Building a new pond at Jiwa Damai

Our volunteer Shoshi from the US and our intern Andreas from Germany are working close to our parking lot on developing a new pond on our premise.

They were digging very hard and now they are preparing the pond lining which should prevent the water from being re-absorbed into the earth.

For that purpose a lining of newspapers and green banana leaves are left for a few days. Then this is covered with earth  tightly compressed on top. The underlying layer will then create a water resistant lining.

Building a natural pond by using the old Russian method of ‘gleying’: 

The different steps:

– Dig the pond and compact the soil really well.

– Clear the pond of stones and rocks.

– Cover the bottom and sides with a thick layer of organic material (fresh grass cuttings and bananas leaves) and waste paper

– Spread out EM all over to add the bacterias which are necessary for the process

– Add a layer of soil and press down firmly all over.

– The soil keeps out the air and allows a biological process known as ‘gleying’ to take place (its an anaerobic process)

We shall see how well that works. Lets hope for the best 😉

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Internships for international students

We are offering individual internships to national and international students and post graduates in various fields. 

We at JiwaDamai, (LaguDamai Foundation) are an Educational Institution which offers trainings, internships and practica to international and national students and graduates.

The fields can be bio-agriculture, permaculture (including construction, sustainable energy, fish and pond maintenance etc), psychology, marketing, hospitality, alternative health care, environmental research and much more. The actual application of the project in a practical setting is an important part of the internship.

Usually this setting is at JiwaDamai permaculture and retreat center located just twenty minutes outside of Ubud in the district of Mambal.  The lush surroundings of the retreat center include a diverse array of Flora and Fauna that make it an ideal environment for students to be exposed to many different learning opportunities. The cross cultural interaction and tropical climate will give an extra dimension to any internship undertaken with us. Students will have access to local and/or international experts  in their respective fields.

To apply please contact us at: info@jiwadamai.net

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Coconut Shells

At Jiwa Damai we are using a special way to place our coconut shells around the base of our plants. Since we are producing our coconut oil form our own coconut trees , the shells are available and we are using them for several purposes.

During the rainy season they can collect some of the water with their inner softer hairy material thus allowing to keep some water away form the plants.

The second reason is to have them soak up the water we are distributing in the dry season  around the fields. They will hold the water longer for the plants to feed .

Last but not least when they decompose they will make an excellent nutrition to be added to the soil. On some plants we are just setting them directly around the root of the plants.

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A Balinese Wedding

Ketut Badung, our head gardener at Jiwa Damai invited the whole team and our volunteers to join him at his village in his compound to attend the wedding of his nephew.

The altar in the background with all the Balinese offerings is made completely our of pork. This was prepared by the whole village and will also be eaten by the village later.

The headdresses of the bride and the groom weigh about 5 kg each.

The clots are very beautiful and elaborate.

Guests come and go all day to bring gifts, mostly some money in an envelope to support the expenses.

This was a wonderful event to witness and a beautiful opportunity to experience Balinese culture.

Terima Kasi!

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