When Olivia turned five years old in May, she celebrated like many children her age might – with a Disney-themed party, lots of games and a big cake.
However, instead of receiving gifts for her birthday the Sydney preschool student raised money to buy one of ChildFund’s Gifts for Good.
She asked friends to donate to the cost of a cow, to help a child and their family in Uganda access milk – a rare nutritious drink in poor communities in Africa.
“We set up a fundraising page and explained on there what her goal was, and put a link to it on her birthday invitation asking parents to consider supporting Olivia’s goal to buy a cow, as an alternative to a gift,” mum Martine says.
“I explained to Olivia that she would still have presents from us and her grandparents, but that with so many children being invited, we could help some other people in need as well.”
Many parents were enthusiastic about the idea, says Martine, and many of Olivia’s friends drew pictures of cows on the birthday cards they made. “It was lovely to see the concept went further than just Olivia!” Martine says.
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My name is Olive Oa.
I’m the Health Programs Team Leader at ChildFund PNG.
My role involves managing projects, which includes assisting, planning, co-ordinating and reporting on projects. I also undergo budget management and supervise monitoring and evaluation activities to compile an evidence base to demonstrate the performance and results of projects.
I work closely with the project teams, particularly on the delivery and progress of the capacity building activities. My role also enables me to play a part in project designs, planning, trainings, coaching formative assessment of progress and follow up. I represent ChildFund at meetings and clusters that are relevant to the program and projects at the national level.
I’ve been at ChildFund since 2013.
My most inspiring moment at ChildFund was seeing how the health program grew under my initiatives. It grew from 12 villages to the whole Rigo district, then moved into Kairuku District and Central Province.
The things I love most about my job are participating in developing and designing projects.
