Last week, Direct Relief announced continued support for Yayasan Bumi Sehat, a nonprofit organization based in Bali, Indonesia, that provides holistic delivery services and pre- and post-natal care to women and children of Bali and Aceh, Indonesia. The multi-year grant was made in the memory of Glenda Martin, herself a midwife, who had a deep affinity for the people and region of Bali, Indonesia.

Direct Relief’s partnership with Bumi Sehat was initiated immediately following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and has evolved over the years to become a longstanding commitment to support Bumi Sehat’s tireless efforts to improve the health of mothers and children of Indonesia. In 2011, Bumi Sehat served more than 33,000 patients and community members through their holistic health services, attended more than 500 deliveries, and provided more than 6,400 pre-and post-natal care check-ups and home visits.

Ibu Robin Lim, the founder and director of Bumi Sehat, who was named 2011 CNN Hero of the Year for her life-long commitment to saving the lives of women and children, shared a heartwarming note in response to learning about the grant support in memory of Glenda Martin. Excerpts from the message follow below:

Dear Direct Relief Family:

I am in tears. There are just no words in English or in Bahasa Indonesia to tell you how much gratitude I am feeling for your support. Direct Relief has strengthened our vision and supported our work for so long, through many disasters and heartbreaking times. You have given me hope, when I was hopeless… and you just keep giving. Thank YOU…

…We live in times of religious strife and unrest between cultures, yet in this small clinic in Bali, harmony prevails and life-long bonds are formed between families who would otherwise shun one another. Healing comes on so many levels and brings so many surprises to us. We set out to provide much needed medical care, especially reproductive health services, and the side-effect has been a community bright spot, for building and inspiring peace between people…

…As a team we know we are the hands of Bumi Sehat. You; Team Direct Relief, and all our supporters, are the HEART. For the heart pumps life, nourishment and oxygen to the body… without you, the heart, there is no Bumi Sehat, no Healthy Mother Earth Foundation. For our very existence and for the opportunity you give us to continue the work we love, Thank YOU.

~ Ibu Robin and Team Bumi Sehat.