On July 7, Deputy Chief of Mission Kristen Bauer hosted over 100 orphans at her home for an Iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan. The children were from local orphanages and NGOs that provide education and life skills to escape urban poverty. After breaking their fast, the children gave cultural performances. Eight American YES (Youth Exchange & Study) Abroad exchange students, who just completed a year of high school in Indonesia, also attended, engaged the children, and gave a cultural presentation of their own, using their newly acquired Indonesian language skills. This event served to expand people-to-people ties between the U.S. and Indonesia as well as highlighting our shared values of diversity and tolerance.
