After 19 years of working to improve educational opportunities for children in Bali’s remote communities, Bali Children Foundation (BCF) faces the risk that COVID will undo a generation of life-changing work. In July, children will return to school. All of them deeply impacted by the lack of access to their classrooms for the last 16 months. For the children in Grades 1 – 3, the impact will be extreme.
While they understand children’s education all around the world has suffered in recent times, they also know the impact on these vulnerable children will be catastrophic unless we act now. To support schools, BCF has been trialling literacy education in a couple of North Bali schools. Using the BCF multimedia approach, the trials have been a great success. Now BCF has three years of literacy modules ready to deliver to children in their communities.
The challenge is to deliver this important and life-changing opportunity for as many of the remote children as possible in 35 schools across remote Bali and Lombok. With over 1,500 children in Grades 1 to 3, a funded programme and space to deliver the learning in overcrowded schools is urgently needed.
For space, the ideal place is to upgrade the school libraries into learning centres. Unfortunately, many of the libraries are a mess and need work. The students do not use them due to a limited, out-of-date book collection. To help make the library friendly and accessible for children, BCF will repaint and include fun illustrations inside the library, purchase picture books and interactive materials and deliver the literacy programme for Grades 1-3.
The founder of BCF, Marg Barry, believes that Libraries are a special and an important place for children’s education helping to foster literacy, learning and of course, a love of books. The library upgrades will help to develop literacy skills for children in grades one and two who have never been to school and children in grade three who are semi-literate. Beyond that, this space will provide a safe and stimulating space for all children.
BCF is hoping to implement library projects and literacy programs in schools across Bali and Lombok. If you would like to support them to expand their programme, please consider donating. The children’s future depends on it!
Please click here for more details.
Leave feedback about this