truffle and Vanilla Pear Reduction, and a Herb-Crusted Line-Caught Snapper with Sweet Pork Nori Tempura with Green Mango, Pomelo and Coconut Sambal salad, and Giant River Prawns, Pork, Morel and Foie Gras Sui Mai with Eggplant Caviar, Lotus Root and Carrot Star Anise Syrup.

"Dava is everything you could want as a Chef as it presents an ultra luxurious location and spectacular setting that inspires the creation of exceptional cuisine," says Keddell, who has also served mega-stars such as U2's Bono, Kylie Minogue and Sinead O’Connor whilst working at All Saints in Nottinghill, London, adding, "this is a dream role for any Chef; there really isn't much in the world that could top it right now!" he ends.

About Dava

With a name inspired by the Sanskrit for "water," Dava position and décor offers spectacular Indian Ocean views from atop the chalk cliffs of Jimbaran Bay.

Dava’s water theme design is contemporary and sleek with a layout resembling a Lotus flower surrounded by stunning water features and pools. Interiors feature striking all white marble floors, interior and exterior tables for dining and modern furnishings in brushed mink tones and crisp all white table settings using silver and glass dinner service.

Unique features include a slate stone 'Dragon Skin' wall plus a stunning skylight, which dominates the central area creating natural lighting changes between day and night.

The trend-setting 80-seat restaurant unfurls before an open kitchen. Three exquisitely appointed additional private dining rooms, two with floor to ceiling glass windows, provide options for intimate or exclusive affairs, each offer seating for up to twelve guests.

An expansive well-stocked Wine Cellar is also located within the restaurant.

Dava was recently ranked in the prestigious Hot Tables 2006 listings by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

More information: Book a Stay at the Ritz Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa

There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you. - Will Rogers

The recently cancelled Republik BBM, a popular program on Indonesian TV featured humorous skits with look-alike and sound-alike actors doing something Will Rogers thought impossible; making politicians look sillier than they actually are.

No one's quite sure why Republik BBM or Republik Benar Benar Mabuk – The Truly Drunken Republic was cancelled, despite its enormous popularity on local TV. Some speculated that its biting humor became too much for our political leaders to bear or, perhaps, as we suspect, the writers found the competition from politicians to sound ridiculous week after week just too intense.

A Case in Point: Seeking Tourism from the Middle East

Sadly, this past week life imitated art once more when Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, spoke at a national seminar on how to increase tourism from the Middle East. Urging tourism marketers to base their promotions on "visitor's appetites," the Jakarta Post suggested the VP was urging that "tourism campaigns for the Middle East should highlight the availability of attractive women."

Also, as quoted in the Jakarta Post, Kalla said, "if there are a lot of Middle East tourists traveling to Puncak to seek janda, I think that it's OK," referring to the West Java mountain resort area and the Indonesian term for a widow or divorcee.

Ignoring national policies to develop and promote "cultural tourism," Indonesia's Number 2 told the audience that the women, their mixed-race offspring, and the Nation's entertainment industry would all benefit from using women to promote Arab inbound tourism. Discounting the possible negative outcome of short-term marriages of convenience, the VP added, "if the janda get modest homes even if the tourists later leave them, then it's OK. The children resulting from these relationships will have good genes. There will be more television actors and actresses from these pretty boys and girls.'"

Mr. Kalla, We Beg to Differ

While most people working in Indonesia's tourism industry enthusiastically welcome recent moves by the Government to increase Middle Eastern tourism by easing visa-on-arrival facilities, we think few will be found who share Mr. Kalla's view and are prepared to trade the virtue of our womenfolk for badly-needed oil dollars.

In fact, we are certain that many find the Vice President's suggestions fundamentally repugnant and demeaning to all concerned: demeaning to women; demeaning to the people who dedicate themselves to promoting Indonesian tourism; and demeaning to the potential Arab visitors being profiled as only interested in sex.

A Retraction, Please

Eager to retain our respect and admiration for the men who lead the Nation, we fervently hope that Vice President Kalla will take urgent steps to correct the impression given to the world via his recent comments.

Please, Mr. Kalla, tell us that your comments were an attempt to be humorous that badly misfired.

Please, Mr. Kalla, reassure the world that the goal of Indonesia's tourism remains the creation of jobs and opportunities for the people of the Nation; employments that are all, without exception, vertical and not horizontal positions.

And, while you're at it Mr. Vice President, we humbly suggest it's time to send your speech writer packing.

More information: VP Kalla's Remark Draw Criticism and an Apology

tempointeraktif.com, the website of the authoritative Indonesian-language newsweekly Tempo, reports that the Department of Civil Aviation has announced that two closed Indonesian air carriers - PT Air Paradise and PT Star Air are ready to resume commercial operations sometime at the end of 2006.

The Director of Aviation in the Department, Eddy Wibowo, told the publication, "they (the airlines) are in the process of finalizing various requirements." Wibowo said PT Air Paradise will continue to operate on international routes while PT Star Air will fly as a domestic carrier.

In granting the airlines the right to resume service the Government has reportedly reviewed the viability of the operations, including the size of each airline's armada, the quality of its managerial manpower, and capital resources on hand to maintain a safe operation.

Among the requirements imposed by the government are a minimal working capital of Rp. 100 billion (approximately US$10.68 million); a fleet size of at least 5 aircraft; and the ability to employ pilots and technical staff with the skill and experience to meet government guidelines.

Claims Ahead?

When the Bali-based carrier Air Paradise suspended services in November 2005, millions of dollars in funds paid to the airline by Australian travel agents and wholesalers against future travel were lost.

Many industry observers will be watching closely to see how the substantial outstanding financial claims against the airlines will be addresses, if Air Paradise actually does resume international operations.

More information: Air Paradise Suspends Service

Established in January 2004, a much needed clinic offering medical care and health education programs has been operating in an unlikely locale – in the very center of Bali's largest traditional market, Pasar Badung in downtown Denpasar. The market, adjoining the Kumbasari Art Market, is a bustling center of commerce open on a 24-hour basis attracting vendors and customers from across the entire region. As is generally the case in Bali's markets, the majority of vendors and workers attending the pasar are women with relatively low education and minimal incomes.

Those deriving their incomes from traditional market environments are, in the best of times, engaged in a daily struggle to survive economically. Following the recent terrorist bombings in Bali, however, the already precarious livings eked out by the women at Pasar Bandung has become an even greater challenge. As a result, women with little time or money are often faced with the choice of forsaking their own health needs in favor of more immediate needs of putting food on their families' tables each day.

While the maternal instincts that make personal health care a secondary consideration for these women is understandable, the continuing dangers of maternal mortality, cervical and breast cancers, and the risk of sexually transmitted disease (STD's) - including HIV/AIDS mean that these female breadwinners put themselves at real risk when they fail to take care of their health.

Rama Sesana Foundation

In recognition of the pressing need in the community to guard the health of the Island's mothers and daughters, the Rama Sesana Foundation (YRS-Bali) decided that Bali's main market was a very strategic area from which to reach a large audience of women and provide them with affordable, accessible, and quality medical care services and health information. From the busy Health Center located in the market, outreach workers - comprised of both staff and peer educator volunteers, are able to talk with vendors, laborers, and shoppers at all hours of the might and day. The outreach workers hand out brochures and condoms as required, and make referrals to the clinic which is open during the day and on Friday nights. Every month the clinic receives about 400 patient visits; does Pap smears for around 50 women; screens some 100 patients for STDs and vaginal infections; and provides family planning, prenatal, general health services, and counseling and medical referrals for many more. Patients are asked to only pay what they can afford for tests and medicines.

In addition, the program also runs discussion sessions every month to provide in-depth information and answers on important health topics with expert guest speakers scheduled on alternate months. There's also a monthly support group meeting for women victims of violence.

Initially established with funds provided by the Bali International Women's Association (BIWA), the YRS Reproductive Health Program (YRS) at the market now receives the bulk of its funding support from the Ibu Pertiwi Humanitarian Foundation (YKIP) and the Annika Linden Foundation.

In order to provide badly needed additional funding for the program, the YRS is establishing another clinic location for higher-income patients to help subsidize the marketplace programs. Open to both male and female patients, the new clinic will soon operate at Jalan Tukad Buaji 37A in Panjer, Denpasar.

Interested visitors are always welcome to visit the either clinic with the YRS Badung Market Clinic located on the 4th floor of the Pasar Badung.

More information: YRS Website

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and receive every Monday the latest information from the Island of the Gods.

Simply enter your email address below and join the community of more than 15,000 readers of Bali's only weekly newsletter.

Our [Privacy Statement] explains how we handle the data you are providing.

The Bali Update is published since more than 8 years. Thousands of articles are waiting for your exploration.

Simply enter your search terms below and travel back in time with Bali's most popular newsletter: