It’s August in Bali and it’s also the start of Indonesia’s independence month, so let’s get that patriotic spirit up and running! And to show our love to Earth and country, let’s start by keeping Bali clean!

At VP Bali, we’re always striving to spread the “go green” spirit to the children of our program and also our volunteers. In the early morning of Sunday (2/08/2015), we conducted our monthly recycling event to provide a chance for our children to get involved directly in preserving the environment and Keep Bali Clean. The participants were elementary and middle school students in our program. Our goal was to collect trash, both recyclable and non-recyclable, in the vicinity of Banjar Kalah at Peliatan village in Ubud.

The event started at around 8 AM at a school near Banjar Kalah. The children, accompanied by the local pecalang (village security) and some of our volunteers, were split up into two big groups assigned to different locations. Each were given plastic bags for collecting trash. The children were enthusiastic!

They darted to and fro, picking up all the trash their plastic bags could manage. Some filled up their bags quickly, while others took their time. After a while, we guided the children back to the bale banjar (village hall), where they piled up their collected trash and were given snacks.

While the children were eating, the event continued on with short speeches from Kimberley and the village chief. After the speeches, we announced our Students of the Month awards. They were jubilant when Kimberley handed them their trophies and prizes! A communal lunch marked the end of the event in the afternoon. Both our volunteers and children had a great time, while keeping the beautiful environment of Bali clean!