Funding challenges threaten project success
On 2nd January 2023, the East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) launched a one-year pilot regenerative dry-land permaculture project for sustainable soil fertility, water retention, food security and climate resilience, sponsored by the Australian Volunteers program. EBPP has been fighting to eliminate malnutrition among the 19 impoverished communities of the mountainous East Bali village of Ban and trying to support the communities towards self-reliance since 1998.
The pilot project is in Manikaji, one of the largest sub-villages, comprising 3 customary villages with a population of 380 families spread over 482 hectares from 300 -1,000 meters elevation on the steep Mount Abang slopes. Manikaji farmers and EBPP’s Manikaji School high school students are learning and implementing agriculture/agroforestry techniques to improve the fertility and water retention, supported by multi-beneficial Vetiver grass (Vetiveria Chrysopogon) hedges, bamboo and biomass to conserve soil and water to increase crop yield and grow nutritious foods, cash crops and multi-beneficial trees for food security and selling the surplus to local/regional markets, and build climate resilience.
Always with a view of helping them to help themselves, the lessons shared, and the skills acquired by the students will be passed on to their extended families and trained to students in EBPP’s Jatituhu and Darmaji schools, to spread the knowledge and multiply the benefits of the project.
However, our project is now threatened by the lack of funds we need to continue education for EBPP’s 68 Manikaji School students. We are reaching out for help to the visitor in Bali and alerting them to the hidden side of this paradise island that is full of contrasts, by offering a way to give back to the community by investing in sustainable and humanitarian projects like our education project.
About East Bali Poverty Project
The East Bali Poverty Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of communities in rural Bali. Founded in 1998, EBPP works to combat poverty and promote sustainable development through a range of initiatives, including education, health, and community development programs. For more information, visit eastbalipovertyproject.org.
