Education, Education, Education
Which for the Aussie contingent was a very famous Blair campaign pledge prior to the 1997 election.
Hum, we take it for granted I think. Ngurah, the guy who runs the tour shop told me a story about how when he was a kid his parents couldnt afford to send him to secondary school after a year, so he went out and sold mangoes, and his sister used to come home from school then work to help him raise the money for school. eventually he manged to finish, but he spent many months crying because his friends were learning and he wasnt, many days learning from his best friends books before this happened.
Its not just that school costs, which it does certainly at secondary level, but its that books and uniforms and pens cost, and kids can earn money which in families where the father has gone (like the ones my street kids are part of) is pretty fundamental to the family survival.
I sat down with the girls I am freinds with, the bracelet sellers of 11 and 5 and listened to them tell me how they wanted to go to school, how they felt jealous when they saw the other kids in their uniforms heading up the road with school bags, whilst they prepared to go to Kuta and deal with the often stroppy tourists. I asked the question so you want to go to school and after that answer felt gutted I had.
I have sat on it for a few days , then I summoned up the courage to talk to nomans big sister and ask about it. The sister is 17 and looks after noman, their money helps supports their parents who live in the poorest region of Bali, karassam, where Ngurah comes from. Their story is one of thousands like it in their region.
The upshot is that I have resolved to help, these kids are so beautiful, so bright, Noman at eleven has the head of an old woman, she looks after the other kids with a gentle maternalism, but she has the kind of eyes that break your heart every time you see them. She smiles, but her eyes tell you she is sad, that she has seen more pain in eleven years that I have in 33. Wyang at five has the best English of the lot of them and has all the tricks down pat, she is very cute and knows how to work it with the tourists, I suspect she earns more than the rest of the kids combined.
I want to send them to school, ideally I would also like to send the two boys and the two little girls who beg with their grandmother and the other little girl I spot at night collecting beer bottles from the bin for the pennies the company offers for returns. But I cant do it all, at least not alone, in fact, having been more philanthropic in a number of ways that I intended when I got here, I will struggle even with the two girls. However my wonderful mother has offered to help, and if anyone else is interested then that wouyld be fabulous. I will leave money with Ngurah for the first years school, I trust him to make sure it goes in monthly installments to the families, he has his own exzperience behind him, a lot of integrity and a dream of opening secondary schools providing free education for kids who cant afford it to recommend him. I think its important that I have someone to ensure the money goes in small amounts, and to monitor that the girls are in fact learning rather than earning. I am talking to the families and my Indonesian friends to get a real estimate of the cost but I think sixty pounds, one hundred and fifty aussie dollars is about what I would need to provide per child per month, it may be less, but I expect there would be some need to compensate for loss of earnings in addition to funding school and the neccessarys for it. If anyone wants to help please let me know - I will coordinate things both ends and pay upfront whatever is pledged before I leave so it is all sorted, if anyone other than mum comes forward we could look at helping a third child. I know many of you like me already sponsor kids, and I know it doesnt sound like the most sopisticated scheme in the world, but I believe it would work and I will ensure every penny goes direct to the child even if it means asking the boys to buy the uniforms and books and pay the fees in person themselves. I know a fulkl kid is a lot, but if we could get five people offering $25 or ten quid a month that would do it. if anyone is interested send me an email or leave a message in the comments section.
I know you would all be doing the same if you saw these kids.
Julie x
Hum, we take it for granted I think. Ngurah, the guy who runs the tour shop told me a story about how when he was a kid his parents couldnt afford to send him to secondary school after a year, so he went out and sold mangoes, and his sister used to come home from school then work to help him raise the money for school. eventually he manged to finish, but he spent many months crying because his friends were learning and he wasnt, many days learning from his best friends books before this happened.
Its not just that school costs, which it does certainly at secondary level, but its that books and uniforms and pens cost, and kids can earn money which in families where the father has gone (like the ones my street kids are part of) is pretty fundamental to the family survival.
I sat down with the girls I am freinds with, the bracelet sellers of 11 and 5 and listened to them tell me how they wanted to go to school, how they felt jealous when they saw the other kids in their uniforms heading up the road with school bags, whilst they prepared to go to Kuta and deal with the often stroppy tourists. I asked the question so you want to go to school and after that answer felt gutted I had.
I have sat on it for a few days , then I summoned up the courage to talk to nomans big sister and ask about it. The sister is 17 and looks after noman, their money helps supports their parents who live in the poorest region of Bali, karassam, where Ngurah comes from. Their story is one of thousands like it in their region.
The upshot is that I have resolved to help, these kids are so beautiful, so bright, Noman at eleven has the head of an old woman, she looks after the other kids with a gentle maternalism, but she has the kind of eyes that break your heart every time you see them. She smiles, but her eyes tell you she is sad, that she has seen more pain in eleven years that I have in 33. Wyang at five has the best English of the lot of them and has all the tricks down pat, she is very cute and knows how to work it with the tourists, I suspect she earns more than the rest of the kids combined.
I want to send them to school, ideally I would also like to send the two boys and the two little girls who beg with their grandmother and the other little girl I spot at night collecting beer bottles from the bin for the pennies the company offers for returns. But I cant do it all, at least not alone, in fact, having been more philanthropic in a number of ways that I intended when I got here, I will struggle even with the two girls. However my wonderful mother has offered to help, and if anyone else is interested then that wouyld be fabulous. I will leave money with Ngurah for the first years school, I trust him to make sure it goes in monthly installments to the families, he has his own exzperience behind him, a lot of integrity and a dream of opening secondary schools providing free education for kids who cant afford it to recommend him. I think its important that I have someone to ensure the money goes in small amounts, and to monitor that the girls are in fact learning rather than earning. I am talking to the families and my Indonesian friends to get a real estimate of the cost but I think sixty pounds, one hundred and fifty aussie dollars is about what I would need to provide per child per month, it may be less, but I expect there would be some need to compensate for loss of earnings in addition to funding school and the neccessarys for it. If anyone wants to help please let me know - I will coordinate things both ends and pay upfront whatever is pledged before I leave so it is all sorted, if anyone other than mum comes forward we could look at helping a third child. I know many of you like me already sponsor kids, and I know it doesnt sound like the most sopisticated scheme in the world, but I believe it would work and I will ensure every penny goes direct to the child even if it means asking the boys to buy the uniforms and books and pay the fees in person themselves. I know a fulkl kid is a lot, but if we could get five people offering $25 or ten quid a month that would do it. if anyone is interested send me an email or leave a message in the comments section.
I know you would all be doing the same if you saw these kids.
Julie x
posted by The Gypsy @ 11:17 AM
1 Comments:
At 8:03 PM,
The Gypsy said…
darling, you are a superstar - thanks also to little sis who has offered likewise
will sortt out details when I get back - in a week!!!!!
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