Help Wayan Change Her Life
Fundraising campaign by
Sherry Bronson
-
US$3,568.00raised of $3,500.00 goal goal
Campaign Story
HELP WAYAN CHANGE HER LIFE
“I want to change my life to be better. I want people who underestimate me to see me succeed even though I am a poor person."
Wayan (center) with her parents and younger sisters in front of their home.
Wayan is twenty-one and has five sisters. She lives with her parents in the mountains outside the tiny village of AbangSongan.
I met Wayan and her family when I moved to Bali ten years ago. When she was sixteen I hired her to help me with household chores. Wayan is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known.
Since she was a young girl, Wayan’s ambition to rise above her circumstances set her apart from many of the youth in the region. She knew education was the key to escaping the poverty cycle.
In Bali, the primary and middle school are subsidized by the government but high school is not.
Wayan moved in with a family that owned a café in a town where the high school offered night classes. She worked at the café to earn money for school fees and went to school at night.
After graduation, Wayan applied at Crystal College to study culinary arts and hospitality. She completed the course while working for me and was offered a job as restaurant wait staff at the Marriott Marquis Queens Park, a five-star hotel in Bangkok. She had been there two months when Covid hit. The hotel shut down and Wayan came home.
Wayan with her sisters at her graduation from Crystal College.
Since then, she has been selling vegetables at the night market in Denpasar and cooking for a local café in Kintamani during the day.
Now, through an international employment agency connected with Crystal College, Wayan has the opportunity to work for the Park Hyatt, a five-star hotel in Tokyo. She passed the interview and has been offered a three-year contract.
To prepare her for the position, the agency requires two months of Japanese language training while they acquire her visa, work permit, health insurance, airline ticket, and make arrangements for her lodging. Unlike agencies in the U.S., the employer does not cover the company’s fee. Wayan must pay for everything herself. The amount far exceeds her or her family’s subsistence earnings.
But Wayan’s dream isn’t just to better herself.
“I have two younger sisters,” she tells me. “I don’t want them to feel the same as me, like they can’t continue to senior high school because my parents cannot pay for it. I want to pay for my sisters’ education. I also want to build a new house and family temple for my parents.”
The job in Japan would enable her to do that.
Please join me to help this amazing, resilient, hard-working woman achieve her dream.
Organizer
- Sherry Bronson
- Minneapolis, US
Since I retired I've spent much of my time in Bali. That is where I met Wayan and we became instant friends.
Since I retired I've spent much of my time in Bali. That is where I met Wayan and we became instant friends.
Donors
- Guest
- Donated on Jun 24, 2021
- Sherri Faye
- Donated on Jun 15, 2021
Good luck!
SUCCESS!!!
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 08:03 amWayan's successful fundraising campaign exceeded its goal and it ends today. Thanks so much to everyone who donated to Help Wayan Change Her Life! It gives Wayan great peace of mind to know she has the financial wherewithal to follow her dream - something that has seemed hopelessly out of
The Progress So Far
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 05:01 amI've just written a blog post to update everyone on the current status of Wayan's journey. Click here to read it.
Thanks to you Wayan's campaign is FULLY FUNDED!
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 08:55 amYou've blown our minds. The willingness on the part of so many people to help amazed both Wayan and me. It has happened quickly there really hasn't been time to digest the full impact of these gifts. But you can be sure, from my front-row seat, I'll be watching Wayan's
Thanks to you Wayan's campaign is FULLY FUNDED!
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 08:55 amYou've blown our minds. The willingness on the part of so many people to help amazed both Wayan and me. It has happened quickly there really hasn't been time to digest the full impact of these gifts. But you can be sure, from my front-row seat, I'll be watching Wayan's
Wayan Says Thank You
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 12:46 pmhttps://youtu.be/2iIiZMwl0o8 Please click this link to watch Wayan's thank-you video:
Thank You Isn't Enough
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 03:39 amThe English language lacks imagination when it comes to expressions of gratitude. Shouldn't there be different words for the magnitude of the action? Someone hands you the butter. Thank you. Someone donates hard-earned money to your dream. Thank you. Someone saves your life. Thank you. See what I mean? It. . . . .
Unbelievable!
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 10:43 amThis is truly unbelievable. We are almost at $2,000 after only 30 hours. I have goosebumps, gratitude, and awe at the big-hearted people who have been moved to donate to help Wayan improve her future. I won't get tired of saying it and I hope you don't get tired of
You people are amazing!
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 11:35 pmI went to sleep at $615 and woke up at $1275!!! This is unbelievable! I'm blown away by the generosity of family, friends, and people I've never met and may never meet. Thank you - all of you - for caring about this young woman and her desire to make
Wow! Two donors right out of the gate!
Update posted by Sherry Bronson at 09:31 amBig big thanks, Jackie and Kim! You donated almost before the site went live!
Donors & Comments
- Rinrada Buahom
- Donated on Jun 28, 2021
Keep going!!! Please Don’t give up:)
- Guest
- Donated on Jun 24, 2021
- Sherri Faye
- Donated on Jun 15, 2021
Good luck!
- Guest
- Donated on Jun 15, 2021
Wayan, you are a beacon in the world! Your fortitude and vision will carry you far, and your selflessness will serve you well. Good for you to dream, follow your dreams, and pave the way for your sisters. My very best to you.
- Anonymous
- Donated on Jun 14, 2021
Your awesome Wayan! Blessings to you!
- Guest
- Donated on Jun 11, 2021
- Anonymous
- Donated on Jun 11, 2021
- Susan Curoe
- Donated on Jun 11, 2021
So happy for you Wayan! Good luck in all your adventures
- Anonymous
- Donated on Jun 10, 2021
May your journey be beautiful!
- Nancy Brandborg
- Donated on Jun 10, 2021
Follow your dreams ❤
Keep going!!! Please Don’t give up:)