Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs How Zac’s love of lizards became a love for learning
11 May 2023
On Zac’s 8th birthday, his mum made him jump with joy when she gave him a book about lizards. For any young reptile fan, it’s a pretty exciting present, but there was a reason it was extra special for Zac.
Not that long ago, he might have only enjoyed the pictures. But these days, he can read (and tell everyone else) about all the lizardy facts too.
Zac’s mum, Dagmara, was relieved when his school connected them with The Smith Family. When Zac joined our Learning for Life sponsorship program, Zac could access our out-of-school learning and mentoring programs, including student2student.
student2student helps give children living in disadvantage the same opportunities as their peers to learn how to read. In student2student, Zac was paired with a buddy who helped him improve his reading – and became a great new friend.
Dagmara was quick to pick up the opportunity for her child when the school offered for Zac to participate in the program.
He used to not like school. Now he loves school. It's a really big positive change for our family and for our child.
“I went, ‘yeah, you don’t have to ask me twice’. And Zac went from reading at a level 7 to level 21 in a very short space of time. And absolutely loved it,” she says.
“He went from being uninterested and struggling to read to being super interested. It was the best thing we ever did."
With a shared love of football and both living on farms, Zac and his buddy quickly built a solid relationship.
"He wanted to read with his buddy three times a week,” reflects Dagmara. “They couldn't have matched the two of them up any better."
“He went from being uninterested and struggling to read to being super interested. It was the best thing we ever did."
With a shared love of football and both living on farms, Zac and his buddy quickly built a solid relationship.
"He wanted to read with his buddy three times a week,” reflects Dagmara. “They couldn't have matched the two of them up any better."
His reading buddy and the program supported Zac's interest in reading to take off. But he got much more than great reading results. Zac’s confidence grew too, and he was able to participate more fully in class. It’s a powerful reminder of the potential within every student when they’re empowered with the opportunities all children deserve.
"He's just a different kid,” says Dagmara. “He used to not like school. Now he loves school. It's a really big positive change for our family and for our child."
The school helped to connect all three of Dagmara’s children with The Smith Family Learning for Life program. This eased the financial burden on Dagmara.
She could buy her children good school shoes, new school bags and lunch boxes. They were also provided with a laptop to download and read the books Zac needed for the program.
This helped Dagmara’s children to engage more fully with their classwork and make the most of their learning. They have started to truly enjoy their time at school.
Sponsorship has provided the additional support Zac needs to help unlock a love for learning. Dagmara sums up the way she feels about the sponsorship support and all it provided, saying, "Thank you so much. You have made a huge difference and we are super grateful."
