Together, we’ve created positive change for children and young people around the world despite the ongoing adversity that many families and communities continue to face.
Your commitment has enabled ChildFund and our local partners to support children and young people to be as safe, healthy, and educated as possible.
By Margaret Sheehan,
CEO ChildFund Australia
Scroll down to read more on how your support has helped make a difference for children this past year.
In times of conflict or disaster, people in Australia have come together to provide food for displaced families and safe spaces for children.
Below are just some of the ways that your donations have made a positive difference this past year. Thank you for creating a better world for children and young people everywhere!
Emergency food and water for families
Severe drought, conflict, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic led to more than 4 million people in Kenya in need of emergency food assistance in 2022. More than a million children and mothers were malnourished and urgently needed food and water.
Teso and her family lost dozens of camels and goats – which they relied on for income and food – from ongoing drought in Marsabit County, northern Kenya, where they live.
Teso’s three-year-old daughter Kabale became malnourished because the family could not afford enough food to eat. “Many, many times we would be hungry all day and night,” Teso said.
Through the donations of thousands of supporters like you, ChildFund Kenya was able to provide Kabale with meals of nutrient-dense porridge to treat her malnutrition.
Teso and her family also received food and cooking supplies, such as cooking oil, maize, beans and rice. They also received a transfer of emergency cash, which Teso used to buy milk and extra food for Kabale.
The support was enough to turn things around. “The food we got was a relief for our family because we couldn’t afford to buy food,” Teso said. “It has helped to improve Kabale’s weight and health.”
During the drought, ChildFund also worked with local partner organisations to help families access clean water. Water facilities such as boreholes and wells in communities were upgraded, water trucks were arranged for schools, and families received water purifiers. Farming families also received livestock feed to help keep their animals alive.
In Ukraine, donations provided displaced children and their families with food, medicine, and shelter. Response efforts led by ChildFund Alliance members, WeWorld and ChildFund Deutschland, in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, have reached more than 110,000 people to date. In Moldova, more than 3,000 Ukrainian children have access to safe spaces where they can play, learn, and experience a sense of stability. This support has been so important for children during times of great distress.
Better nutrition for a better childhood
In Sri Lanka, children and their families experienced devastating food shortages and rising living costs. The result was many children going hungry, and ongoing shortages led to malnutrition.
In response, community kitchens were set up in villages. These kitchens were run by dedicated mothers and volunteers, with food and equipment supplied by ChildFund Sri Lanka. They fed families at risk of hunger in their community by providing large, healthy, and well-balanced meals three times a week. Children up to 5 years old were given priority for the nutritious meals.
Mothers leading the kitchen shared valuable knowledge to other parents about how to prepare healthy meals for their children at home. Families attending the kitchens also received seeds, equipment, and training to start their own fruit and vegetable gardens. While the current focus is on dealing with the immediate food scarcity, these skills and knowledge are assisting families into the future.
Mother-of-five and volunteer Nilanti says the community kitchens were a “pillar of strength” during a tough period. “I don’t know where we would have got our meals from if the kitchens weren't here,” she said.
Nilanti's youngest child, two-year-old Shenu, was at risk of becoming malnourished when the community kitchens started.
The family was struggling to earn enough income and could only afford basic foods.
Nilanti used the seeds and equipment she received at the community kitchens to grow a fruit and vegetable garden at home.
Today, Nilanti and her family's garden is flourishing with tomatoes, bitter gourd, beans, leafy greens, and more!
With the meals from the community kitchen and the fruit and vegetables from the garden, Shenu now has a more balanced diet and is healthier. “Her weight increased 600 grams in just a month!” Nilanti said. “I'm overjoyed.”
Making school accessible for all children
Fifteen-year-old Seila* (pictured below) from Battambang Province in Cambodia wants to be a teacher. “I want future generations, especially children living with a disability, to benefit from education like I have,” he said.
Seila has difficulty walking and sleeping because of pain in his hip. He developed a cyst on his hip when he was nine years old and while it was removed, the pain never went away.
Over time it prevented him from walking or riding his bike to school, a 10-kilometre journey from his home. Without alternative transport, Seila sometimes missed class and fell behind in his studies.
However, Seila was able to undergo a second surgery to correct his hip pain and a new leg brace has enabled him to attend school.
Today, he is hopeful about the future and a step closer to his goal of becoming a teacher. “Now that I’m going to school regularly, I’m doing better at my studies,” he said. “I placed sixth out of 28 students this year.”
Children living with a disability are among the most marginalised groups in Cambodia and across the world. Negative social attitudes towards disability in communities often lead to children missing out on an education.
ChildFund Cambodia and local partners, Khmer NGO for Education and the Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization, are working with families and communities to improve the lives of more than 360 children living with a disability.
ChildFund has helped to provide disability aids and equipment, create inclusive learning environments, and change discriminatory attitudes towards disabilities. Teachers are learning how to include children who live with a disability in the classroom, and parents and community leaders are learning how to overcome social stigma and advocate for the needs of their children.
Stigma and attitudes towards disabilities in the community are now starting to change. “My friends know more about my disability and how to support me,” Seila said. “They encourage me to attend class every day. They tell me not to give up because I can achieve anything anyone else can.”
Seila’s community is leading the way on a Disability Empowerment and Education project supported by ChildFund. The project aims to provide children living with a disability with basic rights, including access to health care, education, and the opportunity to contribute to their community.
Thank you for creating a better world for children
We couldn’t do it without you!
The inspiring commitment of thousands of people like you, families, businesses, and the Australian government has made all this, and so much more, possible for children and young people living in poverty.
Thank you for believing every child needs a childhood and contributing to a better world.
Together, we can support more children and young people to say: “I am safe. I am educated. I contribute. I have a future.”
There’s nothing quite as powerful as a mother’s love for her children, and her desire to see them grow up and reach their full potential.
If you’re considering giving mum, or a maternal figure in your life, a donation on her behalf for Mother’s Day, there’s no better way than to choose a charity gift from our Gifts for Good catalogue. You’ll not only be helping children living in poor communities, but providing support for mothers around the world.
To help you decide how you and Mum want to change the world this Mother’s Day, we’ve put together a Mother’s Day Charity Gift Guide. Read on to see what a difference your Mother’s Day gift could make, and learn about our new charity gift bundles!
Donate blankets or malaria nets to keep a child safe and sound
Every child wants to feel safe and warm, but poverty can mean a child’s life may lack basic comforts. A blanket can help a child to brave cold winter nights, so they sleep soundly, remain healthy, and can focus on their school work.
Preventable disease is also a very real threat to children’s health in developing communities. A simple mosquito net is a proven and cost-effective method to prevent the spread of malaria. Hung over a child’s bed, a net will keep them safe from malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Gift a warm blanket or malaria net as individual gifts, or together in our Safe and Sound Bundle:
Buy furry friends and provide a family with farm animals
These furry friends are a twofold gift! Farm animals provide families in developing communities with a range of nutritious goods that can be used to feed their children, or sold for additional income. They’re also a furry companion for children to love and spend time with.
Goats produce milk and cheese which are highly nutritious for growing children. and the eggs laid by chickens area vital source of protein. Meanwhile sheep provide an ongoing source of wool, which families can use to make clothing, blankets, and other textiles.
Gift Mum your favourite farm animal, or a whole barnyard together in our Furry Friends Bundle below:
Your donation can be the gift that provides a child with a brighter future
When you were growing up, you had dreams and aspirations. Education is the most powerful strategy to reduce poverty, ensuring the next generation of children in developing countries are able to reach their full potential.
Confidence is absolutely essential to active participation in school, and a brand new school uniform will help a child develop a sense of belonging among their peers.
From pens and pencils to exercise books, there’s so much a child needs for school and when you donate our pack of school supplies you’ve got them covered for a full school year.
Give a school uniform or educational supplies as individual gifts or donate all that a child needs for school in our Bright Future Bundle below:
Change the future of an entire family when you donate water filters or nutritious food
Up to 44% of children in Laos suffer from malnutrition. You and Mum (and even Grandma!) can change the future of an entire family by providing a safe source of water and a stable diet for a family in need.
A deepwater borehole system gives the gift of clean, safe water that a whole school — or even an entire community — can rely upon. Clean drinking water protects children and their communities from life-threatening waterborne disease, such as diarrhoea. Fruit trees and packs of vegetable seeds help families establish household gardens where they can grow their own produce in what will become a reliable source of fresh food.
Donate water filters, fruit trees and seed packs as individual gifts or together in our Food for Thought Bundle below:
The COVID-19 pandemic has left children around the world without enough food to eat and vulnerable communities with limited access to the supplies needed to fight the virus.
This Mother’s Day, you can help restock a health station with desperately needed medicines, medical supplies, personal protective equipment and other necessities to ensure that children and families have ready access to the care and resources they need to stay healthy.
Change the world with a special and meaningful Mother’s Day Gift
You and Mum can change the world for a family living in poverty this Mother’s Day. Donate a charity gift for Mum now and show the world the power of a mother’s love!
We advocate for children’s rights worldwide and partner with local communities to create change which enables children and young people to assert and realise their rights.
Keep up to date with all the ChildFund stories from across the world.
Join a dynamic group of donors who are accelerating the impact on children’s lives by prioritising projects in communities where the need and opportunity is greatest.