- Why should I sponsor a child?
After the bomb, the economic situation on Bali worsened. Many people were suddenly out of work. One of the first things to cut back on is education and many students have been dropping out of school. It is YKIP’s goal to “kembali” (return) the children to school
- What does it mean to sponsor a child?
You give the gift of education to a child by paying for uniforms, shoes, socks, school bag, school supplies (writing books, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, pencil case, drawing books, sharpener, dictionary), vitamins, de-worming medicine (primary school only), computer classes and school saving plan (secondary school only), daily lunch money, school fees, and building fees.
- How do I know that my child gets the supplies and the lunch money?
Twice a year we hold “distribution days” whereby the children and their parents come to a central location (often a school or the local Department of Education’s office) to receive their supplies and funds. The student is issued an identity card (with a photograph) that must be shown before any assistance is given (to ensure that another family member doesn’t come in their place and then take the funds). They are then given their supplies and the money, which the parent must sign off on. YKIP works with the local Education and Social Departments and one of their staff also signs off on all documents. In this way, they are doing due diligence on YKIP. This also cuts out any middleperson such as a teacher or government worker who may ask the parent for a percentage of the funds received. We document each and every Distribution Day and our donors are welcome to ask to see these photographs or to go to our website (www.ykip.org) where we post photographs.
- How does YKIP ascertain that a family is poor?
The Indonesian government has 14 criteria to ascertain a person’s income level. These include house conditions, what they eat (how much protein), education levels, income levels, etc. A family does not have to fulfill all the criteria, but the majority. The government determines the poverty level (poor, very poor, extremely poor). YKIP field officers then go out to visit each student at school and at home. If it is found that the family members sport a brand new motorbike, handphone, fancy appliances, etc then that child will not become part of the KEMBALI program. In some instances, the family had money before the 2002 bombings so their home is decent but after the bomb their economic situation changed drastically. The field officers interview each family and fill out an assessment form for each student. The field staff also speak with the village head and neighbors to find out who is most eligible for aid.
- What grade average does a child have to maintain to remain in the KEMBALI program?
Indonesian schools grade from 1 – 10 with under 6 failing and 7 being the average. The grade of 10 is quite rare to achieve and 8s are considered excellent. We demand that our students maintain a 6,2 average. If they fail to achieve that, we ask the individual sponsor if they would like to pay for extra tutorials for a three month period. If the grades do not improve, then we suggest to the donor that at the end of the year, they suspend their sponsorship of that particular child and we shall find a different student for them to sponsor.
- Can I visit the child?
You may as long as you are accompanied by a YKIP field officer. They will help translate. There is no extra fee involved, all we ask is that you pay for the cost of the vehicle to the child’s village.
- Can I bring gifts to the child and her/his family?
You may and we will send appropriate suggestions.
- Can I write to the child?
You can write to the child through YKIP. We will translate the letter and take it to the child. If the child makes a drawing for you, then we will scan it and send it to you as well. There is an additional fee for this to cover communication and transportation costs.
- Can I receive the child’s report card and photograph?
Yes, you may. There is an additional fee to cover the cost of scanning and documentation. The fee of US $50 additional a year covers both Point 7 and Point 8. We send you report cards twice a year and photographs once a year. When you initially sponsor a child, we send you a photograph of the child and his/her basic data. For privacy reasons, we do not send you the location of the child.
- Do I have to commit to a minimum amount of sponsorship?
You need to commit to at least one year of schooling. Most sponsors are committed to see the child through at least 9th grade (the minimum by Indonesian law), some want to see the child graduate from Senior High School and even go on to university! We can accommodate whatever you want to do.
- What are the costs? For the academic year 2008-2009:
Primary school: AUD $180/US$160/IDR 1,440,000
Junior High School (7th grade, inc. building fee): AUD $373/US$331/IDR 2,980,500
Junior High School (8th and 9th grade): AUD $322/US$287/IDR 2,580,500
Senior High School (10th grade, inc. building fee) AUD $689/US$612/IDR 5,511,300
Senior High School (11lth and 12th grade) AUD $460/US$409/IDR 3,676,300
In Indonesia, when a student goes into 7th and 10th grade, there is a building fee levied on each student. This building fee pays for repairs, equipment, and supplies that are not provided directly by the government or what funds are provided by the government are insufficient. This is the main reason why children do not go on the secondary school as the building fee must be paid off in three installments within one semester and is unaffordable to many.
- How much of this is for administration?
The KEMBALI program is very high maintenance as we must monitor each and every child. We personally hand out all the supplies and funds to the children (as opposed to putting the funds into the parents’ bank account, for example). We pro-rate the administrative cost according to the level of school. These costs include communication costs, transportation, documentation and photocopying. The costs range from 7% - 23% of the total cost to educate the child (with primary school being higher as the actual costs are lower but the work involved is the same).
- How do I go about sponsoring a child?
You simply transfer the funds to our bank account:
| Account Name | : YKIP |
| Bank Name | : Bank Permata Tbk |
| Bank Address | : Bank Permata Tbk Kuta Indah Permai, Bali, Indonesia |
| Swift Code | : BBB AIDJA |
| Account Number | : 5802 163 330 (US$) 5801 261 460 (IDR) |
This project is made possible through funding by:
