Inflation Hits Student Sponsorships

Most people have noticed a rise in the cost of living over the last year. The problems haven’t escaped Bali either, with families in poverty being hit hard.

With rising costs of basics such as fuel, oil, rice and more, families in poverty have found it difficult to keep up. Although living cost subsidies exist, not all families are able to access help.

To add to the struggles, there is the issue of school fees.

High school in Bali costs money. Depending on the school, students are charge enrollment fees, semester fees, additional class costs and more. Left unpaid, students have to drop out or their families have to take loans that they cannot afford to repay.

The pre-pandemic figures gave a dropout rate of 1 in 5 students not making it through high school. However, after the pandemic and now an increased cost of living, this number is expected to increase.

17 year old Mia is on the brink of dropping out again after her sponsorship was cancelled.

Sponsorship Cancellations

A sad side effect of inflation is that some sponsors have been unable to continue their monthly sponsorship donations. Of course, this is an unintended yet unavoidable decision.

This has led to a higher number of students left without a sponsor for school. With a limited ‘emergency fund’, Bali Children’s Project is unable to keep up the payments.

Since September 2022, 27 sponsorships have been cancelled or deactivated – representing a tripling in the number of sponsors who have been unable to continue sponsoring their students.

Winda’s Crossroads

Winda is one of the 27 students who have made their way back onto our sponsorship waiting list.

Winda is one of the 27 students who have lost their sponsors in recent months.

When our sponsorship team met Winda, a 13 year old from Tabana, she had just completed elementary school and was about to drop out before starting junior high school.

Her father is mostly unemployed, taking adhoc building jobs where, on a good day, he can earn 9 USD. Having already taken loans and still in debt, the family simply couldn’t afford Winda’s school fees.

Thankfully, Winda was sponsored for school and it had seemed that her future was secured.

However, Winda’s sponsor recently had to stop their donation, meaning Winda no longer has any funds to cover her school fees. Winda is one of the students currently hoping to find a new sponsor.

High school costs money in Bali, and children like Winda can only graduate if they can be the fees.

Sponsors Save Students Futures

We are so very grateful to all of our sponsors and understand that sometimes unexpected circumstances occur where sponsors are unable to continue their kind sponsorships.

We appreciate all our sponsors – past and existing – who have helped to change the lives of children.

It’s a testament to these kind people that last year, we saw the highest ever number of students graduate through our program – 138.

Our structured sponsorship program supports a network of sponsorship co-ordinators all over Bali, enabling us to give children the support they need to stay in school.

Covering all school costs, from uniforms to entry fees – from extra curricular class to school study trips – the sponsorships truly mean the difference between a future of hard labour and one of opportunity.

We thank all sponsors for your support. Thanks to you we are able to help these children escape poverty through education.

Once sponsored, children have a guaranteed route through school.

Become a Sponsor

Now is one of the most crucial times that we have ever experienced as an organization helping children.

With a sponsorship waiting list that is full of children whose sponsors have cancelled, our limited core funds are not enough to be able to see these children through school without new sponsors being found.

Of course, we never want to tell a child that their sponsorship is cancelled, and so are urgently seeking new sponsorships to avoid this.

To become a sponsor, visit our sponsorship waiting list, follow the donate links and select $40 USD monthly, mentioning the student you would like to sponsor.

Once sponsored, you’ll receive a sponsorship welcome pack, thank you photos from the student you have sponsored and updates on your student’s progress in school.