The Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation

Eradicating fistula. Forever.

In Western countries, obstetric fistulas are virtually a thing of the past because there is access to effective maternal healthcare. In countries like Ethiopia, more than 70% of births take place without a doctor or nurse present and more than 3000 fistulas occur each year. Imagine suffering for days through an excruciating obstructed labour, losing your baby and then suffering the most horrendous internal injury. Just because you are a woman without access to effective maternal healthcare.

Dr Catherine Hamlin’s fight to end fistula has seen her lead a program of preventing obstetric fistulas through Ethiopia. Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia recruits students from rural areas, puts them through rigorous training as midwives, and deploys them back to their villages where their skills are needed.

This is a cornerstone of Catherine Hamlin’s vision – ensuring that women in Ethiopia have access to qualified midwives so they no longer suffer for days on end with an obstructed labour.

Australian Schools Plus

Disadvantage is a huge factor in student achievement. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to start school behind, struggle to catch up, and leave school before Year 12.

Now you can help give these students the education they need to fulfil their potential. Australian Schools Plus makes it easy to support students at more than 4,600 schools across Australia. Through us:

• Giving to schools is simple, effective and tax deductible.

• Schools can raise funds for programs that give students the best chance of success.

Story Factory

Founded in 2012, Story Factory is a not-for-profit creative writing centre for marginalised young people aged 7 to 17.

Since their launch in 2012, they have taken over 20,000 student enrolments and work with as many as 900 young people a week, and 4,000 a year.

• They work with young people most at risk of low literacy. Their priority is young people from Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse and lower socio-economic backgrounds.

• They run creative writing workshops all across Sydney, Western Sydney and NSW - free of charge.

Deworm the World - Evidence Action

More than 868 million children are at risk of parasitic worm infections worldwide.

These infections, known as soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis, interfere with nutrient uptake and can lead to anemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development. They pose a serious threat to children’s long-term health, education, and productivity. Infected children are often too sick or tired to concentrate at school, or to attend at all.

Parasitic worms exact an enormous toll on human capital, slowing economic development in parts of the world that can least afford it.

To combat worm infection, regular treatment with a simple pill is universally recognised as a safe and effective solution. The Deworm the World Initiative supports school-based deworming: treatment delivered through existing education infrastructure, administered by teachers with support from the health system. This approach is highly cost-effective, well accepted by communities, and efficiently targets the population group at greatest risk for infection: children.

Rigorous evidence shows that school-based deworming can improve children’s health, education, and long-term productivity at an average cost of less than $0.50 per child per year.

Learning For Life Program - Smith Family

The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program recognises that disadvantaged children need extra support to stay at school and go on to further studies or a job. Learning for Life helps create better futures for children in need by providing:

• financial assistance from a sponsor to help disadvantaged families afford the cost of their child’s education;

• support from a Learning for Life Program Coordinator to connect the child and their family to local learning opportunities and other supports; and

• access to Smith Family educational programs to help children get the most out of their school years.