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Los Angeles (CNN) – Robin Lim, an American woman who has helped thousands of poor Indonesian women have a healthy pregnancy and birth, was named the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year on Sunday night.Through her Yayasan Bumi Sehat health clinics, “Mother Robin,” or “Ibu Robin” as she is called by the locals, offers free prenatal care, birthing services and medical aid in Indonesia, where many families cannot afford care.
“Every baby’s first breath on Earth could be one of peace and love. Every mother should be healthy and strong. Every birth could be safe and loving. But our world is not there yet,” Lim said during “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and recognized Lim and the other top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011. Through her Yayasan Bumi Sehat health clinics, “Mother Robin,” or “Ibu Robin” as she is called by the locals, offers free prenatal care, birthing services and medical aid in Indonesia, where many families cannot afford care. Many women in the developing world do not have access to contraception or maternal care. According to the United Nations Population Fund, three out of five women giving birth in South Asia do so without a skilled birth attendant on hand. In Indonesia, the average family earns the equivalent of $8 a day, according to the International Monetary Fund. But a baby delivery costs about $70 at a hospital, and a Caesarian section can cost as much as $700. Lim believes Indonesia’s high maternal and infant mortality rates are caused in part by these costs, which many women cannot meet. “The situation is bad … babies are unattended, deliveries have become commercialized, and mothers die from hemorrhage after childbirth because they can’t afford proper care,” Lim told CNN earlier this year. The CNN Hero of the Year was chosen by the public after an 11-week vote on CNN.com. For being named Hero of the Year, Lim will receive $250,000 for her cause. That’s in addition to the $50,000 that she and the rest of the top 10 Heroes each received for making the top 10.
Bali Malas is honored to support the Healthy Mother Earth Foundation or Bumi Sehat. A birthing/wellness center for mothers, babies and families in Ubud Bali. Bumi Sehat is achieving a higher standard of maternal and child health through culturally sensitive prenatal, postpartum, birth services and the support of breast feeding. Bali Malas has donates a percentage of gross sales annually to Bumi Sehat!
In Bali you will inevitably meet a child of the streets, begging at intersections or “working” the streets in tourist areas. These children come from the poorest areas of Bali and have no proper shelter, food, education or attention. They are often traumatized victims of abuse and without help they will eventually learn to survive as a “boss” of younger children or turn to the tourist sex industry. All proceeds from this simple bracelet go to www.ykpa.org a non profit organization that has cared for these kids since 2007 and soon to be a registered orphange. Tie this bracelet onto your wrist as a pledge to yourself and a symbol to others that these children are not forgotten. Terima Kasih (thank you). Please let us know if you prefer a certain color thread.