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Ebonie wants to give her daughter Lily the world – you are helping her do it

18 July 2024

Ebonie loves to give her daughters Lily, 9, and Holly, 11, inspiring and eye-opening experiences on the weekends. She wants to encourage them to dream big! But as most parents will agree, there’s not enough hours in the day. As a single mother working fulltime with the increasing cost of living, Ebonie is chronically time poor. She’s also experiencing financial hardship. “I’ve been struggling a bit,” she admits.

Children get their best chance to thrive when their parents have the help they need. That’s why Ebonie was thrilled that Lily and Holly could access extra learning support all children need to succeed, thanks to you.

Lily was able to join student2student program and now also attends Learning Club. Ebonie’s girls are flourishing, but it’s also eased the strain on this devoted mum. The Smith Family’s wraparound programs fill gaps where Ebonie lacks time and expertise to help her girls keep up at school.

Ebonie’s youngest, Lily, has a friendly, warm personality and a way of looking out for others that is far beyond her years. Ebony believes this could take Lily far in life. She wants to ensure that adversity does not hold Lily back. At one point, Lily was too shy to practice reading out loud in class, putting her at risk of falling behind. “Lily brings home readers and, with me working fulltime, I find it difficult to make time to sit down and read the books with her, so she can get the extra practice,” Ebonie says.

My kids’ education is very important. I didn’t do well in school, so I’m glad that my kids are doing a lot better than I was at their age. I want to say a big thank you to your generous supporters, but that’s not enough for what they’ve done to help her.

Ebonie, Learning for Life parent

But through student2student program, Lily was matched with a peer buddy to read over the phone. These friendly, low-pressure sessions helped Lily get that extra reading time she needed to feel confident to use her voice in class. “After a few sessions, Lily opened up and had a wonderful experience. Her reading has improved a lot – she’s now at the same standard as the rest of her classmates,” Ebonie says.

Ebonie is also delighted at the engaging experiences Lily has at Learning Club each week. Thanks to you, she’s getting extra maths practice via weekly cooking lessons. After school, the caring volunteer tutors will be waiting with a yummy new recipe for the children to try. Lily, her sister Holly and the other students get their hands deliciously dirty. As they prepare lovely treats, they’re learning maths! “Lily loves maths anyway, but we’ve found that incorporating maths into cooking is really fun,” Ebonie says.

Lily is finishing Year 5 this term. She is starting to get ready for highschool. A laptop is a staple for homework and research during this transition. So, it worried Ebonie that she and the girls had to rely on one old laptop between them which barely worked. She couldn’t afford a new one.

Thankfully, through the Digital Learning Essentials program, Lily was offered a refurbished laptop to help her keep up and thrive at school. Ebonie is so grateful that Lily can now have reliable access to opportunities her classmates have.

Every parent wants their child to set their sights high. With the learning support you help provide, Lily can now fully participate in learning and achieve all she aspires to and works so hard for.

Read more student and family stories in our Spring 2024 edition of Real People, Real Stories

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