It is a common misconception that
all Balinese families are financially sustained by a booming tourist
economy, and further that the Hindu
religion allows for a unique system of support that is so altruistic
that no one can fall though the cracks. While the tourist industry
is present and the religious traditions in Bali are quite powerful,
this doesn’t equal a perfect or fair utopia. Many families are
not a part of the tourism industry in Bali, as those who live in remote
areas are not influenced in the least by the money generated from tourism.
Some families don’t own land and must live nomadically while
working for other people, while others struggle month to month just
to provide basic needs.
On October 12, 2002, Bali entered a crisis state. Since the bombing,
most families in Bali have faced serious economic crisis. In fact,
there is not one family on the island that was not impacted by the
Bali bomb. Bali is not paradise for everyone, and as an unfortunate
consequence hundreds of children are not receiving the educational
opportunities they deserve.
All those associated with Volunteer Bali share in our belief that
by providing educational opportunities we can enhance the lives
of many
Balinese children and families. We believe that everyone deserves
equal access to an education. We extend our educational services
from Central
Ubud into remote rural villages, reaching out to a vast spectrum
of communities in Bali.
Volunteer Bali is dedicated to providing educational opportunities
equally for Indonesian people, both children and adults living
in Bali. For several years our volunteers have provided a wide
range
of educational
services to various rural villages of Bali. It is our volunteers
who bring our vision to reality. Our volunteers have taught English,
art,
and life skills to the local communities in the areas where we
work. We strongly believe that it is important to work is assistance
and
cooperation with local communities; therefore local leaders,
educational figures and families are strongly involved with
our programs. It
is the collaboration of our committed volunteers and dedicated
local counterparts
that allow our programs to run successfully. We believe that
we have already touched the lives of many Balinese children
and families,
and now we are ready to reach further. For this reason we have
developed
the volunteer component of our program.
With your help we can
reach many more families and children throughout Bali.
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