Warna Warni Bali |

Wayan Sasag Budiman (paling kanan) bersama Gubernur Bali Made Mangku Pastika di depan gubuknya. (photo by: Ni Komang Erviani)

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Bangli | Tue, 12/20/2011 12:00 PM

A four-square-meter shack belonging to I Wayan Sasag Budiman in Kalanganyar hamlet, Yangapi village, Bangli regency, seemed wobbly. There were holes in some parts of its bamboo, wicker walls and zinc roof.

The picture of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had been put up along the front part of the shack, with pictures alongside of the national emblem Garuda Pancasila and the War of Independence hero, Gen. Sudirman.

Only two meters from the shack, however, there is a newly built, semi-permanent house made of concrete blocks, with a cement floor and asbestos roof.

The house, built using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds from Bali’s regional development bank (BPD), has two 6.25-square-meter bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen. The house was still empty, without any furniture.

“I am so grateful because now I have a very nice house,” said 62-year-old Wayan Sasag after he received the key for the new house from Governor Made Mangku Pastika on Sunday.

The widower, who has two children, is one of four impoverished villagers in Kalanganyar hamlet who have received better dwellings through the provincial administration’s renovation program.

Three other houses were funded by the provincial budget, while one house used funds from the BPD Bali. The fund is managed by the province’s Coordinating Board of Social Welfare Activities (BK3S), a semi-government organization chaired by the governor’s wife, Ayu Pastika.

“There are still four other villagers in our hamlet living in houses that are not fit to live in. We hope the administration can extend the program, so that all villagers here can have decent houses,” said the hamlet head, Nyoman Suweca.

The house renovation program for the impoverished households is one of Governor Pastika’s pet projects. The other projects are the Bali Mandara, which provides free, universal healthcare for all registered residents on the island, and the Simantri integrated farming system, aimed at transforming the island’s agriculture into an organic, green and energy-independent entity.

Under the program, the provincial administration has renovated 3,118 houses since early 2010. As many as 468 houses were funded by CSR programs held by private companies in Bali. There were 825 houses built using the provincial budget in 2010, and 1,825 houses this year.

BK3S chairwoman Ayu said it was not easy to ask companies to disburse their CSR funds for the program.

Ten private and state-owned companies have joined the program. “We don’t give up. We keep trying to approach companies in Bali to disburse their CSR funds for this program,” she said.

Pastika emphasized that this program is part of the efforts to eradicate poverty in Bali. He said that by renovating their houses, it is expected that people can improve their livelihoods.

According to data from the Social Services Agency in early 2010, there were 13,000 houses listed as uninhabitable. “Living in houses of substandard conditions could harm residents’ health, meaning they would not be productive; thus they could not improve their livelihoods. We start by renovating their houses, then give them healthcare insurance. We also try to provide jobs for them,” Pastika said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/20/house-renovation-program-gets-support-companies.html