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.
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Child Sponsorship
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Meet some supporters

Supporters

06 September 2017

I see so many people in a similar situation to that of my family who are stuck because they haven’t had the same educational opportunities to break out of that disadvantage.

Trent, student sponsor

Trent’s story

Having benefited from the support of The Smith Family many years ago, Trent recently began sponsoring a Learning for Life student.

“My parents fled Vietnam as refugees in the early 1980s when I was still a baby. We literally had nothing when we arrived and would have been lost without the support of charitable organisations.

Education has always been the ticket to a secure life in the eyes of my parents. It’s one of the things they missed out on, being migrants. They’ve had to work in low skilled jobs for most of their lives, due to a lack of formal education and language barriers, so they’ve always pushed me hard to achieve.

I’ve finished my university study and am now working in stable and rewarding employment, which has given me a regular income and the chance to give something back.

Any support that can be offered to disadvantaged young people which allows them to get a foothold into a stable education, gives them opportunities they might not otherwise have. This is why I’m really happy to support Learning for Life.”

Lauren’s story

Lauren is an Adelaide-based teacher who recently began sponsoring one of our Learning for Life students.

“I’ve always been convinced of the importance of parenting and the need to support parents so that they can support their children. The Smith Family tackles a very important part of this vital work. I decided a long time ago that as soon as I could afford to, I would sponsor a child. I really understand the pain parents and children suffer when they have to work so hard for the basic things that children need to feel part of the school community.

Children can’t learn properly if they are worrying about how mum is going to make ends meet. Children often feel responsible, which is awful, because there’s nothing they can do to mitigate the situation. “I’ve always believed in the value of education because it helps a person develop.”

I just hate that some children (and an increasing number) in a wealthy country like Australia are being cheated of a childhood just because of money

Lauren, student sponsor