The concerns for Indigenous Australians are many. Compared to non-Indigenous Australians, our Indigenous children are nearly three times as likely to die before their first birthday, two-thirds will not finish secondary school and on average they will die 20 years earlier than the wider Australian population.

World Vision’s ongoing work with Australia’s Indigenous people is through invitation into communities and is based upon consultation with community leaders and members to ascertain the role we can best play in the ongoing development of these communities.

The Australia Program aims to design and implement successful projects that tackle the causes of poverty and transform the lives of children and their communities, guided by the following principles:

• The Australia Program’s strategic contribution is not as a provider of funds or services, but of technical assistance provided in long-term projects delivered through effective partnering;
• We believe communities must be empowered to define their developmental needs, their problems and their solutions. We use participatory methodologies to ensure local involvement in the development process to repair or strengthen local leadership and community engagement and to empower communities for self-management;
• We work in ways that do not displace or duplicate existing institutions, be they government, non-government or community organisations; and
• We believe that Australian citizenship carries with it a mix of rights and responsibilities and that successful projects must find a balance between these.

Join World Vision in this journey. You can bring a brighter future to Indigenous Australians by:

• Joining our Linking Hands program
• Becoming a corporate partner
• Supporting Indigenous art.

If you wish to give a unique and meaningful gift why not consider buying art supplies or educational toys and resources for an Indigenous community?