Clara Pearce

We need your help...providing education to children across Bali.

The countdown is on....in May 2023 I will be running an Ultra Marathon across Bali (that's 84km).

Not just across, but also up! There is a total of 1776m of elevation during this run! That's a lot of climbing!

Wow, I must really love running, I hear you say?! I don't. I actually find it very hard! Cycling, yes, but running..urgh! When I signed up for this challenge I had never run more than 21km. 

So why put myself through months of training in a sport I don't particularly enjoy and what will most certainly be an agonising overnight run in a country far away?

I was lucky enough to go there on holiday last year and I noticed that the hotel I was staying in had links with a foundation that supported children, Bali Children Foundation. Whilst I was there I decided to do some research into the foundation and what it stood for. It turns out that it encompasses everything I stand for. Giving children the opportunity to have an education, to support their families in times of need, and to give the gift of education and all the opportunities this brings with it. 

Many of us reading this have been lucky enough to have a good education, to have gone to school, come out with qualifications, and to choose our own path in life. These children do not have that luxury. 

A very amazing family sponsored me to go back to Bali last October, so that I could visit the offices of the Bali Children Foundation. Whilst I was there, we drove high into the remote villages to visit the schools they work with and to team teach English with their teachers. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The children could not stop smiling, they were desperately keen to learn although they only had a notebook and pencil. No pretty displays on the walls of the school, no ipads or smartphones. No resources to allow the children who struggled a chance to access education. The teachers were amazing, and their enthusiasm and eagerness to work together was inspiring. But lessons often stopped at midday. The children needed to go and help at home, work in the rice fields or help the mothers out. The children were 8 years old. 

The work Bali Children Foundation does stretches far and wide across the community. They help schools upgrade classrooms, create libraries and use donated books to fill them. They are introducing technology into schools and have established a scholarship programme to get older children into a work environment. All this needs money, the money you and I are able to give. 

When people think of Bali they tend to imagine a beautiful paradise complete with yoga sessions on the beach, 5-star accommodation and a chance to escape and relax. Now it's time to start seeing the other side and be a part of a change we can make happen.

If you would like further information please visit the website at : https://www.balichildrenfoundation.org