Sep 04

Official opening of Zen-sory Space and Play Area

On a cheerful and sunny afternoon, Mallee Rose Cottage – the ADRA Community Centre in Macquarie Fields – officially opened its new Zen-sory Space and Play Area. For the past six years, Mallee Rose Cottage has been a refuge for families in Macquarie Fields. With services ranging from counselling to …

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Aug 22

Hidden Gems in the Mitcham Op Shop

The Mitcham ADRA Op shop is a humble store located on the outskirts of Melbourne selling various clothing and household items to shoppers. Those who come into the store are welcomed by the store’s manager Marina Wirenski and the volunteers that help keep the store in order. Marina promotes meeting …

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Jul 16

Blacktown Centre equips next generation of counsellors

The ADRA Community Centre in the heart of Blacktown is supporting Sydney’s most vulnerable people. Run predominantly by volunteers, the Centre offers a range of services from food parcels to social work, but is best-known for its free quality counselling. “Financial stress is common among people who receive counselling from …

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Jul 04

Paul’s Heart for Service

The first year anniversary for the ADRA Op Shop in Chinchilla has been bitter-sweet. As the Op Shop volunteers celebrated one year of offering help to the local community on 26 June 2019, they were missing a very important volunteer who has been instrumental in the start-up and success of …

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Jun 27

A Life of Service

Maxine Abblott always wanted an active and meaningful retirement. For the last eight years, she has maintained a busy but happy lifestyle by volunteering for ADRA. Maxine started out by helping a few people every week, but now she is helping more than 200 people per week. “I’m an on-the-ground type …

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Jun 18

World Refugee Day — June 20

June 20 is World Refugee Day, a day when the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) joins the United Nations and the world to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees, and show support for families forced to leave their homes due to persecution or conflict. ADRA remains …

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May 29

Elvira’s Story

It’s 2am in the morning. Rain is pounding on the tin roof. Elvira wants to just roll over and fall back to sleep – but nature calls. She picks her way through the overgrown grass outside the house and ventures as far into the bush as she dares: surely no …

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May 07

Maria’s Story

The sound of roosters crowing fills the air long after the sun has risen. Maria leads us between the wooden houses of her village to an open space in the shade of palm trees. Although missing a leg, she sits with barely any difficulty. We are in a rural village …

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Apr 02

A sanctuary in the heart of Blacktown

In the heart of Blacktown, perched above the hustle and bustle of commuters pouring out of the train station, lies the ADRA Blacktown Community Centre. For over a decade, a dedicated team of mostly volunteers have been serving their local community by meeting their greatest physical and emotional needs. The …

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Mar 14

Addressing depression after the drought

Depression and anxiety are mental health challenges that have faced many people in communities affected by severe drought. Even once physical relief comes, whether through rain or funding, the effects of depression and anxiety linger. To address this in drought-affected communities, ADRA invested in training 46 people as associate directors …

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