How we invest

Eat Up works to ensure that the one in five students who go to school without eating, are fed. Using a network of volunteers and donations from large and small food companies, Eat Up makes and delivers nutritious lunches to registered schools. What this achieves is much more than a meal. As well as no longer being hungry, children feel connected, are able to concentrate in class, and have the energy for sports and play. And for many, their attendance is improving.

School for Life helps disadvantaged primary and secondary school aged school students in the Mpigi District of Uganda access an education. Currently working in partnership with two local primary Government schools, School for Life delivers practical support. This ranges from teacher training to meals to enable students to come to class and engage in their learning. Through this support, and growing demand, over 1,000 children will be in the program in 2024.

In the remote community of Bulman in the Northern Territory, First Nations students are learning about their culture and how to care for their country from the Mimal Women Rangers. The Learning On Country program, funded by the Karrkad Kanjdji Trust, is a partnership between Mimal Rangers and the local school. The On Country lessons are a regular and formal part of the curriculum. The effect is seeing school attendance rise and new opportunities for local employment and further education.

The Clontarf Foundation works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and young men during their secondary school years. The goal is for all First Nations boys and men to feel supported, capable and confident in all areas of their lives. How this is done is through a comprehensive in-school program delivered throughout the year. With 23 years of results, growing demand as more boys and young men decide to stay at school and increasing program locations, Clontarf’s academies help lasting change happen.

Helping First Nations girls and young women achieve their full potential in all areas of their lives is what drives the programs and services of the Stars Foundation. With over 2,900 students in more than 50 primary and secondary schools across Australia involved with mentoring and support, it is changing lives. Attendance rates at school are up as are the number of students successfully completing Year 12 and moving into work and further study.

Students in the Hwange and Tsholotsho Districts of Zimbabwe live and learn side by side with wildlife with the country’s largest protected area, the Hwange National Park. This experience directly impacts every aspect of their lives and their families agro-based livelihoods as they learn to co-exist with the wildlife industries of conservation and tourism. Helping bring understanding and practical strategies to balance these considerations is one of the IFAW’s programs for primary age students, the Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP. Working in partnership with ZimParks and local schools, IFAW brings resources and activities that support and equip children’s learning now and for the future.

At the Orkeeswa School in Tanzania, a comprehensive and locally led outreach program for Maasai students is creating significant and lasting impact. Faced with few school resources and a history of poor academic performance, primary-age students from eight schools are being supported with new skills, mentoring and leadership opportunities. The goal, to increase retention in school, improve academic results and for girls to continue their education beyond the early years. And it is working.

Central Rift Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is agricultural and community development program for farmers to help sustainably improve productivity. Delivered in partnership with World Vision Australia, local and international governments and farmers in the Rift Valley of Kenya the aim is to improve access to food and increase resilience for 10,000 households with 10,000 hectares under regenerative management. FMNR is a practice that is growing across Kenya, supported by policy and government arrangements to improve the livelihoods of all farmers and the community.

Inclusive WASH is a practical program to improve access to clean water in Rwanda and it is transforming lives. Delivered by World Vision Australia, Inclusive WASH installs water systems, water filters, builds latrines and shower facilities and provides community education programs. In cooperation with local government and providers, Inclusive WASH has assisted over 110,000 people, around half of them children. Its impact continues to ripples in all areas of the community, especially for children.

In remote communities, pools play a vital role in community wellbeing, especially for children. Pools are the focus of the YMCA’s Remote Pools Program, a locally led and culturally appropriate partnership supporting First Nation children and their families. With locally engaged staff, and the program’s ‘yes school yes pool’ rule, children meet, swim and play at the pool and learn the importance of good health. And it is making a real difference.