Author Archive
Religious Tradition or Financial Burden?
As you drive through the small village of Blimbingsari in northwest Bali, you immediately notice two things; the first is that this is a Christian village, of note because Bali is 94% Hindu, 5% Muslim and only 1% Christian. In fact, this is the largest Christian community in Bali. The second thing you notice is that the homes in Blimbingsari appear to be in much better condition than those of neighboring villages. They are all brick or cement, have ceramic-tile roofs and attractive paint-jobs, and many even have flower gardens in front, while those in adjacent villages often have mud floors and are of thatch construction in various states of disrepair.
On a recent visit to the branch office of Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil, I asked Kiva Coordinator Pak Zeruya Lesmana why the difference between housing in Blimbingsari and the neighboring villages was so dramatic.
Kiva is no island
Last week I received a call from an American woman who has been working in the eco-tourism industry in Indonesia for the past 3 years. Her company offers tourists an opportunity to visit rural islands not far from Singapore and contribute to service projects in the region. She was interested in setting up a microfinance program of some sort to support the villagers near her operation, so she reached out to me, in part, to learn how she could partner with Kiva.
Little Boxes Made of Ticky-Tacky
In 1962, the folk artist Malvina Reynolds wrote a song to describe the suburban development she saw in the communities south of San Francisco. While the hills of San Francisco are about as far away from the hills of Bali, Indonesia, as can be—both literally and metaphorically—these lyrics popped in to my head while driving my motorbike to visit Kiva borrowers last week.
Bali—Trouble in Paradise
By Nick Lewis, KF10 Indonesia
Ok FREEZE. What’s the first image that pops into your head when I say…….Bali.
Chances are it has very little to do with poverty and almost certainly has nothing to do with microfinance or the Kiva Fellows program. In fact, it probably doesn’t even have much to do with local Indonesians. When most people think about the “island of the gods”, as it is known in Indonesia, they picture honeymooners sipping exotic drinks while relaxing on pristine beaches, verdant rice terraces, or world-class surfers tackling some of the most famous breaks in existence. While Bali certainly deserves a place on a list of the world’s most beautiful locales, there is trouble in paradise.
