Frequently Asked Questions

Research and the National Standards for Child Welfare Institutions from the Ministry of Social Affairs of Indonesia shows that living in a family environment is the best option for children wherever possible. Whilst we aim to provide excellent care as a refuge at JOS, it is ultimately in the child's best interests to be in a family, extended family or a foster care environment wherever possible and safe to do so, provided it is monitored and assessed properly and on an ongoing basis.

Our new management, which changed in 2019 due to the previous director retiring, have been looking at ways JOS can support parents or other family members living in poverty to look after their kids at home. Potential carers are vetted via thorough analysis and the help of trained child wellbeing professionals who are volunteering their time. It is required that there is an immediate family member who is enthusiastic and capable to take care of these children in a responsible way. If and when reunification is advisable, JOS is committed to supporting these kids with ongoing monitoring, and family and child support. The process of reunification, although initially borne from COVID fears, but also in line with the renewed insights into child care by the Indonesian government, has been a resounding success at JOS in 2020. It has been beautiful to see the tears of joy as children are reunited with their parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts.

In the past - and still today - many disadvantaged parents in Indonesia felt the only way they could ensure their children had a decent life was to surrender them to an orphanage. Current research among orphanages in Denpasar has pointed out that 76 percent of the institutionalized children researched still have both parents alive (and known) and a further sixteen percent of children similarly have one parent. We believe, in accordance with the National Standards for Child Welfare Institutions from the Ministry of Social Affairs of Indonesia, for the benefit of the children, this needs to change. Every child is different, and their circumstances are different - we are committed to working with the child to find the best environment for them, whether it be in-house at JOS, or supported reunification with family.

Our new management, which changed in 2019 due to the previous director retiring, has been looking at ways JOS can support parents or other family members living in poverty to look after their kids at home. Potential carers are vetted via thorough analysis and the help of trained child wellbeing professionals who are volunteering their time. It is required that there is an immediate family member who is enthusiastic and capable to take care of these children in a responsible way. If and when reunification is advisable, JOS is committed to supporting these kids with ongoing monitoring, and family and child support. The process of reunification, although initially borne from COVID fears, but also in line with the renewed insights into child care by the Indonesian government, has been a resounding success at JOS in 2020. It has been beautiful to see the tears of joy as children are reunited with their parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts.

This year, at JOS:

• In January 2020, we had 83 children in-house we were supporting (and none outside)
• By December 2020, 50 children had been reunited with their families or extended family after a thorough assessment, and there is ongoing support and monitoring (including some who have turned 18 or graduated from high school and are living independently but benefiting from ongoing sponsorship support while at university). Not all children who have been reunited with families require financial support, but JOS currently supports 47 of them.
• The balance is 21 children living at JOS, as sadly their home circumstances are not currently suitable for return or assessment of the possible home environment is ongoing.

It is essential families receive support to ensure that their children grow into healthy, well-educated young adults, enabling the cycle of poverty to be broken. JOS, again, supported by relevant and experienced professionals, has examined every individual circumstance of every child and committed to a support package accordingly, typically, but not always, including such fundamentals as educational and associated costs, food, phone data (which is needed for educational purposes as all schools are closed in Indonesia this year and going forward due to the COVID-19 pandemic), rent assistance, personal care items, etc. Support packages are delivered monthly, and correct implementation is ensured by close monitoring. Support is designed to foster the family’s financial independence; in select cases vocational training for parents or guardians may even be provided.

Of the 68 children JOS is financially responsible for, there are just 23 with full annual support currently in place. We urgently need more donors like you to support all the children whose future lays in our hands; to keep our life-changing programs going.

A JOS support package is the most effective and rewarding way to help give children living in poverty a better future. The best way to help a child break the cycle of disadvantage is through adequate and targeted financial support. When a child’s home life is stable, the family around them is then much better able to provide for their long-term wellbeing.

You can help make this life-changing work possible. When you financially support a child, you’re joining a community of generous people around the world committed to bringing lasting change to children living in poverty.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 7.88% of Bali residents lived below the poverty line and 0.57% of the children in Bali were similarly living below the provincial poverty line. 7.45% of the children were living below the International Poverty Line (IPL) of $2USD per day.

However, with 70% of the population in Bali dependent on tourism, there have been extensive job and income losses since it closed its borders in April 2020. The economic impact so far has been greater than that of the Bali bombings of 2002. In the aftermath of 2002, many Balinese and migrant (from other Indonesian islands) kids were sent to orphanages because their parents could not look after them. We want parents in Indonesia to know they can keep the kids they love, and still feed, clothe and educate them and to break the cycle of poverty. Incidentally, emerging research specific to Bali shows that 65% of adult respondents (500 in total) have experienced a loss of income of between 60 to 100% in 2020, and we now see the financial crisis in Indonesian deepening as the pandemic worsens in 2021.

Please see our new 2021 Child Safeguarding Policy:

1. At the start
   • You will receive a welcome pack with details of a child you are supporting, including a photo, and information about them and their family (prepared in accordance with the JOS Child Safeguarding Policy, and therefore non-confidential/able to be shared on social media).
   • We are happy to schedule a call to answer any questions you may have.
   • The child will send you a letter or email via JOS staff (within 12 weeks), and you are welcome to write back. All correspondence will go through JOS management and be forwarded to the child (please reference the JOS Child Safeguarding Policy).
   • This correspondence is part of the joy of changing the future of a disadvantaged child!
2. During the period of your support
   
   • You’ll see quarterly updates regarding the JOS children.
   • Support is annual. At the end of every year, you will receive a progress report, focused on the child’s health, education, and general progress that you have enabled.
   • Look forward to a response from the child you are supporting when you send a letter, birthday card, or an email - an opportunity for email contact is unlimited as long as it passes via JOS staff.
   • You’ll be kept in the loop with all general JOS news.
3. Birthday acknowledgment
   Some JOS supporters enjoy making the JOS children feel thought of. They can send a birthday card and post it to JOS or email to the JOS staff dedicated to managing correspondence with the children. Please, however, do not send any gifts directly, as Indonesian postal services are unreliable and taxes on goods sent from overseas are prohibitively high.

• Most children currently receiving support are JOS alumni and their circumstances have been assessed. Support is to enable them to complete their education and live healthy lives. As the COVID-19 pandemic period extends, JOS is also occasionally accepting additional children as candidates for sponsorship who are facing extenuating circumstances, as sadly poverty is on the rise.
• JOS representatives, including professionally qualified child wellbeing officers, operational team, and experienced JOS management, have completed in depth analysis of the real family situation; regarding family backgrounds, the child’s living situation, what are the challenges they are facing, the local community support (if there is any) and the best schools available nearby.
• Participation in all JOS programs is voluntary, and sponsored children and their families choose to be a part of the program. We always respect the rights of families to make decisions about this

Before we commence supporting a child in urgent need, the following is essential:

1. Family of sponsorship recipients.
   Family understanding and commitment to the JOS program is essential to make sure that funds are spent properly, necessitating a basic level of security and stability so that we can regularly visit and monitor children’s wellbeing.
   
   
2. Contact with sponsorship recipient.
   We take our responsibility to protect those we work with seriously. We have extensive Child Safeguarding policies and protocols in place to safeguard children and families, and our humanitarian work is carried out in accordance with the humanitarian principles – humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. This includes avoiding exposing people to harm through humanitarian assistance.