LIVING with a disability is never easy, but especially when you live on an island where wheelchair ramps (and wheelchairs for that matter) are few and far between, government disability assistance is scant, and public awareness is low. In Bali there are few schools that can accommodate handicapped children, so many never go to school at all, and even adults with disabilities often find themselves confined to the home and unable to participate as fully functioning members of society. Kupu-Kupu Foundation was created with the aim of alleviating some of these burdens and making life easier for people with disabilities in Bali.
Kupu-Kupu Foundation was officially established as a yayasan in 2002, and since then they have been helping to improve lives by assisting with medical care, medicines, physiotherapy and surgical operations, providing wheelchairs and other physical aids, adapting facilities to make them easier to use by people with disabilities, transporting disabled children to and from school, and helping disabled people become more independent by selling and promoting handicrafts that they make. They also work to increase awareness in the local community of the challenges that people with disabilities face.
The foundation does not receive any government funding, so they rely on donations and support from the public as well as income raised from their two non-profit ventures. The Kupu-Kupu Bungalows are located in the midst of lush rice paddies at the end of a quiet street in Ubud, and they make for a peaceful hideaway for guests looking to relax and unwind in a traditional Balinese setting. More importantly, the bungalows provide work opportunities for people with disabilities. The foundation’s other venture is the Kupu-Kupu Shop located on Jalan Raya Ubud. Here you can find ethical gifts like beautifully painted artworks and colourful handicrafts made by disabled people using local materials.
