Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Saying goodbye to our Host Partner in Bali

Our goal at Developing World Connections is always to serve those most in need. When I first visited Bali in 2009 and toured the orphanages run by our Host Partner Widhya Asih, there was much work to do to make the centers a better place for children to live. Over the past couple of years, their organization has been very successful with other partnerships and very much has changed at the orphanages. Now, we see beautiful new buildings replacing the very worst of the orphanages, and we see the success of so many well thought out programs that are benefiting children and staff.

Although we realize that Widhya Asih will have a continued need to raise sufficient funds to operate their facilities, to our us and volunteers, it appears that their organization is very successful and compared to other countries we work in, the need does not seem as great at Widhya Asih. At several of our other project locations, most children do not even have opportunity to attend school and many are dying at a very young age from disease or malnutrition. They do not have the same opportunity that the fortunate children of Widhya Asih do have.

Because it is necessary for us to continue to focus our energy where the needs are greatest, we have decided it is timely for us to discontinue our partnership with Widhya Asih. This is not a reflection of poor partner relations, but rather that we must contribute where the needs are the greatest. Working with Widhya Asih has been a great pleasure. Our volunteers have enjoyed immensely the time they’ve had in Bali and with the children at the orphanages. Our volunteers have completed various projects, including building a retaining wall around Orphanage II, installing soccer field goal posts, constructing an animal feed facility, helping with construction of the Bangli orphanage, and installing computers and a server system. Our work has created a positive difference in the lives of over 450 children who receive an education, proper nutrition, and safe accommodations from Widhya Asih.

We sincerely thank Widhya Asih for the opportunity to work with them and for the experience provided to our volunteers. We will continue to monitor their work and wish them continued success in the future.

Wayne McRann
Developing World Connections Founder and President
December 2012

1 comment:

  1. This is great,I had the opportunity to be involved as volunteer in Indonesia and I always admire people who can make a life style out of helping others http://abroadio.com/travelling-with-purpose/

    ReplyDelete