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The Bill & Pat Bali Fund is dedicated to helping poor girls in Bali achieve an education and prepare themselves for meaningful employment. We believe strongly that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Education is not free in Bali … not even in government schools. Given the poor state of the economy in Bali, many parents are challenged to even feed and clothe their children. There is simply no money left over for the “luxury” of school fees, uniforms, books, and related supplies. The Widhya Asih Foundation operates seven orphanages throughout Bali. Orphanage IV provides housing, meals, clothing, school fees, and related necessities for 70 very poor Balinese girls. We (Bill & Pat) support this Orphanage whole-heartedly. We visit Bali, and the Orphanage, each year. We know the Orphanage and the Director quite well. We know the girls and know first-hand that we are making a difference in their lives. For a mere $400 per year you can sponsor one girl. (Quite the bargain, we think.) Currently, with the help of many of our generous friends and acquaintances, all 70 of these girls are sponsored. We have also funded the construction of a large Vocational Training Center at the Orphanage. This provides the girls with additional opportunities to develop employable skills, including English, computers, sewing, and the like. Beyond this, we are getting close to our goal of a $25,000 “Scholarship Fund” so that qualified girls can continue on with advanced education in fields including teaching, nursing, dental assistance, culinary, and a variety of other vocational career paths. We’ve worked closely with Nengah Swikrama, the Director of the Widhya Asih Foundation to extend our work beyond Orphanage IV where we began. In thinking through a strategic, five-year plan one of the critical imperatives is for the Foundation and each of the seven orphanages to become more sustainable and self-supporting. Each orphanage is in the process of establishing a business that will not only earn some much-needed money, but will also give the children direct training in life and work skills. In addition, each orphanage will be setting up a gift shop so that the many visitors they receive each year will be able to purchase small articles made by the children. Orphanage IV in Untal-Untal has just recently begun an important and exciting working relationship with Lantern Moon, a Portland, Oregon importer of fine, hand-crafted items. Through their careful, thoughtful efforts with the orphanage, Lantern Moon is now embarking on a new Bali Tropical product line that they will distribute throughout the U. S. and many other countries. All of this will benefit the orphanage financially and move them along the path towards sustainability. Pat & I are currently working to increase the number of sponsorships in the other orphanages and to help them fund other critically important infrastructure needs. Nearly 300 children are still in need of annual sponsorships. Please know that any contribution you make to this Fund will go 100% to help the children in the orphanages. We personally pay all Give2Asia administrative fees. Please feel free to take a look at our web site (http://www.balifund.org) and to contact us directly if you have any questions about this fund and our work in Bali. Bill & Pat Taylor |
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