November 7, 2019: The organizers of this September’s Asia Battery Conference have reported that their charitable initiative known as the ‘One Minute Giveback’ has raised over $40,000 for three local Bali charities. This fund raising is a first for the lead battery industry.
It was organized by Conference Works, which runs the ABC, and battery industry firm Sorfin Yoshimura.
Three local charities were chosen before the conference for the One Minute Giveback. These were: The Bali Children’s Project, Yayasan Solemen Indonesia and the East Bali Poverty Project. Each of these tries to help different strands of the disadvantaged in Bali.
“Tourism dollars often miss much of Bali’s rural population. For them life is very different from the luxury beach-front hotels, spas and cool beach clubs that dot the island,” says Mark Richardson, the head of Conference Works. “With help from our Giveback partner Sorfin Yoshimura and the care of our three charities we hope we have been able to make a difference and help those in need in Bali.”
The purchasing power of $40,000 in Indonesia is many times greater than in the western world. The giving is comparable to a spend of $110,000 in the US.
Linda Venter, a New Yorker who spends around five months of the year in Bali and represents the Bali Children’s Project said afterwards. “It is with much happiness and gratitude that we send you these photos of the children who received the backpacks from you at your conference.
“One hundred children were able to go to school with pride, wearing new uniforms and shoes, carrying a new backpack filled with supplies. Many of these children would not have gone at all, or would have been embarrassed.
“This made an incredible difference in their lives, and you made so many children and families all through Bali extremely happy.”
The organizers would reveal little about the names or generosity of the donors but apparently there were several four figure donations. The largest two came from Taiwanese VRLA maker BB Battery and Sorfin Yoshimura.
One delegate said he was proud to belong to an industry that now realized it should be giving something back. “It’s a great initiative — we are the lucky ones and it doesn’t hurt at all to remember those who aren’t,” he said. “I hope this is something that will be introduced in other conferences, and become a regular feature.”
