From the destruction, sadness
and social upheaval of the Bali bombings came the opportunity to give
tangible form to that principle through support for the establishment and
ongoing operation of YKIP (Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi) or the
Humanitarian Foundation for Mother Earth.
Originally set up to assist in the recovery efforts after the Bali
bombing in October 2002, YKIP is dedicated to helping the needy in Bali
through health and education programs.
Since then its mission has expanded to span a diverse range of
projects, including a
medical clinic for women and their partners, a
medical library at the state university (Udayana) in Denpasar, assistance to
YAKKUM, a charity that works with physically challenged children, an AIDS
and drug awareness program in the schools run by YAKEBA, hearing aids and
maintenance costs given to the hearing impaired and scholarships for
children of the bomb victims and more than 400 impoverished children
throughout the island.
YKIP
was the natural outcome of the work done by Mitrais and the Bali Recovery
Group during the immediate aftermath of the bombing. A group of concerned
citizens wanted to ensure that assistance to victims would continue long
after the aid agencies pulled out.
Mitrais staff became involved
from the first day working with the Australian and UK Embassies and later
with various relief agencies.
The company continues to
support YKIP in many ways including the provision of IT support and
development and translation services for its website and assisting with
YKIP’s educational scholarship program by packing school supplies and
helping distribute them.
Individual Mitrais staff
members are YKIP office bearers and the Foundation is further supported with
serviced office space and part time accounting services.
The major source of funds for
YKIP is the Annika Linden Foundation (ALF), established by money market
executive Mark Weingard in 2003, in memory of his fiancée who died in the
Kuta bomb blast. Mr Weingard’s company Reset Pte Limited, a specialised
money market booking service, holds regular charity trading sessions from
which revenues go to YKIP.