**Note** I'm going to travel to Flores in July and personally bring the donations to the schools and families! Read more about this project here.

Dear reader,

my name is Saskia and I'm raising funds to support the education of 56 school children and 13 university students from Flores, Indonesia.

Why? Because I've been to Flores, I've seen the reality of the people there and experienced first-hand how much support for the education of these children is appreciated. Many of them grow up in extreme poverty and being able to finish school and/or university is their only chance at a better future.

100% of the donations will be used to pay the following:

This fundraiser runs until the end of August 2026 latest and is carried out in collaboration with the local Dian Flores Indonesia Foundation.

In order to support all 69 children and students to stay in school/university in 2026 a total of 495.846.000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) is required, which equals ~25.300€.

How are the donations handled?

To make sure that everything stays transparent, a new bank account was created that will be used for this fundraiser only. The donations collected via GoFundMe are going straight to that bank account.

How are the donations going to reach these children?

At the end of July, I’m going to travel to Flores for almost two months and personally bring the donations to the schools and families together with Florian Lengu. I’m covering my travel expenses myself.

What does the documentation of this fundraiser look like?

On the fundraisers website (https://www.fundraiserforflores.com), detailed updates including pictures of the students, screenshots of the transactions, payment receipts of school fees and more will be shared.

Once in Flores, all activities will also be shared on Instagram (@saskiiaschwarz) and on YouTube (@FundraiserforFlores).

The background story

Seven years ago in 2019, I was backpacking through Southeast Asia for a few months when I met Florian Lengu, a local from Flores and founder of the Dian Flores Indonesia Foundation. By pure chance, I happened to pass through a town called Bajawa and one evening, Florian and his family were having dinner at the same restaurant as I was. Eventually, we started talking and later he and his family invited me into their home for a few nights.

Through them I got to know their community and culture, but I also was introduced to two sisters who had dropped out of school. It turned out that a lot of children in the area from Bajawa struggle to stay in school for various reasons. Actually, when Florian was a teenager, he himself also received financial support for his education which became a life-changing experience for him.

"I just want other children to experience what I once received

- the gift of education and hope."

And for many years now he has been doing exactly that: helping children receive donations for their education, whether by approaching travelers or through the support of local politicians. Through his efforts, a total of 305 children were able to stay in school/university so far!

In recent years, however, it has been quite difficult to do so, especially in times when tourism is low like during the pandemic or natural catastrophes that led to many cancelled flights.

Right now, there are 200+ children in the area of Bajawa who need sponsoring for their education. Many of them are orphans due to past natural catastrophes or illnesses, others were abandoned or are from extremely poor families.

Over the years I've also supported some children occasionally, but since I'm still a student myself my financial means are rather limited.

In the pictures below, for example, you can see me and one of the sisters I met going to a bank together to open her account when I was in Flores in 2019. The picture on the right shows Florian and his wife Theresia.

Florian and I stayed in touch over the years and now he has sent me detailed information of the 69 students who this fundraiser is for.

Most of the children are in school (elementary, middle or high school), but the list also includes 13 university students.

Education is so important. I really want to contribute somehow but since I can't do it alone I've now started this fundraiser. I'm sure it is possible to do this but we need your help. Every donation, as small as it might be, helps. And even if you can't donate yourself, we highly appreciate it if you would share our mission with your friends and family. :)

Thank you for reading this far and all the best,

Saskia Schwarz