Cross-sectoral effort to build accessible homes for people with disabilities in poverty

Puspadi Bali operates a housing project in Bali for people with physical disabilities living in poverty. The houses are built after an individual evaluation and in collaboration with Warmadewa University and Journeyman International, an NGO focusing on architectural services in a humanitarian context.

In 2015, Puspadi Bali, an NGO based in Bali, Indonesia, launched an accessible housing project to support people with physical disabilities. The model is based on collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture of Warmadewa University in Bali and Journeyman International, a U.S.-based NGO focusing on architectural services in a humanitarian context. Between 2015 and 2021 the project has built or improved 12 accessible houses and one public library, all of them based on the assessment of individual needs.

Problems Targeted

People with disabilities living below the poverty line in Bali do not have access to affordable and accessible housing.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Puspadi Bali began its accessible housing project to support people with disabilities who live in poverty, especially those in wheelchairs. The Faculty of Architecture of the Wamadewa University in Bali designs the homes, and Journeyman International, a U.S.-based nonprofit, provides architecture, engineering, and project management services. Puspadi Bali identifies and selects the beneficiaries; and once the design is mutually agreed upon, including the cost of construction, it raises the necessary funds. Construction of the house then begins, with close supervision from university representatives as well as the families of the beneficiaries, the communities, Puspadi Bali volunteers, and university students as part of raising their awareness. The programme also liaisons with local schools to ensure that children with disabilities are able to get access to institutions of education by building wheelchair ramps and providing other accessible solutions such as desks that can fit wheelchairs.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

Puspadi Bali fundraises from a diverse group of donors, including Hands Up Community, Labour for Wheelchair Access, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts, Taman Hati Community, as well as from the Direct Aid Programme of the Australian General Consulate in Bali. The Bali International Women’s Association, Bali Island School, and individual donors have contributed some $2,500 for building an accessible public library. Puspadi Bali aims to build at least two accessible houses every year and implement the project more widely across Bali between 2024 and 2026.

Pictures

Many hands make light work - The Puspadi Bali community constructing an accessible house for people with physical disabilities

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