|
The Amisewaka Desa Les Community Center (DLCC) is located in Desa Les, North Bali. This village of 8,000 inhabitants is a poor village, with the majority of people being farmers, fisherfolk, salt farmers, and construction laborers. There is not much of a prospect for the young people to get better jobs and many of them drop out after Junior High School (9th grade). There is a higher percentage of pregnancies, gambling, and drinking among the youth.
With the DLCC, we hope that we can assist the youth find more meaning in their lives and learning how to attain their goals.
The DLCC is a Vocational Training Center that focuses on four pillars:
1. Permaculture Organic Gardening and full organic recycling
2. Culinary Arts, with an emphasis on fusion local cuisine (there is a 5-star Training Kitchen
and Restaurant on site)
3. Living Values Education: a leadership program that focuses on integrity, open
Communication and self-worth.
4. Cultural Preservation: learning about one's heritage through traditional
Arts.
Supporting classes in English, Computer Literacy, Basic Bookkeeping, Balinese Music and Balinese Dance will round out the program. Living Values Education will be integrated into all aspects of the curriculum and all students and staff will go through the training.
Duration is 18 months: 12 months on campus and 6 months internship in a starred hotel/restaurant.
Students will range from 17-23 with a ratio of 50% female to 50% male. The initial intake is 60 students.
The DLCC will be a stand-out building, with 1/3rd of the land dedicated to Permaculture Gardens. The Green Roof will not only provide sustenance with herbs and plants but also help in cooling the building. Solar panels will provide 20KW of power. The building itself will become a "place to visit" in North Bali.
Objectives:
1. To educate the youth in and around Desa Les so that they can gain employment in the hospitality industry or can start their own enterprise
2. To provide skills learning for the students to feel that they feel worthy, self-confident and able to provide for their families once they are employed.
3. To educate the families of the students about Permaculture so that this type of organic gardening can be replicated in their household compounds.
4. To upgrade their technical skills via Computer Literacy
5. To provide an English immersion program; English is now the international language and knowing English will open many doors.
6. To provide a sense of pride in their culture by teaching them traditional music and dance.
Specific Objective for a Global Grant:
The Permaculture Gardens and Waste Water Gardens (WWG) are an integral part of Amisewaka. One of our aims is to teach our students about environmental sustainability. The WWG is a purification system that uses lava, river stone, earthworms, and plants to filter and clean black and greywater. This goes into a fish pond for further cleaning and then into a Grey Water Tank where it will be used for irrigation of the Permaculture Gardens. It includes pumps, vortexes in the ponds, and holding tanks. It transforms it into water that is used for irrigation, so there is no need to depend on freshwater.
On the 4,900 m2 property, 1,500 m2 on the ground, and 1,500 m2 on the rooftops will be dedicated to Permaculture Gardens where produce used in the DLCC training kitchen/restaurant will be used. The Green Roof of all of the buildings will also have productive gardens on them. Included in these costs are the construction of the planters and beds, all plants and trees and equipment, and the local gardener's salaries for one year. This is an organic garden, utilizing compost that the students will create themselves out of waste from our gardens.
This system and the gardens can be replicated to a smaller degree in their homes as well and will give them a broader idea of how our ecosystem works and how we can make it sustainable. This is not just about giving them a skill but giving them the ability to think outside the box by working with, for them, newer and innovative systems.
In Desa Les, several of the farmer's crops have failed; it could be due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that have created this. By helping them learn about the benefits of organic farming, everyone prospers.
THE GARDENS: BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY
1. Students learn skills (farming, recycling, botany)
2. These skills are taught to their families, many of whom members are farmers
3. Students work together with other families/community members on gardens thereby
Strengthening relationships while sharing skillsets.
4. Being able to provide sustenance via vegetables and fruits
THE GARDENS: MEASURING RESULTS
1. Learning curve of students; assessment of skills
2. Productivity of home/community gardens
3. If WWG works properly, it will show students and the public how this integrated system
can be successful and replicable.
4. Health of students, by eating what they produce, will increase
GENERAL: BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY:
1. Youth gets educated, is more self-confident and therefore can more easily find employment.
2. With students who feel worthy, hopefully, this will assist in decreasing the incidence of drinking and gambling (both activities are not allowed during the duration of their studies and will result in expulsion).
3. The DLCC itself, as a modern and integrated building, will bring in visitors to Desa Les, who will stay in the local accommodations, eat in the DLCC restaurant (and other local eateries) and participate in village activities, such as salt farming, making coconut oil, visiting the local sites with village guides and more. This will bring more income and exposure to the people of Desa Les.
MEASURING RESULTS:
1. Employment rates of graduating students
2. Participation in DLCC activities as stated in #3 above.
3. Health monitoring of students' families
4. Knowledge of students has increased (via testing, mentoring, employment evaluations)
Estimated start/completion date of the Project: April 2022 - June 2023 with options for continuation.
The Club members will:
• conduct a project assessment,
• gather information,
• write the proposal,
• look for International Rotary Club partners,
• manage the project funds - oversee the purchasing/paying of items,
• gather and schedule the project for community beneficiaries,
• pay the expenses of the project,
• receive reports from organization partners,
• monitor the project,
• submit reports and communicate the project report to international sponsors and
• make a showcase and publication of the project for public image.
| 
