Stress and other catastrophies
Over four months of planning, coordinating and travelingwas nothing compared to three days of running a handicraft
expo. My biggest fear was that we’d have no visitors and
I’d be branded as a loser for life. Problems came within the
first hour of officially opening the expo- food for the
evening opening party has been prepared and was ready to
be served, five hours ahead of schedule. Next, we ran out of
tables for producers to display their products…and so on
and so forth. The first and second day passed slowly without much result and people were breathing
down my neck screaming. Stress and tension reached an all time high by the end of the second day. I
woke up on the morning of the final day feeling unusually relaxed. ‘Today is going to change
everything’ I said to myself. As a gesture of good faith, I placed flower offerings at a nearby temple
to make sure that God was coming to the expo. The first wave of people came at about an hour after
opening and they never stopped coming. Perhaps it was the roar
of live music rocking the streets that attracted people to drop in.
I like to think that it the products that spoke for itself. Whatever
it was, it made a difference and we ended the expo in high spirit
and a box full of cash. The producers earned a modest 11
million rupiahs in three
days (Bali’s average
income is roughly
500,000 rupiahs per
month, approx.
AU$62) and visitors
left with bags full of shopping. We made an operational loss
of roughly 1 million rupiahs, but gained so much more in
experience and exposure. Overall, I am proud to have been a
part of this expo and grateful that the Wahana Kria Putri
Foundation has been so supportive of this project. To those who made it happen, I would like to say
thank you: staff of WKP, Bali Artisans committee and YAKKUM Bali.
About this newsletter
It is an update on the progress of Australian Youth Ambassador, Amy Wan, in her appointed role as a product development and
marketing officer for the Wahana Kria Putri Foundation (WKP) in Bali, Indonesia. The content of this role is to put together a range of
quality handcrafted products and develop various dynamic marketing strategies to attract overseas buyers.
The project aims to help impoverished men and women establish a sustainable source of income to lift themselves out of poverty and
become independent. Most of them are home-based handicraft makers with little or no education, disabled, unemployed, widowed or
have young children. Opportunities to find work is rare and many struggle to compete with larger craft producers. To ease the situation,
the foundation offers them free training in business and finance management, product design, quality control and packaging. By
helping them keep their handicraft business, we hope that tradition and real craftsmenship in Bali will continue to thrive.
Amy is spending twelve months at the Foundation with frequent field trips to visit producers around the island to monitor their
development. She hopes to build a strong relationship with the local people and help them find business opportunities in Australia and
New Zealand. The Australian Youth Ambassador for Development program is an Australian government initiative. For more
information, please visit www.ausaid.gov.au
Amy’s Contact Details
Address: Jalan Tukad Saba 10A, Panjer Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Phone: +62 81 337 804843
Email: wanamy@hotmail.com
Bali Artisans Website: www.baliartisans.net
