Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Today Amelia has the world at her feet thanks to her sponsor
Amelia had a happy childhood – but money was always tight. “I grew up in public housing in regional Victoria with my single mum and twin sister,” she says. “I was very aware of the financial situation my family was in.”
As a child, Amelia would remind her mum when bills needed paying. She’d avoid activities that cost money – money they didn’t have.
So, in Year 3, it was a relief that Amelia was able to join the Learning for Life program, thanks to a wonderful sponsor like you. She remembers when her mum told her and her twin they could get more books and better uniforms. “We were very excited,” she says. “We could also go on excursions and school camps.”
Her sponsorship brought along the incredible wrap-around learning support to Amelia. This support means she can access a suite of tailored out-of-school learning and mentoring programs. Programs like student2student were so much fun. Amelia’s reading buddy opened her mind to books she’d never heard of before. “student2student helped me develop my reading skills,” she says. “I could then advance through the reading levels at school.”
As Amelia studied hard in Year 12, with big plans for university, support from her Learning Club tutor – made possible by her sponsor – helped boost her marks. “I was studying biology – having medicine students as tutors was pretty handy!”
Now 22, Amelia can look back and see the challenges of poverty she experienced that her classmates didn’t have. This included not having internet in her home for schoolwork until age 13.
I grew up in public housing in regional Victoria with my single mum and twin sister. I was very aware of the financial situation my family was in.
Today she’s in her third year of a law and global studies degree. Her world has expanded as she now lives away from her family and supports herself financially.
Amelia’s sponsor helps her make the most of her education, with support for textbooks, stationery, and transport. “At university, things tend to cost more.”
Letters of encouragement from her sponsor were gratefully received as a child. Amelia is just as excited to receive them now. “Through this contact with my sponsor I feel even more supported, and I want to do really well – even more than I already do on my own.”
Amelia’s world has grown even wider. Last year she travelled overseas for the first time – on a student exchange to Germany for uni. A little girl from a small town who worried about the bills is now a woman of the world, being rewarded for her determination. “There is so much to learn and understand. I’m loving it.”
Read more student and family stories in our Spring 2023 edition of Real People, Real Stories
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