MentorMe Auction helps children and families overcome poverty

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From rebuilding livelihoods lost in the Nepal earthquakes to providing small business opportunities in remote communities of Sri Lanka and Vietnam, funds raised through ChildFund Australia’s inaugural MentorMe Auction will give a huge boost to children and families living in poverty in our region.

The MentorMe Auction took place online in March 2016, with bidders competing to win an exclusive mentoring session with one of 10 high-profile Australian business leaders.

In total, over $30,000 was raised by the MentorMe Auction through bids and donations. Carnival Australia executive chairman Ann Sherry AO took out the highest bid, with Pacific Magazine’s Jackie Frank and Leo Burnett’s Todd Sampson close behind.

Janet Cameron, partnerships manager at ChildFund Australia, said: “The winning bidders have all been contacted and are incredibly excited to meet their mentors! The bidding was very close, with a flurry of activity down to the final seconds. We are also very thankful to the mentors who have agreed to do a runner-up session with second-place bidders, effectively doubling their impact on the lives of children and families in some of the world’s poorest communities.”

ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence said: “We are very pleased with the results of this inaugural MentorMe Auction. This was a new initiative for ChildFund Australia at a time when innovation is key to our success. Not only will the funds raised have an immediate impact on children and families living in extreme poverty, but increasing our connection with the business community here in Australia will help us develop some exciting new initiatives into the future.”

Among the auction winners is entrepreneur Sandy Forster, who will have the chance to sit down for an hour of one-on-one mentoring with Jackie Frank.

“I thought it was a great win/win,” says Sandy, whose auction funds will help provide small business loans for women in remote communities of Vietnam. I love to give people a hand up rather than a hand out… I also felt I would get something valuable from my session with Jackie and there’s probably no other way I would get to spend an hour chatting with her.”

Aspiring TV writer Adrian Hurley, whose auction funds will help families in Nepal recover from last year’s devastating earthquakes, was also thrilled to hear that he had secured a one-hour mentor session with award-winning TV producer Jason Burrows: “I’m proud to be a part of such a great event and thank you for this opportunity!”

ChildFund Australia would like to thank all of the business leaders who donated their time and expertise to this initiative, along with everyone who bid!

Four of Australia’s top businesswomen are giving back to our global community by raising funds to help women and their families in poverty-stricken communities, through ChildFund Australia’s MentorMe Auction.

For entrepreneur and philanthropist Sue Ismiel, who built her multimillion-dollar business empire from the ground up, helping other women is central to her life, both professionally and personally.

“I am always committed to enhancing the lives of women and those less fortunate,” says Sue. “I believe with financial success comes an obligation to help others. Success is an amazing feeling, but that feeling is best preserved through giving back.”

Sue joins fellow Australian industry leaders including magazine publishing powerhouse Jackie Frank, Australia;s “most influential woman” Ann Sherry AO and women’s leadership advocate Jenny Boddington in auctioning off an exclusive mentoring session in the ChildFund Australia MentorMe Auction.

For every $210 raised through Sue, Jackie and Ann’s auctions, an industrious woman from an ethnic minority community in Vietnam will receive a small business loan, enabling her to invest in agriculture production and build a sustainable livelihood for her and her family.

“It’s about encouraging women in the most poverty-stricken parts of the world to get on their feet, start a business,”says Sue. “If I can help one woman who is so desperate to provide for her family, then I’ve done my part.”

Mother-of-seven Thao from Vietnam’s rural Hoa Binh province has shown how determination and hard work, combined with a little help to get started, can lift families out of extreme poverty. Thao turned a $50 loan into a thriving family business by participating in a village credit and savings scheme, and learning new skills through ChildFund-supported business and agricultural training programs.

Thao says she no longer needs to worry about providing food for her family of seven, as their income has increased. Her two daughters are now also studying at preschool and primary school.

Says Thao: “I hope to continue to support my girls throughout their education, as by doing this, I believe they can live a better life than we do today.”

QBE senior executive Jenny Boddington, whose auction will support families building home-based businesses in Sri Lanka, says: “It is too easy to be overwhelmed with big issues and think that we cannot make a difference. But an initiative like this is tremendously worthwhile. The important thing to me is that it is facilitative, teaching somebody how to fish, not just giving a fish.”

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