Indonesia

Stichting Benjamin Bali

In 2008 the Benjamin Bali Foundation was founded by the Benjamin Foundation Netherlands. Benjamin Bali is an independent operating NGO, their main sponsor is Benjamin Foundation Netherlands.  The daily board exist of 3 Indonesian board members. The board of directors has both Dutch, including 1 Benjamin Netherlands board member, as Indonesian members. They work very enthusiastic with the children and organizations, trying to work according to local and cultural values and habits as well as taking care of the day to day businesses. Benjamin Bali has one payed fixed staff member in charge of keeping contact and checking all projects.
Through this cooperation our foundation is closer to the projects we sponsor, more control is possible and any problems can be handled and solved immediately. Also for the local projects and (governmental-)institutions, it is good to have a direct contact person.
Benjamin foundation also bought a medical bus, which is visiting the orphanages and rural areas and assists on medical care wherever needed. Also individual children are sponsored, among them Dimas, an autistic boy, who was left behind abandoned.
The board members of Benjamin Bali visit all projects on a regular basis.

Widhya Asih

Widhya Asih has been established in 1975.The organization operates 7 children’s homes all over the island of Bali. The name means “knowledge and love”. Widhya Asih is a Christian Non-governmental organization committed to help the impoverished people of Bali and break their entrenched circle of poverty through education, providing fresh water and other essentials of life, and offering healthcare to those having no practical access. The organization is managed by the Swikrama, a dedicated director.
Since several years a medical bus, donated by the Benjamin Foundation, which is serving all orphanages and which operational costs are funded by the Benjamin Foundation. The bus visits all 7 orphanages to have a monthly check and solve all pending health issues. Next to the medical bus, also a small 16-seater bus has been donated at the beginning of 2014, to transport children from the different orphanages to school.
We also support a few children through this organization.
For more information please visit their own website or another website on www.balifund.org and www.widhya-asih.or.id

Smilehouse of Yayasan Senyum

Yayasan Senyum Bali was founded in 2005 by Mary Northmore, a resident of Bali and an Indonesian national who is the Foundation chairperson.
Yayasan Senyum Bali is a non-profit, independent organization working to bring health care to people with craniofacial disabilities.
These patient disabilities include cleft lip and palate and a wide variety of other conditions such as Goldenhar Syndrome, Apert Syndrome, facial tumors and facial accident trauma.
Yayasan Senyum Bali works to raise fund for cranio-facial operations and also establishes partnerships with other organizations to provide logistical and medical support to patients with cranio-facial abnormalities. The children get operated in Denpasar Bali or in Australia Dr David, an Australian doctor trains doctors in Bali and also is doing some operations himself. The most complicated operations are done in Australia under supervision of the same Dr David.
This support includes:

• Patient transport to and from the home to attend hospital appointments
• Patient accommodation at the Smile House facility in Denpasar
• Emotional and logistics support for patients with facial abnormalities to progress them through the health care system
• The supplying of food for patient plus one escort when they are at the Smile House
• Making all necessary arrangements including the obtaining of passports, visas and flights to Australia for patients in need of facial surgery at the Australian Cranio-facial Unit in Adelaide

Our first visit to the Smile House, was shocking and imaginable. Mary Northmore was renting a small house in the neighborhood of the hospital, where she was taking care of the just operated patients. Often they were sharing the room with many patients on a mattress on the floor, including their family members. After many talks, a plan has been established, a new location has been found around the corner from the hospital. Benjamin foundation has bought the land and renovated the house according to all standards en requirements of the Smile House. Since 2010 the patients are staying in this new accommodation.
The Benjamin Foundationis supporting the Smile House by taking care of a part of the travel expenses to Australia and/or operation fees for Bali.
More information on this project can be found on  www.senyumbali.org