Muntigunung, in Karangasem, in eastern Bali, is surrounded by vast swathes of greenery, hills and lakes but was long known as an impoverished village. The lush surroundings did not support its residents with income-generating activities.

Extreme poverty forced many of the villagers to move to urban areas in Denpasar, Kuta and Ubud to work as beggars.

Living in Muntigunung is hard and there is little access to clean water. It is about a five-hour walk to obtain clean water, traversing the path between the village and the nearest water source. The men can carry 20 to 30 liters of water, while the women can carry 10 liters, all for their daily consumption.

In 2008, along with several friends, Sari Awan went to town begging in traditional markets and other places, earning Rp 100,000 (US$7.57) each day.

“There was a drought at that time. Water was really scarce and the harvest failed completely. There was no work here at home,” recalled Sari.

Folklore has it that Muntigunung was once a fertile and prosperous village, however, apparently the village’s forefathers humiliated an old man who was selling the Mas Manik Mampeh sacred water in their village because he was wounded and smelly. Unfortunately for the villagers, the old man was the disguised goddess Dewi Danu, the Hindu goddess of water and fertility, who then transformed the village into an arid place and cursed the villagers and their descendants to become beggars.

However, thanks to the village empowerment program initiated by Future for Children and the Dian Desa Foundation, numerous villagers are now working as tour and trekking guides, crafts people and running small-scale businesses.

Sari is one of the trekking guides. She earns Rp 200,000 per session, however, her take-home pay is Rp 80,000, while the foundation holds Rp 70, 000 as personal savings and Rp 50,000 in savings for her children. The trek takes visitors around the hills of Alengkong village in Bangli to Muntigunung in Karangasem, around 13 kilometers.

Every morning at 5 a.m., Sari sets off, walking to Alengkong village, the trek start point. There, she waits for Pica, the tour guide from Ubud, who brings in the guests. Being used to the terrain, Sari doesn’t wear shoes or sneakers, just sandals, and sometimes brings her daughter Meta.

Guests on the trek can enjoy the beauty of Lake Batur, local plantations and villages.

On their way to the Munti villages, the guides narrate the many legends and folktales of each village, such as Dewa Kembar, the twin gods, and the accompanying special ritual for babies and their spiritual twins.

The foundation’s village empowerment program also provides the locals with knowledge on exploring the village’s natural assets, such as lontar (palm) trees. The lontar leaves are used for various handicrafts, which are then procured by hotels and resorts operating nearby. They also produce tuak, a local liquor, and palm sugar.

The villagers are also encouraged to grow Rosella plants, the flowers of which are used to make herbal tea.

Pica said that program had already offered 200 new jobs for the villagers and was aimed at helping them prevent migration from the village. The village had abundant natural assets that could support livelihoods, as long as people were willing to explore them, he said.