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The Bali economy has been decimated; the Balinese people desperately need your help.

We understand that your world is in flux, even chaos, as it is for most people across the globe right now. But unfolding on the equator is a socio-economic tragedy.

The Balinese economy is almost entirely dependant on tourism. Not only has it stopped, it won’t return for a long time. But tourism and hospitality are not the only industries affected; from the garment industry to manufacturing, the island has come to a grinding halt. Which means there is no income for these people now or for the foreseeable future.  
In the most of fortunate of scenarios, which is the experience of the few, the Balinese have enough savings to last only two to three weeks. 

Unlike Australia and many other lucky countries, there is no government assistance package available for them in this time of crisis. Even prior to this, government funded healthcare coverage was extremely limited. 

SOUQ is uniting with its community to raise funds to help.

As long time lovers and friends of this tiny island, we implore you to consider directing some of your financial assistance to the Balinese.

Survival Needs
Many of the foreign residents of Bali who previously ran profitable businesses employing local people have generously redirected their operations to food funds. This is providing much needed relief to the prospect of starvation that many Balinese people face. 

However, the survival needs of all human beings are greater than food. There are the costs of transport to access that food, electricity to run water pumps, lights and refrigeration, maintaining communication through telephone and internet, purchasing schooling supplies for their children, and paying for the extraordinary expenses of healthcare, particularly in a system under pressure. 

The survival costs of a family of four are approximately AU $220 (IDR 2,200,000) per month * broken down as follows:

* these costs do not include the cost of rent - many Balinese live with extended family in homes that are owned. However, for a single person the additional cost of renting one room is approximately $65 per month. 

Our Proposal

To raise money to give money. 

Our rationale
- by extending our assistance beyond food provision, we are able to help people with broader needs;
- giving money allows people to direct those funds where they are most needed in their particular circumstances;
- the economic strategy of many countries’ government assistance packages has been to give cash payments to promote spending for the benefit of local business and community. By giving money to people in Bali, they can then spend money on small business such as warungs and local markets, allowing the money to circulate;
- the psychological support of giving people licence to make decisions for themselves and their families particularly when they are subsisting on charity which can be diminishing.

Our Approach
Our approach to the dispensing of funds will be three-pronged:
1. Family Funds - we will give cash gifts directly to families and individuals; 
2. Food Funds - we will give donations to existing food funds dispensing meals in Bali; and
3. Charitable Funds - we will give donations to other charitable organisations operating to provide goods or services locally. 

Our Distribution Method
The reality is that almost every Balinese person is in need of assistance however through our network of hospitality, factory and artisan workers, famers and manufacturers, we will determine as reliably as possible the financial situation of employees (and former employees) and their families. We will provide to those people, either by bank transfer or cash, the sum of IDR 2,200,000 (AUD 220) for families and IDR 1,000,000 (AUD 100) for singles or couples. We will account for those payments either through bank records or a signed receipt of the cash. 

We will make donations directly to banjars (local village authorities) for the purchase and distribution of rice, oil, eggs and vegetables to their local community. 

Depending on the sum of money raised, we may also donate fund to independent charities that have been established for the emergency provision of necessities to families and individuals struck by the loss of income. 

All funds will be distributed in accordance with this plan and the organisers will maintain a complete and accurate record of all beneficiaries.

Personal Stories
These are the stories of just a few people, to communicate in a personal way the level of hardship they are experiencing. 

This is Raka

Raka’s family lives in Jakarta. He has lived in Bali for 12 years working in hospitality. 

Raka lives alone in a room rented within a bigger family home in Jimbaran which costs him 850,000 (AUD 85) per month. Raka’s employers are continuing to pay him wages at a reduced rate but they don’t even cover his rent let alone his food, phone and transport expenses. 

He has made the decision to return to Jakarta, the heart of the worst covid outbreak in Indonesia and applied to become a one-on-one carer for a covid patient. He will not have protective gear and will live in a dormitory of people, each caring for one covid patient. He will receive 150,000 per day for this work and in the course of it, he will expose himself to the danger of becoming sick in an overburdened under-resourced health system.

This is Putu

Putu is Balinese. He has three boys, one of whom is terminally ill with kidney disease. Putu drives him to the hospital every Saturday for dialysis. His wife, Anik is only 28 and has Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease. She regularly has attacks that make her unable to swallow and she is rushed to hospital where she usually remains for weeks at a time and due to the health system, Putu has to stay with her as her carer because the ratio of nurses to patients is too small. This makes it difficult for him to maintain work hours.

Prior to the covid crisis, Putu was already unable to cover the costs of his families’ medical needs on a full salary. He has no idea what to do now or how to pay for these medical costs.

This is Budi

Budi is a tailor and does skilled beading work. Since the outbreak of covid, he has had no work at all. He has a family of three children and he and his wife have devoted their efforts towards making masks from scrap fabric to donate to people. There is no income for his family and his village has been locked down because there are three suspected covid patients there. This makes it very difficult for any of them to leave even to access food donations. 

This is Sisy

Sisy is a young mother of two. Until the beginning of March, her husband was employed at a prominent beach club in Bali. A month ago he was put on unpaid leave with no benefits or termination payments. His service earning for the month of February were also withheld. Due to unemployment, he no longer has health insurance. 

Sisy is still being paid half wages by her employer for the next month but thereafter, they don’t know what will happen.

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