The Project
We visited the Samaritania/Home Rescue in Denpasar, Bali and met some of the most amazing children aged 5 to 18 years. They are so lively, thankful and full of desire to learn.
There is Sarah* only 7 years old, born in Sumba, Indonesia; she is so sweet and talented. She sang for us with full confidence. She and her mother both live at Home Rescue. After her dad passed away, her mother could not afford to raise her, poverty-stricken and hardly able to have a meal a day. Home Rescue took them in and provided her mom with vocational training. Now they live in Bali at the Samartania location and her mom works and assists at the shelter.
Then there is Michael*, 16 years old with a severe skin condition. His family, unable to feed their children or provide them with proper care and education, gave him up. Home Rescue took him in with open arms and he has been living at the shelter in Bali. He was such a pleasure to meet; kind, quiet and helpful.
There are so many of these beautiful children and teenagers who have nothing, yet could teach us all the meaning of love and life. The location they are in is quite run down but they try to make the best of it. Home Rescue provides after school care and children’s classes while the parents are at work doing the best they can to provide a sustainable life for their kids. Samaritania also helps these parents with purchasing uniforms and school supplies. At times, there are over a 100 children in the small outdoor facility sitting on the floor, ready to learn. You can hear the sweet chorus singing and see the kids smiling and running around.
We spoke with Eko Johny Iswanto, the founder of Home Rescue. He and his wife run both the Bali and Sumba locations. His primary concern is finding a new location within the same neighborhood. The building lease ends in 2022. He needs at least 700 million IDR (around USD $50,000) in order to find a new home for the families with a 20-year lease. He has saved and raised about 100 million IDR and is determined to raise the remaining funds. We asked him how he plans to raise the money and his answer was simple: God made it happen when he needed to build this location and he is positive that there will be angels who will help him achieve the next phase. He looked at us and said, “look, you came.” That was a very humbling moment for us.
We at HKi have pledged to assist Eko in raising the remaining funds and have committed to help fund the project and continue this legacy in making life a little better for the well-deserving children. We will be working with Eko and Home Rescue hand in hand to improve and build better programs for the children, especially in education and training. Our goal for our business is transparency. We intend to keep our customers and friends updated via our website and online communications. We are proud, devoted and committed to our cause and our ultimate prize is the smiles on the children’s faces and a productive future for them.
To our beloved friends and customers, you will be “Giving with Style”.
*The actual names of children have not been used in order to protect their privacy.
