On February 28th, 2014, we will be embarking on a month-long journey to Southeast Asia. We will be spending our first two weeks in Bali, Indonesia, as volunteer English teachers through a company called International Volunteer Headquarters, based out of New Zealand. This is an incredible opportunity for us to learn, grow, and change the lives of Balinese school children forever.
For the remainder of the trip, we will be backpacking through parts of Thailand, and who knows, we may even end up somewhere else. However, our trip to Thailand is primarily recreational, and we want the focus of this blog to be on our volunteer experience in Bali.
Our Letter to You, to provide a better idea of what we are doing, where we are going, and why.
Dear Friends and Family,
Some of you may know me, and some of you may not. My name is Ashley Dempster, and I am a 21 year old hairstylist who lives and works in Calgary, Alberta. I am writing on behalf of myself and my wonderful boyfriend and perhaps one of the most amazing people I've ever known, Sean Yorke. You have received this letter because we have some exciting news that we want to share with you.
If you know me personally, you will know that I have had a passion for social justice issues and helping others since I was very young. I have participated in and coordinated countless events benefiting anything from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, War Child Canada (raising funds and awareness for rehabilitated child soldiers in Uganda as well as innocent civilians), WaterCan projects for clean water across the globe, and many others. I began sponsoring my first child when I was 16 years old through World Vision, and I was very lucky to have friends, family members, and high school teachers who instilled this sense of passion within me, which has never left. Sean, while a little less experienced in the world of charity, has one of the biggest hearts I've ever known. He will go out of his way to help the people he cares about, and when he finds a cause that he believes in, he is behind it 100%. I was so excited when we decided to pursue this dream together, because I know it will be a life-changing inspiration for both of us.
We are planning to travel to Bali, Indonesia, in March of 2014 for just over two weeks as volunteers placed in local schools to teach English. Balinese school children are eager to learn English, as tourism has become the most prevalent industry in Bali, and being fluent in English means a bright future for them in the work force. Unfortunately for most rural parts of Bali, further from the tourist scene, native English speakers are a rarity and the children don't have the opportunity to receive the education they need. Speaking English is a skill that can inspire these young minds to pursue careers in tourism, medicine, business, or even educating future children in Bali. It is something so simple, yet so vital if they ever hope to break free from a life where they are forced to work in lower income jobs with poor working conditions, such as farming or working street markets alongside their parents, even as children. What an incredible opportunity we have to travel halfway across the globe and change the lives of these beautiful children, and see the impact we make on their lives first hand!
Of course, with such an incredible experience comes a fairly hefty price tag. Between flights, visas, registration fees, program costs, accommodation, meals, transport to and from the school where we will be placed, vaccinations, medication, insurance, teaching supplies and everything else that a trip like this requires, our dreams were quickly grounded when we added up the dollars and cents. The total cost of a 2 week program like ours rings in at about $2,250.00 per person. In the grand scheme of things, it seems like a small price to pay to change the lives of 30+ children in a developing country, but in reality, for two 21-year-olds, one of whom has just finished school, it is a sobering amount of money to produce in less than a year. This is where our network of family and friends come in.
We are doing a number of things to help raise the $4,500.00 we will need to embark on this amazing journey. The first, and most convenient way to donate to us would be to visit our fundraising page at http://www.gofundme.com/2uxvyk. You can donate any dollar amount directly via credit card, and we are really hoping that this letter, along with our blog at www.ashleyandseandosoutheastasia.blogspot.com, will inspire you to donate $20, $50, or even $100 or more to this incredible cause. We will be updating our blog frequently before departure, hopefully a couple of times from the road, and we promise to bombard you with all of the stories, videos and photos from our experience once we return home. A couple of other ways we are planning to raise funds will be through a variety of different events, possibly including a few musical performances by myself (Ashley Dempster on iTunes if you haven't already checked out my music!), bottle drives, charity dinners, silent auctions, item donations, etc. These events are still in the planning stages, and we are hoping to do something every few months, but you can keep in touch with us by joining our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/365212723589018/?fref=ts and by regularly checking the blog for upcoming fundraising events. If you would like us to notify you of upcoming events via email or text message instead, just let us know! And, of course, any ideas you may have to help us with our fundraising efforts are welcome and much appreciated.
Here is an idea of what your donations can provide;
$25.00 - Covers the cost of supplies necessary to teach a class of Balinese children for a two week period
$100.00 - Covers the cost of three full days of volunteer work as an english teacher, including transportation, accommodation and meals
$300.00 - Covers the program registration fee, providing 24 hour support for each volunteer while abroad
$500.00 - Pays for an entire 2 week program for one volunteer teaching english in Bali (not including the registration fee). This includes meals, accommodation, transportation to and from the school and necessary teaching materials.
For more information on the organization we are volunteering with, feel free to visit www.volunteerhq.com or just ask either of us about any questions you may have! We are also planning to travel to other parts of Southeast Asia in the two weeks following our volunteer placement, however the above mentioned $6,000.00 is exclusively for funding our time spent at the volunteer project in Bali. All additional travel costs are what we are considering a personal leisure trip, and will be funded by us personally. If we manage to raise more than the required $6,000.00 for our volunteer trip, the additional funds will be donated to the school where we are placed as a financial gift to help provide supplies for the children and teachers.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and thank you in advance for your contributions and continued support. Every single dollar brings us one step closer to our dream. Please keep in touch!
Sincerely,
Ashley Dempster & Sean Yorke
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