BREAKING THE CYCLE OF POVERTY THROUGH EDUCATION

NEWSLETTER Vol. III October 2016

YKIP NEWSLETTER| VOL.III OCTOBER 2016 2

…was held on the sunny Saturday of the 9 th July at Keramas Park, Gianyar. Like previous event, YKIP organized the Gathering to be held during school holidays so everyone could attend and enjoy. This gathering helps to maintain the strong bond among these families and also gives the opportunity to share with each other the progress that they’ve achieved in their lives. But first and foremost, they were all there to have fun with their loved ones.

It was a full day event and all families arrived early to enjoy free activities in the morning. For hours, we watched the children had super fun with the water slide and a high-rope activities called ‘Flying Fox’, while most of their parents were just sitting next to the swimming pool and had a great time catching up with the others.

“Catching up with old friends is always a great joy and we are all like a family already, one big KIDS family!”, said Nur Laila, one of KIDS parents who has to raise three children alone in Banyuwangi

after her husband died in the Bali bombing 2002. With an expression full of relief, Nur Laila also said, “Two of my children have completed their studies. My first son serves in military and my daughter works as midwife. My youngest son has just graduated from Junior High School this year and I am so grateful that he can continue to Senior High School. Thanks to KIDS Scholarship Program! I can now share with other families how proud I am with my kids.”

More good news from KIDS children; two KIDS children who have completed the program a few years ago, Indra and Rai

Fourteen years ago, a partnership was formed between two non-profit organizations YKIP and YKIDS to support the education of children who had lost one or both parents, or a parent who had been permanently injured in the Bali bombing of 2002. The result of this partnership was the KIDS Scholarship Program. However, since July 2010, the KIDS Scholarship Program has been solely managed by YKIP due to the closure of YKIDS. We aim to provide comprehensive educational assistance to the children in the KIDS program that will enable them to finish their education through to the university level. Since this project began in 2003, YKIP has supported 132 children. However, the number reduced to 61 in 2004 as some of the children of injured parents had recovered and returned to work and no longer needed YKIP support. The number of children supported also decreased as they graduated from school. Currently, the KIDS Program supports 27 children and intends to continue their support until the youngest KIDS student graduates from university in 2026.

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Yulia, both came with their new families. Yes, Indra (left photo) got married last year and he came with his lovely wife and son; and Rai Yulia (right photo) who just got married three days before the gathering event, came with her newly wedded husband. KIDS’ family is definitely getting bigger this year!

Few minutes before noon, everyone was asked to get ready for the next activity. We continued with a speech from one of YKIP’s Board of Management, Djati Siahaan, thanking everyone for coming. He also shared a little about the progress of the KIDS program that has been running for close to fourteen years now; how the KIDS children were doing well at school and even more of them able to continue to higher education. In this

opportunity, Djati also announced that the next gathering event will be held in 2021, which is five years from now. The decision was made by taking into account that most of KIDS children are now studying in high school and university, which requires greater education costs and KIDS Scholarship Program would like to allocate the funds to improve the quality of education received by the KIDS’ children.

In this special occasion, YKIP took the opportunity to give out prizes to the outstanding KIDS students who attained academic and non-academic achievements, as an appreciation for their hard work. To help these KIDS children with their need of school supplies, YKIP also distributed packages full of books, stationery, shoes and school bags to all the KIDS children.

This event was held successfully with lots of support from helpful volunteers from Mitrais and YKIP’s friends. Their support made the special day even more memorable! Our huge thanks to our generous sponsors:

Above photos: KIDS Best Students

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Portraits of Hope

The 12th October 2002 blasts are part of history now.

Fourteen years after an explosion ripped through Paddy's Bar, KIDS children who were infants at the time—or those still then in their

mothers’ wombs—and toddlers are high school age or are nearing college. Those who were preschoolers and tweens in 2002 are now young adults, and their elder siblings are marking life’s milestones:

getting married, notching career achievements, and having children of their own.

All KIDS children are growing up.

Yet, in the arc of childhood, time bends in strange ways. For young people who lost a parent that day, the pain is ever present. But some of them have a hard-won wisdom that they would like to share with us here, in their own words. These four kids and their

moms have triumphed over tragedy.

Top: Idat (left) and Linda (right); Bottom: Alief (left) and Yoga (right)

We all be touched by adversity, or wounded at some point in our lives, but we can refuse to be held by it.

“Be someone else’s light … ”

Idat, 18, his late father, Fathurrahman, 33, was a van driver of an ice cream company in Bali. Idat was four years old on the day his father was killed.

I'm living with my mom right now. Because of the beginning of my life starting out really rough, I feel like as I have grown up I have gotten used to things being a little tougher. I try to stay positive to keep everyone around me happy, because I want to be a light that shines and help everyone else stay bright. I try to live my life in a way that would make my mom proud. When I was little, I didn't think about my late father too much, but now that I’m growing up I often think what he would say to me if I accomplish something or get good grades at school. This year, I graduated from senior high school and got accepted into Udayana University to further study in Management. I wish my dad was here to see how I made mom happy and proud. I want him to know that I have grown up to be a fine young man now and I will take good care of mom.

“Keep looking forward …”

Linda, 20, daughter of Rastini, a widow of Bali bombing victim. Linda is currently at her fifth semester, studying Management in a four-year undergraduate program at University of Dhyanapura. She lost her father when she was six years old and she thinks of her mother every day ever since that day. As a first child, Linda just wants to make her mother proud and she wants to show her mother that what’s happened isn’t going to hold her back from all her potential.

My mom is a very hard worker and she never gives up struggling to support her family. She always wants me to go on and be the best that I can be. From my mother, I learn that when you live through a really difficult time, you learn a lot about yourself and tend to grow up really quickly. From her too, I learn not to look back and wonder why life turned upside down. I learn to keep looking forward and let the past redeem itself. I truly believe that the loss of my father at such a young age set me up to be able to handle the most difficult challenges in life and embrace them as well as overcome them … In the meantime, I will do my best to complete my Bachelor's degree in Management in the next three semesters so that I can soon find my way to make a better living for my mother, my sister and myself.

“Focusing on the positive aspects”

Alief, 18, son of late Imawan Sardjono who was an airport firefighter, was almost four years old when his father died.

I appreciate my mother a lot and I am proud of her. As a single mom, she works so hard for me and my brother. She’s a teacher at Muhammadiyah Junior High School in Denpasar. I admire her patience and wisdom. She always makes sure that my brother and I grew up with open hearts and open minds to other religions and other ways of life. She keeps reminding us that no one deserves to die over something so small.

I think it's really important that we all stay positive and what really keeps me motivated is to remember what I have got until today and what I would like to have in the future.

Like right now, I'm living with my mom and my sixteen-year-old brother. Although we may not live a “normal life” ever since we lost our dad, we still have a pretty good life and I am very fortunate for what I have till now. Coming to terms with this has allowed me to live a life I am grateful for, focusing on the positive aspects and noting how I grow from the more difficult times I have endured. I have chosen to live a life that will make the world a more positive, fulfilling place rather than contributing to the negative world my father lived in the moment he died. Today, I am a senior in high school and I have chosen law enforcement field as my path of career. One day I want to be a police officer, to serve and protect people. I envision myself in a career where I can help others create peaceful, fulfilling lives for themselves.

“Honoring my father’s memory by doing my best”

Yoga, 19, his father, late Wayan Sukadana, was a security officer at Sari Club who died on the night of the blasts and Yoga was only five years old that time.

My mom is everything to me. I appreciate all she ever did for me growing up, knowing how exhausting, isolating, and financially stressful parenting can be after my dad died. I recall she worked long hours making Balinese snacks for traditional ceremonies but still able to raise me and my brother well. It would have been easier if my dad were around.

I started to receive a scholarship from YKIP in 2003 and the scholarship continues until today. The given scholarships helped my mom a lot in ensuring that my brother and I could finish schooling. My brother had completed his study, got a good job, and got married last year. While I am currently in second year, studying Electrical Engineering at Bali State Polytechnic.

My mom always tells me how my dad tried his hardest in everything and I have always tried to live up to his example by doing my best to get good grades at school. I will also do my best to help children in need because I feel that it is a good way to keep honoring my father’s memory and continue to make my parents proud.

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Behind a sponsor visit: a gift of giving, a life-changing experience “Un moment d’émotion intense quand on découvre un sourire rayonnant sur leurs visages malgré le peu de chance que la vie leur a offert…”

“A very emotional moment, where we see a bright smile on their faces despite living a life that offers limited opportunity”, Sabine wrote on her blog, Nos Saveurs De Voyage, describing her experience volunteering with YKIP last August.

Sabine and Benoît, a sweet couple from Switzerland, heard about YKIP and its mission from their friends in Switzerland and they contacted YKIP afterwards to convey their wishes to sponsor two children in need of educational assistance. Lucky for Gunung and Suryani, two kids from Seraya who came from disadvantaged families; Sabine and Benoît came right on time to prevent them from risk of dropping out of school.

As part of their one-year holiday itinerary travelling to sixteen countries, Sabine and Benoît came to Bali last August. The couple had the opportunity to meet their two 9-year-old sponsored children during the KEMBALI distribution event held in the Village of Seraya Barat. Their journey to the remote areas of Bali where Gunung and Suryani’s community lived gave them first-hand experience witnessing standards of living that are very different from Switzerland.

“The average monthly income of families is $77 to live with 6 or more. Thus, education becomes a luxury which they cannot afford. In Bali (Karangasem), the (elementary) school is free, but the uniforms, supplies, lunch or means of transport to get to school are often too expensive for a family to afford” Sabine described on her blog.

There are no buses or cars in the local community. Most of the children have to walk 3-7 kilometers to go to the nearest local school.

It was very emotional for Sabine and Benoît to meet face-to-face with their sponsored children. Both children and their families could not speak English and communication often had moments of great hilarity as everyone tried to express their emotions and thoughts, at times using interpreter amongst the staff.

Sabine and Benoît insisted on staying and helped YKIP during the distribution. It was amazing to see their energy and enthusiasm to be involved and communicate with YKIP sponsored students during the event as if no language barriers amongst them. The hot weather we all felt that day could not beat their intention to help us complete the distribution activities. Benoît deftly helped distribute the school supplies while Sabine happily helped us take students’ photos which will later be used by YKIP for its sponsorship renewal letters.

By the end of the distribution event, Sabine and Benoît definitely looked exhausted but they were so happy as they brought home a gift of giving which they would cherish a lifetime.

Sabine wrote in her last paragraph of her blog, “By midday, we left the children of Seraya and volunteers from YKIP with our hearts filled with joy and our heads filled with images of their happy smiles …”

Help us break the cycle of poverty by sponsoring a child through the KEMBALI Scholarship Program. Child sponsorship is a life changing experience; you will not only touch the life of the child you are sponsoring, but you will also see that their success changes the lives of their family and community.

Please find in the list below how little the price is to sponsor a student still needing help in the new Academic Year of 2016/2017:

School Level Sponsorship Rate

IDR USD PayPal USD Elementary (Grade 1-6) 2,183,000 168 177 Junior High (Grade 7) 4,766,000 367 385 Junior High (Grade 8-9) 3,966,000 306 321 Senior High (Grade 10) 5,672,000 437 458 Senior High (Grade 11-12) 4,891,000 377 395

For more information about child sponsorship, you may contact us at info@ykip.org.

The KEMBALI first quarter distribution event has been successfully conducted by the YKIP team in 13 areas from 6th August to 1st September 2016. We distributed school fees to 83 schools and cash allowances plus school supplies to 500 KEMBALI students. On this occasion, we took photos of each KEMBALI student along with their parent(s), collected the students’ latest academic reports and provided the elementary students with vitamin supplements. UPCOMING EVENT

Youth Career Planning Workshop 2016 – 11 December 2016 KEMBALI 3rd Quarter Distribution – 1st week of January 2017

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New Beginning, New Hope Success Story of Darmani - University Graduates of 2016

Darmani is one of the KEMBALI graduates of 2013, who was selected for her ability to face the intellectual challenges at the university level. She has been a remarkable student since the first time YKIP provided scholarship to support her education back in 2004 when she was still a student at elementary school.

Finally, after three years of studying hard at Bali State Polytechnic, on October 4th, 2016, Darmani stepped her foot towards the stage at Mangupura Hall, Bali International Convention Centre Nusa Dua, to receive her diploma and officially earned her Associate Degree in Accounting from Bali State Polytechnic. Darmani graduated with a 3.5 GPA.

After her graduation day, Darmani would like to share few words with the readers,

"I am truly blessed to be one of the 2013 recipients of YKIP University scholarship. After graduating from senior high school, I was further encouraged by YKIP to continue realizing my potential through higher education and YKIP has provided the opportunity for me to make it happen. Today, I am so overwhelmed with joy. One of the best experience I had today is when I saw through my parents' eyes how proud they were standing next to me on my graduation day and knowing that I have given a new hope to my family. Recently, I have been accepted to work as an accounting staff at a three-star resort in Ubud and with a steady income I have right now, I can help my parents provide education for my younger sister who is still a high-school senior …

… Along with my family, there have been countless people who have selflessly helped me along my journey to pursue a higher education. From YKIP staff, my high school teachers to my college friends and many more, these people have also served as great motivation for me to keep going forward. Knowing that there are people who believe in my potential stops me from letting them and myself down. Also, thank you to Inspirasia Foundation that has been generously sponsoring me until I completed my study and earned my degree today.

… And last but not least, I believe that knowledge is power; hence pursuing a higher education is the only way for me to achieve upward mobility, which would benefit not only me and my family but also my community for the better future. As my message to all students supported by YKIP scholarship program, never take your disadvantaged background as an excuse to stand still. You just need to keep moving forward."

TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

From July to October 2016, many volunteers dedicated their time to help YKIP.

Every day we’re grateful for a volunteer like you and no words can convey our gratitude for your tremendous contribution. Thank you!

Individuals:

Dewanto Adi Agung Filya Mustikawati Gusti Ayu Gek Dewi Arini Gusti Ayu Supariyatni I Gede Agus Suarjana I Kadek Wirya I Ketut Dharma I Ketut Gede Cakra Usada I Made Adi D. Krisna Angga I Nengah Landra I Nyoman Puja I Nyoman Santika Yasa I Wayan Artana I Wayan Darsana Ida Ayu Sriyani Ketut Kertayana Laurensia Luh Ayu Sekar Ni Kadek Darmani Ni Kadek Erna Arianti Ni Kadek Murdani Ni Ketut Epri Ni Komang Aryawati Ni Komang Supitriani Ni Komang Triantari Ni Luh Juliasih Ni Luh Komang Sumiati Ni Luh Putu Adi Swandani Ni Made Dwi Setiari Ni Made Irma Sugianti Dewi Ni Made Muliati Astiti Ni Made Muriani Ni Putu Sherlyana Ni Wayan Gunastri Pande Nyoman Adi Putra Rhenjiro Marcel Gunawan Ricky Ari Nugraha

Mitrais:

Aris Setya Bhakti Budi Hardiyanto Nugroho Christine Novanti Bayu Clesiana Teriphosa Purba Devira Nanda Kushwara Edward Octavianus P. Esandis Rio Vandra Eti Nurhayati Gempitasanti Anjaraniati Gusti Ngurah Made Agus W. Herdiawan Fajar Hesty Noviana I.G Agung Dian Wulandari Kadek Juliana Parwanta Pitri Yosi Leowardi Reny Mulyaningsih Yanti Rahardjo

YKIP is extremely grateful for all of the support that the Inspirasia Foundation and Mitrais have given so we are able to deliver educational

assistance to disadvantaged children.

The Inspirasia Foundation is a philanthropy portfolio making investments in health & education projects with a high potential for growth, helping some of the most marginalized social groups in India, Indonesia, and Thailand, including the disabled, poor young women, and unschooled children. We believe in the power of “What IF.”

The Inspirasia Foundation, establish-ed as the Annika Linden Foundation in 2003, was formed as a positive response to the tragic 2002 Bali terror bombing in Kuta, and as a memorial to the spirit of the more than 200 innocent victims of that bomb, among them young Annika Linden. Today, the Inspirasia Foundation supports 13 partners across Asia, including in Bali.

2016 sees Mitrais entering its 14th year of involvement in supporting YKIP activities. Mitrais’ involvement started in 2002 when Mitrais’ staff were involved in the Bali Bombings relief action, their support has continued through today and includes the provision of office space, accounting, IT, and internet support, as well as other volunteer services. Senior Mitrais employees are on the YKIP management board, cementing an already close bond between the two organizations.

Please visit www.mitrais.com for further information.

UPCOMING EVENT: YOUTH CAREER PLANNING WORKSHOP 2016

Balai Budaya Gianyar, Bali 13th December 2016

How to Donate

Account Name: Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi

IDR Account No: 0556.01.000245.30.4

USD Account No: 0556.02.000009.30.6

Bank Name: PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Cabang Kuta

Branch: Kuta

Branch Code: 0556

Address: Jalan Dewi Sri No. 99X, Kuta, Badung - Bali

Swift Code: BRINIDJA

YKIP’s Bank Account

Please do not send cash or

cheques. Sponsors outside of

Indonesia should transfer

funds into our USD account.

Please kindly assist us with

the bank charges and advise

your bank to “send full

amount”.

About Your Donation: Any donation will be verified against the bank. A receipt will be issued based on the amount we received as stated in our

bank account or PayPal account. A PayPal donation can be processed by visiting our website www.ykip.org

and then referring to the PayPal rate Education Cost listed for each program.

Thank you very much for your contribution.

For those of you who may be reading our newsletter for the first time, the name of our organization, Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi (YKIP) translates from the Indonesian language to mean the Humanitarian Foundation for Mother Earth. It is a non-profit organization with the mission to “Break the cycle of poverty in Bali through education”. YKIP was founded in response to the Bali Bomb blast of October 2002, and our efforts are intended to be a living tribute to the victims.

May we ask you to also forward this e-mail newsletter to your family members, friends and business associates who may be interested in supporting the work of Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi? Thank you for your continuing interest and support and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have queries or suggestions regarding the contents of this newsletter. If you would prefer not to receive a copy of this newsletter in the future, please let us know at the e-mail address below.

Until the next Newsletter in January 2017.

Our kindest regards,

The YKIP Management Team Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai, Gg. Mina Utama No.1, Suwung

Denpasar – 80223, Bali, Indonesia Phone: +62 361 937 8047

www.ykip.org | info@ykip.org