Bali Charity Café and Shop, also known as Piduh Café, was established within the Yayasan Widya Guna Bali Foundation with the aim of empowering individuals with special needs. Our current staff includes individuals with Down Syndrome, Low Intelligence, and Cerebral Palsy. We provide a safe working environment for locals with mental or physical disabilities, fostering their sense of pride and creating meaning in their lives. These staff members primarily come from the Gianyar area near Ubud and have developed their skills at the Widya Guna Bali school to be part of our café team.
Our café’s symbol is the Piduh (gotu kola) leaf, symbolizing a warm and protected place. “Piduh” stands for “Pijakan Teduh,” signifying a safe haven. We’ve cultivated an environment where staff can work calmly, feel accepted, receive education with love, make friends, and interact socially.
We incorporate Piduh extract into our food and drinks because these leaves offer numerous medical benefits:
1. They reduce stress, promote calmness, and alleviate anxiety and depression.
2. Piduh leaves help filter the blood and stabilize blood pressure.
3. They aid in the repair of dead skin cells, stimulate hair and nail growth, and support digestion.
Our staff members
Our staff members are divided based on their talents, skills, and abilities, with each section supervised by an instructor or teacher. This includes the kitchen and bar section as well as the front-of-house team responsible for serving customers. Given that some staff members may face challenges with reading and writing, we provide them with picture instructions to follow, making it easy for them to carry out their tasks. We’ve also labeled our tables and chairs with numbers and symbols to ensure order accuracy when taking and serving orders.
In the mornings, staff members prepare the menu items. They weigh the ingredients, store them in labeled containers, and attach pictures or symbols to represent the drinks or food items. This simplifies the cooking and drink preparation process.
How it works
Our café’s menu features a unique touch – we use pictures of students from our school as symbols and names for our menu items. This approach not only helps staff members understand their tasks but also ensures that the orders match the pictures on the boxes and trays.
Here’s how to order at our café:
- Choose a place to sit and remain seated to avoid confusion.
- Select the correct paper based on the numbers or symbols at your table.
- Write down the quantity of drinks or food you’d like to order, noting that items marked with an “X” are not available.
- Ring the bell and raise your hand when you’re ready to place your order.
- Enjoy your meal and the beautiful view.
- Ring the bell and raise your hand when you’ve finished.
- For payment, visit the cashier’s desk, where you’ll need to inform the cashier of your table number or symbol. They will tally your order and assist with the payment.
In the afternoon, our staff prepares lunch for all volunteers who dine at the café. At the end of the day, the staff diligently clean up the café.
Charity shop
Our special needs students and English orphan students create various local crafts and items for sale in our children’s shop. The items include beads, postcards, paintings, recycled plastic wallets and bags, hairpins, and more. Each item is labeled with the child’s name and price. The income generated from this shop is distributed to the students every six months, with 50% going to the students, 25% allocated for materials, and 25% used to support the school. The profit brings happiness to the students, instills a sense of pride, fosters creativity, and adds meaning to their lives.
