Over 640 people from Ovolo Hotels teams across Australia, Bali and Hong Kong came together alongside suppliers for the company’s third Annual Ovo-Walk on October 21, raising nearly AU$24,000 for The Bali Children Foundation.

The partnership between Ovolo Hotels and the Bali Children Foundation (BCF), established in 2022, is aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged children in Bali through education – including the renovation of classrooms and providing funds for the children to attend school – ​sustainable and holistic support and community involvement.

“When people do good, they feel good, so our aim is to be a force for good,” said Ovolo Hotels Founder and CEO, Girish Jhunjhunwala, of the partnership.

“This year, we have nearly tripled the funds raised in 2022 – we’d like to see this continue to grow, if not double again, in 2024.”

Ovolo team members were joined by suppliers such as Luxxe, Future Log, BioSystems, Indoguna Bali, H&C, Tea Drop, Bloom Providor, St Remio Coffee, Joval Wines and Capari for the walk.

The money raised goes directly to the children and elementary school of SDN 3 Sidetapa in North Bali. ​

Jhunjhunwala praised the work of The Bali Children Foundation, saying “the children are our future”.

“Their dedication to these key principles underscores their charitable heart, ensuring that disadvantaged children in Bali receive the education and comprehensive support they need to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future through internships, scholarships and expand the reach of education to more children in need,” he said.

Ovolo’s partnership with the Bali Children’s Foundation sees Ovolo staff assist in renovating the school, while the funds are helping children achieve better results in remedial literacy and numeracy.

“The children in the Bali Aga village of Sidetapa, North Bali receive enormous benefits from Ovolo Hotel’s support,” said Bali Children Foundation Founder and CEO, Margarat Berry.

“In this district of low adult literacy, the children in grades 1 to 3 scored an average of 79% for Reading, Writing and Counting.

“Their results are far above the scores for other North Bali schools. Students English as a Foreign Language (not usually taught in North Bali Elementary schools) are scoring an average of 74%, and excellent achievement.

“Thanks to Ovolo, these children have bright futures. Bali Children Foundation could never deliver this depth of success without Mamaka’s important support.”

The funds raised also provide students with a pathway to a career in hospitality via internships, traineeships and scholarships at Ovolo.

There are currently two students from the school completing traineeships with Ovolo in the hope of establishing a lifetime career in hospitality.