You may already be looking at the picture here and wondering if this is a scene from the movie, Outbreak. No, and this isn’t my beach outfit either. So what was I doing in Bali donning this blue get-up? In this picture I’m about to go into a mobile operating room. The mobile unit in the background is one of a few commissioned by the John Fawcett Foundation to go into remote places throughout Bali screening eyesight and performing corrective surgery. So while at first glance, it may seem strange, I’m quite excited underneath the mask.

Inside the mobile operating room I watched in awe as doctors quickly removed a man’s cataract and replaced his lens. Fascinating! The doctor performed the operation looking into a microscope, while I looked on at the image of the surgery being projected on a larger screen. Honestly, I cringed and blinked rapidly when I first saw the eye and all it’s nuances projected in such detail. But as more of the man’s cloudy cataract was cleared, the beauty of what I was witnessing sank in. In a few days this man will be able to see again and it only cost about $60. I should mention these services are provided at no fee to the patients all over the island. The foundation also cares for medical abnormalities, such as cleft palates, that they come across as they meet the island’s villagers (See their website for more).

I’m glad to share another organization doing great things in Bali. You’ve got to get off the beaten path and join us!

~Dwight

More on the John Fawcett Foundation on their website Bali Eye.

We made a small donation on our visit and also bought enough fish to feed the house that night, BUT by far we were on the receiving end of the giving. Life House’s loving group of kids and staff openely welcomed us into the day’s activities. Take a look and leave a comment.

It’s follow friday. So to show your support please visit Betterplace.org where you can sign up to support Life House and many other great organizations. I hope you enjoyed the video. These kids really touched us and I hope you’ll be inspired (whether you’re in paradise or at home) to have fun helping others!

~Dwight

Shortly after getting settled in with friends in Bali, I headed down to a local shop and spent about $25 US buying gifts for kids in one of the poorer urban areas of Denpasar. That’s about what you may normally spend for a night out.

For the price of dinner and drinks, I bought party favorites like balloons and noisemakers, mixing them in with the store’s entire rack of kiddy toothbrushes. What great value! Of course, they didn’t last long and the group of kids and moms grew and grew.

This is just a peek at what’s to come (See more pictures on flickr). We’re making plans to do more activities like this, thanks to your great input. Also, we’ll be sharing info on the great organizations we were able to visit while in Bali. Happy Friday and keep brainstorming small ways you can make a big difference in your community.

“Dream big, work smart, start local.”

~Dwight (@insearchofsanuk)