Help provide vital educational support to 11,705 Australian children this Christmas.

Our Programs
- Literacy programs
  Providing resources and support to help children living with disadvantage achieve the required reading standard.
- Technology programs
  Providing children and young people living with disadvantage with the critical skills, access, and equipment they need.
- Numeracy programs
  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.
- Mentoring programs
  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.
View all programs
Get Involved
- Ways to fundraise
  Learn about fundraising and give back to the community with The Smith Family.
- Volunteer with us
  Share your skills to help Australian children in need transform their lives through education.
- Partnerships
  Learn how your organisation can partner with The Smith Family and help build a better future for Australian children in need.
- Careers
  We aim to provide a working environment where staff and volunteers have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
- Events
  Participate in events and activities that support young Australians experiencing disadvantage.
- VIEW clubs of Australia
  Learn about VIEW, a leading women’s volunteer organisation and support network with over 16,000 members, across Australia.
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.
- A gift in your will
  Ensure that future generations of Australian children have the support they need to make the most of their education.
- Monthly donation
  Become a monthly donor and provide continual support throughout all stages of a child’s education.
- Philanthropic giving
  Through your philanthropy, you can ensure that young Australians impacted by poverty get the education that all children deserve.
- Single donation
  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.
Login
Child Sponsorship
Donate now

Donate now

Shontae wants to help rural Indigenous communities

Sponsored students

16 September 2019

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students often face greater barriers to education¹. Read this Q&A telling how sponsorship is helping Shontae to stay in school and build big aspirations.

How did you come to be sponsored?

“The Smith Family started helping me when I was in Year 7 at school. We had some financial difficulties at home.

“It was rough. I was struggling a bit and three days before Christmas our house burnt down. It was embarrassing coming back to school because I had no school uniform. I had to borrow one.”

How does sponsorship help you with your education?

“My sponsors help me with buying school things. We have also been given a laptop and internet access by The Smith Family, which has really helped with homework.

“I am now in Year 10 and I really love going to school. I haven’t missed a day for two years now.”

What are your goals for the future?

“I’m hoping to study medicine at university and work in rural communities. I think I would like to be a paediatrician.

“My mum passed away when I was five years old and my dad suffered brain damage in a car crash, so health and medicine are really important to me.

“When I leave school, I want to help close the medical health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. I volunteered in a rural community during the school holidays helping children, and I really fell in love with the people. I want to give something back to the community.”

1. Commonwealth of Australia, Dept of PM&C (2018) Closing the gap, Prime Minister’s report, 2018.

Read more student and family stories in our Spring 2019 edition of Real People Real Stories.

Download