Help a child like Billy fulfil their potential
“I don’t like school. I don’t fit in. I don’t want to go back.”
Like most children, 9-year-old Billy* used to love school. Then his dad Jake, a solo parent, was diagnosed with cancer and they were plunged into sudden poverty.
After two years of struggling to make ends meet, they lost their home last October. They had to move to a more affordable area and Billy was forced to leave the school he loved and start at a new school.
Without the school essentials he needed like the correct uniform or a proper school bag, Billy has struggled to fit in. He stands out, for all the wrong reasons.
When Billy's dad had to give up their family home, Billy was forced to leave the school he loved.
“Dad’s so sick and he’s always sad and stressed. I think he’d be happy if I did better at school, but I can’t. I’m just no good.”
But feeling ‘different’ is just one of the reasons Billy doesn’t want to go to school. He had already fallen behind in his learning because of the challenges of remote schooling during COVID-19 and the disruption of moving schools has left him further behind than ever.
Now he thinks he’ll never catch up or fit in – and he believes it’s his fault.
Without help, there's a real risk that Billy will eventually give up on his education and leave school without completing Year 12.
Children growing up in poverty can face a lifetime of disadvantage.
Children growing up in poverty can face a lifetime of disadvantage.
Today, one in six1 Australian children and young people are growing up in poverty, where even life's basics are hard to come by.
The impact on a child’s education can affect the course of their entire life. They start behind, and stay behind: without help, they may never be able to break the cycle of disadvantage.
Research shows that around 41% of 24-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are not fully engaged in work or study, compared to 17% of those from the most advantaged backgrounds3.
You can make sure poverty doesn’t hold Billy back
Without money for school essentials Billy struggles to fit in.
“I’m not like the other kids at this school. They don’t want to be friends with me. They all have cool pencil cases and lunchboxes; I don’t have anything like that. And we’re doing different stuff in class. I don’t know anything.”
If you sponsor a child like Billy you can help them break the cycle of poverty.
If you sponsor a child like Billy you can help them break the cycle of poverty.
Early intervention is crucial. Through our child sponsorship program, we provide targeted support that begins early in a child’s life and continues in a balanced, long-term way throughout their schooling.
How your sponsorship will help a student
Financial support to pay for school essentials like a school uniform, shoes, textbooks, digital devices and excursions.
Guidance and support from a Learning for Life Coordinator who works with the family and understands the specific needs of a child.
Ongoing access to our out-of-school learning and mentoring programs to help students build the skills they need to thrive at school and beyond.
