Dear Indonesia Tour students and parents

Thank you for your patience and support during this busy and difficult time.

1. We will soon be ready to refund payments for the tour. I understand our Accounts people will be in touch with you in the next few days to discuss tour refund options.
2. Regarding fund-raising money, as mentioned previously, we hope to consolidate these funds and send them through to our partners in Bali, namely the Bali Life Foundation. As you know this Foundation is active supporting homeless and under-privileged children and families in Bali. They provide schooling, accommodation and training and are making a big difference in the lives of these Balinese people.  Although this is not the same as our students being on the ground in Bali, we hope they still feel they are making a difference to this organisation as a result of their efforts over many months.
3. We intend to meet with the student tour group later in the year to share the impact of their fund-raising activities.

Warm regards

Dr Mark Fielding

Director of Global Programs

Dear students and families of our Indonesia Service Tour 2020

What a disappointing week it has been for us all! We are devastated that, as a result of the Minister for Education’s directive on the 3 March 2020, we have been forced to cancel the forthcoming St Stephen’s Global service tour to Indonesia. I can’t say how sad we are for our students who over the past 6 months have worked tirelessly to prepare for this adventure of a lifetime.

I want to keep you up to date with our plans in response to this cancellation.

I will be endeavouring to recover all the funds spent on flights, transport, accommodation, entries and so on. I will need to contact all our in-country providers and partners to seek refunds on deposits and payments. This could take some time. All funds not recovered will be the subject of a travel insurance claim by the School. Our insurers have been notified.

All recovered funds from refunds and insurance will be returned to tour families.

I will be in touch via this blog to inform you of our progress.

I thank you for your patience in this regard.

Regarding the fund-raising money raised already, this money will be sent to our main tour support organisation namely the Bali Life Foundation. If students have any remaining fund-raising money please give it to the tour staff immediately so we can bank it and then distribute it to this needy organisation.

Thank you for your support and warm regards

Dr Mark Fielding

Director of Global Programs

Dear global tour families and students

As you know from media reports there is currently a Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak affecting parts of the world.

We have been following this development very closely through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT – www.smartraveller.gov.au), Department of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as our medical and travel security agency International SOS (ISOS). We believe any decisions we make concerning our global programs should be based on reasoned medical evidence and advice from these authorities.

While we are very committed to maintaining the opportunities afforded our students through our global service programs, the safety and security of our students and staff is always a priority for us.

The current recommendations from the authorities, given our global service destinations, are that we should make no changes to our travel plans for now and that our global service programs should continue as planned.

As mentioned already, we are following this development every day and if the circumstances change and we need to alter, postpone or cancel any of our tours we will be in touch with our families/students immediately.

If you would like to discuss this further please be in contact with me (mark.fielding@ststephens.wa.edu.au)

Blessings

Dr Mark Fielding

Director of Global Programs