My wife Janice and I first visited Bali in 1978.  It was a much different island thirty years ago. There were few paved roads outside of the capital, Denpasar.  Electricity had just arrived in Ubud, and  Kuta was still a fairly quiet beach area with small tourist bungalows.  Dramatic changes have occurred, but one thing has remained the same; the Balinese people.  We fell in love with them and their culture in ’78 and that love and respect has deepened in our many visits over the years.

We have made many friends there and learned much through these relationships.  We have now come to a point in our lives where we would like to reciprocate.  In 2006 we founded the Ganesha Foundation.  Its primary purpose is to help in the education of Balinese children, who would not otherwise be able to afford to go to school. Because Bali has moved away from an agrarian society to a tourist based society, education is more important than ever.  We now personally fund the majority of the foundation’s work but as we expand our support of educational programs in Bali, more funding is needed. 

The Ganesha Foundation supports island organizations that are currently doing good work.  We spend one month in Bali each year researching these organizations and checking the progress of groups we are currently funding.  Transparency is critical and the projects must show concrete results. We must also be certain that all funding is reaching the children for whom it is intended.  The Ganesha Foundation is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation and all donations are fully tax deductible. 

Please join us in continuing this important work educating the most needy Balinese children.

Sincerely,

Janice and Lawrence Carson