Erik Smith - Traditional Bali meal accompanied by Erik's personalized Hydro Flask.
Posted on June 30, 2012
Traditional Bali meal with flairBali Life Foundation
The children of Bali Life Orphanage and Erik Smith
On a 2005 visit to Bali, Indonesia, Australians Brad and Siska Little met a 9 year old boy living on the streets of Kuta who asked if he could live with them. Although they were unable to offer him a place in their home, that meeting awakened a deep desire to help the street children of Bali. Partnering with their church, they founded the Bali Life orphanage in 2006, which offers neglected, abandoned and orphaned kids a safe and nurturing haven, providing food and clothing, emotional support, and teaching the skills necessary for them to become independent and responsible adults.
Erik Smith and his mission
At Magellan's, we believe the joy of travel comes not just from the excitement of exploring new lands, but also by providing a helping hand. On a surfing trip to Bali in 2010, Magellan's employee, Erik Smith, did just that when a group of children from the Bali Life orphanage captured his heart, inspiring him to volunteer his time building shelters at the orphanage, and sharing his gift of music through his beloved ukulele. As the Bali Life family has grown (the home now houses 20 children, ages 5 to 15), so has Erik's passion for this special place. In June, he returned to Bali for six months to volunteer and film a documentary about Bali Life.
You can follow Erik's journey below -- look for monthly updates on his filming progress, clips of life at the orphanage, and his reviews of Magellan's products. For more information about the Bali Life Foundation or to make a donation, please visit BaliLife.org
Field Tested by Erik
We have outfitted Erik with all the travel supplies needed for his trip. Click here to see a full list of what he took with him.
Follow Erik on his journey...
We invite you to check in regularly for updates from Erik on his filming progress, video clips of life at the orphanage, and how Magellan's products are working for him. You can also follow him on Facebook at Facebook.com/BaliLifeOrphanageDocumentary.
My name is Erik Smith and for the last 7 yrs I've been a sales associate, then assistant manager for Magellan's Travel Supplies retail store in Santa Monica, California. Recently though I moved to Bali Indonesia to volunteer at the Bali Life Orphanage teaching English and music as well as shooting a documentary film about the orphanage and all the amazing things that they are doing... (read more)
Posted on July 23, 2012
Inspiration and Vision
