MAES KUSUMA BALI
One smile at a time
Maes Kusuma Bali
A few months ago, alongside some of our friends - wandering creatives, locals and generous supporters from around the globe - we embarked on a journey very dear to our hearts: to build a place where local children with needs can come together to learn, play, create and keep developing their abilities.
The MAES KUSUMA project was born out of a simple human need to help as many people as we can and quickly grew into an idea, one which not only resonates with our mission to reach people in remote corners of the world but also brings our digital efforts of bridging gaps into physical existence.
MAES KUSUMA isn’t just a project. It’s a mission to build a fully functional day-care/educational centre for disadvantaged kids, located just north of Bali. And while this may not have been OUR idea, it is a passion venture that we embarked upon immediately after hearing about it from our friend Made - the guy truly responsible for its inception. Over the years, Made has worked as a teacher, class facilitator and assumed responsibility for the development of schools for kids with special needs, making him the perfect person to jump start a project of this calibre. Not only that, but Made’s younger brother - a kid with special needs - was the one who truly taught him the right approach to dealing with people with disabilities and the type of environment that they need. The moment he inherited a piece of land from his family, there was no doubt in his mind that this was what he wanted to do with it - a space where local children with disabilities, who come from poor families, can come together to play, learn and grow.
After a few months of planning, assembling a crew of volunteers and raising funds, we were able to break ground and start building. We now have a classroom and a toilet and are working to continue to expand and offer more space to the sweet little souls, whose hearts flutter at the opportunity to grow bigger and more fond of the opportunities presented to them.
The work isn’t over. It never is.
Follow us on Instagram @origin.of.hearts to keep up with ongoing developments and see the growing smiles of those, who get to enjoy the sweet fruits of our labour.
And if you’ve ever wanted to support a special cause but couldn’t pick one, perhaps the contagious smiles of MAES’ wonderful children will tip the scales in favour of your support for this project. Check out our ongoing campaigns to raise funds on GoFundMe (for international donors) and Chuffed (for our Indo friends).
Thanks to all of our supporters for their donations!
A special shoutout goes to LA artist Chris Sharp and his family for their generous donation and to the whole Limitless Nomads & Akasha teams for supporting us with their two day digital nomads event in Bali where where more than 200 Digital Nomads and Online Entrepreneurs learned how to step-up their business and connect with inspiring people in a spirit of sharing and giving. Read more here.
Let’s change the world, one kid smile at a time!
- words by Raya T Shearer, OOH. Head of Marketing
