Your support for women like Oliva means action, creating lasting change and building brighter futures.
Change the lives of women like Oliva
This year alone, there are estimated to be 388 million women and girls worldwide living in extreme poverty.
Your generosity can truly make a difference by:
Enriching young minds with literacy and numeracy skills, beneficial in finding future employment
Providing necessities, including access to clean and safe water, and food for nourishment
Funding shelters that provide food, accommodation, counselling, legal assistance, and referrals to other services, including health and education, for women and children survivor of violence.
Training vulnerable women to develop livelihood skills that help them support themselves and their children as they reintegrate into communities, building their independence and resilience.
How Oliva’s life transformed
Oliva, a 22-year-old woman living in Tanzania with her husband, two young sons and an adopted niece and nephew, didn’t have the opportunity to go to school growing up - and was embarrassed that she couldn’t read, write or count.
Around 25 per cent of Tanzanian girls and women over 15 years cannot read or write, with many families unable to afford school fees or uniforms. Now, as an adult, Oliva runs a kiosk and works as a farm labourer - but her business was losing money because she learnt any numeracy skills.
Then Oliva enrolled in Caritas Australia-supported literacy and numeracy classes. She also set up a classroom at home to teach her neighbours for free because they were too shy to attend larger classes.
Oliva has now graduated, as have some of her students. Attendance at her classes is growing, her kiosk is thriving, and she can help her children with their homework. She aims to become a pastor and run for leadership in the next local election.
“I am proud to be a teacher who helps others to achieve their dream,” Oliva says.
Your support is lifesaving for people experiencing poverty. Please help more people like Oliva to access the education they need to transform their lives.