Marine biologist or Olympian? Charlize is thrilled by the options unfolding with the help of your amazing gifts!

Thanks to donors like you, life is now full of options for Charlize. But that hasn’t always been the case. Malina, Charlize’s mum left Sydney for the Gold Coast “escaping a bad situation” and crippling cost of living. She left everything she knew, and took her four children, including the youngest Charlize to Queensland. “My kids had been through trauma – now we were on our own.”

Things were bleak. Malina was studying teaching and money was tight. She couldn’t even afford Christmas presents. But she was determined to give her children a safe, secure life, so they could flourish.

If Malina could finish her studies and get a good job, she knew they could overcome the obstacles poverty had put in their way. But studying full-time, while supporting four children alone and helping them heal from trauma was overwhelmingly hard. “We were just getting by,” says Malina.

At the toughest time in their lives, Malina seized an opportunity for Charlize, Year 2, to access The Smith Family learning program student2student. It was possible thanks to wonderful supporters like you.

Now, Charlize could get help to avoid falling further behind in her reading. And there was less strain on Malina to help her catch up. She could focus on her studies and getting a job, to lift her family out of poverty.

“At the time, homework time was chaotic – I was studying, cooking and cleaning on my own after school, while trying to help four kids with their homework,” says Malina. She remembers how Charlize loved to read with her student buddy. “I think doing her reading with another young person kept it more interesting for Charlize,” Malina says. The results were remarkable. “With student2student, she got comfortable speaking in front of someone else. Then she felt confident to do it at school,” Malina explains. Charlize eventually won an award for her public speaking.

Today Charlize is 16, in Year 10, and a world-class athlete. She was recently selected to represent Australia at an international rugby tournament in Japan and she’s being courted by elite sports clubs and is even eyeing the Olympics!

But Charlize also continues to prioritise her education, with the confidence of knowing she can use her voice – and the power of her education – to change the world. She recently went on an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. This has inspired her to study biology and make a difference. “After looking at the ecosystems, she came back motivated to solve the problems of the reef!” Malina says.

Malina wants you to know you are her hero. “When Charlize needed it most, you were there providing the best learning support available, so I could get my family through this,” she says.