Your spare time is valuable – help charities make a difference
Despite rather hostile policies, Australian charities are continuing their valuable work for the community. Wayne Krow encourages us to consider heading online for some pro-bono or even paid charity work.
In 2015, drastic cuts to Australia’s foreign aid budget saw the country slip in nearly every measurable way against other OECD countries. We shared a dubious distinction with Portugal of being the biggest aid cutters last year. The most recent budget saw a further cut of A$224 million, which will force us further down any generosity yard stick.
These cuts are felt not just overseas, but impacts on aid services domestically as well. Charities across the country are becoming increasingly under resourced with many being taken to the edge, others still being forced to close – their valuable work lost to communities in need, or at risk.
The Refugee Council of Australia is the national umbrella organisation for refugees and organisations that support them – an embattled charity which lost core government funding in 2015 and faces drastic restructure. Donations and volunteer work from well-meaning individuals only go so far. In a nutshell, their invaluable work helping refugees make a new home and participate in their new country is under serious threat.
Some charities are able to provide remuneration for assistance. Their problem isn’t one of funding necessarily, but of available man- (or woman-) power. So this blog is written in the hope to get the thought into the forefront of the average Aussie’s mind to maybe get out there and do pro-bono or even paid charity work.
Across the sector organisations like House Of Welcome (a charity which helps asylum seekers find housing) or ChilOut (an organisation devoted to getting children out of detention), are so severely under resourced that they struggle to continue their vital work.
The list goes on: Refugee Advice & Casework Service, OzHarvest (a charity that distributes excess food to people in need) and even those with much greater national profile – Fred Hollows Foundation, Project Healthy Children or the One Acre Fund – are all feeling the strain of poor funding and community assistance.
Yet they continue their vital work despite hostile policies. You can help them make a difference. Your spare time is valuable, as is any donation. Head online; most charities have the means to receive your generosity and time online. One such platform which can assist both the charities and the population to facilitate this community of aid, is thejobmill.com. It provides a space for workers, and hirers (charities in this case) to broadcast their needs, gain further reach, and in turn obtain a larger mobilisation of helpers. This network outreach approach is one way to combat the issues outlined above, from both sides of the coin (instead of only from the charities and non-profits that are currently struggling to achieve their missions).
There are millions of people willing to help; it’s sometimes just a matter of making it easier to connect with those that require the help.
Wayne Krow has gained experience in a broad array of roles, spanning across several facets of the IT, digital and advertising realms. He is constantly chasing the epicentre of emerging digital and economic trends, as well as trying to create his own innovations through a greater understanding of current (and future) societal needs.
rltuition
October 4, 2016 at 6:37 am
Very nice
Very well written post and I completely agree with this. We should utilize our spare time and invest it for good purpose.We can do a lot of things in our spare time. Do not waste time as "time is money".