It's time to CARE
First, I want to take you back the days when the cool kids had a flip phones, we put floppy disks in our computers and Oasis were about to hit it large. It was a time when you could go out and do dumb sh*t without fear of it going viral. Me, well I’d just graduated from university and was coming to terms with the fact it was time to kiss goodbye to long holidays, sleep-ins and never ending parties to join the ranks of the great employed and start paying off the debts.
My sights were set on banking and I clearly remember being at home filling out an application form for a graduate trainee job. The reason it stands out is thanks to one note on the form which grabbed my attention, “We do not discriminate on the basis of gender”. Why on earth would they have to state that? Of course I would not be discriminated against because I was a woman. Bless that naïve 21-year-old.
Since then, I have become more and more aware of the discrimination and challenges women face because of their gender. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in a country where I can make my own decisions on how I live my life. I get to vote, drive a car, own land, can go out wherever I like, with whoever I like. On top of that, unlike one in three women, I have not experienced gender based violence.
There are many women out there who aren’t as fortunate and on top of that, they live in poverty. They don’t have access to the same education and healthcare. They don’t have clean water and they don’t have adequate food.
These are the people I want to try and help. That is why I choose to support CARE with this expedition.
Why CARE?
CARE are a humanitarian aid organisation working globally. Their mission is to “save lives lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice”.
What I love about CARE is that they put women and girls at the centre of their initiatives. Why? Because they know we can't overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities.
The work they do covers education, health, food and nutrition, emergency assistance, economic development, governance, water and sanitation, disability inclusion and climate change.
By putting women and girls at the centre of what they do, the impact of their work is greater. In fact, it has been shown to be four times greater. When one woman breaks out of poverty, she’ll bring four more with her. That’s lasting change and longer term results.
Here are a few facts from CARE:
There are 31 million girls of primary school age out of school. CARE build schools, provide textbooks and work with teachers to improve the quality of education
Preventable diseases are the main causes of death in children under the age of five. CARE reached as estimated 10 million people through 2013 through programs that improve access to vital healthcare services
One in eight people globally don’t have enough food to lead healthy lives. CARE promotes sustainable agriculture in poor communities. Over five years CARE reached an estimated 10 milion people, 70% were women and girls
On top of that, for every $1 donated, 90% goes to directly to the programs they run – that’s incredibly high. They focus on helping the most vulnerable and poorest in the world – there are no agendas, they are free from religion and have no political affiliation.
I could bang of for ages as to why I think CARE is such an incredible charity worthy of your donation. To find out more about the work they do, please check out their their website: www.care.org.au.
Now’s the perfect time to donate. For those who already have – THANK YOU. You have all been incredibly generous. For those that haven’t, donate between now at 30-Jun here in Australia and you can get money back in this year’s tax return.
To donate, please head to this link: DONATE or head the Donate page here. It’s super easy and your donation will make a huge difference.
Thank you!