After sharing Wayan's story on my blog post recently (click for the link), several people reached out to say they would like to donate to help Wayan and his family. I've set up this Go Fund Me so that together we can make a one-off donation, which will make a big difference to this lovely family who are in genuine need.

If we can reach the goal, Wayan will have enough to pay the hospital bill from his Dad's recent life-saving blood transfusion, and rent a home for a year, so that he and his family can be together. It will also greatly help Wayan to “get back on his feet” to continue supporting his family from here on.

As I mentioned in the blog post, Wayan’s father has been in hospital with a life-threatening illness, and I’ve been in touch with Wayan who has been keeping me updated with messages and photos. Wayan has paid everything he has for the hospital bill (from his job as a driver), with $500 still remaining that he does not have the means to pay. While the family are so relieved and grateful for the operation, Wayan is extremely stressed about the hospital bill.

Since experiencing extreme financial hardship after the loss of his 6 year old son to cancer, and the loss of income because of Covid, Wayan was no longer able to rent a home for his family. He has been staying on a chicken farm a few kilometres away from his family, because there is no room for him at the very small room his wife and children are staying, with his wife's elderly parents.

Wayan never asked me for money, and it was only because I asked him about his life, that his story came to light. I knew that day that I was meant to meet him, and while there are so many in the world in need, when a clear opportunity to help someone comes along, I feel a responsibility to share and help when we can.

If you can spare some money to help, I’ll be so grateful, and rest assured it will make a truly significant difference for Wayan and his family, who’ve endured so much hardship.

Here's a copy below, of the blog post of Wayan's Story:

“I’ve never known my mother’s face.”

Just as we’ve done with the many drivers we’ve met in Bali over the years, I chatted with Wayan about his life and family.

Wayan is a driver for a ferry boat company in Bali, who picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the port where we were to travel by boat, to Ceningan Island, to spend the first few weeks of our trip.

I’ve never heard a story like his before.

“When I was only one or two years old, my mother died giving birth to my sister, so I don’t know what she looked like. I don’t know her face.”

I can’t imagine what it was like for him, to go through life with no memory of his mother’s face. Not even a photograph. But the rest of his story touched my heart to the core.

Wayan has a wife and two children aged 14 and 16. They live in a village about 40 minutes away from his work place, but his current situation prevents him from being able to live with them.

Before Covid, Wayan had a third child, a son, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at age two, and died at age 6.

The hospital bills, then needing to pay for a cremation ceremony (very important in Balinese culture, but also very expensive), followed by losing his income during Covid, found him no longer able to pay the rent for his family’s home.

His wife and children moved into a very small place with her parents, with no space for him. His best option was to stay on a chicken farm not far away.

I cannot fathom the excruciating pain of losing a child this way. To then have to deal with such extreme financial issues afterwards… I can’t imagine how difficult this has been for Wayan and his family.

He fell behind in payments for his kid’s school fees, so for a while they had to stop attending. “They were so sad when they couldn’t go to school” he told me.

For Wayan, sending his children to school so that they can have a better life than him, is an absolute priority.

He borrowed money from a friend to pay the bill that he’d accrued with the school, so the kids could start attending again. But a condition of the loan was that he had to give his scooter (his only means of transport) to the friend until he could repay the money.

Wayan used to ride his scooter back to his village each day, so he could see his family, even though he’s not able to live with them.

Without the scooter, his only option has been to sleep on the floor in the warehouse of the company he works for.

He dreams of being able to have enough money to pay rent for a place to live with his wife and children. (For a year’s rent he needs the equivalent of around $3000 Australian dollars).

Meanwhile, his father and step mother have both been in hospital with serious health issues, and he’s worried about how he’ll afford the bills.

When he stays at the hospital overnight, there is no bed or couch to rest on. He has to sleep outside on the ground. This was how he spent many nights when his son was in hospital undergoing cancer treatments.

As Wayan’s story unfolded during the forty minute drive, I found myself gasping. I kept looking back at Mark and shaking my head as I tried to grasp how hard his life has been, and how much this man needed a break.

It felt clear to me that I’d crossed paths with Wayan that day for a reason, and I knew I needed to do something to help him. I don’t know why, but I also felt very compelled to share his story.

I had some cash, which was enough to give him what he needed to repay his friend for the loan, so he could get his scooter back and be able to travel back to his family village after work each day, and stop sleeping on the warehouse floor. It wouldn’t solve all his problems, but it was a start, and it would make a difference.

He looked genuinely shocked when I handed him the money. His eyes filled with tears as he said, “Oh my God. Thank you.” It felt more than “a good thing to do”.

It felt like a responsibility. I have so many privileges just because of the life I was born into, and giving away an amount of money that I can afford, seemed to me like the right thing to do. I knew I’d regret it later if I didn’t.

I feel deep compassion for what this man has been through, along with a newfound appreciation for the privileges, abundance and ease that I get to enjoy by comparison.

I feel very blessed to have been able to meet Wayan that day, to hear his story and to have been able to do something to make a difference for him.

I hope this is a helpful reminder to you, that connection with other humans greatly enriches our life experience. Making a positive difference for others gives our life more meaning and purpose. That’s why research tells us that giving isn’t only good for the recipient. It actually makes us happier.