To double the size of the Sushrusa School for Deaf Children in Bali, Indonesia, currently serving 100 students, and to serve many more and thousands in the future, the Rotary Club of Burnaby, with Rotary Club of Lions Gate and a District Grant of CDN$7,000, partnered with the Rotary Club of Bali Action, to complete and outfit a new wing of classrooms at a cost of CDN$35,000. The expansion, built between January and June 2025, included interior finishing, classroom furniture, air conditioning, lighting, and earthquake resistant features.
The school expansion not only doubles the size of the school, allowing more deaf children to enroll. It also extends instructional hours and provides enough classroom space to house students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school is an award winning institution, so improved facilities directly enhance educational outcomes. Over 50 local workers were employed in construction and local businesses benefited from procurement.
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In the process parents received training in Indonesian Sign Language, public awareness of the deaf community increased and, to address earthquake safety, university architecture students contributed to designs addressing seismic risks and improving long term resilience.
On the Canadian side, Burnaby and Lions Gate Rotary clubs raised funds and coordinated District Grant support. The local Rotary teams worked with the RC Bali Action, who also did extensive fundraising both locally and in Australia and New Zealand. The Rotary Club of Bali Action worked closely with the school staff and Board of Yayasan Corti to review plans, monitor progress, and maintain communication.
The Rotary Club of Bali Action initiated, monitored, and evaluated the project, managed purchases and expenditures, conducted multiple site visits, liaised with faculty and the Board of Yayasan Corti (the Indonesian charity that owns the school). The School development is ongoing and the Rotary Club of Bali Action is continuing to fundraise to add a computer library and a canteen.
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Rotarian Nick Liem of the Lions Gate Rotary Club, and Vikki MacKay of the Burnaby Rotary Club visited the site in January 2026 to view progress and follow-up on the project. The first students to enter the school in 2015 are now going into Grade 12 and are receiving work experience. Rotary has been supporting the project for it’s entirety and the results can be seen in the success of the children educated!