ORGANISATIONS WE HAVE SUPPORTED
Case Study:
Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia)
The Birthing Kit Foundation provides birth kits and education in clean birthing practices, to women living in developing countries around the world.
In partnership with the Australian community and global field partners, they have distributed 2.4 million Clean Birth Kits to women in need. Kits are provided to mothers through community outreach programs, supplied to health facilities for use by doctors, midwives and nurses or distributed to traditional birthing attendants.
The kits are designed to support hygienic practices during childbirth, preventing infections which often can be the cause of death for the mother and child. The use of gloves also stops the spread of HIV and other STDs.
Through education programs, BKFA have trained 10,000 traditional birth attendants and contributed to the prevention of FGM in the communities they work in.
Case Study:
Food Ladder
Food Ladder gives people the tools to stop hunger and malnourishment. We provide remote and regional communities with hydroponic greenhouses and specialised training so they can grow fruit and vegetables, and set up their own social enterprise if they want to.
Our horticulture and business experts offer support throughout the process. We leave behind a sustainable food system, which has health, educational and economic benefits.
We established our not-for-profit in 2008. Local communities now own, manage and run 11 greenhouses in:
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Katherine, NT
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Tennant Creek, NT
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Werribee South,Vic
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India - six sites including one stretching across an acre
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Bhutan
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Uganda.
We are rolling out 20 new greenhouses by the end of 2021.
We have five different types of greenhouses, including ones that are cyclone-rated. The greenhouses are climate-controlled and thus highly productive. You can grow just about anything
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leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce
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vining crops such as tomatoes and zucchinis
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bush foods such as saltbush and native basil
Communities will pick a greenhouse that suits their goals. Some want to grow fresh food. Others want to set up a commercial enterprise so they can sell fruit and vegetables and create jobs. Some see it as a community project where everyone can learn about horticulture and nutrition.
A number of programs are connected to the greenhouses:
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mums and bubs healthy eating workshops
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accredited training in horticulture for school leavers
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local school kids coming to the greenhouse to learn about health, nutrition, and plant biology
Our horticulturalists give ongoing green thumb tips and training. Our executives have backgrounds in business so offer advice on how to sell produce, access new markets and make a profit. We also have a new Food Ladder online platform where growers can get hold of manuals, discounted seeds, advice on sales and supply chain management or seasonal harvest rotation, and much more.
We collaborate with all sorts of organisations to get this work done, including NGOs, government, and community groups. In what is the first longitudinal study of its kind, Charles Perkins Centre experts at the University of Sydney will benchmark health in a community before a new greenhouse is set up to look at long-term outcomes. We also have a Food Ladder scholarship so an indigenous student can do an MBA at the same university.
Our organisation has built 19 successful social enterprises, which have transitioned into self-sustaining businesses. Since our inception in 2008, we have fed thousands of people and created over 600 jobs for remote Indigenous workers, long-term unemployed people, asylum seekers and public housing tenants.
We are extremely grateful for the support of the Neilson Foundation.
Case Study:
Médecins Sans Frontieres
Médecins Sans Frontières is the world’s leading independent organisation for medical humanitarian aid. Every day 30,000 Médecins Sans Frontières field staff provide assistance to people caught in crises around the world.
Médecins Sans Frontières exists to save lives by providing medical aid where it is needed most – in armed conflicts, epidemics, famines and natural disasters. All these situations call for a rapid response with specialised medical and logistical help. But, they also run longer-term projects, tackling health crises and supporting people where the need is greatest. They currently have projects running in almost 70 countries.
Case Study:
Triple Care Farm
Triple Care Farm is an award-winning youth rehab facility located in NSW’s Southern Highlands, which helps to rehabilitate 100 young people each year suffering with substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness and family breakdown.
The Farm’s approach is best described as holistic. Over the course of 12 weeks, staff not only provide treatment for addiction but also seek to address underlying issues and contributing factors to the young person’s situation.
Triple Care Farm is one of the most successful programs of its kind in Australia, with the majority of graduates moving into jobs, apprenticeships or further education. At the end of their stay, the students graduate from the program and are placed in supportive environments such as group homes, back with families or independent living. Community support networks are established and follow-up continues for three to six months after the students leave the Farm as part of the ‘Aftercare’ program.
