General Studi es Project – Bali WISE - The importance of education for women to create empowerment and reduce poverty By Georgia Thomas

The ROLE (Rivers, Oceans, Lands, Education) Foundation is an organization that aims to revitalize costal environments through sustainability education and environmental projects. Bali WISE (Women and Girls International Skills Education) is the women’s education initiative of this organization. Whilst it is a part of this larger organization is has its own leadership and board with its own vision, mission statement and values.

The overall aims of Bali WISE are to break the poverty cycle women experience, through education. In order to achieve this they try to reduce the barriers that local women from poor communities face accessing education, and therefore increase their employment opportunities. By giving education they aim to improve female empowerment by giving them the information they need to make better choices in life. In addition, this should also improve the level of skills in the larger community.

There has been a recent spotlight on how females of all ages around the world have to fight for education, the fate if a young schoolgirl in the Middle East who was shot by the Taliban is just one example. It seems to be a global problem, but why specifically is this the case for Bali? In order to answer that question, a closer look Bali itself is needed, as well as the role of women at home and as part of the economy. From here, how Bali WISE are making a difference in terms of the programs they use and success levels will be discussed.

Bali is a popular holiday destination, both for those who live in Asia, and as a global destination, since1990 tourism has “exploded”. This rapid change, however, does not seem to be a positive one for local people, economically, environmentally, or culturally.

There is no doubt that tourism has brought great economic growth, the problem is that many local people are not receiving any of this benefit. The Bali Statistics Agency states that between March 2011 and March 2012, the number of locals living in poverty has increased. It is believed that up to 169,000, out of a population of 4.22 million Balinese live in poverty with average person earning less that than $2 (USD) per person per day. These same people also don’t have access to some of the basics that we take for granted like clean water, medical care, electricity and education. Many are underfed and illiterate. Its something to think about, and something you could miss, staying in your five star beach hotel, on the very same island.

The building of hotels/luxury villas, tourist attractions and road networks etc. has lead to a loss of arable land (rice fields etc.) and environmental damage. It has also seen and increases in the cost of basic items due to increase, which means that locals are suffering more.

The type of employment available has also changed quickly, moving to the service areas (hotels, restaurants etc.) so young people are leaving the countryside and moving to towns to find work, leaving the old behind. The problem is that many of these young people are poor, unskilled and illiterate, and cannot get the best jobs that would improve their lives.

It is clear that Bali as a whole is experiencing significant growing problems, with many local people struggling with the total rate of change happening in just one generation.

According to the 2004 Census, Literacy levels for Indonesia as a whole look very positive, with 94% for men and 86.8% for women. However a closer look at Bali shows that the gender bias is much greater, with only 2 girls for every 8 boys in poor families going to primary school.

According to The United Nations Population Fund, education is the best way for women to get the knowledge, skills and self-confidence they need. These achievements for women in particular have “ripple effects within the family and across generations”, and links very closely with the aims of Bali WISE to prevent the cycle of poverty carrying on to the following generations. Evidence shows that the success of a child’s education is linked to that of its parents, however “ the mother’s education is usually more influential than the father’s” because being an educated mother makes it more likely to be in employment and therefore the family has a higher salary. This means they are able to pay for the education of their children and also appreciate how important it is. Also educated mothers also tend to marry later and have smaller healthier families, which means that less chance of having to choose which child to educate.

Currently in Bali around 208,000 women are illiterate, and are therefore more likely to be unemployed than men. Unskilled women can receive up to 70% less salary than men for the same job. Under Balinese law all businesses are registered under a male family name, and the chance to achieve financial independence and escape poverty by finding good employment is very low. This also means that women have few choices in their lives, and may have to remain in unfair or cruel situations, and or work for low wages and long hours.

The need for organizations like Bali WISE is clear, but how do they begin to tackle such a problem? As mentioned,

firstly it has removed some of the barriers to women accessing their programs by providing them for free, and where there is a need, they can provide some financial assistance towards accommodation, transport and meals. So, the financial barrier begins to be eased.

Secondly, they offer different levels of education, after an initial assessment. One of the programs they offer is the “Women’s Literacy and Vocational Training Program”. This program is on offer to women who are ‘Unemployed or of limited educational background’, ‘Motivated to access education and employment opportunities’, ‘Physically fit’, or who are ‘Assessed as poor or disadvantaged at present, or who may be at risk of slipping into poverty or becoming disadvantaged in the near future.’

The program is divided into three classes/levels which all takes up to three months, Grade A (illiterate class), which includes basic local language skills (reading and writing) and basic mathematics. Grade B (Intermediate level), which includes local language skills (reading, writing and comprehension), basic Mathematics and Calculation, Basic English, Sanitation, Hygiene, Wellness (including yoga, meditation, food preparation and cleanliness), basic IT Skills (computer introductory, Office software’s and internet) and very basic Work Ethics. Then Grade C (Specialized Vocational Training), IT Office Skills (focusing on computer packages with a view to applying for work), communication Skills (focusing on Customer Service), Depth Work Ethics and Acceptable Practices, Developing Entrepreneurship Skills and Good Management Practice (a management improvement approach), Small Business Management - Eco-Friendly Business Training based on a successful and working model, Basic Book Keeping, learning how to make a general budget, and Clerical Skills (focusing on office practices).

At the end of this program the result that they aim for is to lead students to permanent job placements, permanent employment.

Are they successful, in a word yes.

According to their own statistics, Bali WISE produce about 200 ready-to-work women every year. Out of these 90% find work straight away. If there is any difficulty finding a job students can get support setting up micro businesses etc. The statistics, however, show that for in the latter part of 2012, all graduates had full-time employment offers. This shows that Bali WISE graduates are in demand, and that there vocational training gained through partnerships with local hotels such as AYANA Resort and Spa, The Conrad, Tanjong and the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, are relevant and of a high standard.

In conclusion evidence shows that without Bali WISE, women would suffer poverty a lot severer and that women would experience rapid change especially hard. Women would not get the same opportunities as men, which would mean women would not have a say in the life style they want. Bali WISE has already changed so many lives, and currently are planning on changing many, many more. It is defiantly something that makes a difference.

Bibliography:- http://www.baliwise.org/ - www.unfpa.org/gender/empowerment2.htm - www.twnside.org.sg/title/abdul-cn.htm - http://world.bymap.org/

LiteracyRatesFemales.html- www.rolefoundation.org - www.baliwaise.org - Bali Wise Strategic Plan (book)