Focusing on gentle birth, modern cleanliness, and respect for traditions.

Robin Lim's "Yayasan Bumi Sehat" (Healthy Mother Earth) foundation is an Indonesian non-profit organization, which gives gentle birth services to villages in Bali (and now also in the tsunami-ravaged Aceh province).

In many areas of Indonesia, gentle birth is essentially unknown. "Brutal" is the word that Robin uses.  Hospital services leave something to be desired, and hospital costs remain so high that the average village family cannot afford them.

Local midwives also use less than optimal methods. In addition to the lack of a clean birthing environment and invasive procedures, breast feeding is not supported and questionable population control methods (IUD, contraceptive implant, etc.)  are enforced.

Robin and her foundation provides gentle and culturally sensitive birth at home or at her clinic, breast feeding support, and family choice family planning.  She provides prenatal care and education, prenatal vitamins, labor support, delivery, and post partum care. She is training Indonesian midwives in gentle birth protocols, how not to spread disease, including universal AIDS prevention, . 

She has been successful in changing protocols in the local hospital.  They have now stopped reusing needles. If she transports a laboring mother to the hospital, she goes with the mother and educates the doctors and staff on how to treat her. Robin is able to be creative and flexible according to the needs of the time. 

Most importantly, she trains village midwives in modern practices while respecting their ancient traditions. Recently she has begun to teach midwives how to burn the umbilical cord, rather than cutting it, in order to prevent infection in less than sterile environments.   This oddly beautiful practice is a gift from Chinese medicine.  It is both soothing to the baby and completely safe and sterile.

In addition, Robin's clinic provides basic medical services.  Her clinic treats amoebic dysentery, serious hand cuts from local wood carvers, rampant TB, and much more.

Her foundation is located in a family compound in Bali.  It consists of a large house on bamboo poles in the traditional Balinese architecture, and a two room cinder block clinic.  Volunteers come from all over the globe.  Gynecologists, nurses, midwives, young people seeking positive direction in life, and an occasional tourist or friend.  You are welcome to visit and lend a hand. In fact, she has a wish list on her website for things you could bring with you.

The following are a list of recent workers and volunteers with Robin:

ACEH FIELD TEAM  Members

Hi Caree,   and Bruce,,,,
Thought this list would give you an idea of the international scope of the
Yayasan Bumi Sehat team members.  Besides running a general health clinic,
Safe Motherhood/ infant survival projectŠ We provide a bridge between the
Acehnese internally displaced Tsunami survivors  and the large international
NGOs who are there trying to help with recovery.  We provide communications
with the people, and their locations (roads are destroyed ­ finding where
the people have gathered is often tough).  We also help determine who has
potable water, food, how much, for how long etc.  The clinic also serves as
a human resource center.  We also provide transportation into the small
mostly wiped-out city of Meulaboh ­ for hospitalization, supplies, to get
the surviving community leaders in touch with the NGO services.  All too
often people go without food and water due to lack of communication and
logistical problems inherent when working in a disaster zone.  Thanks for
doing this article, I don¹t know if I¹ve been very helpful, sorry ­ so darn
busy.  Cammy Bargerstock is emailing you via the IDEP office ­ some
additional photos todayŠ..  we so appreciate you keeping us in the hearts or
Iowans.  
Peace, love, Robin     Om Shanti!

Ida Tanjung    Indonesian
Eric Gansen    Dutch
Rowena Harvest     Canadian
Dr. Carolyn DeMarco        Canadian
Noel Bernhardt        Iowan
Zion Lee    Iowan
Thor Hemmerle        Iowan
Agustian          Sumatran
Louise Noorbergen      Australian
 Cheryl Cooper        Australian
Bidan Jenny     Javanese Christian
 Bidan Indah    Javanese  Muslim

Melanie Templer        British
Robin Lim     Filipino/ American
Kelly Carleen Dunn  and Josh  Dunn        Canadian
William Joseph Hemmerle        New Jersey (is that a country?)
Deja Cresencia Bernhardt        MUM Graduate
Red Carmi            Israel
Pak Chakra:        Balinese
Dr. Dariao Gomez        Mexican
Sandyasa        Balinese
Christine Foster        American
Ari Teuku        Achenese
Ibu Aysa        Achenese
Isnyadi  (orphaned child we employ and keep in school)
Bang Hanifi    (lost his wife, children and all extended family)

Organizations we work with in Aceh include:
WALHI      (Indonesian Friends of the Earth)
Orangutan Information Center
Yayasan ANISA      (Anisa means "woman")
International Red Cross Red Crescent provides free plane rides
Spanish Red Cross  Water and Sanitation
OxFam ­ for potable water
International Organization for Migration
CRS (Catholic Relief Services)
Global Relief    
World Food Bank
United Nations ­ mapping well salinity
Mentor ­ provides malaria rapid tests and medications
IDEP ­Indonesian Educational Development and Permaculture)




on 3/31/05 8:10 PM, bgrady@lisco.com at bgrady@lisco.com wrot