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.
Made Andi Pratama
Andi is a 14 year old 9th grader in Bongkasa. Having seen first hand the effects of poverty on life, he wants badly to succeed. His older sister dropped out after grade 9, and is now a laborer in a laundromat. His parents are also labourers.
Andi wants to study Food and Beverage in Tourism school. That area offers a lower salary but better tips and better chance to make a living than other areas. If possible, he would like to eventually become a manager or a Tour Guide.
Andi is social and wants to interact with guests. He could do really well in this field if he is able to get a high school diploma and then qualify for a job. Without one, his odds of being a low paid worker are great.
Gusti Ayu Kiki Olivia
Kiki is a 12 year old 8th grader living in Tegallalang with her parents, little brother, and grandmother. Her father is a laborer. He earns around $100/month.IDR 1.5 million per month at most. Gek Kiki’s mother earns a little extra money for the family by making offerings and accessories for ceremonies.
When Gek Kiki’s at home, she helps her mother with her work to earn extra income for the family by making offerings. Gek Kiki’s parents had joined the transmigration program by the government to Sulawesi island. When they came back to Bali, their old home was already gone and rebuilt by her uncle, and her uncle now claims it to be his, since he built it, even though the land was Gek Kiki’s family’s.
Putu Gede Supariasa (Brother of Kadek Ariasih)
Putu Gede Supariasa (Nicknamed “Gede”) is a 15 year old 11th grader living in an incredibly poor area of Buleleng. When we met them, they were so poor that the coordinator burst into tears. Since then, they have gotten a bit of help from the government with building a very simple home, but otherwise the poverty is extreme. Gede is the oldest of three. He has a fifth grader younger sister and another sister who is not of school age yet.
Gede majors in hotel accommodation. Gede dreams big. He really wants to work abroad, so he could stop living in a poverty and support his family much better.
Gede’s parents are both disabled. His father cannot walk, while his mother also has difficulty with her hand, which grew to be smaller than average and cannot be fully used. They can only earn about IDR 300,000 ($21) per month by making Balinese offerings that they sell in the market.
Kadek Fajar Sastrawan (brother of Lia)
Kadek Fajar Sastrawan (Fajar), age 13, is a 7th grader in Bangli. Fajar is the younger of two. He has an older sister, Lia, who just started High School.
Fajar and his sister currently live with his paternal family, which consists of his father and grandparents. Fajar’s parents have separated. The father is rather dysfunctional and has issues with drinking and gambling.
Fajar’s mother has a disability with her leg since she was young. His mother uses a custom motorbike with three wheels so she can ride a bike to go to work as a tailor. The money that Fajar’s mother earns is used to help pay for the living expenses of the two children. Fajar’s grandparents can’t afford to feed and clothe the kids all the time, since they’re already elderly and not as productive as they used to be. They’re only able to provide shelter for their grandkids
Putu Riska Eli Yani
Riska is age 14 and in 8th grade, the older of two siblings living in Buleleng. She has a little brother in primary school.
Both of Riska’s parents are rice field laborers. They work for the rice field owner and will receive half of the crops during the harvest season. They themselves only finished 9th grade, and then stopped school.
Riska’s dream is to work in a hotel. For her, being hotel staff is a stable job. That’s why Riska would really like to continue her schooling until she graduates from senior high school in the 12th grade. If Riska gets the opportunity to continue school, she would like to major in the Language department.
Putu Dede Juniantara
Dede is a 16 year old 11th grader in Bongkasa, hoping to stay in High School, studying Tourism and Culinary Arts. Right now, he’s in training as a cooking assistant at a restaurant in Ubud, and he loves it. That’s his goal – to be a cook.
However, his parents are considering having him drop out. They had to take out a loan in order for him to even start high school last year, and it will take 3 years to pay off the debt. The father is a ricefield worker and the mother sells offerings. There are 2 younger children. It will be extremely difficult if they have to borrow more.
But Dedi knows this is his only chance at a better future for himself. He goes 25 minutes by motorbike to school, and 35 to work, but it’s worth it.
Kadek Arianta
Kadek Arianta is a 9th grade 15 year old in Bongkasa, the younger of 2 sons. His older brother graduated only grade 9, and is now a low paid laborer like his father. His mother makes offerings and takes care of Kadek’s elderly grandfather.
Kadek really wants a better life, and knows the path is through education. His goal is to go into Tourism and then specialize in Food and Beverage. The chances of getting a job are strong with that specialty.
In the future, Kadek would love to become an Entrepreneur, someone who can own his own business and provide work for others. He dreams of possibly having a franchise when he’s an adult.
Luh Sriasih
Luh Sri, a 12 year old 8th grader in Tegallalang, is the older of two sisters. Luh Sri’s hobby is cooking. What started as a chore has become a hobby for her. Her hobby has lead to her current dream, which is to become a chef. She really wants to be able to continue school so she can pursue her dream.
However, her father is a rice-field laborer, while her mother is a housewife. Luh Sri’s father could only earn around IDR 900k (about $75) per month to feed a family of five. He also works as a laborer who moves things. Meanwhile, Luh Sri’s mother sometimes weaves bamboo to make a mat out of it. Luh Sri also lives with her grandmother.
At home, Luh Sri is a helpful child. She helps her mother in making offerings to be sold in the market along with other chores such as sweeping and washing clothes & dishes. Luh Sri’s family is extremely poor. Their home only has one room.
Kadek Oka Dwi Payana
Kadek’s parents divorced when he was young and his mother moved out, though she lives in the village. The only home they actually have is the shell of a building, and so they sleep with other family members. There are 3 families sharing the compound. Kadek’s dad is a laborer, and he helps him on weekends.
In school, he studies Hotel Accommodation and Housekeeping, as do many of the children in this area. It will be easier to get a job with this major, providing he can finish High School. Without a diploma, his future is dim.
His father has borrowed a lot for Kadek’s entrance fees, and they still owe monthly fees for 3 months. Now, the school is asking an additional fee for ‘improvements’. It’s depressing how hard it is for a poor family to ever break out of debt, and agonizing when the debt is for school, which will enable the son to work.