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- Literacy programs
  Providing resources and support to help children living with disadvantage achieve the required reading standard.
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  Providing children and young people living with disadvantage with the critical skills, access, and equipment they need.
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  We support early years educators and community professionals in building foundational math skills in children under their care.
- Learning for Life
  Providing holistic, long-term support for disadvantaged young Australians throughout their education.
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  Mentoring programs for students living with disadvantage that provide the encouragement they need to build aspirations for their future.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs
  Our work engages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in learning through education, life skills and role models, promoting culturally responsive practice.
Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
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Ways to Give
- Sponsor a child
  Through child sponsorship, you will be matched to an Australian child in need, helping to support the cost of their school essentials.
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  Become a monthly donor and provide continual support throughout all stages of a child’s education.
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  Through your philanthropy, you can ensure that young Australians impacted by poverty get the education that all children deserve.
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  Your donation will help young Australians in need by providing access to our Learning for Life education support programs.
- Workplace giving
  Making small, regular donations to The Smith Family through Workplace Giving is an easy way to help change the lives of young Australians living in poverty.
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Child Sponsorship
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Dylan's new pencils mean so much!

Sponsored students

03 March 2023

Like so many young people in Australia, ten-year-old Dylan has a keen interest in protecting the environment. He belongs to the school’s Green Club and proudly wears the club’s cap in the playground alongside the other waste warriors.

By receiving help from his sponsor with the little extras – like being able to afford to buy the Green Club cap – Dylan feels more engaged with his school community. Dylan and his mum Amy have also noticed the difference sponsorship makes to his schooling.

“Sponsorship is really helpful because we can use the money to buy the things we need, like school supplies,” says Dylan. “My pencils have been getting smaller because I sharpen them so much, so that’s why I need more pencils.”

Sponsorship also provides Dylan with additional educational support and encouragement through his Learning for Life Coordinator Debra. Debra helped connect Dylan to our out-of-school educational programs student2student and Learning Club.

Learning Club is great because the volunteers help me out a lot. They help me correct my mistakes

Dylan, Learning for Life student

Since Dylan started participating in our student2student reading program, Debra has noticed a big change. “Dylan’s reading has improved significantly. His confidence has
increased and he enjoys reading out loud,” says Debra.

At Learning Club, volunteer tutors help Dylan keep up in class. His time here has also helped foster a great love of maths – so much so that he dreams of becoming a banker one day.

Dylan’s hope of building a career based on his favourite subject is one many young people share. But when living in disadvantage means he sometimes can’t afford school essentials like pencils, pursuing his goal becomes much harder.

So when Amy told us, “sponsorship has been a great support to Dylan and me”, it reminded us of how vital your support is. Thank you for helping children discover that anything is possible if they are given the chance to explore their potential.

Read more student and family stories in our Autumn 2023 edition of Real People, Real Stories.

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