Ari, was 12 years old at the time and has Cerebral Palsy. He lives in a small village with his mother and attends an orphanage/school for education as well as for physical therapy sessions to help with his disabilities. Unlike many of the able bodied children at the orphanage, Ari did not have a sponsor when I met him, so I asked to be his sponsor. Ari's mother has given permission for me to create Ari's page . . . at this point in time my sponsorship provides support for Ari's education including computers and importantly his physiotherapy sessions, which has enabled him to sit up for the first time in his life. LETTER FROM ARI'S MOTHER
I am Nengah Dasning, I am the mother of I Wayan Ari Widiarta. We live in a small village, we have a handicapped son and we are a very poor family. Ari was born premature -his weight was 1,3 kg- with Caesar operation. Until now, Ari is still like a baby and everyday I take care of him. My husband is the only one who works to support our family needs but my husband also has not good job, he is just an impermanent labor and his income is not enough to cover our daily needs. If my husband got no job or is sick, I have to borrow some rice from my neighbor to eat. But now the neighbor stopped borrowing us some rice, because we are not able to give back the rice that we borrowed before. Often we cannot cook because we have nothing to cook and at the lunch time, when Ari asking for some food to eat I feel very sad because there is nothing to eat. I don’t think about my self but I thinking of Ari, he need to get good food to support his body. Sometime when I see Ari just laying down in his bed, I feel very sad and think what will happen with Ari in the future? But Ari is a good boy.When he saw me crying, he always asked me if I have problem and try to make me happy. My only wish is Ari can be independent in the future, I mean that he will be able to sit, shower, eat, move etc by himself without the help of someone. Ari comes to Yayasan Widya Guna every week for learning, playing and social interaction. Ari feels happier as he has new friends now. And for me, I can meet the parents of other handicapped children, talking about it and sharing our challenges, so I feel better and supported.
