In Reply to: Street kids school on Legian beach posted by uni on Thursday, 23. April 2009 at 18:45 Bali Time:
Hi, are you sure he is Aussie? if he is american then you are referring to a man named michael who has a balinese wife, Putu as they do beach schooling for street kids. This is where it gets real interesting and i have contact with Michael. I organise student sponsorships in australia for kids that are selling leather wrist straps on the streets to tourists IF they want schooling and the parents can't afford it. Some of the kids at the beach school are not "street kids" as they have homes and parents - they are just desperately poor and come from the Karagasam regency of Bali to Kuta to get money from tourists just for food, rent, hindu ceremonies and the basics of life. Karangasam is very dry and a particularly poor regency. I guess they have picked up the name street kids as they roam the streets day and night selling, as there is no money for school and there is no such thing as free schooling in Bali. some of these kids do not want to go to school though so you need to be sensitive ti their situation and culture. I had sponsors for 2 of them, but the kids pulled out. The good private school 5 children i have now got sponsors for go to is IDR200,000 per month (includes everything) in kuta towards Tuban. Some of the kids you would have seen at the beach school and are pictured on the beach school website are actually in a family I support and they were not happy with the christian overtones as they are devout hindu and stopped going. 2 of these girls are going to the private school in July, when their school year begins. Don't get me wrong Michaels heart is in the right place and it is great what he is doing, but he is meeting resistance with some families of these kids. i used to do similar charity work with Tibetan school kids, monks and nuns - but the committee i was on made a financial decision i didn't morally agree with and hence resigned.So as karma would have it, i have since spent time on numerous occassions in Munti Gunung,Karangasm and a natural development occurred whereby i set up my own sponsorship program called "Bali Smiles-Making a Difference - Education Sponsorships." I am working on a website. In this way 100% of the money given goes direct to pay school costs and in some dire situations i have deposited money for rice and medical expenses, you wouldn't believe some of the medical stories - bottom line is 2 lives have been saved thru this. I have a bank account there. I don't have to answer to any committees doing it on my own and i find it very rewarding, so much so that one of these street kids, an 11 year old boy, goes to school and spent 3 months with my son and i here in Australia - still paying for it all on my bankcard!! well i didn't intend to write this much when i was replying to your question, hope it gives you some relevant information, regards, jan