That’s what friends are for: These kids at Jembatan Senang once stayed home, now they make music with friends.

An elderly couple enjoys a romantic seaside lunch, a pair of lovers stroll hand in hand by a Bali hotel swimming pool, others get dressed up in heels and resort wear for some high style beach time.

Romantics in all forms come to the tropical island to renew vows and reinvigorate relationships — it is just by chance that the above are all gay, lesbian, transgender or transvestite.

In an irony of timing, Bali last week welcomed 130 gay, lesbian, transgender, heterosexual couples and friends for the Diving for Life charity event, just days after their arrival in Indonesia, The Jakarta Post published reports that the country was growing deeply homophobic.

To the top: Climbing helps increase motor skills.Diving for Life, a loose collection of dive clubs from around the world, travel to different destinations annually to dive the seas, catch up with friends, share rare opportunities to be openly in love with their partners and most importantly raise funds for health organizations across the globe. The group also nominates a community organization in a country they visit — this year it was Jembatan Senang — The Happy Bridge pre-school in Candi Dasa.

Jembatan Senang offers education, physiotherapy, speech therapy, medical check-ups and swimming lessons for special needs children in Karengasem.

Hand in hand: This young boy learns to develop balance.Diving for Life board member, Sydney-sider Matt Kaine says that the group hoped to raise more than US$1million during the 21st anniversary of organization, which falls this year. The charity is registered in the United States.

“From the charity auction we hold during the week, the [dive] clubs tell the board who [health organizations] they would like to support in their areas, this could be HIV, breast cancer, it’s always approved heath charities. This year, we expect to push over the million dollar mark. When Diving for Life first started, it was just half a dozen people and its grown and grown,” says Matt.

Education for all: Special needs kids study at Jembatan Senang pre-school in Candi Dasa.The organization began working with a Bali resort 18 months ago, booking the entire hotel. “We booked out the hotel — that’s something we prefer to do as we can play loud music and without complaints, have parties or swim in the pool at 2 a.m. and there’s no problem. People come now, not just because they are gay, but to dive and feel comfortable. Many are repeat attendees, so there is a sense of family,” says Matt.

Sharing with local communities is also a valuable aspect of Diving for Life’s international journeys. Matt remembers a trip to Fiji some years ago where a local HIV organization was identified as a funds recipient.

“In Fiji, we found a local HIV group. We donated $1500 and in local terms, that went a long way. They were so happy that we invested in their organization and that they met our criteria. With Jembatan Senang, we decided to give medicine and toys. There is more than $1000 worth of these here. In the West, it seems like a simple thing to buy children’s pain killers, for instance. In Honduras, we found a nun and we did the same thing there — it made an impact on her work. So for Diving for Life, we are doing something we love and spreading funds to charities,” says Matt.

At Jembatan Senang pre-school, a dozen or more kids are singing and clapping hands — all are disabled in some way and until Jembatan Senang set up four years ago, these kids rarely left home, had trouble walking and many did not speak.

Dutch teachers, Klees and Els Sinjorgo, saw a need for the pre-school when they moved to Bali and worked with the highly respected Bali Kids and another disability support group, Sagitarius, to establish Jembatan Senang.

The arrival of toys and medicine has the kids excited. Pretty little Komang Ari has her arms full of Teddy’s, and is wearing a smile as wide as the sun. Young Putu is off to play badminton and sisters Iluh and Kadek are thrilled to be sewing a numbers game. Komang Aldi is deaf and at 11 years of age, just learning to read and write.

Humanity: Jembatan Senang teachers receive toys and medicine from the Diving for Life organization.
“This is the only school he has been to. I am so proud he is learning to read. His dream is to ride a motor scooter with his friends — he felt jealous of them. Now he is starting to ride and he is proud of himself,” says Komang’s father Nyoman Ladra. Komang’s gift of a soccer ball from Diving for Life also means he can join his friends.

Clutching her Teddy bears, Komang Ari, with the help of her Mum and Klees, practices walking.

“Komang could not walk when she first came here. She is improving all the time. Iluh and Kadek in the past just sat at home, now they help Mum around the house,” says Els of some of the benefits the little school has so far achieved. With the bounty from Diving for Life, Els says they can share medicine with other local schools.

“There is so much we can share with the children and other schools here. It is wonderful and truly amazing that Diving for Life gives so much to improve lives. They gave this with their hearts. The fact they are gay makes no difference. These guys hurt no one — they live their lives and it is wonderful when people help each other, gay or not. They show the world they do the same as others in helping communities, or more than others. They give from their hearts,” says Els, pointing out that people’s sexual orientation is private. She goes on to say that what we do in the public sphere, the good or the evil we commit, is the true test of morality.

— Photos JP/J.B. Djwan