HOW IT STARTED!
The Village Children Association has really started in Tampaksiring village (Central Bali - Indonesia) from the children’s will and eagerness to improve their education, that is to squench their thirst for learning.
Everything started in 1999 when some of the children of the village of Tampaksiring took the opportunity of a foreign lady who had chosen to live in their village. This lady, named Sandie, whose nationality is French, holds a Master’s degree from the University of London (S.O.A.S) and can speak fairly good Indonesian and understand a bit of the Balinese dialect. She had been fully integrated into the village life when marrying her Balinese husband. The kids had known her for years. As soon as she decided to live on a permanent basis in the village, the kids started to ask her for homework help and foreign language lessons. Sandie started to teach them French and English, and she helped them in their homework when needed. From a group of 5 kids, it soon grew to 10, 15, 20 and over 50 ! Sandie had to make a schedule, and kids were divided into groups. However she soon had troubles to manage so many children as the number kept growing steadily... She put ads in the Bali Advertiser, and soon she had expat and Indonesian volunteers who dedicated themselves to the teaching of English or Japanese.
Nowadays, thanks to donations of private individuals, clubs and an aid by a local council, from France and abroad, the association employs around ten Indonesian education staff but is still relying on volunteering from expats and tourists in Bali and foreign students in training.
The ADEDVI association regularly welcomes foreign students 
on the job training for at least 2 months.
THE LIBRARY
When Sandie realised that the village kids loved looking into her books or comics, she decided to purchase a few children’s books in Indonesian. The kids loved them and they asked for more and more ! A library was born ! It was first managed by the children themselves with a good borrowing system. Nyoman Arcana, a former university student, native from the village, and volunteer at the association, dedicated his time to the smooth running of the library. He also organised weekly travelling tours around village schools to set up temporary libraries (perpustakaan keliling), so that more and more kids have the opportunity to read books (and love them!), and in order that teachers see what can be done. Through reading, kids learn to go beyond their own vision of the world (shaped by the community or the immediate environment), they also learn to respect writings, and they may develop a love for words, and thus they may express themselves in a better written Indonesian which is a key for further success in their studies (university tests). They also get more acquainted with their own culture and identity through the reading of Balinese story-books or anthropological papers. They can make their own mind.
THE KINDERGARTEN
In 2000, several mothers decided to start a small kindergarten at Sandie and Nyoman's home. All of them wanted to offer something different to their little ones. With some solid common sense, enthousiasm and will to offer the best to their kids, they are at the roots of the today kindergarten, named "Taman Kanak Kanak Sandie Kresna". A grandma from Jakarta came along and offered her help for a while.
In 2001, four young students teachers (Montessori school) from the Netherlands came with the project to set up a structured kindergarten. Challenge met! They trained Pak Hamid, our first kindergarten teacher who came from Bandung (Java) and who is today our current director of the association. Our kindergarten is Montessori-orientated and is based on the Indonesian national curriculum, but values good common sense and initiative from its education staff. Indonesian is the spoken language at the kindergarten.
In 2009, the kindergarten "T.K. Sandie Kresna" has been officially accreditated by the Indonesian government. It is acknowledged as the best kindergarten in the region of Gianyar because of its low and adaptable fees to all families, and because of its high quality in teaching and material. All the education staff is recognized as being enthousiast, united and dedicated to the children's cause.
The kindergarten regularly welcomes trainees, students and volunteers from France and abroad, and also from the neighbouring high schools (in Tampaksiring) in order to pass on the teaching vocation. Educating children makes a country rich.
OUR PROJECT
The ADEDVI association would like to create a partnership or a twinning with a sister-kindergarten school in France. It would be best if the sister-school would be based in the Pas-de-Calais region (around Boulogne) where the headquarters of the association are located. The region of Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) or the South of Essonne would be also possible.
Pak Hamid has been learning French for several years.
The project would be based on the exchange of education methods, teaching practice, pupils work, and also exchange of teachers from both schools.
It would be nice to extend it to a partnership with a primary school and a class learning English. Our English teachers could share, exchange and communicate about their work with the children.
If a school is interested, please do contact us!
