Volunteer Bali originated as a BCP (www.balichildrensproject.org) program. However, this component has expanded into a highly successful independent volunteer program, which recently became autonomous from the BCP, its parent organization. Volunteer Bali and the BCP will continue to assist each other in common education projects for children. Volunteer Bali currently works in cooperation with Yayasan IDEP (www.idepfoundation.org), a successful environmental foundation which includes a vast number of projects that extend into many realms, including sustainable development, micro-financing programs, and education.

Volunteer Bali began primarily as an outreach program in which we trained and placed international volunteers in rural villages in Bali to teach English in the public elementary and junior high schools. While Volunteer Bali remains an outreach program, we also run many community classes in the central town of Ubud. At our volunteer center we offer free courses to children and adults in ESL (English as a Second Language), creative arts, yoga, and environmental awareness. Through kind donations to our project we have also been able to provide our villages with quality English books, learning materials, and other educational tools. We are also involved in projects with local figures and other organizations. For example, we have assisted in curriculum development, teacher training, and the education of adult farmers to receive their high school diplomas.

In the past two years we have provided over 30 volunteer teachers to bring quality educational services to many villages, schools, children, and families. The villages where we work are located in less developed villages of the Tabanan regency, Gianyar, and the artisan mountain town of Ubud. Many of these regions still function in a traditional Balinese way of life that has not changed incredibly since the arrival of tourism. We plan to continue our work and expand our services into new areas and villages in order to provide our educational services to more families and communities.