Chenoa, mum Karmilya, Laporsha,
Seth and Blake – Learning for Life family
Real People, Real Stories
Thank you for making a difference
through sponsorship.
Spring 2016
Your sponsorship means so much to children in need,
thank you
It takes a special person to help someone they
don’t know. This is something our sponsored
students regularly tell us. When you’re singled
out for being ‘the poor kid’, life can be lonely and
disadvantaged children can feel that they don’t
matter. As a sponsor, you show them that they do.
Thank you for your incredible support.
We know that changing lives takes long-term
commitment. We start our work with disadvantaged
children when they are very young, and support them
until the end of their high school years, and onto
tertiary studies if they choose.
In this edition of Real People, Real Stories, Teigan
(page 3) shares how 14 years of sponsorship gave
her a future she never thought possible. Without her
sponsor, Teigan would have had to start working in
her early teens. Instead, she is now at university.
Last year over 33,000 students benefited from the support
of sponsorship from generous people just like you. Thank
you – we simply couldn’t do it without you.
Dr Lisa O’Brien at a Smith Family Learning Club
Dr Lisa O’Brien
Chief Executive Officer
Soon our support will reach 24,000 more students in need
A recent four-year funding commitment from the Federal Government will enable The Smith Family to significantly
increase the number of disadvantaged children we can support. When combined with generous donations from
supporters like you, we will be able to give an additional 24,000 disadvantaged students access to our vital support.
Thank you for helping us to provide a solution to entrenched disadvantage that’s delivering positive educational
outcomes for students in need. Together we will help thousands more disadvantaged children realise their potential.
Financial assistance enabled Teigan to go further with
her education
Learning for Life student, Teigan (left)
with sisters Tenile and Tamara
“My sister, Tenile, and I had a discussion about
who was going to go on the excursion. We didn’t
want to both ask Mum because we knew she’d
have to say no to one of us ... it’s strange for
seven and five year olds to be talking about that
kind of thing,” said Teigan, 22.
It was over fourteen years ago, but Teigan still
remembers life before The Smith Family. Her mother
couldn’t work because Teigan’s youngest sister,
Tamara, was severely disabled. There was little left
after the medical expenses. So Teigan missed out at
school – until her sponsor came along.
“Uniforms and school excursions sort of became a
luxury. When The Smith Family got involved, we always
knew there was going to be money for excursions,
school books, anything that we needed for school,”
said Teigan.
Having left school early, Teigan’s parents couldn’t help
her plan for her future. Sponsorship also gave her
the opportunity to take part in our online mentoring
program iTrack, which matches students in Years 9 to
11 to trained adult mentors who offer guidance about
study options and career paths. These days, Teigan is
at university and hopes to become a writer or editor.
“In Year 10 I didn’t even know where I was going at that
point … From [iTrack] I gained an incredible amount of
confidence in myself and for my future,” said Teigan.
“If I didn’t have the sponsorship, I have
no doubt I would have been working by
the time I was 14. I can honestly say that
I would not be at university right now.”
“I feel like I’ve grown up with The Smith Family … I’m
extremely grateful.”
Sponsorship is helping Aaron and Kyle to realise
their potential
“Our area is a predominantly welfare area. Unfortunately, in our area there’s a lot of drugs and
things like that … my boys see that and aspire to get out of here,” said Belinda, single mum of
Aaron, 11 and Kyle, 13.
Belinda knows what it’s like to be ‘the poor kid’. After
her dad broke his back her parents struggled to make
ends meet on the pension. Without uniforms and
proper schoolbags, Belinda was singled out at school.
She wanted more for her own children. Then Kyle was
diagnosed with behavioural disorders when he was
three years old.
You are the reason children like Aaron can participate
fully at school and belong. Before sponsorship,
Aaron felt nervous at school. Now he feels confident
and dreams of helping others when he grows up.
That is the power of your support. It not only helps
disadvantaged children and families, but also has a
ripple effect that creates stronger communities.
“Kyle has ADHD and ODD (Oppositional Defiant
Disorder) ... that’s why I can’t work, because I have
to be there for him. My ex-husband is on a disability
pension. He couldn’t work, and it was through no fault
of his own. It’s always been tough,” said Belinda.
“I want to become a business developer or something
… I’d love to make jewellery, clothes, stuff like that.
And help the homeless. I’d like to give clothes to them
so they don’t get sick or cold from not wearing the
right clothing,” said Aaron.
Seeing her boys being bullied for not fitting in was hard
for Belinda. She knew firsthand how deep those scars
ran. Yet Belinda couldn’t afford Aaron and Kyle’s school
essentials, until they were matched with Smith Family
sponsors.
Aaron’s brother, Kyle, is also a lot happier after taking
part in our reading program. Student2student pairs
students who are up to two years behind in their
reading with trained student buddies who read with
them over the phone to improve the younger student’s
reading skills.
“I didn’t have uniforms ... The bullying
that I endured at school, it did follow
me into adulthood. It sucked away
my self-esteem. My kids are more
fortunate because they did get the
sponsorship. This meant they could
get their school bags, school uniforms,
shoes and socks,” said Belinda.
“If they didn’t have sponsorship my sons would have
been the odd ones out, because I could not afford to
buy those essential things for school,” says Belinda.
“When he first started he would stumble when he was
reading. [Now] there’s no fights – he gets up in the
morning, he’s packing his bag ready for school. Totally
different kid. This boils down to the confidence he’s
gotten from student2student,” said Belinda.
“I see the difference the support has
made with my kids. Without sponsors
and supporters my kids would have just
fallen between the cracks. Thank you.”
“[Before at school] I felt a bit
nervous, a bit sad. [Having a sponsor]
made me feel happy that I was just
like everyone else, with the proper
school uniform,” said Aaron, 11.
Learning for Life students, Kyle and Aaron with mother Belinda
Having a sponsor encouraged Joska to achieve her best
“I was so excited [for school] … then I realised
that they were speaking a different language.
With my homework I wouldn’t even understand it
… sometimes I would just end up crying because I
wanted to learn but it was just too hard,” said Joska.
After growing up in a refugee camp in Uganda, Joska
was only 10 years old when she arrived in Australia.
War had forced her dad to abandon his education early
on. So Joska saw school as a great privilege and was
determined to make the most of it. But without English
skills, she struggled to learn.
At our Learning Clubs, students in primary or
secondary school get learning support outside of
school from trained volunteer tutors. Joska attended
Learning Club from Years 6 to 12. The long-term
support empowered her to finish school.
“Learning Club helped me develop my reading skills
and learn my ABCs. By the end of [Year 6] I could read
properly,” said Joska.
“It [also] really helped me in Year 12, especially because
I had a job … it gave me time to do my homework with
the tutor, which helped me. That took away some stress.”
As a sponsor, you give disadvantaged students vital wraparound support. It is not only the financial assistance for
school essentials and our learning programs that change
lives. Knowing that their sponsor cares about their future
encourages students like Joska to keep going. Now Joska
is studying at university to become a lawyer.
“To know that your sponsor is actually
tracking your progress and just wants
you to learn and educate yourself,
it is really amazing – because that
motivates you to achieve,” said Joska.
Learning for Life student, Joska
Sponsorship means Karmilya’s children are no
longer missing out
“My three year old daughter has cystic fibrosis. Financially we’ve got to worry about providing for
her and her medical needs. I couldn’t work. [My eldest daughter], Chenoa, spent a lot of time with
one uniform and I’d just have to wash it every day. The excursions were the big hit … I really couldn’t
afford them,” said single mum, Karmilya.
After falling pregnant in Year 11, Karmilya worked hard
to finish Year 12 from home. She wanted the best for
her children. But caring for her youngest daughter
meant the money wasn’t there for her other children’s
school essentials.
Thanks to their sponsors, Karmilya’s children now have
complete uniforms and money for excursions. And the
emotional support from her sponsor has encouraged
11 year old Chenoa to do well at school.
“Chenoa has a sponsor who writes her letters. She
loves it. She sits at her desk in her room and writes
back … she likes letting her sponsor know she’s
improved,” said Karmilya.
Sponsorship also gives Chenoa access to our Learning
Club. Getting assistance with her homework has given
Chenoa so much confidence that she’s even able to
help other students.
“She does Learning Club on a Monday and she loves
that. Chenoa’s more like a leader who helps all the
other kids – sits down and reads with them,” said
Karmilya.
With the wrap-around support her
sponsor provides, Chenoa has
blossomed both personally and
academically. Now Chenoa believes
in herself and is determined to keep
trying her hardest at school.
Learning for Life
student, Chenoa
Our Learning for Life staff empower students to
rethink their futures
“When you start hearing things like, ‘I really want to
come and work here one day,’ I think that’s when you
realise what a difference [our support] makes.”
With over 25 years at The Smith Family, Warunee’s first
role involved providing emergency help in the form of
food and electricity vouchers. But she saw that handouts didn’t change a family’s circumstances, with the
same families needing assistance time and again.
Research shows that supporting a child’s education is
one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of
disadvantage. Today the Learning for Life program is
focused on supporting the education of disadvantaged
children, so they don’t become adults who need
welfare support.
Learning for Life Team Leader, Warunee
As a Learning for Life Team Leader, Warunee
works in one of Australia’s most disadvantaged
communities. Each day she sees firsthand the
pressures facing students in this area. Many
think their only option is to leave school early to
start work. Most have never been outside of their
community. They have limited aspirations and
narrow horizons.
“You take them to the city and they say, ‘Oh, do people
work in these sorts of buildings?’ Their eyes are
popping out of their heads,” said Warunee.
SERPRS16S
thesmithfamily.com.au
Email:
Phone:
Mail:
[email protected]
1800 633 622
The Smith Family
GPO Box 10500, Sydney NSW 2001
“The Smith Family works to empower
students. This helps them to become
more productive and confident members
of society – so they can enter the world
feeling self-assured,” said Warunee.
Thanks to sponsors like you, we are able to offer
financial assistance for students’ school essentials and
provide regular personal support through a Learning for
Life Coordinator. Your support also connects students
to learning programs to help them thrive at school.
Thank you for helping disadvantaged children and
young people create a better future for themselves.
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