How Visitors To Bali Can Help...

• Click HERE to contact us PERSONALLY about helping Bali Kids

Usually, all travellers are allowed 20kg of luggage. You should be able to double this with little trouble, if you speak to your airline. They are usually quite tolerant of increases in luggage allowances for charitable purposes. Also, authorities at the other end generally don’t worry about an extra bag or two. If you are in a group, you can bring in quite a bit.

What to bring?

*clothes

*shoes

*hygiene supplies (shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs)

*school supplies

Of course, in many countries, the problem is not lack of these items, but their costs, so you might like to wait till you get there and help the local economy by spending big!

What are the educational needs of the Balinese?

The Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (http://ineesite.org) is a great site to start from when dealing with the educational needs of children in Indonesia (remembering that Bali is one of 14 000 islands which make up that country). Many westerners, coming from a background where education is free (provided for from our taxes) and where the poor are subsidised in order to keep them at school, assume that this is the same the world over.

Let’s see what the INEE has to say:

"Student Learning Materials In many parts of the world, schools expect students and their families to provide learning materials, such as exercise books, textbooks, pens and pencils. In areas of crisis, families typically do not have the financial resources to purchase learning materials, and thereby significantly alter the students’ learning experience as they either must do without or ration what little they have. In some situations, this additional burden on top of school fees may limit the number of children a family is able to support through school.”

(http://ineesite.org/school/materials.asp)

This is certainly the case in Bali. Parents in country areas may appeal to city relatives for help in paying fees, or they may have to take out loans (a rollercoaster they rarely escape from), but there is rarely any assistance in the true sense.

So parents are faced with the fact that they must pay monthly fees, buy school uniforms (compulsory), books, pencils, textbooks, art supplies plus donate time to repair and clean the school. Then, there are the examinations at the end of each school level. Consequently, most children in country areas do not get past Primary School level. Some city children may get further, but if there is an economic crisis, the poorer drop out first.

What is "Panti Asuhan"?

One way for poorer children to be educated is to find an institution that will take them in: a Panti Asuhan. We translate this as orphanage, but many of the children may have parents. The parents just cannot afford to keep their child or children at home and provide for their education. The Panti Asuhan are run by many and varied organizations. Some are government run, but others are privately operated. In Muslim areas, many are funded from the Middle East, and have a very fundamentalist curriculum. Others are run by churches, and offer a Christian based care system. Still others are run by good-hearted individuals, many of whom came through orphanages themselves and understand what it is like. Of course, the standards vary from Panti to Panti. Some are in good condition, others are very Dickensian.

Where are these Orphanages in Bali?

(http://www.worldatlas.com)

The seven orphanages in this system developed at a time when Christians were under heavy persecution in their villages, and so they sent their children away for protection. There were also a lot of true orphans after the coup in 1965-66. Nowadays, the children do not all come from Christian households, but from Hindu and, occasionally, Muslim families also. The families are comfortable with the fact that their children will be taught Christian doctrine while in the orphanages. Most children return home to their villages during holiday periods.

The central Panti is in Denpasar, the regional capital. It houses Senior High School students and Tertiary Students, both boys and girls. It is located in a compound with a private school (which is attended by the Panti children), a private Kindergarten and the Orphanages Head Office. Tertiary students may continue to live in, but some elect to live on campus at their place of study, in which case, their rent is paid for. Many come “home” at weekends. Those who live in are in rooms of 6-8, in bunk beds. There are common areas, study areas, and worship areas. There is also the kitchen and dining room.

Feeding into the Denpasar Panti are the Panti at Bangli in Central Bali and the one at Untal-Untal, just north of Denpasar. Bangli is for primary aged children but Untal-Untal is Junior High, and only for girls. There are just over 40 teenagers there are the moment, at least one a victim of the jihad on the island of Sulawesi. Their rooms are simple, but comfortable. They are taught life-skills such as sewing, embroidery and artificial flower making, as well as dance and music.

In the west, there is a Primary School level Panti in the Christian village of Blimbingsari, located in the mountains between Negara and Gilimanuk. It houses between 50 and 70 girls and boys, who attend the local school in the village. The children are in rooms of 6-8, but no bunks! Blimbingsari is a rural village, so it is very pretty. The children are taught traditional Balinese music and dance at Blimbingsari, besides the normal sorts of activities.

When the children graduate from Primary School, they go just down the road to Melaya, the nearest town, where there is a Junior High Panti. It is one of the older ones and needs more repairs.

The city of Singaraja in North Bali has another Panti for Senior High Students.

The last one is located in the most depressed part of Bali, the East, near the city of Amlapura (Karangasem). In Amlapura, the church is trying another initiative, attempting to stop the spiral into poverty in several villages, so that children will be able to stay in their home environments. A clinic and a job-training centre are also being developed. It is hoped that the other Panti will also develop along similar lines.

What is needed by the children in these orphanages?

The Balinese Protestant church Panti Asuhan are known as “Widhya Asih”, which means “Knowledge and Love”. The children are well-cared for, but can always do with more love, so visits from travelers are welcomed. You can even stay at several of the Panti, so that you can interact with the children. Contact Drs I Nyoman Suwitra, the Head of the system, to arrange visits.

Apart from love, you can help the kids and teenagers with the basics: clothes, shoes, school and hygiene supplies. INEE is once again helpful here, when it comes to education needs:

"Examples of student learning materials

 

Pre-primary

·  Crayons/oversized pencils

·  Writing materials

·  Art supplies (paints, paper, colored crayons, glue, scissors)

 

Primary

·  Pens, pencils, erasers

·  Grade 1 to 4: exercise books

·  Grade 5-6: at least 10 x 48 page exercise books

·  Grade 7-8: at least 12 x 98 page exercise books

·  Art materials

 

Secondary

·  Pens, pencils, erasers

·  2 x 98 page exercise books per student per subject per term

·  Geometry set (ruler, triangles, and compass) for every 3 students

·  Art materials.”

In general, this is a fairly thorough summary of the needs of a schoolchild in Bali and the rest of Indonesia. Of course, if you are intending to visit any school, the needs are the same (times 250!). And if you are going to a school, remember that the students are not the only needy ones. Underpaid staff also have to provide their own materials.

INEE is once again a great guide to the needs of teachers and administrators at local schools:

Examples of school supplies and teaching materials

Administrative:

Hardbound books of registration, recording of school fees, etc.

Manila paper/newsprint and markers to prepare teaching aids and class schedules

Blank paper for tests and administrative activities

Pens — red, black blue

Paperclips

Stapler and staples or pins

Glue

Inkpad and a school stamp

Teaching & classroom materials:

Chalk — both white and colored

Exercise books for keeping students grades, attendance, and for lesson preparation.

Science equipment and chemicals

Regional maps, globe and other appropriate charts ideally printed on cotton cloth

‘How-to’ reference materials and equipment for making teaching aids.

Recreation kits

Soccer balls (in sets of two —one for each gender)

Basketball and hoop

Volleyball and net

Jumping Ropes

Local musical instruments

Playground equipment."

An individual or family may not be able to provide everything on this sort of list, but the recreation kit may be a good start, as most government schools have little in the way of equipment, especially in country areas. (BTW Indonesians love shuttlecock and table tennis as well. Supplies of tennis balls are also very welcome.)

Many Thanks,

Sue Scarcella.

Click HERE to contact us PERSONALLY about helping Bali Kids!