The Bali Children's Project: The BCP Team

I Made Darsa, Managing Director of the Yayasan Bali Children's Project, has been an elementary school teacher for many years and is an accomplished balian (healer), using the techniques of traditional Balinese massage. His respect in the community and his drive to help and serve others have made him instrumental in transforming the BCP into an Indonesian yayasan (non-profit foundation). He was one of the leading forces in the creation of the kindergarten in Penestanan. Made Darsa joined the BCP because its mission, to serve and educate the needy, especially children, fits so well with his own personal mission.

JOYCE SCOTT

Joyce, the moving force behind the creation of the Bali Children’s Project, was trained as a child development specialist. She has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Child Development. She is also an RN with a specialty in pediatrics and maternal health. For many years she worked with the Infant Project through Children’s Hospital in Oakland and with the East Bay and Golden Gate Regional Centers in parent- infant home visiting and pediatric home nursing. She is a founding mother of Birthways, an East Bay foundation serving the needs of pregnant women, new mothers and babies, and for more than ten years was a childbirth educator and labor coach at Alta Bates Hospital , Berkeley. See www.joycescott.org

Joyce was for many years the guardian of her twin sister Judith, who had Down Syndrome and was deaf. After thirty-six years in a state institution, Joyce obtained her release, brought her to California and enrolled her in the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland . Against all odds, Judith became a fiber sculpture artist of international repute. From this experience, and the extraordinary flowering of Judith’s hidden talent, Joyce believes fervently in helping the disempowered, the marginalised and those without hope, to be given an opportunity to realize their inborn gifts.

LINDA MOSELLE VENTER
Linda’s education includes a BA in Psychology & Anthropology and an MA in Forensic Psychology. For the past several years, she has been working for STEPS (Support & Training & Educational Program Services, Inc.), a non-profit in East Harlem devoted to helping homeless families and adults improve their life through education and employment services. Before that she was with Incarnation Children's Center, a residence and treatment center devoted to children and infants with HIV/AIDS. This was formed when the epidemic started to affect "boarder babies" and was a place where they could get both love and treatment.

Linda and her husband first went to Bali ten years ago. Falling in love with the culture and the people, they built a house in the village of Penestanan , close to the cultural center of Ubud, where they spend part of every year. Through volunteering with the local primary school she met Made Yudiana (Yudi) and became involved in the project to create Montessori-based kindergartens in Tabanan. This led, in turn, to her spearheading the creation of a kindergarten in Penestanan , and a continuing and deepening involvement with the Bali Childrens Project, of which she is now a Director.

JOHN COOKE
John taught Zoology at Oxford University for eight years and later became a director of Oxford Scientific Films, creating innovative TV wildlife documentaries. He is the author of several books and numerous articles, some related to Bali.

A chance visit to Bali many years ago ignited a passionate love of the Balinese people and an intense curiosity about their remarkable culture. This resulted in frequent return visits and the formation of Hidden Worlds, a travel company providing visitors a personal and intimate introduction to the island and the Balinese way of life.

After leading cultural and environmental tours in Bali for several years, his experiences in villages and the countryside brought awareness of the problems faced by disadvantaged children, and led directly to the formation of the Bali Children’s Project with his wife, Joyce Scott. His particular interest in Balinese natural history, archaeology and antiquities has led him to explore many remote and unvisited parts of the island.

NYOMAN WITAMA

Nyoman is BCP regional director in the Munduk area. He has had a long-standing involvement with the BCP and shares our commitment to improving children's lives through education. Highly respected as a guide and teacher, Nyoman has a deep knowledge of Balinese culture and religion, as well as the natural environment in the Munduk region. Two of the children sponsored through BCP now live with Nyoman and his wife as part of the family.

Kadek, a business college graduate, is the BCP's accountant, bookkeeper and office manager in Bali . Professionally trained in accounting and business management, Kadek is a great asset as well as an excellent role model for the girls in the programs, having chosen a profession rather than early marriage and child-rearing.

Darta is well known in the Ubud area as an outstanding guide, and works closely with the BCP in introducing our volunteers to the finer points of Balinese life and culture. Darta’s infectious enthusiasm for imparting knowledge about Bali has made him beloved by many visitors. At his family compound in Ubud, Darta and his wife are renowned for their Balinese banquets.

Iluh, a recent high-school graduate and BCP alumnus, is the office manager of the new Munduk office.