In Reply to: the better way posted by Thorsten on Tuesday, 27. February 2007 at 22:22 Bali Time:
Even though your visit was a 'limited event' as there are hundreds of children being sponsored wouldn't this mean there are hundreds of limited events going on?
Each limited event will take up the time of a volunteer worker, and students, as your own visit did.
(I think 'limited event' is another word for sightseeing a school.)
Did you not think of all the points you made before you visited the school, disturbance etc, and still make the decision to visit?
Personally i think school sightseeing could be limited to one day, or maybe three a year for Bali, similar to some schools in Australia which have an 'open day' where visitors are shown over the school, and if a person can't make the date then it's bad luck really.
In Bali it could be held on a Sunday or during the holidays as it is here.
Though i'm unsure how some sponsors would then have the opportunity to meet with sponsees? The sheer number of visitors travelling to Bali at different times is problematic i think. Well, i don't have the answer that's for sure.
Anyway, right now in Bali it's up to the schools wether or not they choose to welcome a visitor into a classroom.
By the way Thorsten, i like your thoughtful responses and would be happy to continue this conversation with you. I hope you will visit a new website asiadana.org as i think it may interest you, and your input would be appreciated. :)