Help Ketut Build His Home in Bali

While traveling in Bali, Indonesia this past summer I met Ketut. He was my taxi driver and after asking to see the authentic side of Bali, he drove to his village. I was surprised to find that his home didn't have windows, doors or anything inside other than a mattress on the floor where he and his children slept. This was especially unsettling because I was only spending about $30 a night to stay at a luxurious hotel nearby.

The tourism industry creates many issues in developing countries that we don't often speak about. Westerners and other foreign entrepreneurs purchase land and build businesses in these countries and their profits rarely go back to developing the country beyond the areas dedicated to tourists. Consequently, many of the local people of Bali are left with few options other than working jobs that cater to travelers, such as: working in a hotel, restaurant, or driving a taxi. These jobs pay very low wages and thus keep many Balinese people in a cycle where they cannot get ahead and struggle to pay their debts and other expenses involving their basic necessities.  In Ketut's case, he has been struggling to make enough money to both finish building his home and send his daughters to school.

I couldn't stop thinking about Ketut when I returned to U.S and so just a few weeks later I returned to Bali and donated a total of $3000 that I received from my Volkswagen advertisement, towards the completion of his home. During my visit, Ketut's wife cooked dinner for me and we ate as a family. They explained how it was the first time that they ever ate dinner with a tourist and I realized how disconnected we have become from each other on this planet. Many of today’s social issues stem from this separation.

Luckily, it’s never to late to become connected again, but it’s going to take a collective effort to mend those bridges and to correct the things that have gone wrong in the world. It starts with ONE person and it starts with ONE action.

Ketut's home is almost finished, but they still need about $3000 more. This money will go directly to the family and will cover the remaining costs of materials and labor. Even if you can only donate a dollar, you'd be surprised how much a little help can contribute in a very big way! And if you can't donate any money, I just urge us to all become more mindful when traveling. Let's try our best to have thoughtful interaction with the local people of the places we are visiting, and let's make sure we are supporting locally owned businesses (or businesses that give back). We’re all apart of one big earth family and we are shaping the world every single day.

Thanks so much for your help! :) I will be returning to Bali to post an update on the progress of this story, so that you can see where you money has gone.