Australians mark 20 years of charity helping to lift Balinese kids from poverty
Behind the perfect sunsets and cocktails, there are more than 160,000 Balinese living in poverty, but a charity group devoted to bringing them hope has just celebrated its 20th anniversary with its Australian supporters.
Australians have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bali Life Foundation (BLF), a charity that has been working to lift Balinese kids out of poverty. The foundation was founded in 2006 by an Australian/Indonesian couple, Brad and Siska Little, and works to support underprivileged children, women and families through education, housing and empowerment programs.
BLF has helped more than 25,000 children and 10,000 families, with operations spanning Bali and eight other regions in Indonesia. The foundation relies heavily on Australian sponsors, with around 70% of its funding coming from the country. A group of Australian teachers and students from Torrens Valley Christian School in Adelaide traveled to Bali to volunteer with the foundation, interacting with and teaching BLF students.
The experience was eye-opening for the students, who witnessed the extreme poverty and hardship faced by many Balinese children. The school's extracurricular activity, launched by a former teacher who had volunteered with BLF in the past, was a way to give back and teach the students about global responsibility. BLF's director, Piter Panjaitan, emphasized the importance of giving children a safe home, education, love and the chance to believe in themselves.
The charity's work has paid off, with many former BLF students now finished university, have good jobs and supporting their own families. Despite the increase in tourism to Bali, the poverty rate remains high, with 162,000 people below the poverty line in the province.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
