Sponsorship Waiting List

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 input the name the child you would like to sponsor. Each sponsorship is set at $40 USD per month.

Important notice: please review the years remaining of school for each student. We kindly ask that sponsors commit to supporting students for this amount of time as we never want to tell students they no longer have a sponsor. If you would like to donate monthly, without a minimum time commitment and flexible amounts, please see our Champions for Children Program.

Become a Sponsor

Bernita

Current Grade: 10

Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Bernita is the younger of two sisters. Her older sister graduated from senior high school last year and it was thanks to her being sponsored through Bali Children’s Project. Her sister works in a villa, but her income is not enough to keep Bernita in senior high. Meanwhile, Bernita’s parents dropped out of school when they were in junior high. Bernita will have to follow their footsteps if she does not get sponsored. Since Bernita is really determined to continue her education, her parents registered her to a local senior high school of tourism, but they are unable to pay the entrance fee, uniform fee, and book fee.

Bernita is expected to pay them all off in this term if she wants to continue her education in her current school. Bernita chose hospitality school since she aspires to work for a cruise line. She saw people from her village who worked at for a cruise and they could save up a lot of money then establish their own business, breaking free from their poverty. Bernita wishes to do the same thing, especially since her parents only have daughters and Bernita and her sister cannot inherit the land and the house. Bernita wishes to have her own property in the future.

Bernita loves cooking and it is her hobby. She always helps her mother in the kitchen every day to cook for their family. She finds joy when people enjoy her food or compliment her dishes.

SPONSOR HERE

Jasri

Current Grade: 7

Years of Sponsorship Required: 6 year

Jasri is the younger of two sisters. Her older sister is currently in grade 12 and is sponsored through BCP. When Jasri’s mother was pregnant with her for two months, Jasri’s father passed away. When Jasri was two-years-old, her mother decided to remarry since she could not keep with raising two daughters as a single mother. Jasri and her sister were then left to be raised by their maternal grandparents.

When Jasri was in grade four, during the pandemic, Jasri’s grandmother moved to Badung and took Jasri and her sister with her. Now, Jasri has been working with her sister, grandmother, and aunt in making and selling offerings in the market to afford their living expenses. With their meager income, Jasri’s grandmother and aunt struggle to pay for Jasri’s school expenses. Jasri will have to drop out of school if she does not get sponsored, as her family cannot keep taking loans to keep her in school.

Jasri and her sister found their father figure within their grandfather. Her grandfather used to take her to school and pick her up. He also taught her various things. Although her grandparents only worked as laborers, they provided a loving home. Unfortunately, her grandfather passed away five years ago.

After the death of her grandfather, Jasri was depressed so sad she thought her grandmother would not be able to support her and her sister on her own. Even now, her grandmother thought it would be better for her to quit school and to help the family by working as a laborer. Her aunt is sickly, has been since birth, and cannot work as much. So, the bulk of their family’s living expenses must be covered by Jasri’s widowed grandmother.

Jasri did not want to drop out of school, and she really wanted to graduate from a senior high school, so she could land a better job than being a laborer in order to support her family. Jasri loves to cook and she aspires to become a chef. She hopes she could pursue her dream and break free from the cycle of poverty by staying in school and graduating from a senior high at the very least.

SPONSOR HERE

Meri

Current Grade: 12

Years of Sponsorship Required: 1 year

Meri is the oldest of four siblings. She has a younger sister in grade 11, who is sponsored through BCP as well due to her family’s inability to pay her school fees from their poverty. Meri used to get a support from a priest in their district, where Meri works for. Unfortunately, the priest has been unwell and cannot support and hire Meri anymore. Due to this, Meri now owes her school around $100 USD for her monthly school fees. She will have to drop out of school if she does not pay her outstanding fees soon.

Meri also has twin little brothers in grade one of primary schools. Her parents are school dropouts. Meri’s father, as a laborer, earns way less than the minimum wage. Her mother suffers from skin cancer, so she cannot work. Her family also took loan for her mother’s cancer treatment around USD 450 and to keep her younger siblings at school for about $425 USD. This is also the reason why her family cannot take any more loans.

Meanwhile, Meri dreams big. She aspires to work abroad. She really wants to break the cycle of poverty that has been haunting her family. Meri loves dancing and it is her hobby. She often performs at her village’s temples and when there are formal events. At school, Meri chose Spa Club as her extra-curricular activity, where she learns how spa works, how to give proper massage and such. She enjoys her club activities and she loves going to school.

SPONSOR HERE

Budi

Twin of Yasa (same sponsor preferable)

Current Grade: 12

Years of Sponsorship Required: 1 year

Budi is the middle child of three. He has a twin older brother and a little sister, who is still sixth grade student. Budi’s father passed away three years ago during the pandemic from his chronic asthma. Budi has been raised by his mother ever since. His mother can only work as a laborer due to her limited skill, and only earns about a third of the minimum wage per month. Due to this, Budi and his twin brother took the initiative by working for a garage shop and earns around $1.30 USD per day on average, as it depends on how many jobs the garage shop gets for a day.

Budi had to enter a senior high school when his family was still grieving and having to take a loan to afford his father’s burial. So, his mother borrowed $60 USD from their neighbor to afford the enrollment fee. Then he also still owes his school for his monthly fees and other fees for about $90. Budi will have to drop out if he does not get sponsored and pay his debt to the school. His neighbor is not well off as well, so they could use the money that Budi’s family borrows.

Aside from working at the garage shop, Budi also often works as a construction laborer for his neighbor, as he majors in Modeling Design and Building Information at his school. Despite his poverty, Budi aspires to become a construction architect. Yasa and his brother are the most educated family members in the family, as both of their parents dropped out of school when they were in primary school. Budi wishes to not repeat his parents’ footsteps and it would be a shame if he has to drop out of school now when he only has one year left due to their financial difficulty.

Budi loves playing volleyball, but there is no volleyball club at his school, so he joins the soccer club with his brother at his school as his extra-curricular activity. He is a good student and he is always ranked within the top 10 in class.

SPONSOR HERE

Yasa

Twin of Budi (same sponsor preferable)

Current Grade: 12

Years of Sponsorship Required: 1 year

Eighteen-year-old Yasa is in grade 12 or final year of senior high school in Karangasem. This means he only has one year left in school as of July in order to graduate from the senior high. He will graduate from a senior high in June 2025 if all goes well.

Yasa is the oldest of three. He has a twin brother and a little sister, who is still in grade 6. His father passed away from his chronic asthma three years ago during the pandemic. So, Yasa has been raised by his mother only. His mother works as a laborer, and can only earn about a third of the minimum wage per month. So, Yasa took the initiative with his twin brother, Budi, by working for a garage shop and earns around $1.30 USD per day on average since it depends on how many jobs the garage shop gets for a day.

Yasa had to enroll into a senior high school when his family was still grieving and having to take a loan to afford his father’s burial. So, his mother borrowed $60 USD from their neighbor to afford the enrollment fee. Then he also still owes his school for his monthly fees and other fees for about $90. Yasa will have to drop out if he does not get sponsored and pay his debt to the school. His neighbor is not well off as well, so they could use the money that Yasa’s family borrows.

Aside from working at the garage shop, Yasa also sometimes works as a construction laborer for his neighbor since he majors in Modeling Design and Building Information at his school. Despite his poverty, Yasa aspires to become a construction architect. Yasa and his brother are the most educated family members in the family, as both of their parents dropped out of school when they were in primary school. Yasa wishes to not repeat his parents’ footsteps and it would be a shame if he has to drop out of school now when he only has one year left due to their financial difficulty.

Yasa loves playing soccer, so he joins the soccer club at his school as his extra-curricular activity. He is a good student and he is always ranked within the top 10 in class.

SPONSOR HERE

Santiari

Current Grade: 8

Years of Sponsorship Required: 5 years

Santi is the older of two. She lives with her parents and her little brother who is not of school age yet. Her parents dropped out when they were in primary school. Santi almost dropped out as well after she graduated from primary school last year. However, Santi pleaded to her parents to enrol into a local junior high school. Fortunately, the school gave her some leeway, so Santi could go to school, but she was expected to pay off the entrance fee and uniform fee for about $130 USD before this term ends.

Bali Children’s Project has helped her to enter school using our very limited emergency fund so that she didn’t have to drop out in July, but Santi will still need to a sponsor to cover this and future costs.

Santi loves dancing. She has been dancing since she was in primary school. It is her hobby, so she joins the dance club at her school as her extra-curricular activity. She aspires to become a teacher after seeing how inspirational her teachers have been in motivating and supporting her to continue her education despite her financial limitation. Santi likes learning English and Informatics (computer and media) the most out of all subjects taught at school. Santi goes to school by foot since her parents only have one old motorbike that they use for work. Sometimes Santi hitches a ride with her friend who rides a motorbike to school.

Due to her parents’ lack of education, they have very limited skills and can only work as laborers. Santi always helps her parents with their labour works when she is not busy with her school and studies. She would join in harvesting flowers to be sold for offerings and cloves when they are in season. They also raise pigs, but those pigs are owned by another person. They will receive a portion of the profit from the owner when they sell the pigs.

Santi always helps in foraging the vegetables for and feeding the pigs.

Dek Gung

Current Grade: 8

Years of Sponsorship Required: 5 years

Riko is the youngest of three. He has two older sisters who are already married and moved out to live with their husbands’ families. Both of his sisters are school dropouts due to his family’s extreme poverty; they could not afford to put his sisters in high school. They also have a loan to fix their house about $1,800 USD. They can only pay the interest fee every month to the bank.

Dek Gung is a younger of two. He has an older brother. The reason why Dek Gung is way older than his peer is because he is a child with special needs. He has a learning disability, so Dek Gung used to go to a school for children with special needs or inclusive school. However, Dek Gung and his family want him to be able to undergo a formal education. That is why Dek Gung currently enrolls into an affordable private school that gives a leeway for children like Dek Gung.

However, Dek Gung has outstanding fees at his current school about $160 USD. He will have to drop out of school if he cannot pay the fees this term, so he urgently needs a sponsorship in order to continue his education.

Dek Gung dreams big. He aspires to work abroad since he sees people who work abroad earn so much money compared to people who work in the island. Dek Gung is passionate in arts and culture. His hobby is dancing, so he joins the dance club at his school as his extra-curricular activity.

Dek Gung lives only with his mother and older brother. His father left his family years ago and has never once contacted the family. His mother dropped out of school and can only make Balinese offerings for sale in the market to earn about $90 USD per month.

His older brother also dropped out of school due to their extreme poverty, and can only work as a laborer or motorbike driver. HIs brother could only earn $100 USD per month at most and it is not enough to help with Dek Gung’s school expenses. His brother is married and has two children. One of his kids or Dek Gung’s nephew has cerebral palsy as well.

It is a tough situation for Dek Gung and his family. They do not have land or a house of their own. They have to rent a room in Denpasar to survive.

Gigik

Current Grade: 7
Years of Sponsorship Required: 5 years

Gigik is the middle child. He has an older brother in grade 12, who is sponsored through Bali Children’s Project as well since he would have had to drop out of school if he were not sponsored. Gigik also has a baby sister, who is not of school age yet. Gigik’s father is the sole breadwinner for his family of seven. He earns around $100 USD as a laborer.

Gigik’s hobby is playing soccer. He also dances Balinese traditional dances and often performs at his village’s temples. Due to his hobbies of playing soccer and dancing, Gigik joins the soccer club and dance club at his school as his extra-curricular activities.

There is a free English course in his village, and Gigik always participates in the course, so he could be fluent in English, as English is an important skill to have in order to get a good paying job. Gigik also finds English as his favorite subject to learn both at school and at home.

Gigik actually aspires to become a police officer. However, the competition to enrol into the police academy is fierce and it would be near impossible for him to pursue. So, Gigik is determined to work in any fields, as long as he could help his family break free from their generational poverty.

Gigik’s family only has one motorbike that his father uses for work. So, Gigik always hitches a ride with his friend who rides a motorbike. His mother has to stay at home to take care of his younger sister and his grandparents. His family also still has debt at the bank, and they cannot take anymore loans to cover Gigik’s school expenses. Gigik will have to drop out of school if he does not get sponsored soon.

As Gigik’s home only has two rooms, Gigik shares a room with his parents and siblings to sleep. Dika’s grandmother has a mental disorder, so she is confined in the room that she shares with her husband, Gigik’s grandfather.

Dede

Current Grade: 9
Years of Sponsorship Required: 4 years

Dede is the oldest of three sons. He has a little brother in grade 6 and a baby brother who is only three-years-old. His parents dropped out of school in primary level, so they have very limited skills. His father works as a laborer, while his mother stays at home to take care of his baby brother and can only make offerings to be sold in the market.

Dede helps his parents by feeding the livestock that his family raises, although the livestock are owned by another person. His family will receive a portion of the profit once a year when the owner sells the livestock.

His parents had to borrow money from his uncle when Dede was about to enroll into his school. They also used the money to afford their living expenses. His uncle has been asking his father several times about the money since his uncle is also in need of it. They owe $250 to the uncle and cannot take any more loans anywhere.

Meanwhile, Dede has been getting his school supplies, such as books, shoes, and backpacks from his relatives. They were all second hands but were in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, they are all worn out now, so Dede is in need for new school supplies. Unfortunately, his parents cannot afford them.

At this rate, Dede will have to drop out of school soon if he does not get sponsored. He is also ashamed to wear worn out shoes and backpack since sometimes his schoolmates would tease him about it. Dede never buys meals at school and he always packs his lunch from home although they are mostly plain rice, as his parents cannot afford to give him any allowance money to buy meals at school.

Dede likes to go fishing at the nearby sea and small river. He can eat the fish and share it with his family. Fishing has also become his hobby. Dede has a different dream than his peers. He aspires to become a garage shop owner in the future. He likes learning parts of motorbikes and how to repair or fix them.

Dede joins the badminton club at his school as his extra-curricular activity since he likes being active and playing sports. Physical education or Sports is his favorite subject to learn at school.

Dewa Widnyana

Current Grade: 9
Years of Sponsorship Required: 4 years

Dewa Widnyana is the older of two. He has a younger brother who is in grade six. Dewa Widnyana lives only with his mother, brother, and paternal grandmother. His grandmother is paralyzed and is bedridden from a brain stroke. His father passed away from diabetes a while ago. Dewa Widnyana’s mother had to take loan for over $800 USD to afford their living expenses. She can only pay the interest fee every month and is unable to take more loans, as Dewa’s mother can only make offerings and sells them in the market.

Dewa always helps his mother in making the offerings and taking care of his little brother. He also assists his mother in taking care of his grandmother as well. His mother cannot find a better paying job or work far since she still has young sons and her mother-in-law needs a full-time caretaking.

Dewa Widnyana shares a room with his mother and brother, while his grandmother sleeps in the other room. Their house is small and only has two rooms. Dewa also helps his mother in making crafts for art shops in their district, but he can only earn about 50 cent per day when he is not busy with his studies and chores.

Dewa’s hobby is playing badminton with his friends, although he has to borrow the equipment. That is why Dewa also has badminton club as his extra-curricular activity at school. Naturally, Dewa loves the subject of physical education or sports the most. He aspires to become a teacher since he likes how his teachers are treating the students. As his family does not have a motorbike, Dewa has to hitch a ride with his friend to go to school. Dewa still owes his school $60 USD as well for his text books. He will not be able to advance to the next grade if he does not pay it.

Widya

Current Grade: 9

Years of Sponsorship Required: 4 years

15 year old Widya is the youngest of three. She has two older brothers, who could graduate from senior high school thanks to being sponsored through a sponsorship through Bali Children’s Project. Her two older brothers just graduated and are currently hunting for jobs while doing daily work with the fishermen in their area and at a brick making factory, where their mother works.

The family from her mother’s side only gave a used-to-be a storage room for chickens as their bedroom. Lisa’s family has been using the room to keep their clothes, books, and school stuff. They are also not allowed to use the toilet or bath room in the compound. They have to do their business in the nearby river. They also are not allowed to have their own or use the existing kitchen. So, Lisa’s mother cooks in her workplace.

Her mother works as a brick making laborer. They always sleepover in their workplace, at the brick manufacturer. They used to sleep on empty rice sacks, but we got them some sleeping bags and a mattress so they could sleep more comfortably. Fortunately, her mother’s boss is generous and allows her family to sleep there by building a shack for the family to sleep. Unfortunately, her mother could only earn about USD 4 per day, which is way below than the standard minimum wage. Her brother just began to work and earns $100 USD per month, so he still cannot help with funding her school fees.

Lisa and her siblings always help their mother in brick-making every day or whenever they are not busy with their studies and schools. Lisa’s hobby is cooking since she always helps her mother with cooking for their family. Lisa aspires to become a teacher. Her teachers inspire her to become great people like them when she is older. Lisa’s favorite subject is Religion (Hinudism) is cooking. She joins the Athletic Club in her school as her extra-curricular activity.

Rico

Current Grade: 10

Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

His father has a heart disease, while his mother just had a surgery for her throat. So, his parents cannot work as much as they used to. They can only earn enough money to buy food. They dropped out of school as well, so they do not have any notable skills to get a better paying job.

Riko dreams big, he aspires to work abroad and help his family in breaking free from their generational poverty. Unfortunately, his parents cannot even afford his senior high school entrance fee, so Riko will have to drop out of school if he does not get sponsored. Meanwhile, Riko is supposed to start senior high this month, and only receives an extended period to pay off his school fee next month. Otherwise, he would be kicked out of school.

Andika

Current Grade: 10

Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Ever since Andika and his older brother came of school age, it has only been his mother who has been paying all of their school needs. His father graduated only from primary school and currently works as a rice-field laborer, but barely earns enough to buy food for the family. He does not care about his kids’ education and their school expenses at all. Andika’s mother works hard by making Balinese offerings, so her children could at least graduate from junior high school like her, not just primary school like their father. Unfortunately, her meager income is obviously nowhere enough to keep her kids at school.

Andika is the middle child. He has an older brother who is in grade 12 and is sponsored through Bali Children’s Project as well. Otherwise, his brother would have had to drop out of school. Andika also has a little sister, who is in primary school. Andika also lives with his parents and a sickly grandfather, who is suffering from a stroke.

Andika is supposed to enroll into a senior high school in July. He will have to drop out of school if he does not get sponsored. The senior high that he is applying to gives him a leeway for the payment due date. However, Andika has to pay the entrance fee and uniform fee before next month, or he will be kicked out. Andika’s mother still has debt for their living expenses. Andika and his siblings always help their mother in making the offerings to be sold in the market or to their neighbors.

Andika’s favorite pastime activity is playing badminton with his friends. He loves playing any kind of sports. He would love to be able to work in a hotel as anything in the future if he could get the opportunity. Andika is a hardworking boy and he aspires to become a successful person and break free from the cycle of poverty

Mirayanti

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Mira is the younger of two sisters. She she lives only with her mother since her father passed away years ago, and her sister is already married and lives with her husband in another village. Mira’s mother can only work as a laborer since she dropped out of school after completing primary school.

Mira has always been helping her mother in making offerings that they would sell in the market every day. Her mother can only earn $100 per month at most, which is less than half of the minimum wage, and it is not enough to pay for Mira’s school fees.

They still have loan from Mira’s father cremation and medical bills. So, Mira owed $60 USD to her junior high school, where she just graduated. BCP had to use the emergency fund to help her get her diploma, so she could apply to a senior high and would not have to drop out of school.

Without a sponsorship, Mira will absolutely drop out of school like her mother and sister. She wishes to break the cycle of poverty, as she aspires to become a teacher or work for a company that will pay her the minimum wage at the very least. Mira is interested in accounting, and hopes that she could pursue a career in that field.

Mira’s hobby is writing, and her favorite subject to learn at school is mathematics. Since Mira earns money by making offerings, she joins the Mejejaitan club as her extra-curricular activity. It is a club where she learns various kinds of offerings and how to make them properly.

Wirawan

Current Grade: 10

Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Wirawan is the youngest of five. Two of his older siblings passed away when they were babies. Now Wirawan only has two older brothers, who dropped out of school due to their family’s poverty. Wirawan will have to follow his brothers’ footsteps if he does not get sponsored. Wirawan just graduated from a junior high school and is supposed to enroll into a senior high this month. He has to pay for his enrollment fee next month, otherwise he will have to drop out. Wirawan aspires to work in the hospitality industry.

When Ahmad was about to enter a primary school, his mother got remarried and took him to live with his new stepfather in Denpasar. Unfortunately, two years after moving to Denpasar, his mother passed away. A few days after his mother’s passing, Ahmad’s stepfather began abusing him. He was hit, confined, and verbally abused. Fortunately, his maternal uncle found out about the abuse, so Ahmad’s uncle took him back to live in his mother’s village with his maternal uncle and grandparent. Ahmad then followed his maternal grandparents’ religion and converted to Hindu

Ahmad’s grandparents only work as laborers and sell offerings. Ahmad has been helping his grandmother in making and selling the offerings. His uncle cannot afford to pay for his school fees since he has his own family to take care. With his grandparents’ meager income, Ahmad cannot continue to a junior high school. He still has not paid his uniforms and books, and will have to drop out of school if he does not get sponsored.

Ahmad aspires to become a doctor and his passion is dancing. He dances Balinese traditional dances and often performs at his village. Ahmad also has the dance club as his extra-curricular activity at school.

Lisa

Current Grade: 7

Years of Sponsorship Required: 6 years

Lisa lives only with her mother and siblings, as her father passed away in 2016 from an unknown illness. He died while he was sleeping. After her father’s death, problems began to appear. Her mother was kicked out from her late father’s compound by the first wife. Her mother was her father’s second wife. Thus, Lisa’s mother took her children to go back to her own family. Unfortunately, they were not fully received since Lisa’s mother had no rights to live in her maiden’s compound anymore once she got married into another family.

Juita

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Juita is the younger of two sisters. Although her older sister is working, she earns only enough to afford her own living expenses and cannot help with Juita’s school expenses. Her parents dropped out of school in junior high. Juita will have to follow her parents’ footsteps as well if she does not get sponsored soon.

Her parents work as laborers and her mother also makes and sells offerings in the market. Juita always helps her mother in making them every day so they could earn some extra money. However, her parents’ combined income is still less than USD 110 and they could barely afford food.

Juita aspires to become a chef. She really wants to continue to a vocational senior high school of tourism so she could learn culinary arts. She often helps her mother cooking in the kitchen and it has become her hobby.

At school, Juita joins KSPAN (Kelompok Siswa Peduli AIDS & Narkoba) as her extra-curricular activity. KSPAN is a group of students who are concerned about AIDS & HIV and drug abuse.

Since her family only has one motorbike, they take her to and pick her up from school. Sometimes Juita hitches a ride with her neighbor as well. Juita did not go to the school excursion like her classmates did since her family cannot afford it. She felt left out, but she has accepted that it was inevitable due to her family’s poverty.

Komang Gopal

Current Grade: 9
Years of Sponsorship Required: 4 years

Komang is the second youngest of four siblings. His two older sisters dropped out of primary school and got married young due to poverty. His younger brother is in grade 7. Next year, his little brother will also need a sponsorship in order to continue his school.

Komang goes to a government junior high school in Bangli, which is the only junior high school in his area due to its remote location.

Komang almost dropped out of school as well after graduating from primary school, following his sisters’ footsteps. Fortunately, Komang insisted and appealed to his parents, so they enrolled him into the local junior high school in their district. However, they could not and still cannot pay for his uniforms and books, so they still have debt to his school for about USD 125. Komang will have to drop out soon cannot pay the debt by then. He also starts feeling ashamed for owing a debt to his school. Since Komang has not paid any of his school fees, he is also not allowed to receive his academic reports.

Komang’s parents are mere laborers who work for other people’s fields. They dropped out of school in primary level as well, so they do not have specific or significant skills that would enable them to seek a better paying job. Their combined income is still less than the minimum wage.

Komang and his brother always help their parents with their labor work after school or when they have a day off from school. The money that they earned is mostly used to buy more food and other basic living expenses. His family lives in a humble shack with two rooms, where Komang shares a room with his brother.

Komang actually aspires to become an athlete or soccer player. Soccer has been his lifelong hobby. He feels the happiest when he plays with his friends at school. However, Komang is aware that it is an almost impossible dream to pursue due to the competition and strict requirements. So, Komang will be happy if he could at least graduate from the senior high school then land a decent paying job in any field. He really wants to grow and improve the quality of his life and his future.

Juna

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

*Previous sponsor cancelled*

Juna, 15, is the younger of two. He has an older sister who’s already married after completing just junior high school and lives separately. Currently, Juna lives only with his father in Tabanan. Juna’s parents separated when Juna was a 3rd grader. Juna has just enrolled for Senior High in July, on the promise that Bali Children’s Project will find him a new sponsor. He was sponsored for a while, which was the reason why he could go this far in his education. Unfortunately, his sponsor had to stop and so Juna needs a new sponsor again.

Juna’s father used to work as a motorbike taxi driver by purchasing a motorbike in installments. Unfortunately, Juna’s father could not pay the monthly installment in time, so the dealer took the motorbike back. Currently, his father works as a laborer and could only earn around $80 to $1660 per month depending on the demand, which is only enough to afford food for him and Juna.

Juna’s father often borrows money to buy food in nearby warung as well. Juna’s family is so impoverished, even their current house is a donation from the government. Obviously, Juna’s father struggles to afford Juna’s school fees and supplies, much less the more expensive Sr. High school expenses.

If Juna doesn’t get sponsored, his father would like to make him drop out of school this year so Juna could help by working as a laborer instead. Even now, Juna always helps his father with labor work during weekends and when he’s not busy with his school and study.

Juna’s hobby is fishing. He finds it fun waiting to catch a fish, and he could eat the fish later as well. Juna aspires to become a chef. He hopes he would not end up like his father or his sister who dropped out of school due to poverty.

Tita

Current Grade: 10

Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Tita is the older of two. She has a little sister who is still in primary school. Both of Tita’s parents dropped out of school and can only work as laborers due to their limited skills. Tita’s father has asthma and cannot work too much. So, he cannot work as much as he would like to. Naturally, Tita’s parents can only earn a third of the minimum wage. For a family of four, Tita’s parents have no means to keep Tita in school. Tita’s family already has debt of $180 USD and cannot take any more loans for her school expenses.

Meanwhile, Tita is a diligent and highly motivated girl. She really wishes that she can at the very least graduate from a senior high since Tita aspires to become a chef. Tita loves cooking so much. While it began as a chore since she was young to help her mother, Tita grew to love cooking. She hopes she could pursue a career in the culinary field. However, it would be impossible to achieve if she does not get sponsored since she has to pay her school enrollment fee this term.

Tita joins the Youth Red Cross at her school as her extra-curricular activity. Her favorite subject to learn at school is Bahasa. Tita’s family only has one motorbike, so Tita almost always has to hitch a ride with her friend to go to school. At home, Tita always helps her mother in making offerings that they sell in the market every day.

Amhed

Current Grade: 7

Years of Sponsorship Required: 6 years

Ahmad is an only child and is an orphan. Ahmad’s biological father was a Muslim Javanese, and his mother was a Hindu Balinese, so his mother converted upon marriage, and Ahmad followed his parents’ religion when he was born. Unfortunately, when Ahmad was merely a month and seven days old, his father passed away from a cardiac arrest. His mother then took him with her since she had to go back to her maiden’s home, so Ahmed was living with his maternal grandparents, uncle, and mother after his father’s passing.

Aprilia

Current Grade: 11
Years of Sponsorship Required: 2 years

Lia is the oldest of three sisters. She lives only with her mother and her sisters. Lia’s father left the family and went missing without anyone knowing his whereabouts in the past five years. It was a huge blow for Lia’s family. Lia’s father came from West Java, while her mother is Balinese. Her father is a Moslem, so Lia’s mother converted when they got married and all daughters followed their father’s religion as well.

Lia’s mother has been working as a tailor and becomes the sole breadwinner for their family of four. Lia and her sisters always help their mother in her job in order to earn some extra money by sewing more clothes. Unfortunately, they can only earn around $150-200 USD per month. They have to pay rent about $80 USD per month as well. They share the rent with their cousin. So, Lia could not pay her school fees ever since she started her senior high school. She has around $250 USD outstanding fees in her school and will have to drop out of school if she does not pay them this term. So, Lia cannot continue staying in school without a sponsorship.

Lia’s favorite subject to learn at school is English. That is why she joins the English club at her school as her extra-curricular activity. Her hobbies, however, are playing musical instruments and singing. Lia is also talented in karate. When she was in junior high, she got the green belt in karate, but could not continue since it was getting more expensive to join the course.

Lia dreams big. She wishes to work for a cruise ship. She heard stories of how people get paid a lot if they work at the cruise ship, despite the hard toil and labor work that they have to put. Lia really wants to help her mother break free from their generational poverty.

Ketut

Current Grade: 8
Years of Sponsorship Required: 5 years

Fifteen-year-old Ketut is in the first year of junior high school or grade 8. Ketut is the youngest of four. He has two older brothers and one older sister. His oldest dropped out of school and is already married. Ketut often helps his oldest brother in babysitting his nephew, while his brother works as a laborer. His second oldest brother also dropped out of school and currently works as a laborer as well. He earns only enough to afford his living expenses. Both of his older brothers earn less than the minimum wage.

His older sister is the only one who managed to finish a vocational senior high school thanks to being sponsored through BCP. She currently works in a clothing company and earns minimum wage. His sister helps paying off his family debt that they have at the village bank of around $1,000 USD. So, she cannot help to afford Ketut’s school fee.

His parents work as laborers and their combined income is still below the minimum wage. Between his parents and his sister, they barely make ends meet. Due to his family’s extreme poverty, Ketut was also late in enrolling into the school. He is older than his peers and classmates. However, Ketut does not mind it and he is already grateful that he could continue to a junior high school. Part of the loan that his parents took was to afford his uniforms. Unfortunately, at this rate, his parents cannot take any more loans and Ketut will be forced to drop out soon if he does not get sponsored.

Ketut goes to school by hitching a ride with his friend who rides a motorbike. He chose volleyball club as his extra-curricular activity since Ketut is passionate with sports. Playing sports is his hobby. It goes without saying that the Physical Education or Sports is his favorite subject to learn at school.

Ketut dreams big. He aspires to work abroad. He wants to break free from the cycle of poverty and does not want to follow his parents and brothers’ footsteps. Ketut is a diligent boy. He always helps his parents with chores and labor work when he is not busy with his studies.

Komang Trisna

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Komang Trisna, 15, is the youngest of three siblings in Buleleng. She has just completed 9th grade, Junior High, and is supposed to advance to grade 10 or first year of senior high school in July. She has three years and a month left in school until she could graduate a senior high and earn the diploma in June 2027. Both her older sister and brother had to drop out of school because of poverty.

Komang was sponsored for a while and thanks to that, she could go this far in her education since she almost dropped out of school. Unfortunately, her sponsor had to stop, while the cost of senior high is way too expensive for Komang and her family to afford.

Komang lives in a remote area in north Bali. Although the distance is quite far for her to reach her school, Komang is willing to go far in order for her to not end up like her older siblings. Her first dream is to graduate from senior high school at the very least. Her second dream is to work abroad so she could earn a lot of money to help her family break free from their generational poverty. Her final dream is to help her parents building their own bathroom and kitchen. She doesn’t want to end up like her parents who could only find work as laborers since they only graduated from primary schools.

Her older brother was saving up money by working as a laborer in order to get intensive training to be put to work in Japan. But due to the pandemic, her brother couldn’t pursue it anymore since he barely earns enough to help pay for their family’s basic needs.

Komang will definitely drop out of school this month if she does not get sponsored and pay the entrance fee to a senior high school. Komang’s hobbies are reading and cooking. She is a bright student, as she is ranked 7th out of 30 students.

Her family got cheated once by a landlord. They didn’t have a house or land, but there was a landlord who said he was willing to lend his land because he felt bad for Komang’s family. But after the family built their simple house on that land, the landowner kicked them out of their land. Then, Komang’s family had to look for other land and this time they bought it. Fortunately, the government gave a subsidy to build a simple house, but the government only gave around $1,100, so the family had to take another loan to finish building their simple house. They still couldn’t build a toilet or a bathroom, so they borrow their neighbor’s. They built a non-permanent outdoor kitchen as well with wood planks.

Jesita

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Fifteen-year-old Jesita is in grade 10 or first year of senior high school in Badung. Jesita is the older of two. She lives with her parents, little sibling, and grandmother. Her father works as a laborer, while her mother only makes and sells Balinese offerings in the market. Their combined income is still less than the minimum wage of one person in Bali. Jesita always helps her mother in making the offerings to earn extra money so she could buy meals at school. Sometimes Jesita has to go to school hungry when her parents cannot give her any money.

Jesita is the older of two. She lives with her parents, little sibling, and grandmother. Her father works as a laborer, while her mother only makes and sells Balinese offerings in the market. Their combined income is still less than the minimum wage of one person in Bali. Jesita always helps her mother in making the offerings to earn extra money so she could buy meals at school. Sometimes Jesita has to go to school hungry when her parents cannot give her any money.

Jesita goes to school by hitching a ride with her friend who rides a motorbike, as her family only has one old motorbike that her father uses to find work and to go to work. Jesita joins the flag raising troop at her school as her extra-curricular activity. She aspires to become a police woman so she could get a stable income.

However, Jesita will have to bury her dream if she does not get sponsored since her family is deep in debt. Her family owes the local bank around USD 3,000 to fix their home and kitchen in since 2017. Even now, they still cannot pay off the debt and mostly could only pay the interest fee every month. The money was also used to enroll Jesita into the junior high school. Unfortunately, her parents cannot take any more loans to afford Jesita’s senior high school enrollment after she graduates from her current school in June. So, Jesita is expected to drop out of school by her parents.

Jesita, as a child, was often sickly and hospitalized due to malnutrition. Fortunately, by the time Jesita hit age 8, she got better and did not get sick as easily. Part of her family’s loan was used to afford Jesita’s medical bills as well. Jesita likes to dance and it has been her hobby since she was a child. She often performs at the village temple during religious ceremonies.

Luh Lila

Current Grade: 9
Years of Sponsorship Required: 4 years

Lila is the oldest of four sisters. She lives with her parents and three younger sisters who are still in primary school and the youngest is just a baby. Lila often helps her mother in babysitting her baby sister. Her father is a small merchant in the traditional market. Her mother cannot work much since the youngest still needs a full-time care. So, her mother can only make offerings to be sold in the market. Lila and her sisters always help their mother to make more offerings so they could earn more money.

Fourteen-year-old Lila is in grade 9 or the final year of junior high school in Badung. This means she has four years and left at school. She will graduate from a senior high school in June 2028.

Her parents also have debt around USD 2,000 at the village bank to afford their living expenses, purchase the goods that her father sells, and to afford Lila’s school expenses. Lila’s parents want Lila to drop out of school after she completes her secondary or junior high in grade 9, as they do not have the means to afford senior high. They cannot take any more loans.

Meanwhile, Lila does not want to follow her parents’ footsteps in dropping out of school. She really wants to finish senior high school at the very least. Lila aspires to become a cook or a chef. Her biggest dream is to own her own restaurant or warung.

Lila has the dance club as her extra-curricular activity at school. Her hobby is singing since it is free and is relieving her stress or boredom immediately.

Intan

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Intan, 15, is the oldest of three sisters in Jembrana. Her little sisters are still in primary school. Intan is supposed to enroll into a senior high school next month, as she just graduated from junior high school or the 9th grade this month. Intan was sponsored for a while and that was the reason she could go this far in her education. Unfortunately, her sponsor had to stop and her family is too poor to afford her uniform fees and school supplies.

Without a sponsorship, Intan will have to drop out of school this month. Her parents have asked around to get loans to help paying for Intan’s school fees so she could continue school, but they are met with no luck.

Her parents sell chicken, but they rarely get any customers. They dropped out of school and do not have any other notable skills that they could use to find other more well-paying jobs. They also still have debt from when they started their business. They could only pay the interest rate for the past few years.

Intan’s favorite pastime is cooking and playing sports with her friends. She is a bright girl, and she is ranked seventh out of 31 students in her class. She likes going to school so much that she never missed any classes.

Intan aspires to work in a cruise line. She sees some people from her village who became successful after working at the cruise ship for several years. Intan sincerely wants to break free from the poverty that has been haunting her family for generation. She hopes she could help her family in becoming financially much better.

Intan always helps her mother with various chores and making offerings to be sold in the market to earn some extra money.

Arini

Current Grade: 9
Years of Sponsorship Required: 4 years

Thirteen-year-old Arini is in grade 9 or final year of junior high school in Jembrana. Arini is the middle child of five daughters. The oldest is married. Arini’s second older sister is in grade 10, who is sponsored through Bali Children’s Project, and two little sisters; one is a third-grade student and the other is a toddler of three years old. Arini lives with her parents, who dropped out of school, so they could only work as laborers due to their limited skills. They earn less than the minimum wage to feed six family members, especially after her mother got into an accident and broke her cheekbone last year, rendering her unable to work.

Moreover, her parents struggle to keep her in school since they already accumulated debt for about $680 USD to afford their basic living expenses. They cannot take any more loans to keep Arini at school. So, Arini will have to drop out after she completes her junior high school next year.

Arini joined the athletic club at her school as her extra-curricular activity and she became a runner. Due to her family’s extreme poverty, Arini aspires to work abroad in order to break the generational cycle of poverty in her family.

She has seen some of her villagers who managed to work abroad and they could save some money after several years of working abroad. These successful people used their savings to establish lucrative businesses. Arini really wishes she could be like those people, and not following her parents’ footsteps if she could get the opportunity.

Arini is a diligent girl. She always helps her parents in babysitting and teaching her younger sisters, while their parents are working. She also forages and prepares banana leaves to be sold in the market. When she is not busy with her studies, Arini always helps with chores as well. Arini is an active girl and she likes being productive.

Ketut Partika

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

Ketut is the fourth of five children and, with a sponsorship, the first who would have a chance of graduating High School. He is now in grade 10. Sr High is in Grade 10 and requires multiple fees in order to attend. Although Ketut is still young, he’s been helping his parents by working as a daily worker or a laborer when he’s not busy with his school work. Both of his parents are laborers, and barely earn enough money to buy food.

Two of his older siblings only graduated from primary school due to their poverty and one second older sister dropped out and didn’t even finish primary school because their parents couldn’t earn enough money for food. She had to work to help put food on the table. His younger brother is only seven-years-old. They live in Bangli, the regency with the highest drop out rates.

Now, although his older brother and sister work as laborers, they still couldn’t earn enough money to pay for Ketut’s school expense. Ketut is expected to quit school after graduating from his junior high school this year in June, unless he gets sponsored. Ketut used to be sponsored for a while and that is why he could go this far in his education, otherwise he would have followed his older siblings’ footsteps. Unfortunately, his sponsors had to stop and Ketut will have to drop out of school if he does not get sponsored. His parents cannot take more loans, as they already have over $200 debt to afford their living expenses.

Ketut plans to go to a vocational senior high school, so he could find work right away after graduating from senior high. As his hobby is farming or gardening, he will probably choose an agriculture related program. Ketut actually aspires to become a police officer. However, the competition to enroll into the police academy is extremely fierce. He also thinks it would be great if he could become an entrepreneur if he could not pursue a career in the police department.

Ketut goes to school with his friend who rides a motorbike to school since his family does not have a motorbike. His family also doesn’t have enough money to build a toilet. Their house is built only with woven bamboo, so sunlight and wind could easily penetrate into the house. Due to the lack of rooms, Ketut and his brother sleep with their parents.

At school, Ketut has the boy scouts and tabuh or gamelan club as his extra-curricular activities. Tabuh is a percussion musical instrument, which is traditionally found in Java and Bali in the gamelan music band.

Indri

Current Grade: 10
Years of Sponsorship Required: 3 years

*Previous sponsor cancelled*

Indriani (“Indri”), age 15 of Badung, is the older of two. She’s in grade 10 and has a little brother in primary school. Her father is a laborer, while her mother is a small merchant in a local traditional market. Unfortunately, Indri will have to drop out of school without a new sponsor. Indri was sponsored for a while, and that is why she could go this far in her education, otherwise, she would have had dropped out of school already. Unfortunately, Indri’s sponsor had to stop, and she needs a sponsorship in order to continue her education, so she could graduate from a senior high at the very least.

Indri is going to enroll into a senior high school in June, then begin the new school year in July. She has finished her final exam and is currently waiting for the result from her school. Indri gave her all to her studies so she could graduate from her current school with flying colors, then apply to her preferred senior high.

It is in Senior High when school costs drastically rise. There are high entrance fees, monthly fees, more uniforms, and higher costs. Her parents plan to make her stop her schooling next month and wait for a year or two until they could save up some more money for her senior high school entrance fee if she does not get sponsored.

Indri aspires to become a chef. She likes cooking so much and it is her hobby. She would love to be able to work while doing what she loves in the future if possible. So, Indri hopes to continue to a hospitality vocational senior high school if she could get sponsored.

Indri has the handball sport called Kabadi as her extra-curricular activity. Her favorite subjects to learn are civic education and English. She knows how important it is to have English skills in order to find a good job. So, she is keen to learn about the subject more and even goes to an extra course in her village twice a week, using her sponsorship fund.

The effects of the pandemic still affect her family and their inability to support Indri’s education. They struggle a lot more to afford their living expenses. They still have to pay the interest of the loan that they took to repair the home and cannot pay both. They also took more loans during the pandemic to afford their living expenses.

While her parents work, Indri usually takes care of her little brother. She also helps with chores and her mother’s work when she’s not studying.