31st October 2015.

Wonderful news as we have managed to move Citra and Mira – the girls we found living in a basement – to new temporary accommodation.

Sisters Citra and Mira’s story was heartbreaking when we met them. From an extremely poor family, their parents could barely afford rent on a dirty, unventilated basement room.

P1040143The room literally had no furniture, just a simple mattress on the floor and the family’s few belongings piled in a car. There was not a window or ventilation, and 10 year old Mira has already developed asthma.

Their mother had to borrow money just to pay for school uniforms. Luckily, we found a sponsor in sisters Danielle and Triana which ensured all their educational costs were covered.

But the girls were still stuck in the horrific basement…we had to do something.

After an appeal on Facebook, we are so excited to say we raised the funds to move the girls out – permanently!

IMG_0800There were a couple of snags – the one suitable place nearby still has a leaseholder until December. Which meant we had to wait or find the girls a temporary accommodation.

Of course we went for the latter. We didn’t want the girls in th20151025_110931at basement one more minute.

But it was only thanks to the donations from supporters Anna Marie, Susan and Mandy that we raised enough to move them into their temporary house.

It was a day of delight and smiles for everyone, as the family moved to a far better room – it may not be luxury, but it is 100 times better than the basement. There is an airflow, it is clean and has natural light.
Not only that, the donations enabled us to buy a new mattress and bedding for the family.

The best news is that the permanent housing has already been secured and the family will be able to fully move in December. Bali Children’s Project supporter Marika was straight on the case to raise over $500 USD to donate when she visits in late November.

In the meantime, we had more good news for the girls, who received clothing donations from a recent visit by our friends at FaceUp.

Things got even better when we donated 2 brand new bicycles for them to enjoy. The bikes came courtesy of more amazing support as the International School of Kuala Lumpur arrived with the bikes, and 20 more bikes for other children. Just look at those smiles!

Ni Luh Citrawati&Ni Kadek Ari MirawatiManda, our Area Co-Ordinator for Central Bali, and our driving force behind helping the girls was just as excited when handing the bikes over.

It’s truly heart warming that so many supporters have banded together to show Citra and Mira that we believe in their futures. We thank all supporters for your kind words, donations and help.

We are seeking ‘Emergency Fund’ donations that can help us react quicker to emergency cases like this in the future. If you can help please go to our donate page and mark your donation ‘FOR EMERGENCY FUND’.