Michael Ballinger, is the founder of a small, non-profit organization based in California named Education for the World. They provide college scholarships to women around the world, especially those with financial or other life challenges. He and co-worker Scott Edmundson were speakers at our meeting on July 15.

It all started with a vacation in Bali in 2006. Upon arriving, I saw a country trying to develop a better life for its people primarily by utilizing its natural beauty for tourism. Unfortunately, this effort appeared to be stuck in a cycle of bare existence from which the people could not break free.

We formulated the idea of providing college scholarships to as many of the capable and deserving people of Bali as we could, using our own money. We truly believe that education is the gateway to wider opportunities and also to a higher standard of living; and this eventually lead to the founding of the Education for the World organization.

We found two firstborn daughters who were both working and supplying their families with the money they needed to survive. Both girls worked hard earning about 500,000 Rupiah per month and were eager to better themselves. To allow the girls the necessary time to focus on their education while still providing for their families, we decided to supplement their income to offset the lost wages of around $50 per month. Additionally, we provided all the materials required for their college, including tuition, computers and other items. That was the beginning.

Our hope is that by providing the educational opportunity and the associated benefits, these students will break the cycle of mere subsistence by first getting better jobs and wages for themselves and then helping other members of their families and villages to do the same.

For further information about us, please visit their website at:www.educationfortheworld.org

After the talk, Michael presented Robbie with $100 so that our Rotary Club could assist Window to the World.

Michael and Scott can be contacted at:

Education For The World, Inc.
763 Corte San Luis
Oceanside, CA 92057, USA
(619) 829-1110
ContactUs@EducationForTheWorld.org