By Augustine Waas | Project Leader
Made is a 54-year-old father living with schizophrenia.
When his illness went untreated, his community became afraid. With no medical support and no resources, they locked him inside a cage built by the local council. For more than a year, he lived behind iron bars — without proper sanitation, treatment, or dignity.
Not because he was beyond help.
But because help was unavailable.Sadly, this situation is still common in many rural communities in Bali. Families often face mental illness without access to treatment, guidance, or support.
But thanks to supporters like you, help was able to reach Made’s family.
What Your Support Made Possible
Because donors believed in this project, our team was able to:
• Visit Made’s home and assess his condition
• Provide psychiatric medication and treatment monitoring
• Support the family through counseling and caregiver guidance
• Continue follow-up visits to ensure his recovery remained stable
Over the following months, Made slowly began to stabilize.
He became calmer, more present, and able to interact peacefully with the family again.
Moments like this remind us why this work matters so deeply.
Your Impact Reaches Far Beyond One Family
Made’s story is only one example among many families across Bali who need help.
Through this project, we are working to provide treatment and support for:
Impact & Target Area
By improving access to care and educating communities, we are helping reduce stigma and ensuring that mental illness is treated as a medical condition, not a source of shame.
Recent Donations Are Already Making a Difference
Recent support from donors helped continue these essential services:
These funds contribute directly to:
• psychiatric medication for vulnerable individuals
• transportation for outreach visits to remote villages
• counseling and caregiver support sessions
• community awareness activities to reduce stigma
Even small contributions make it possible to continue reaching families who otherwise have nowhere to turn.
What Happens Next
Our outreach teams are continuing to identify and support individuals living with severe mental illness in Singaraja and Karangasem.
In the coming months we aim to:
• reach more remote villages
• provide treatment for individuals currently without care
• train families so they can support recovery at home
• expand community awareness to prevent stigma and isolation
Each step brings us closer to a Bali where no one with mental illness is hidden, abandoned, or left untreated.
How You Can Continue Changing Lives
Many donors who read these updates choose to give again because they see the real impact their support creates.
A second gift today could help provide:
Your continued support helps ensure that more families like Made’s receive the help they desperately need.
Thank You
To everyone who has supported this project — thank you.
Because of your generosity, individuals who once faced isolation and suffering are now receiving care, dignity, and hope.
We look forward to sharing more stories of recovery with you soon.
With gratitude,
Sole Family Bali Team
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser

