Hello,
I am an Australian who has recently been to Bali with my partner for the first time. As with most Aussies, it certainly won't be the last time !
During our two week stay we befriended a local family in North Bali, and upon our return have decided that we (myself, partner, and a couple of friends) would like to contribute to their 16 year old daughter's (Susi) education in going to Teaching college. This is another first for us, and we are presently talking through the way in which to go about doing so.
Hopefully this won't sound mean, but I would like to ensure that any funds we contribute will be used directly for Susi's education, rather than simply to help the family's immediate quality of life. Much in the same manner of the quotation "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime", I would like to think that if Susi becomes educated it will secure a career beyond that of street hawker (presently her only future option) that will benefit the immediate & extended family for the rest of their lives.
That said, the questions arise as to how we go about sending funds. We are not wealthy people, and would be sending money monthly of perhaps 600,000rp, after an initial one-off contribution of 5,000,000rp. I recall speaking to friends we made in South India a couple of years ago that told me of their inability to create a PayPal account (reasons which I do not recall). Can struggling Balinese people set up a PayPal account ? I doubt they have credit cards to their name. Sending cash out of Australia is illegal, and admittedly risky. International cheques are also expensive, as is a registered post service. All being money that could be better used for the education instead of paying fees to a big corporation.
Without having the family jump through too many hoops, I would also like to ask for some college admission documents showing that Susi has been accepted for study, and also some ongoing reports on her progress. I'm wondering if, with their permission, I should liaise with the college directly. We're also considering whether to approach the college to arrange a direct transfer once a month, but an immediate concern is that the staff treat the matter professionally. What's the level of corruption within the education system? Can a school be relied upon to receive monies intended for a student?
As a process of 'best practice', or perhaps just plain old courtesy, we should communicate our proposal to the mother, however her English language skills are not so good (Although a sight better than my Indo/Balinese speaking skills !). Not knowing anyone in Australia with such language skills, perhaps I might seek some assistance from the bi-lingual members of this community. It's a big ask, especially from a brand new member, but if people wish to assist by being a non-monetary contributor, that would be excellent. Failing that, we are considering using an online translation tool such as Babelfish, but I personally feel that there may be errors in the results, but will never know.
That's it for now, and thanks for reading. I hope that some members might provide feedback, criticisms, suggestions or even just discussion on the subject.
Regards,
JC
I am an Australian who has recently been to Bali with my partner for the first time. As with most Aussies, it certainly won't be the last time !
During our two week stay we befriended a local family in North Bali, and upon our return have decided that we (myself, partner, and a couple of friends) would like to contribute to their 16 year old daughter's (Susi) education in going to Teaching college. This is another first for us, and we are presently talking through the way in which to go about doing so.
Hopefully this won't sound mean, but I would like to ensure that any funds we contribute will be used directly for Susi's education, rather than simply to help the family's immediate quality of life. Much in the same manner of the quotation "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime", I would like to think that if Susi becomes educated it will secure a career beyond that of street hawker (presently her only future option) that will benefit the immediate & extended family for the rest of their lives.
That said, the questions arise as to how we go about sending funds. We are not wealthy people, and would be sending money monthly of perhaps 600,000rp, after an initial one-off contribution of 5,000,000rp. I recall speaking to friends we made in South India a couple of years ago that told me of their inability to create a PayPal account (reasons which I do not recall). Can struggling Balinese people set up a PayPal account ? I doubt they have credit cards to their name. Sending cash out of Australia is illegal, and admittedly risky. International cheques are also expensive, as is a registered post service. All being money that could be better used for the education instead of paying fees to a big corporation.
Without having the family jump through too many hoops, I would also like to ask for some college admission documents showing that Susi has been accepted for study, and also some ongoing reports on her progress. I'm wondering if, with their permission, I should liaise with the college directly. We're also considering whether to approach the college to arrange a direct transfer once a month, but an immediate concern is that the staff treat the matter professionally. What's the level of corruption within the education system? Can a school be relied upon to receive monies intended for a student?
As a process of 'best practice', or perhaps just plain old courtesy, we should communicate our proposal to the mother, however her English language skills are not so good (Although a sight better than my Indo/Balinese speaking skills !). Not knowing anyone in Australia with such language skills, perhaps I might seek some assistance from the bi-lingual members of this community. It's a big ask, especially from a brand new member, but if people wish to assist by being a non-monetary contributor, that would be excellent. Failing that, we are considering using an online translation tool such as Babelfish, but I personally feel that there may be errors in the results, but will never know.
That's it for now, and thanks for reading. I hope that some members might provide feedback, criticisms, suggestions or even just discussion on the subject.
Regards,
JC