Your 2024 Impact: Reflections From Our CEO

Thank you for showing love to your neighbours in the 2024 financial year. Poverty has devastating effects on children and families across our global neighbourhood. But progress isn’t just possible, it’s taking place. Compassion Australia CEO Clare Steele shares her reflections on a year of incredible impact below.

30 Sep, 2024

Poverty doesn’t end overnight. It takes a neighbourhood committed to long-term transformation in a child’s life. Thanks to your generosity, children are receiving support from our local partners that empowers them to break the cycle of poverty in their families. I am humbled to hear stories of children across our global neighbourhood who are doing just that.

This year, in Bangladesh, I listened as a 17-year-old girl stood to share her story. Her eyes were firmly glued to the carpet, her shoulders hunched over and her hands clasped in front of her. She spoke quietly in Bangla, and I found myself leaning in even though I didn’t understand her words.

The translator spoke when she paused, and, as we listened, the young woman quickly glanced at us. As she did, she would have seen faces covered with tears. We heard how she, as a 16-year-old, had arrived home from school to the announcement from her parents that she would be married the next day. She described the sadness of leaving her home, friends and community to take on the duties of a wife.

For children and youth across the globe, poverty is more than just a lack of resources—it’s a lack of choice. It’s not being able to decide if you will keep going to school, what career you will pursue or when you will get married.

Poverty writes your future for you.

Yet our local partners are hard at work instilling hope in their communities. In the story of this girl in Bangladesh, I could hear this hope. As she continued speaking, she lifted her eyes from the carpet and met ours. She spoke of her determination to complete her education and develop skills to earn an income. Because of her hope and courage, her story is just beginning.

Listening to her, I was reminded of the depth of poverty. It is multi-faceted, meaning our response must be too.

I am grateful to be part of an organisation that empowers the physical, socio-emotional, cognitive and spiritual development of children. This holistic approach of our local partners means transformation is deep and long-lasting.

This year, we have seen this transformative impact through your support of our three core programs.

Mums and Babies

Our Mums and Babies program supports children before they are even born to ensure they have a healthy start to life. The program begins during pregnancy and supports mums and babies through birth up until the child is 1 year old. Mums and Babies helps provide the support needed to prevent premature death, secure good health and enable positive development.

We are celebrating that, this year, 1,096 babies and their caregivers were supported through 69 Mums and Babies projects funded by Compassion Australia supporters.

Thanks to you, our local partners have been able to provide mothers with critical education, home-based care, community support and medical assistance. This year, across all Mums and Babies projects, we have welcomed 12,373 babies and we praise God that 92.3 per cent were born at a normal birthweight.

Child Sponsorship

Compassion partners with 8,686 local partners to deliver our Child Sponsorship Program. Through the generosity of supporters like you, over 2.3 million children are receiving holistic care.

Children participating in the program were given the opportunity to grow spiritually, pursue education, learn new skills, receive healthcare and good nutrition, develop healthy relationships and play in safe places.

In the 2024 financial year, 130,211 children were supported by generous Australian supporters!

This is an incredible milestone, and I feel so encouraged knowing that these children have loving sponsors who are helping equip them to build a future beyond poverty. Not only that, but thanks to your generosity, 14,461 unsponsored children received support to participate in the Compassion program, ensuring they secured the care they needed while they wait for a sponsor.

Critical Needs

Compassion works with our local partners to identify the urgent needs in their communities and, through your support, fund projects that will help children overcome obstacles to their development.

I am excited to share that, through your support this year, 109,650+ children, as well as their families and communities, were impacted by Critical Needs projects!

Here are some highlights of your impact through Critical Needs:

• 29 new Compassion centres were launched, equipping our local partners with spaces and resources to care for children in their communities.

• 5,033 children were able to access much-needed medical treatment to improve their health and wellbeing.

• 154 youth are now able to attend university to work towards being economically self-supporting.

• 12 water systems were built, meaning 2,450 children now have access to the clean water they need to flourish.

• 832 small businesses were launched or enhanced, allowing youth and caregivers to generate an income to provide for their families.

As I reflect on another year of incredible impact across our global neighbourhood, I know that this is only possible through community. It is the communities formed by our local partners where children and families can find true hope. And it is the community of loving neighbours like you who make this important work possible.

I encourage you to read this year’s Annual Report to explore more of your impact. As you do so, I pray you find yourself leaning in and listening to the beautiful story of what God has been doing through your generosity.

Thank you for your partnering with us to see holistic transformation in our global neighbourhood.

Clare Steele, Compassion Australia CEO