For Sydney residents Janice and Alan Roberts - the memory of their son Ben Roberts, who died as a result of the Bali bombing in October 2002, will live on - not just for family and friends - but also in the Indonesian education sector.

Thanks to a special fund set up in honour of Ben, hundreds of Indonesian children are now getting a head start in their education - and in their life.

Team Benno, which was set up by Janice and Alan Roberts and friends soon after Ben died in a Singapore hospital from his burns, raised more than $30,000 (when matched by AusAID) and donated to Plan to build or upgrade 15 pre-schools in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Plan is one of the world's largest child centred community development agencies and has been working in Indonesia for 36 years.

In November, Ben's partner Cal Chan and his mother travelled from the Sydney suburb of Bronte to Makassar - a large port city in southern Sulawesi - to visit six of the new preschools, described as Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centres by Plan.

"As well as the actual building, the process also includes orientation for families and community groups, teacher training and purchase of basic materials and equipment," Mrs Roberts says.

All 15 centres are now established and coordinated by the Plan office in Makassar; six are in the city and nine are in rural areas.

"The children are aged between three and six years with up to thirty or forty children attending each centre for a two to three hour session. Some centres have two sessions per day with different children," Mrs Roberts says. "Every centre was a pleasure to visit and each displayed a plaque commemorating Ben's life."

"It really amazed Cal and me when we saw his name at the first centre. It is a wonderful tribute to him and I know that Ben would be up there saying "well done guys"," Mrs Roberts says.

Janice and Alan Roberts have sponsored children through Plan since 1977 and presently sponsor a 10-year-old boy in Indonesia and a 7-year-old boy in Bolivia. Their $39 per month sponsorship fee per child does not just go to each child, but goes to the child.s entire community to help all members escape poverty and reach their potential. Plan raises most of its funds for projects, such as healthcare, education, housing and sustainable agriculture, through child sponshorship. Plan currently sponsors 49,900 children and their communities in Indonesia.

---

Heather Ellis
Plan Australia Media Officer
Phone: 03 9672 3652
Mobile: 0425 720 193

Janice and Alan Roberts
Phone: 02 9664 8024
Mobile: 0401 993 908