Help The Dewa Family Through COVID 19

Hi my name is Signe and I am working to raise a year's worth of monthly expenses to help a friend in need. His name is Dewa Made, but his friends all call him Kelut.  He lives in Bali Indonesia, and when I was traveling we became friends. COVID 19 has not been kind to those in Bali and I want to give back to this family and community that showed me kindness and generosity. To hear his story, and how we became friends. Please read on!

 

In 2019, I went on a trip of a lifetime. I traveled all over the world but made the longest lasting connections in Ubud, Bali Indonesia. Most of you probably know Ubud as the famous backdrop to the final part of Eat Pray Love, and like the author of that tale, I too know Ubud as the home of incredibly kind, giving people who made me feel welcomed into their life and culture. 

For one month I stayed with an American/Canadian family living and world schooling on the outskirts of Ubud in a beautiful villa. The villa is owned by a French artist, but kept and maintained by the Dewa family: Locals who help out the visitors by cooking, cleaning, providing taxi service, scooter rental service, and guided visits around the island.  One of the younger taxi drivers invited me to his brother's wedding the third day I was there. Interested to see some local culture, I accepted the invitation. After that, Kelut and I became friends. I spent many evenings with him, his friends/family, and his fiancé Ayu. 

above: Ayu and Kelut spending time at the villa where I was staying during the fall of 2019

 

Families in Balinese culture are crucial to each individual's livelihood, and the maintenance of local communities. You live with your family until you marry, then girls go and join their husbands families. Families grow and grow, supporting one another in every way. Large compound like structures typically have an outdoor kitchen, shared bathroom, and individual houses where the different nuclear families live, all clustered around a central temple. So usually if one person is out of a job, they are able to rely on their surrounding family for support. However, when the whole family is dependent on an income in the same industry, things can become tough. As you can imagine, when Indonesia closed its borders to foreign visitors during this ongoing global health crisis, most of the Dewa family lost their jobs. 

above:  Me, and Kelut. He took me to see one of the many Bali waterfalls. 

Most job opportunities in Ubud come from farming rice, or tourism. Dewa's family worked in the tourism sector. His older brother has worked on cruise ships for many years, Dewa himself tried it but couldn't stand the long grueling hours and criminally low pay (about $2.50 an hour, 12-hour shifts, one day off a month - yikes!) He came home to get married and didn't go back, preferring to work as a taxi driver and tour guide in Ubud.  When I left at the end of October 2019, he was working on putting together a business of guided tours for the many visitors that stayed at the villa.  Little did he know, that Bali would soon close its borders as the COVID 19 pandemic began, keeping them closed for now nearly 2 years. The cruise lines closed and although Kelut says he hopes they will open again soon so he can at least find work in that way,  he will have to leave his wife and 6 month old daughter behind.

above: Kelut, Ayu and their daughter Meisya a few weeks after she was born.

Kelut is actively looking for a job, but there are not many jobs to be found. Most restaurants, villas, hotels - everything in the hospitality industry is closed. Those who have managed to keep their jobs are teachers and government workers. He has told me it is hard for the family to get basic necessities like food and clothing, not to mention a stable wifi connection - indeed a necessity in this day and age when job applications are often completed online!

All donations will go directly to Kelut's family. In Balinese terms family is not just his immediate family, shown above, but his parents, wife's parents, siblings, grandparents - everyone who lives together in his family's compound. He plans on using the donations to cover food costs, utilities, clothing etc. Both him and his entire family want to pass on the message that they are incredibly grateful for any help at all. 

above: The Dewa family and their friends gather for Kelut and Ayu's wedding celebration, December 2019


I returned to Bali a second time in December 2019 to attend the wedding of Kelut and Ayu. They welcomed me into their home for a week and took care of me in every possible way. One day, Kelut's father-in-law saw me at the local café having a coffee and a sandwich, letting the family get some space while they prepared for the wedding ceremony. He took me aside and said very seriously, "Signe, we have coffee at my house. You do not need to buy coffee here, my kitchen is open all night!" And then breaking into that infectious Bali grin he laughed and said "Okay maybe not all night but at least 11pm! You must eat with my family! There is no need to buy food while you are here"

That interaction summarizes the generosity and warmth I experienced from the Dewa Family.  In the same spirit, I hope we can help them through their time of need.