The WINS Project was born in 2004 as a private initiative by Gill Rijnenberg and was officially founded in 2006. Currently, the WINS foundation is represented in the Netherlands, USA, Singapore, Australia and France. At the moment we are setting up the entity WINS Indonesia, located in Bali, which will be responsible for coordinating all operational activities in Indonesia. Until this entity is fully set up and active, WINS Netherlands takes on this role and responsibility.
Trust based
The WINS foundation is a trust-based organisation; the core values of equality and trust are the basis on which we operate, with responsibilities are placed at the lowest possible level. There is no leader and no headquarters. What binds us all is one vision and alignment behind that vision.
Inspiration
Gusti, a girl from Bedulu, has been the inspiration for the creation of WINS. She had to quit school at the age of twelve, as her grandparents – who had been taking care of her since the death of her parents – had no money to pay the school. As with many other children, the future prospect for Gusti fell and she had to work at a young age to buy food for the family.
Fair and transparent
After helping Gusti back to school, Gill sought an organisation to help more children. In cooperation with Ketut Sadia, who gave free lessons for children in the village during his free time, the plan was made to set up a fair and transparent sponsorship program.
Fair and transparent, because all board members and volunteers – as well as the founder himself – do unpaid work, so that all donations go directly to the children. No wasted money and minimum overheads.
And we continue to grow
In the meantime, we have set up/supported Learning Centers in Bali in Bedulu, Tianyar, Sukawati, Seraya (in cooperation with Bali Bundar) and Samsaman (in cooperation with the Indonesia Foundation 2007). In addition to our child sponsorship program that allows children to follow regular education, we offer additional classes at the Learning Centers. These lessons are provided by volunteers from all over the world and are free for all children and the entire community.