Bali Street Mums Safe House

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Denpasar is a very special place. A place of hope and smiles, a safe house, a haven....

Founded by Kiwi expat Kim Farr, the BSM safe house is a literal life saver for many women and children. 

In 2023 to celebrate 10 years of Coastal Vintage, I took my crew to Bali for a holiday and we also enjoyed a sobering visit the BSM safe house to meet the Mum's who make the glassware that we have been selling on their behalf for several years.

These glasses have always been one of our favourite products, but meeting the Mum's who make them and hearing their stories made it so real for the crew.

Upon entering through the guarded gates we were welcomed with hugs and smiles by the gorgeous kiddies, many of them tucking small frangipani flowers behind our ears and taking us by the hand.

It was heartbreaking to hear that during the pandemic over 125 children came to be fed daily at the safe house as their parents had lost their jobs and could not afford to feed them.

Today, (as of 2026) there are over 150 children that visit the safe house and are fed daily by a group of mothers, and those mothers are paid a fair wage and can now support themselves and their own children.

It's thanks to the safe house that many of these beautiful children are here today and living a happy and more importantly a healthy life.

Kim and her team are breaking the tragic cycle of impoverished mums, begging children and human trafficking in so many ways:

Rescuing abused children, providing a refuge, feeding the hungry, medical aid and counselling, education and empowering the mums by teaching them new skills.

Mornings at the safe house see the older children like Intan away at school. Intan loves gymnastics and wants to be an animal doctor when she grows up. You wouldn’t know it, but she lost one of her eyes before being rescued from the streets. She is now a very happy and bright child doing well at school.

The younger ones or those not yet able to go to school, attend pre-school at the safe house and are taught by a trained pre-school teacher.

They spend their mornings drawing and colouring in order to refine their motor skills while some of the older kids earn money after school by teaching them Indonesian which is require at school. Balinese is their first language.

Even the son of the local garbage man (above) is now attending pre-school at the safe house!

Kim and her team care for these children with genuine love, affection and respect. Some of the Mums cook, others clean, all are paid a wage for the work they do.

Kim herself does not take a wage. She lives frugally and earns money on her trips back to New Zealand.

Financially the safe house is an open book, with very few overheads and no administration infrastructure to service, nearly all the funding is used directly to help the Mums and kids, and they rely solely on donations.

The project is now recognised by the Indonesian Government as an offical NGO. This took many years to be approved.

Sadly, so many of the children have come from horrific situations. Kim shared a few stories with the my crew.

A family of three sisters, who share a bed at the safe house, were dropped off by their Mother, as their step Father was sexually and physically abusing them. 

Kim related how the girls would wake up through the night screaming and crying.

The organisation employs a social worker who helps counsel children.

When the girls first arrived she would sleep in the room with the girls and was there when they woke up to help calm them down and over time help them heal.

Today, a few years later - they are thriving, doing well in school and love to dance. 

A small boy who looked about six ran past us and Kim explained he is actually 12 years old and severely malnourished.

They have been trying to help him put on weight, and it has taken a lot longer than expected, but against all odds he has gained 2 kilograms.

The crew meet Cinta, one of the Mums who helps to run the market stalls and make the glasses.

The crew found the visit to the safe house one of the highlights of their Bali trip. They particularly enjoyed chicken dancing with the little ones and watching traditional Balinese dances by the older kids.

To see the impact of selling glasses through Coastal Vintage on behalf of the Mums, and the difference it makes to their lives is truly humbling.

If you would like to find out more about the BSM safe house click HERE.

There are children who are in need of a sponsor to help feed, clothe and educate them. Or you can learn more about this amazing project when we visit them on a sourcing adventure.

And of course you can purchase the BSM glasses from my store. All profits are returned to the safe house.