Inspirasia Founder visits grantees in Bali
August was an exciting month for Inspirasia Foundation and the Annika Linden Centre as Inspirasia founder Mark Weingard spent some time in Bali working directly with grantees to help them grow and become more sustainable, while also reaching out to other individuals, philanthropists and businesses in Bali that might wish to come on as partners.
Two open days were held at the Centre during which visitors not only had the opportunity to meetMark and hear his inspiring story on his giving journey, but also get a tour of the Centre and witnessfirst-hand the amazing work that the NGOs at the Centre are doing to help people with disabilities.
This included seeing how prosthetics legs are made by Puspadi Bali, learning about YPK Bali’s education programme and interacting with their students, while also understanding how DNetwork connects people with disability to employment.
A Fun Walk was also organised by the Disability Aid Task Force Bali, an initiative which was set up by Puspadi Bali and UCP RUK and supported by Inspirasia Foundation, with the goal of raising awareness and advocating for the right for adaptive assistive devices for people with disability in Bali. Around 300 people with disabilities were present to demonstrate that they can be independent with appropriate assistive devices and voiced their aspirations regarding the importance of freedom and independence through the fulfillment of the right to adaptive aids by the Bali provincial government. Mark also participated in the event with an opening speech and While Inspiraisa Foundation started off as a vehicle for Mark’s personal giving after the loss of his fiancée in the Bali bombings in 2002, it has grown into a leading grant-making foundation that has donated over €14 million to social impact in various countries focusing mostly on Bali. The vision for Inspirasia in Bali is that it becomes a Bali-based foundation supported primarily by local companies.
“We aim to gather partners who are in Bali, companies that are based on the island and individuals that live here, who will partner up to grow what we are doing today. ”
Inspiraisa Foundation and the Annika Linden Centre look forward to Mark’s next visit later this year. If anyone wishes to meet Mark, visit the centre or find out how they can be part if the impact, send n email to info@annikalindencentre.org.