OUR
ORIGINS
The Yayasan Let's
Help Bali was created in early 2020 just as the COVID-19 Pandemic was
materialising throughout the world. By this point, Indonesia had become a
coronavirus hotspot and the lives of its residents had been severely impacted.
The idea - conjured up at 2am in the midst of a sleepless night - was simple:
positively impact the lives of as many Balinese people as possible as they deal
with the loss of jobs, the destruction of their economy and the devastation
brought to them by COVID-19.
After this sleepless
night, Amanda Rialdi quickly officially established Let's Help Bali in April
2020, together with her close friend Ellie Gee. The duo are Australian ex-pats
who now call the beautiful island of Bali their home. The Yayasan began with
the humble goal of feeding at least 100 local Balinese people every Sunday.
This never happened. Instead, the goal was exceeded well beyond anyone's
wildest dreams with over 400 people receiving food on their first day of
operations.
Since then, Let's
Help Bali has grown exponentially and, on certain days, the Yayasan has been
able to provide over 1000 individuals with much-needed food and resources
funded by the Australian public and local Indonesians. What began as a humble
plea to friends and family for a $1.50 (AUD) donation to hand out individual
meals to people on the streets has now flourished into a lifeline for people
all around Bali.
COVID-19 IN BALI
The coronavirus has
had a particularly devastating impact on the island of Bali and the Balinese
people, where over 70% of the population relies on tourism to make a living.
Due to the pandemic, domestic and international travel has been halted since
early 2020, resulting in a 95% decline in international visitor arrivals in
Bali. This devastating drop in tourism has had a significant impact on the
lives of millions of Balinese – and Indonesians – who have relied on the
tourism industry for generations.
Consequently,
millions of Indonesia's 273 million people are without a job and many are
unsure where their next meal will come from. With only four doctors and 12
hospital beds per 1,000 people, the countries hospitals are completely
overwhelmed, which is only intensified by a major shortage in ventilators.
