Dear Friends,

    I want to tell you about my visit to the the Jodie O'Shea orphanage in Denpasar Bali last week.

These are my own observations from my visit and talking with Alison Chester the director of the orphanage. For direct information you should speak with Alison directly through contact information below. ( I am not a representative of the orphanage ) Maybe many of you know the story I am about to tell but I feel it is worth bringing the attention to all in case you may be able to show you support in some way.

The orphanage has been built by two very dedicated souls Alison and Yanto.

It is obviously a labour of love and has been named after an Australian girl Jodie who Alison nursed in Sanglah hospital during the aftermath of the first Bali bomb. Jodie passed away. When Alison tells you about Jodie's bravery and selflessness and care for others during Jodie's last hours of life you understand why she has chosen to ensure Jodie's name lives on in the spirit of giving and caring.

On Thursday afternoon I went with friends to meet Alison and have a tour of the orphanage. Upon arriving each and every of the 39 children came to greet us and salam / shake hands. Yanto was sitting and playing and chatting to some of the kids like their Papa with some of the staff and one felt like you had walked into a family compound.

The thing I was struck by was the organisation, cleanliness, the facilities and the environment. All clean and friendly, with a lot of care having gone into their construction and detail. The buildings are tasteful and well finished with a breeze flowing through. Most importantly the children look happy.

There is an open dining area and kitchen, bright and airy with long sinks to wash one's hands and a white washed ceiling keeping it fresh and clean looking onto the garden. Some of the children are involved in meal preparation.

 A living room which is still being organised and looks so inviting like a family living area, large and again clean and tidy. I didn't count but there are several bedrooms each with 3 sets of bunk beds and shelves from clothes which are neatly folded. Girls are segregated from the boys. Younger children sleep in rooms with the older children so they are watched over.

There are a few play areas one seems specifically for basket ball as all the boys were playing when we were there. There is another grassy area with a wall brightly painted with a mural and big trees creating a border of green.

The toilet and shower blocks are all clean and well kept with plenty for all.

You can see photos on the website.

The children attend schools outside and are driven by the staff every day to the various schools and kindergartens.

  It is a home for these kids not just a place for them to stay. The children range from toddler to teenager. Some are from Bali and some are from another Island where they were rescued from an orphanage who had badly mistreated them. Many of them have faced shortage of food for a lot of their lives. Some have one parent but maybe the parent is so poor he or she cannot support and feed them.

 Given that there is a lot of healing to be done and this look like the perfect environment for that to take place. The kids all seem happy and as it was late afternoon lots were playing basket ball or hanging out in the garden chatting or playing with the small ones.

I cant tell you how much of themselves Alison and Yanto have put into this, and their other community projects. They also set up a kindergarten project in Jogjakarta after the earthquake as well as community kindergartens in Bali. I feel they deserve the support of the community. The orphanage is run on donations but the donations are not enough to cover running costs.

The food bill is Rp 3,000,000 per week. Every person has medical insurance at Rp 70,000 per month x 43 with staff. This is just the start, electricity, transportation, petrol, maintenance, toiletries, towels ,sheets  etc etc.

Primarily what they need is  monthly consistent donations. A donation of RP 200,000 automatic debit per month multiplied by 50 or 100 can add up and help so much. Patricia Widaya at Yoga Shala  is  also collecting monthly donations on behalf of the orphanage.

With this project you can be assured the money will get to where it is needed and intended.

For those of you who are unaware there is a major racket in Indonesia and Bali where unscrupulous people run orphanages and claim to have  a large amount of children when in fact there are % of the amount they claim. They get donations of money and food from private sources and even the government sources and pocket the resources for their own purposes. Some run sweat shops using the kids as forced labour. If the parents want to take them out they are charged up to one years salary to get the kids out of the orphanage.

The way I see it the more we can support legitimate organisations the more of legitimate organisations will be possible forcing the others slowly but surely out of "business".

There are many things that you may be able to help with. There is ³WISH LIST² on the website if you are interested to help.

Most importantly is the need for donations to help with the costs of food and essentials.

In other ways one can help by offering services. The children can greatly benefit by any of us in the community giving the time to share our knowledge or skills. At the moment there is one person teaching dancing once a week and the kids love it. They also need other activities i.e. painting, sports organised games, singing, ceramics or anything to brighten their lives and show them there are people who care.

The older children need skill development to prepare them to get into the work force. If you have a business that may be able to offer training to some of these teenagers that would also be most helpful.

If you look on the website there is a wish list and also addresses for donations etc.

It's really a worthwhile cause I urge you to help I know it would be so appreciated.

The website is  www.careforkidsbali.com

Alison Chester director alison@careforkidsbali.com

The project in Jogjakarta is www.bantulkindergartenproject.org

The orphanage operates under the Yayasan MUM (Yayasan Manusia Untuk Masyarakat)

Best wishes 

      Saraswati Michele Walker