IN 1998, Indonesia entered a phase of severe financial and social crisis. In response, a diverse group of people from Bali got together to discuss how they could best help. They discussed the challenges that Indonesian communities were facing, and decided to focus their attention on creating NGO programs that would offer organisations training to assist local communities to provide food, shelter, energy and other needs in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
After the tragedy of the Bali Bombings in 2002, IDEP expanded their focus to disaster relief and began to realise the importance of incorporating disaster preparedness into their programs. Since then, the foundation has developed a handbook for community-based disaster management and disaster risk reduction, and to this day they continue to focus on training, community programs, and media related to sustainable living, permaculture, and community-based disaster risk reduction.
Some of IDEP’s current community model projects include Bring Back Our Forests, which involves tree-planting, water conservation and education in Jembrana and Gesing; Turning Trash to Treasure, a waste management initiative on Nusa Ceningan; and the Bali Water Protection Program that aims to provide solutions to the water crisis on Bali by returning rainwater to water tables through open wells, educating children about river stewardship, and raising awareness about the importance of water via a media campaign.
There are many ways you can help IDEP achieve its goals here in Bali and nationwide. Donations are always appreciated, as is funding for their various projects. You can also participate in their Gifts That Grow programme by sponsoring school events, organic agriculture training for local farmers, environmental restoration and tree-planting, or disaster training for local communities.
