News & Event

The Smile Foundation of Bali

2010-06-28 / HEART OF BALI

The Smile Foundation of Bali (This article is published in THE MAG 26 - JUNE 2010)

by Rahman

Yayasan Senyum Bali

Yayasan Senyum Bali (The Smile Foundation of Bali) is an independent, non-profit organization striving to bring health care to people with craniofacial abnormalities. It was founded in 2005 by the Ubud resident Mary Northmore, who is also the Foundation's Chairperson. The Foundation has an honorary board and seven staff, who look after all administrative work and patient coordination for hospital admissions.

The Foundation deals with patients suffering from disabilities such as cleft lip and palate, as well as a wide variety of other craniofacial disabilities. Most of these patients come from the mountains of Bali and other islands in Eastern Indonesia, where appropriate medical treatment is extremely unlikely.

Patients are housed at the Yayasan Senyum Bali Smile House in Denpasar while completing pre-operation procedures at either RSUP Sanglah or at private hospitals in Denpasar, where Bali's two Plastic Surgeons conduct their surgery. The Foundation's Patient Coordinator assists the patients through the pre and post operative procedures. After their surgery, patients spend two or three days in hospital for postoperative care then return to the Yayasan Senyum Bali Smile House for a similar period of recuperation before returning to their villages. During their stay at the Yayasan Senyum Bali Smile House, patients and their escorts (i.e. one family member) are provided full board.

All financial aspects of Yayasan Senyum Bali are administered by a qualified accountant, and independently audited on an annual basis. The Foundation runs solely on donations and the support of the volunteers. Yayasan Senyum Bali works to raise funding for craniofacial surgeries and to establish partnerships with various organizations and medical facilities to provide logistical and medical support for the patients.

These include:
• Return transport to attend hospital appointments.
• Accommodation at the Yayasan Senyum Bali Smile House in Denpasar - before & after operations in Denpasar.
• Emotional and logistical support as patients and their attending family members progress through the health care system.
• Making all necessary arrangements including applications for passports, visas and flight bookings to Australia for those severe cases in need of surgery at the Australian Craniofacial Unit in Adelaide, Australia.

Smile Shops

Yayasan Senyum Bali operates two charity shops (The Smile Shops): one in Ubud, which has been in existence since 2006 and another in Denpasar, opened in March 2010. These Smile Shops sell donated goods both new and used and have been highly successful in assisting in the generating of funds. The funds provided by the shops cover all Yayasan Senyum Bali administrative costs. This means that all donated money is spent on directly helping patients. Both charity shops are managed by a shop assistant and a number of dedicated volunteers who work various rosters to enable the shops' smooth operation.

CALENDAR

GALLERY