Nov 27

Debbie’s ADRA Appeal Story

The day starts with prayer in Berwick, Victoria as volunteers from Pakenham Church prepare for a roadside traffic collection for the ADRA Appeal. Debbie, leading her team of 22 volunteers, says she’s always surprised by the people who give. “It’s those with the battered cars that just hand you this …

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Nov 20

Mark Webster receives ACFID award

Outgoing ADRA Australia CEO Mark Webster has received a prestigious award from the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the peak body for the NGO sector. Each year at its national conference, ACFID presents the Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award to an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding …

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Nov 13

Minds in the Fields

In early October, the ADRA Community Centre in Macquarie Fields in southwestern Sydney held an important event. Minds in the Fields is an initiative run by the ADRA Community Centre in partnership with the local Police to help remove the negative stigma surrounding mental health. The event was particularly aimed …

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Oct 23

Blais’s Story

Blais sits relaxed in the plastic chair under his house. His wide grin reveals a friendly personality as he tells his story. It starts in another part of the Solomons: Choiseul Province, northwest Solomon Islands, where he was born. These days, Blais has a wife and two young girls, aged …

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Sep 29

Messy, Crowded & Muddy But Never Hopeless

As we drive into the refugee camp, everyone in the car falls quiet and just looks through the windows. I almost could not believe my eyes: shelter after shelter on hills, in the forest – anywhere where there is space. Everywhere. And so many people. People walking on the road, sitting in every shade or …

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Sep 26

Rohingya Refugees Desperate for Food, Shelter

The Rohingya refugee crisis has forced more than 400,000 people to flee their homes in Myanmar and take refuge in makeshift camps in Bangladesh. Helal left Myanmar with his mother, his wife and three children. “We fled with only the clothes we are wearing. I don’t know where my father …

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Jun 19

Don’t show me the money, show me the truth

As Christians, our task is to be light in the darkest places. We do all that we do in service to our great God. We do it in His strength and we trust in His provision. We love people and we long to see them living full and purposeful lives. …

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Dec 06

Taking a Back Seat

Taking a Back Seat We all know the jokes about the meddling in-laws whose advice, even though they mean well, is often far from being helpful. So when it comes to helping people in poverty, is our well-meaning support really beneficial? Or are we just like meddling in-laws? This issue …

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Dec 01

The Gift of Gratitude

The Gift of Gratitude ‘Thank’ and ‘you’ are two of the most basic words in the English language. Yet, when combined they can have a powerful impact on people. When travelling to a country for the first time, I have always found that learning the phrase ‘thank you’ in the …

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Nov 29

On The Road With ADRA

Sunday, October 16: The Sunday morning traffic is sporadic at first but builds steadily across the morning. We are shielded from direct sunlight by a glary grey sky and occasional breezy gusts buffet us with the grit and exhaust of the passing traffic. With each sequence of the traffic lights …

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