Parasparos’ Children’s Education Program

KUTA - A social organization ‘Parasparos’ which takes care of children affected by poverty caused by the national economic crisis, launched a program related to child-rearing parents, with the piercing of a balloon in a ceremony at Kuta’s Santika Beach Hotel on Tuesday, 27 May 2003. The growing poverty rate resulting from the crisis has caused a growing number of students to drop out of school.
Parasparos came to the fore as a nonprofit organization on 9 September 1998 with most of its members being from the tourism industry community. Present at the event were Parasparos’ members, children, and press representatives. This organization also cooperates with other social organizations including ‘Tamiang Bali’ and the Association of Indonesian Tourism Industry ‘WIPI’, and two organizations caring a lot for the fate of children.
In accordance with the hope expressed by the chairman of Parasparos, Made Suryawan, people sympathetic to children who leave their education would adopt the latter without regarding ever-rising living expenses. This would be a starting point to move towards the realization of a long-term program to reach social equality among people in Bali, locally termed as ‘Parasparos – salumlum - sebayantaka’.
Parasparos is striving to realize the long-term goal by establishing several teams, each of which has their respective tasks and responsibilities. Amongst others, there are teams of parent volunteers having to do with determining candidates to receive stipendium, while listing the donors and charity parents.
At the starting phase, Parasparos will search for elementary school students on the barren island of Nusa Penida and then to other areas of Bali and, if necessary, as far as East Java Province and Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara Province).
On the occasion of the program launch, Parasparos issued stipendium for 28 high-ranked students of SDN 2 Elementary School, Baturinggit, Kubu, Karangasem, represented by I Wayan Suena and Ni Luh Suardani. Similar stipendium also went to 25 pupils of state-owned SDN 4 Sukadana, Kubu, represented by I Gede Wira and Ni Ketut Parmi.
The receivers were students selected with regard to screening results relating to their study and parents’ living conditions, as couples unable to pay study expenses. Every pupil has the right to receive Rp 400,000 four times annually.
Suryawan told Bali Travel News that his party in the near future would realize the education of executives entitled as ‘Parasparos Executive Educational’. Other activities of this institution are annual ‘Brand Activities’ and ‘Valentine Blood Donation’, ‘Charity Dinner’ and tourism writing competition.
(BTN/015)