Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Thank you for giving Jemimah the power to be bold
02 August 2023
All parents want the best for their children. Eva is not any different. She had brought Jemimah and her three other children here from Uganda to give them a brighter future. Eva worked so hard, doing
night shifts to keep her children fed. But surviving financially left little time to help her children prepare for school and become all that they could be.
“I am the only parent they have. I must provide everything they need, and I go out of my way to do that. But when I’d come back from night shift in the morning, they would have already gone to school,” says Eva. “I didn’t even know if they’d packed their lunch and worn their jumpers to stay warm. That was so hard.”
night shifts to keep her children fed. But surviving financially left little time to help her children prepare for school and become all that they could be.
“I am the only parent they have. I must provide everything they need, and I go out of my way to do that. But when I’d come back from night shift in the morning, they would have already gone to school,” says Eva. “I didn’t even know if they’d packed their lunch and worn their jumpers to stay warm. That was so hard.”
Because education matters so much to Eva, she was very pleased for Jemimah, Year 7, and her siblings to join The Smith Family’s learning programs. And it was all thanks to amazing Champions like you!
Five years since the family arrived, Jemimah is now 18. Thanks to your generous monthly gifts, she was recently introduced to iTrack online mentoring, a program that helps students with advice for life after school. You are now helping her plan an exciting career pathway.
I had braced myself for the hard times, but having this help means everything and it’s such a relief.
She’s loved connecting with her mentor, who designs buildings for a living – something Jemimah wants to do too. “When I finish school, I want to go to university and be an architect,” Jemimah says. “I’m speaking to people in the industry. I’m getting the skills to push myself more, to think for myself – that’s what I’ve learnt to do.” Jemimah’s mother Eva sees how rewarding iTrack is. “After Jemimah has these conversations, she is really happy and has a clear vision of what she wants to become.”
Jemimah also received free internet donated by Optus customers through our Digital Learning Essentials program. The internet has helped her stay connected and keep up with digital learning. “I can access the internet wherever I am, be it at school or home.”
Eva is grateful that Champions like you can see Jemimah’s potential and have chosen to invest in her future. “When a kind stranger lends a helping hand, this is the community helping my child become what they deserve to be,” she says. “It makes such a difference, knowing your children have the support they need to succeed in life.”
Thank you for helping young Australians like Jemimah to get the most out of their education and reach their full potential.
Eva is grateful that Champions like you can see Jemimah’s potential and have chosen to invest in her future. “When a kind stranger lends a helping hand, this is the community helping my child become what they deserve to be,” she says. “It makes such a difference, knowing your children have the support they need to succeed in life.”
Thank you for helping young Australians like Jemimah to get the most out of their education and reach their full potential.
Read more student and family stories in our Spring 2023 edition of Real People, Real Stories.
