I want to tell you about myself and our dedicated team. Before retiring last year, I was a director of Ozdirect Pty.Ltd. and a consultant in Ron Flavel Business Advisers, since its establishment in 1994. I worked with a wide range of Indigenous clients and communities. I also manage the Helen Flavel Foundation and have been involved in humanitarian work in Bali since 1994. Watching Sarah, my Granddaughter, flourish into a bright, capable student started me thinking that it would be an excellent investment to give a gift of education to a young person. This would be a gift that would last them a lifetime and help them throughout their lives.

The sponsorship money came firstly from my husband Ron and I. When our family and friends heard about the children they also offered to sponsor a child. Since then, many people in Bali have heard about the work we are doing and have e-mailed me on the plight of many children. Schooling isn't compulsory in Bali, children in most cases can only go to school if the money is available to cover their education. With this in my mind, I decided to develop a Website and bring our work to the attention of as many people as possible.

We have been able to give 600 students a sponsorship since forming the Helen Flavel Foundation in March 2004.

After doing fundraising and assistance work in Bali for over a decade with other organizations, primarily with the Bali Street Dog Fund, the aging and their housing needs, I met Nyoman Sukadana MBA and Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Padmadewi, M.A. in Singaraja and following much discussion, we decided that we would work together with the aim of providing an educational foundation.

In March 2004, the Helen Flavel Foundation Inc (HFF) was formed in Australia and the Peduli Sesama Helen Flavel Foundation (PSHFF) was formed in Bali to focus on giving the children from the poorest families the opportunity to attend school. We have been able to provide over 700 sponsorships to students since the HFF and PSHFF first began. The sponsorships concentrate on children from the very poorest regions where parents toil and struggle just to put rice and vegetables on the table each day.

In general, we take a holistic view and we have discovered, usually after the first 12 months of helping a child, there is a need to help the entire family with housing, bedding, furniture, medical support and other basic needs. We have also built or renovated 738 modest homes since 2004. Ultimately, we believe that education is a gift that will last the children a lifetime and provide a solid foundation to help them throughout their lives. To learn more about us and our work, please visit the other sections of our website and visit our Gallery to see images of some of our past accomplishments. Donations can also be made on our site, or if you prefer by direct deposit or by post.

The Helen Flavel Foundation Inc. guarantees that no more than 15 cents of every sponsored or donated dollar will be used in the receipted operating costs of the Foundation and its administration. The 15 cents will not be used to pay any wages or personal benefits of any kind.

Every dollar received is spent in an identified area of need, and those providing funds to the foundation receive details of how their donations have been expended. Unfortunately donations of any kind made to our foundation are not tax deductable.