...and how you changed the world for many Balinese people in need A LOT!

It has been 19 months since we launched our ‘Adopt a family’ project, which we at Ananda Soul initiated in order to support the Balinese community that suffered greatly from the outbreak of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Unfortunately the island of Bali, the heart and home of our brand, has been hit hard by the ripple effects of COVID-19 with its economy almost exclusively depending on tourism. 

As the months have passed and the streets of Bali have stayed empty, a lot of local businesses had to close, leaving people loosing their jobs and local families finding theirselves struggling to feed their families. 

In order to alleviate the situation, we started collecting donations to take care of the wellbeing of a family here in Bali. We collect donations via our webshop, but we also give 10% of every Ananda Soul proceed to ‘Adopt a family’. All it takes is US$60 to feed a Balinese family for one month.

This project isn’t only about gathering donations and giving to the ones in need, but to also tie in and create a supply structure that involves local suppliers and farmers who also have been impacted by the effects of this pandemic. 

Nine months down the road it becomes really clear that the backbone of this project is not so much me as the founder, but most importantly our beautiful local team. These women have been the ones finding the families in their own villages who were in need the most. The lists of names they came up with month by month consisted of families with elderly, families with many children, people with disabilities, people who had lost their jobs, people who can not make it through this time without significant impacts to their wellbeing.

These women who have been running the operation on the ground with their unbroken devotion and compassion are the ones to thank for. Nine months ago we birthed a project that was for the Balinese given by the Balinese. Even after 10 years I still see myself a guest on this island. My brand is merely an enabler for the local community to support one another and to offer a support system.

I am committed to continue this work AND to show you first hand the impacts of your generous support. Until today we have been able to support over 1800 Balinese personally – and we will keep going.

While writing these lines I hardly find words to express the gratitude for your incredible, impactful support.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Suksma, Terima Kasih from me and everyone here at Ananda Soul!