“One person suffering is one person too many.”
– Sarah Chapman
Take a look at the Solemen social media or website and we guarantee that you will instantly feel incredibly privileged to have your health and to know that you have medical care available when you need it. So many people get lost or are forgotten while suffering terrible health issues, and the families feel they have no where to turn to get help.
The Solemen Care & Recovery Centre has ten rooms (which) provide a ‘home’ for up to 30 people. They have in-house patients ranging from babies and children with heart defects, patients with stage 4 cancer, and children with celebral palsy and malnutrition.
They have a tiny but very organized and impressive kitchen which produces up to 150 meals a day for all the residents including hospital in-patients and out-patients. The rooms are comfortable and offer privacy to families going through the most desperate times of their lives. There is also a lovely lounge area and TV, plus several playgrounds for the kids, although toys and books are always needed to help the kids who are recovering.
Solemen is currently providing care to over 3000 people, from newborn babies to the elderly, with the recovery center for patients needing to come to Denpasar for hospital, clinic or therapy visits. Some patients stay 1- 2 nights, others stay for months depending on their circumstances.
The Outreach team at Solemen see all kinds of medical conditions ranging from cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, recessive genetic disorders, cancers, heart conditions, and mental health disorders. Every person stays with them long after they leave the village, the deep impact of their situation has a lasting effect and care is planned to meet their individual needs, and the circumstances of their living conditions.
Mental health patients (who) often chained, are locked in cages and hidden from the world, with no medication or understanding of how to handle their condition. These people need to be assessed by their volunteer psychiatrist Dr Gusti Rai, with medication prescribed by him and any injections are administered by their qualified nurse, Gede. The team offer support and medical assistance to the patient as well as ongoing support to their families while creating a better living condition that encourages rehabilitation. The team work with the patient to socialize and reintegrate them with the family and community involved, and teach them how to care for the individual.
The team care for babies with terrible heart defects requiring life-saving surgery; cancers of all kinds; genetic defects causing terrible skin problems – two children from one family have delicate butterfly skin (Epidermolysis Bullosa) while another has tough snake skin (Harlequins Ichtyosis); amputations; neurological disorders…the list goes on.
There are food collection boxes at various locations ( https://solemen.org/how-to-support-drop-off-locations/ ), so anyone shopping in Bali is able to drop in a little extra food to be shared across families in need. Anyone can donate and help out via various methods https://solemen.org/donate/ and you would be surprised just how far a donation can go.
Here’s an example: if you donate 800,000 IDR, that provides a family of 4 with the basics they need for 1 whole month! That includes rice, oil, dried fish, dried beans, tinned fish, soap, toothpaste, washing powder, a huge tray of eggs, vegetables, fruit, noodles, tea, coffee, and sugar. They also have a program that gives the family an additional 20,000 IDR per day which helps them top up with fresh fruit and vegetables as they need it. For people going through medical treatments like chemo, 600,000 IDR gives them a special milk and nutrient formula which they desperately need for the vitamins and calories to heal.
A little money in Bali goes a long way. I’m sure everyone is helping other people already, but if you have any spare love and money to give, please get in touch with Solemen on FB @IndonesiaSoleMen or IG @solemen.indonesia and find out how you can help or donate to feed a family in serious need.
To help Solemen Indonesia and all their Solebuddies, why don’t you join them on their fundraising 10year anniversary fun walk? https://solemen.org/event/
