We support parents and early years educators in developing the maths skills of the children in their care so that they can establish the necessary foundation skills.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face additional challenges in their journey through and beyond school.
Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
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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.
“My mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour when I was 11, so it was really tough on my family and me. Being the eldest child, I had to step up and take on a lot of responsibilities at home, so school was no longer a priority,” said Learning for Life student, Quynhi, now aged 21.
“For many years after that I was playing catch up because of the amount of time I had taken off school. I missed out on a lot of learning opportunities that my peers had, such as excursions and camps, because of the limited family income we had.
That’s why I’m so grateful to The Smith Family. Ever since they were involved in my life through the Learning for Life program, they have encouraged me to achieve my best.
“That’s why I’m so grateful to The Smith Family. Ever since they were involved in my life through the Learning for Life program, they have encouraged me to achieve my best. They have played an important role in my achievements by providing me with the resources and opportunities that I needed to become the first female in my family to attend university.
“That’s how I see it. But my mum feels that they allowed her to focus on her recovery while still being able to support her children to get the education that they deserved.”
The generosity of our supporters, sponsors and volunteers has meant the world to Quynhi. So she now looks for every opportunity to help other students in need.
“The Smith Family really inspired me to give back to my community. I’m studying a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy and have volunteered at a special needs school where I get to meet amazing children,” said Quynhi.
“I also work at Officeworks. I have really enjoyed being part of their Back to School Appeal (which also supports The Smith Family) this year. It’s so important that we all contribute in some small way to provide disadvantaged students like myself with the opportunity to explore and further their education.”
The Smith Family really inspired me to give back to my community.
Alliance spent the first five years of his life in a refugee camp in Tanzania before his family settled in Wagga Wagga in regional NSW. His father, who studied biomedicine, found it difficult to find work in Wagga, so lived in Sydney for long stints at a time. As the eldest, Alliance took care of his three younger siblings so his mother could work longer hours. He helped them get ready for school, made lunches, and helped around the house, all while excelling academically.
Alliance was, and still is close with his Smith Family support worker Christine, who has supported his family since he was little. It was a proud day when he told her he had been accepted to study law. Alliance has wanted to be a lawyer since he was a teenager, and his dream is to work for the United Nations. As refugees, his family found it hard to navigate a new country and legal system, so he’d like to be able to have the power to represent people who don’t have the money or resources to stand up for themselves.
He is grateful to have received support from The Smith Family and says the letters he got from his sponsor, as well as birthday messages and vouchers, made him feel like someone out there cared about him. He says this was particularly important for a new Australian, who had to leave most of their family behind.
Alliance is currently working in aged care while he finishes his studies.
