What is the WINS Project?

The mission of The WINS Project USA, Inc. is to provide financial and other means of support for the Yayasan Widya Guna located in Bedulu, Bali, Indonesia. This is the official name of the orphanage. It translates into English as "Foundation for Children’s Education." It is recognized as a tax-exempt foundation by the government. The Yayasan is operated by Ketut Sadia and his wife, Nyoman, with the help of many volunteers from the local area as well as from around the world Even though Bali is the only predominately Hindu island in Indonesia and Ketut is a Hindu priest, all of our work with the Yayasan is strictly non-sectarian.

Why the Children Need your Help

This is where Made used to live before it got swept away in a flood In Bali, Indonesia, there are many orphans and street children. These children will never see the inside of a classroom or know the joy of reading a book. Imagine a ten-year old child who has never been to school. School in Bali cost the equivalent of two United States dollars a month, but it's not an option for the children because they cannot afford the two-dollar a month school fee.

Often these children will be forced to get menial jobs that pay eighty-five cents for a full day of work. How can they survive on eighty-five cents a day? Each child's community helps him with a place to sleep and food to eat. The children survive but with no way to break out of this menial existence. Without any education the children are doomed to cycle of poverty and their children will fall into the same pattern. We are determined to break this cycle and give the children of Bali a chance to live up to their full potential.

Our Number One Goal: Education

Ibu Ayu's English class.
"What is your name?"In order to fulfill our primary goal of giving the children of Bali a chance to get an education, 100% of donations go toward the children's education and school-related fees unless otherwise specified by the donor. That means volunteers pay for all overhead costs such as currency exchange fees, postage, transportation, etc.

To help the children become self-sufficient, we pay only a part of their school fees. They have to earn the rest by working after school or on weekends. They help the woodcarvers sand wooden statues, or perform with the local gamelan groups. They earn about US 50 cents for a half day's work.

Secondary Goals

These are our secondary goals:

Improve the children's living conditions
Help them stay healthy
Help them get firmly established in the Balinese society after their graduation
Successful graduates in return help the children in need
Help the orphanage become self-sufficient

Many of our supporters make extra donations earmarked for non-school use or for special projects for accomplishing our secondary goals. With the special donations, we've been able to establish the Medical Care Fund, Child Sponsoring and Microredit, renovate the buildings, buy clothes, shoes, etc. for the children. For full details on all the projects, please click here. »

How the WINS Project Got Started: The Dutch Connection

"See, there you are." In November 2004 Dutch citizens Gill Rijnenberg and his wife Margo were in Bali on vacation. On a dark rainy night, lost and driving around trying to find their way, they happened upon Ketut Sadia. Ketut helped them and so started a friendship. Ketut told the couple about his small orphanage in his house. Ketut and his wife Wayan had taken in orphans and were keeping them in their small modest house. On a salary of forty dollars a month the couple could hardly afford to be taking in children. But their kindness and generosity would not allow them to let these children live on the streets.

Gusti Later that week, Ketut and Gill were strolling through the lovely little Balinese village of Batulumbang. They ran into a 13 year old girl named Gusti Ayu Dewi Indah Permata. Ketut started to cry as he introduced Gill to Gusti. Gill then heard Gusti's unfortunate story. Gusti had been the top student at her school but was not allowed back to the school because she and her grandfather could no longer afford the two-dollar a month fee. Gill looked into Gusti's sad eyes and at that moment, the WINS project was born.

The American Connection

Donald & Daduk In 2005 Donald Pinegar was on vacation in Bali and was staying in the same hotel where Ketut works. Ketut eventually spoke about his orphanage and invited Donald to come for a visit. On his last day at the hotel, Donald gave Ketut a one hundred dollar bill to help the orphanage. Ketut broke into tears and hugged him and from that moment, Donald started to work raising money for the orphanage. At the start of 2006 he became our North American Coordinator. Now we support thirty-four (34) orphans in three villages and we are still growing.

How You Can Help

There are more children in Bali waiting for our support. We need your help to reach them and give them a chance to an education. Please help us to save these children. By making even a small donation — twenty-four dollars will send a child to school for a year — you are giving these children a chance to a brighter future. 100% of donations are used for the children's education and well-being. All administrative expenses are borne out by volunteers. If you have any questions about the Yayasan Widya Guna orphanage or how to make donations, please contact: Gill Rijnenberg Tel: +31-020-6458407 Email: grijnenberg@wanadoo.nl Donald Pinegar Tel: 1-323-256-0475 Email: dpinegar@industrydesign.com Ketut Sadia Email: sadiaketut@hotmail.com

Who Are We?

I am Gill Rijnenberg, and just like these children, I also was born in Indonesia. Unlike these children, I did get the chance to go to school, and I did get the opportunity to build a future. It sound so obvious, that a child goes to school, but not for these children. They are on the street, they don't have anything, and there is no one who helps them. There is no future for them, if we don't give them this small chance to get out of the spiral.

Gill Rijnenberg Ketut Sadia, our coordinator in Bali, is a Hindu priest. He takes care of our children. He finds them a place to sleep and gets them jobs after school, so they can earn a little money. Sadia has a job at a local hotel. He also try to make an extra dollar as a tour guide. It is not much, but everything he owns, he shares with the children. He speaks Indonesian, Balinese, English, and is now studying Dutch and Japanese language.

Gill Rijnenberg Donald Pinegar, our American Coordinator, is an art teacher living in Los Angeles. Donald takes care of communications and promotions of our project in the United States, Canada and Australia, and he takes care that all donations from the US are channeled to our project.

Gill Rijnenberg Ibu Ayu, the coordinator for the village of Kemenuh, teaches English. She takes care of 3 homeless orphans in her house.

Ketut Karniawata, the coordinator for the village of Petak, has taken 1 orphan in her house.

Gill Rijnenberg Ibu Putu teaches traditional Balinese dancing.