Sponsor an Australian Child in Need

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.

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.

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 backgrounds^3.