Our Sponsorship Waiting List of children needing sponsorship is regularly updated. Please see below to see the children and read their stories. You can help change their lives. To sponsor, click here and remember to name the child you would like to sponsor in ‘I want my donation to be dedicated: NAME OF CHILD’.
Please set your sponsorship to ‘monthly’ and $40 USD.
Gusti Ketut Juliartha (brother of Gusti Ayu Nyoman Arys Meliani)
Gusti Ketut Juliartha (Nicknamed “Juliartha”) age 12 and in his first year of Jr High in Karangasem, is the youngest child out of four and the only boy.
His parents were both working until the pandemic – his mother in a restaurant and his father in a hotel. Now his mother is out of work and his father works mainly as a laborer in order to even get food. He works a few days in the hotel when they have guests. They have to work in the rice field to afford basics. When Juliartha has no school, he helps them in their work as laborers.
His determination to continue school is really high. But the collapsing tourism industry in Bali really hit his family hard. He might have to drop out next school term. During the pandemic, he’s been studying from home, as his school was closed since mid-March until further notice.
Kadek Dwi Sugiartawan
12 year old Kadek Dwi Sugiartawan (nicknamed Dedek) is about to drop out of school. He’s supposed to be entering junior high school, but because of the fees, his parents are telling him he can’t go.
Dedek’s father is sickly and his family owes IDR 6 million to the local bank to cover their daily expenses when his father was sick and couldn’t work. Both of his parents are laborers and can’t go to work every day. They earn barely half of the standard minimum wage.
His older brother would have been a dropout had he not gotten sponsored by Bali Children’s Project 3 years ago. Now Dedek is going to face the same predicament. He would have to drop out of school this year if he doesn’t get sponsored, as his family can’t afford taking more loans.
Wayan Putu Ekarini
Ni Wayan Putu Ekarini, almost 15 and the oldest of three, lives in Karangasem, one of the poorest areas of Bali. She’s now in grade 7, the first year of Jr High.
Ekarini loves school and dreams of being able to finish Senior High School. Even if Ekarini worked while in school, she could never earn enough to afford her senior high school expenses. It’s terribly distressing, because she really wants an education.
Her father is a laborer – either field or construction. Her mother, a housewife, sometimes works at the construction site too if they need women power. When Ekarini is not busy with her school, she always helps her parents by working as a brick laborer.
Unfortunately, this pandemic brought the family to an even more difficult situation as there are no job offers for her father.
Komang Pratinayasa
Komang’s father passed away when he was 2 years old. Since then, life has been a struggle for his family.
His mother works as hard as she can, but is just a day laborer and doesn’t always get work. When Komang has days off, he looks for laboring work too so he can help his mother with costs.
Komang has been on the verge of dropping out before. His mother had told him she was so sorry but couldn’t afford his school costs. After pleading to stay in school, his mother took a loan. She can’t keep taking loans though and without a sponsor, Komang won’t finish school.
He’s a disciplined and astute boy, with dreams of becoming a soldier and supporting his mother so she doesn’t have to spend her days laboring.
Kadek Dwik Gunarta Dwik
Kadek Dwik Gunarta Dwik is the second out of three sons in his family. His older brother is on a college scholarship. Dwik is almost 16 and living in Ubud.
Dwik was sponsored but his sponsor had to stop. However, Dwik is on his way to fulfil his dream of working in the tourism industry, and has hopes that it will rebound once the pandemic is over.
He is now enrolled in a vocational senior high school of tourism in Ubud thanks to his being sponsored, but without that, he will have to stop.
Made Krisna Ripa Yudi
Made is an only child. His parents divorced when his mother was five months pregnant with him, then his father left him to go back to Karangasem without ever seeing him again. He lives now with his grandparents.
Made’s mother works only as a laborer who gets paid daily. She works for a field owner, or anyone who needs a labor force.
Made is about to graduate from primary school and is supposed to advance to a local junior high school this July. However, he won’t be able to continue school if he doesn’t get sponsored. His mother already has 2,000,000 IDR of debt and can’t afford to get in more debt.
Gusti Ayu Nyoman Arys Meliani (sister of Gusti Ketut Juliartha)
Gusti Ayu Nyoman Arys Meliani (nicknamed “Arys”) is the sister of Gusti Ketut Juliartha, also on the Waiting list. She is 17 and going into her last year of High School in a couple of months, though the school is already asking for fees. She studies Social Science.
Arys aspires to be an entrepreneur or businesswoman. She really wishes she could go to a college or university. Before the pandemic hit, she was hopeful that both her parents, who used to work at the tourism industry, could help her achieve her dream. Alas, her mother got laid off. Her father receives fewer or no shifts at work. He used to work almost every day and now, if he’s lucky, he works 10 days.
Both of her parents have to work as laborers and work at the rice field in order to buy food. It’s been so hard for them even to afford food. Arys joins them in their labor work to earn more money as well.
Ketut Susada Yasa (brother of Putu Taman Harianti)
I Ketut Susada Yasa (Susada), almost 18 and hoping to be able to enter his last year of High School, lives in the Northwest of Bali in Jembrana. He studies Online Business and Marketing. He has two older sisters and a little sister who is on the Waiting list. Susada lives with his parents and 2 sisters.
With only one more year of High School, Susada is wanting badly to finish school and get a job. He knows that his future depends on this. Without a High School diploma, he will be a laborer with no future. And with the economy under siege from the pandemic, it will be even more important to have an education when it is over.
Putu Taman Harianti (sister of Ketut Susada Yasa)
Putu Taman Harianti (Taman), age 13, is the youngest of four. Taman lives with her parents, an older sister, and an older brother. She’s finishing up Primary school this year and hoping to go to Junior High in July, grade 7. However, that comes with a lot of new expenses – entrance fees, uniforms, monthly costs, supplies, etc. At this time, the chances for Taman to continue her education are very slim.
Taman’s family is poverty stricken. They live in the uncle’s home, as they don’t have a house of their own. They fish in the sea to get protein and they forage vegetables in the field. They only buy rice for food. Her family can’t afford to take more loans to get Taman to enter the nearby junior high school in July. Without a sponsorship, Taman will have to drop out before Junior High.
Gusti Ayu Paramita
Gusti Ayu Paramita (nicknamed “Mita”), age 17, is a smart, ambitious girl who is determined to finish school and have a solid career in work that will sustain her. Where most go into tourism, Mita wants to work in a bank and have a stable job and income. As she has seen during the pandemic, bank workers are still working, while tourism is closed down. She has one more year of High School left after this.
When Mita has day off from school, she works in a laundry by ironing clothes. Mita has been able to go to school this far by going from home to home, ironing clothes for people.
Her father unfortunately has a hearing ailment and needs her mother to help him understand what people say. Her older managed to gradaute from senior high school and was a “daily worker” in a hotel. Sadly, he was laid off due to the pandemic. The family has very little income.
Ni Luh Putu Candra Dewi
Corona Cancellation
Since being sponsored in 2018 Candra Dewi has been doing so well in school. She studies at home every day, has joined the Youth Red Cross and is an exemplary student. She’s about to enter her final year majoring in Office Administration – a solid work opportunity for the future.
Her dedication helped her to get a placement in a government office for her work experience and her future looks bright. However, her sponsor has just dropped out of paying her sponsorship. If we were to stop her sponsorship, she would surely drop out.
Her father can barely work as a laborer due to the pandemic, forcing people to close their business and they need fewer laborers. Meanwhile, her mother used to make a lot of Balinese offerings for a Denpasar market. But Denpasar is under PKM (Restricted Community Activities) and there is less demand.
Komang Wiwin Juniari
Corona Cancellation
Up until recently, Wiwin was sponsored. Sadly, her sponsor has had to drop out following the coronavirus turbulence. It’s left Wiwin without the sponsor she needs to stay in school.
Wiwin is able to enter a local vocational senior high school thanks to her sponsor, Jan. She could also afford a computer course and English course with her sponsorship money. She even once had extra tuition to help improve her grades, all thanks to her sponsorship. Wiwin is forever grateful for her sponsorship. It enables her to afford the things that she wouldn’t be.
Wiwin lives with her father and sisters – all girls. Sadly, her mother passed away in a tragic accident and the family has very little income. When Wiwin has a day off of school, she does woodcarving job and gets paid IDR 10,000 per day.
Ketut Supadmi
Ketut is from a large family and the fourth child of six. Through no fault of her own she will not be able to continue school without a sponsor.
She’ll be dropping out this June if she doesn’t get sponsored, just like how two of her older sisters ended up. Both of her older sisters work as housekeepers in
Denpasar now. Her other older brother has stayed in school thanks to a sponsorship through Bali Children’s Project.
Both of her parents work as daily laborers. Nowadays, they work even less during the pandemic. His grandparents originally came from Karangasem, but his father moved 18 years ago to Kintamani to get more work opportunities.
Ketut doesn’t want to end up being an unskilled labor worker. She dreams of graduating and becoming a chef.
Komang Meliani
Komang Meliani (nicknamed “Komang”) will be 13 in June. She’s the youngest of three, living with her grandmother and older brother in Karangasem. Her brother just got laid off, due to the recession. Her mother makes Balinese snacks but had to move to another area of Bali in order to find work. Her father passed away in 2015 when she was in the 4th grade. Her family suffered major loss upon the death of her father, as he was the breadwinner.
Her mother tried her best, working as a laborer and taking out a loan to afford her children’s education, food, and her husband’s cremation expenses. Both her older siblings then graduated from senior high school and could help pay off the loan that their mother took.
She likes learning everything related to living beings. She aspires to become a nurse or a midwife. The current pandemic really fuels her desire to fulfil her dream. But it will be impossible with her situation, as the family can’t afford her fees.
Dewa Ayu Dwipta Arila
Corona Cancellation
Arila just recently had her sponsorship cancelled by her sponsor – a result of the Coronavirus pandemic has seen some sponsors unable to continue.
Arila’s parents are badly affected by the pandemic. Her father’s taxi was being taken back by the company during the pandemic. Her mother also lost her job. Arila and her family have gone back to their hometown in Buleleng temporarily, so they could at least get some food from their extended family.
Since being born, Arila has suffered from a rare skin condition, which have incurred medical costs too. Thankfully, it is managable and another welfare organisation are helping the family with this.
Arila needs a sponsor to help her stay in school and graduate.
Made Putri Handayani
Made Putri Handayani (Putri), age 13, is the middle child of three, a lovely, caring and smart girl. She’s in the 7th grade, the first year of Jr High.
Putri’s parents work as laborers while also making Balinese offerings to be sold in the market. Sometimes her parents work by making red bricks, other times they work at construction sites as daily workers, or at a fish canning manufacturer. Unfortunately, they don’t always get jobs and have to borrow money from the village bank to afford their food and living expenses. Putri always helps her parents with their labor work, including making bricks.
Putri cannot continue in school without a sponsor. Although now the schools are shut, the children still pay fees while studying at home. When in school, Putri walks the long distance just to save money.
Wayan Ardi
Corona Cancellation
Wayan Ardi’s long term sponsor recently had to cancel due to Coronavirus issues.
Wayan has been doing very well at school since he was sponsored – he’s enrolled at a vocational tourism school and wants to work in a hotel when he graduates. Wayan would have had to drop out of school a long time ago and become a full time brick maker – not a job he wanted. Brick makers earn very little and of course without graduating, he’d have very few options in life.
Ardi is also such a good older brother to his 5 years old little brother. He plays with him every day after his study and work. They all still live in the grounds of the brickmaking factory in Tabanan.
Ardi’s great hope is to gradaute from school and gain an income to support his mother, father and little brother. He truly is the pride of his family.
Komang Mariani
Komang Mariani (nicknamed “Komang”), age 14, is the third child out of five. Her older brother only graduated Jr High and is now married. Her older sister only finished primary school because of poverty and is married.
There’s a younger brother, and one other sibling died in infancy. Komang badly wants to be the first child in her family to graduate High School. They live in Kintamani.
At home, Komang usually does various chores to help her parents. They work as day laborers and don’t always get job offers. She mainly cleans their home, washes their dishes and clothes, and helps her parents with their labor work on her day off of school.
Wayan Aprilia
Wayan Aprilia was left behind by both of her parents as soon as she was born. Her father and mother divorced, then got remarried soon after. Even after all these years, Lia still doesn’t know what her biological parents actually look like. Lia’s uncle and aunt took her into their family even though they are also poor.
Lia’s uncle and aunt are poor laborers. They cultivate a field that is owned by another person or a landowner. Her aunt also makes ceremonial tools and Lia always helps her aunt to make them so she can have the money to buy meals at school.
Lia has kindly been respsonsored after the coronavirus meant her previous sponsorship could not continue.