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The Change Report

A Caritas Australia report about the impact of your support and the inspiring stories of change made possible by you.

By Caritas Australia

Words of Gratitude

Last year, your generosity impacted 2,340,929 people and directly supported 793,372 participants across 30 countries through emergency responses and long-term development programs. This support came in the form of vital resources, knowledge and opportunities that have transformed lives across some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

In a world where crises are increasing, these numbers stand as a beacon of hope and a testament to your unwavering support. From access to clean water and sanitation, to education, livelihoods and climate resilience, your commitment forms the foundation for meaningful, lasting change.

The Change Report brings you a collection of inspiring stories that illuminate the profound effects of your generosity. Each of these stories is a reminder that your support is far more than a donation – it is a lifeline, a pathway, and a step toward a fairer and more compassionate world.

Across Ethiopia, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands and Zimbabwe, communities are becoming stronger, more resilient, and better able to shape their own futures. Women are gaining skills and confidence, young people are stepping into leadership, and households are discovering ways to safeguard themselves against climate change and other hardships.

As you read this edition, I hope you feel proud of the extraordinary difference you are making. Together, we are nurturing resilience, creating opportunity, and standing with communities so they can build brighter, more hopeful futures.

With gratitude,

Kirsten Sayers
Chief Executive Officer

Smiling woman with short blonde hair poses in front of a blurred outdoor background. She wears a black jacket, gold necklace, and small gold earrings.

About our Team

Guided by faith, compassion and integrity, the Philanthropy team at Caritas Australia works closely with generous individuals, trusts, foundations, corporate organisations and community groups to create meaningful, lasting change. By connecting supporters’ generosity with programs that empower communities, we ensure every contribution helps promote dignity, hope and opportunity for those who need it most.

From the Philanthropy Team at Caritas Australia

First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for the generous support you have shown to Caritas Australia. Your compassion and commitment continue to transform the lives of vulnerable people both here at home and across the world.

Your support is part of a broader community of individuals, families, organisations and foundations helping shape a more just and compassionate future.

What makes this philanthropic community so remarkable is the many ways people choose to stand alongside this mission. Some support Caritas through personal or family giving, others through businesses or foundations. Many give as part of religious congregations, faith-based and community groups, or through workplace and collective partnerships. Some choose to leave a legacy gift, ensuring their values continue to support vulnerable communities well into the future.

Together, you form a community united not simply by generosity, but by shared values: a belief in human dignity, justice, and the long, patient work of building a fairer world.

Philanthropists like you often provide early support behind social innovation. In Australia and around the world, you help pioneer new approaches that are already making a difference in communities; enabling ideas to be tested and refined before being scaled more broadly by governments or institutions.

In this way, your leadership helps turn promising ideas into work that continues to grow and make a lasting difference in people’s lives.

Many of you also contribute in ways that go beyond financial support. The introductions you make to peers, and your willingness to share this work within your networks, help extend the reach and impact of this mission and strengthen lasting change.

On behalf of everyone in the Philanthropy team at Caritas Australia, thank you for your leadership, generosity, and belief in a more just world. We are deeply grateful to walk alongside you.

With gratitude,

Latoya Schadel
Philanthropy and Development Manager

A smiling woman with shoulder-length auburn hair poses in front of a window. She wears a bright blue sleeveless top and gold earrings.

Ethiopia

Innovative Climate-Smart Livelihood Enhancement for Resilience Building Project

About the program

Ethiopia has been experiencing long-term drought and conflict, which have devastated communities and left many of the most vulnerable families at risk of hunger and starvation.

The Innovative Climate-Smart Livelihood Enhancement for Resilience Building (CLEAR) Project, aims to support communities who have been affected by crisis and hardship in the southern part of the African nation.

The project assists vulnerable communities by improving agricultural productivity, helping families diversify their income sources through on-farm and off-farm activities, promoting drinking water and irrigation technologies, improving sustainable water utilisation, as well as land and forest conservation practices.

Worknesh Emmo digs in a field. She wears a headscarf, patterned jacket, and long skirt. Using a hand tool, she digs into the dark soil near green plants. — Worknesh, a participant of the CLEAR Project, is seen digging for dioscorea root in the South West Region of Ethiopia. Photo: Maheder Tadesse/Caritas Australia.

Program highlights

The CLEAR Project has delivered significant improvements. Now, half of all participating families are eating three meals a day, while family income and savings have tripled thanks to higher crop yields and better access to local and regional markets.

Improved access to clean water and sanitation has reduced waterborne diseases, helping families stay healthier. Additionally, large-scale reforestation and forest protection efforts are strengthening long-term climate resilience.

Community leadership has also grown, with more than 180 local committee members trained to support sustainable project management, gender equality and inclusive participation.

Key impacts

50 percent of households now eat three meals a day (up from 22 percent).
Average family income rose from ETB 7,800 to 25,500 (AUD 72.15 to 235.88) per annum.
Household savings increased from ETB 600b to 6,500 (AUD 5.55 to 60.13).
50,000 trees planted (90 percent survival) and 600 hectares protected.
Water-borne and respiratory diseases significantly reduced.

Almaz Haile of Degebon Women's group tends to a vegetable nursery. She wears a bright yellow jacket and floral skirt, working alongside other women. — A group of women inside the vegetable nursery they cultivate in the Decha District in South West Region in Ethiopia.

Almaz's story

As the head of her household, Almaz faced immense challenges in sustaining the food security of her family of five. Due to limited income, she was unable to send her children to school, which affected their education and future opportunities.

The family's diet was also extremely restricted, resorting to poorly nourishing foods, which did not provide balanced nutrition.

Although Almaz owned a small plot of farmland, she could not cultivate it, which left her family dependent on minimal harvests and struggling to make ends meet.

With your generous support, and the help of our partners, Almaz joined the CLEAR Project. The project has helped transform their lives and open income-generating opportunities, such as organised savings groups. These have strengthened their economic resilience, and helped foster a spirit of cooperation and mutual support.

“This project is not only improving livelihoods but also building unity, trust, and social harmony among diverse groups in our community.” – Almaz

Barefoot woman holds freshly dug potatoes in a field. She wears a colorful shirt and teal skirt. More potatoes sit in a pile on the ground. Rolling green hills in the background. — Almaz working in the fields. Photo: Afework Assefa/Caritas Ethiopia.

Timor-Leste

Climate Action and Building Resilience Project

About the program

Timor-Leste is among the world's most climate-affected nations, with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and frequent disasters deepening poverty, food insecurity, and gender-based violence – particularly in rural areas.

The Climate Action and Building Resilience in Timor-Leste Project is helping communities adapt to the growing impacts of climate change while addressing the intersecting vulnerabilities faced by women, young people and people with disabilities.

A group of people sit in a semi-circle outside a building, some writing on papers. A child stands near an open wooden box on a blue table. A satellite dish is visible in the background. — Adelia (in yellow) with her savings and loans group. Photo: Caritas Diocesana Baucau.

Program highlights

The project has helped communities withstand economic and climate shocks while improving overall wellbeing. Across seven municipalities, thousands of people have strengthened their livelihoods, food security and climate preparedness.

Access to clean water also improved significantly, with new or rehabilitated systems in five villages providing reliable water and improving both health and food security.

Communities have also taken action to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, while disaster preparedness has advanced through participatory mapping, planning and stronger local governance.

Key impacts

4,125 people now have improved access to clean water.
980 participants trained in savings and financial management.
641 survivors were supported through Safe Houses.
3,677 people engaged in gender equality training.
120 community members were involved in disaster preparedness planning.

A group of five people sit outside, reviewing documents. Several hold papers, with more papers stacked on a low table in front. — Adelia (in yellow) with her savings and loans group. Photo: Caritas Diocesana Baucau.

Adelia's story

With your support, Adelia joined the Climate Action and Building Resilience in Timor-Leste Project, implemented by our local partner Caritas Diocesana Baucau.

The project introduced her to financial literacy training and helped her gain access to community savings and loans through a local group known as HAROHAN.

Adelia applied what she learned immediately and received a $1,000 loan, which she used to open a motorbike repair workshop – a service much needed in her community.

Though she had never run a business before, Adelia managed the workshop with determination. She handled the finances, oversaw daily operations, and gradually built a loyal customer base. Within months, her workshop was earning enough for her to cover school expenses and household needs.

“I hope we can improve the lives of our community, especially women who lead their households alone. I want to help others start small businesses, support their children’s education, and be prepared for future challenges like disasters and agricultural needs.” – Adelia

Woman sits holding a phone in a blue plastic chair, looking forward. A black Yamaha motorcycle is parked behind her. — Adelia at her motorbike shop. Photo: Caritas Diocesana Baucau.

Solomon Islands

Common Home Project

About the program

The Common Home Project, run in partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Auki, aims to improve access to water, hygiene and sanitation, as well as support disaster risk management training. The project works with communities to rehabilitate gravity-fed water systems, construct sanitation facilities and increase their capacity to respond to emergencies. The project also focuses on building pit latrines and hand-washing stations to improve sanitation in the community, as well as training to promote hygiene.

This project also empowers the community members to undertake regular maintenance of water supplies and to develop by-laws to safeguard the system for future generations.

A group of people sit and listen to a speaker in a clearing. The speaker stands inside a drawn circle on the red dirt. Lush green foliage surrounds the clearing. — Common Home Project participants gathered in the region of Auki, Solomon Islands. Photo: Catholic Diocese of Auki.

Program highlights

Recent progress through the Common Home Project is helping communities strengthen water access, sanitation and disaster preparedness. New infrastructure and training activities are improving hygiene, health and community resilience, while partnerships are expanding local capacity to respond to emergencies and maintain essential services.

Key impacts

Rainwater harvesting system installed at Fanualama Bishop’s complex, benefiting 35 residents and 20-40 trainees.
Hand-washing station installed at St Augustine Cathedral, supporting 25 households and around 80 daily visitors.
30 households completed gender equality, disability inclusion and Disaster Risk Reduction training.
Sanitation construction training underway to support 20 households.

A man holds a poster while a woman gestures, possibly explaining earthquake preparedness to villagers in Myanmar. Plates of food and leaves are arranged in a circle on the red dirt ground. Lush green trees surround the area. — Common Home Project participants gathered in the region of Auki, Solomon Islands. Photo: Catholic Diocese of Auki.

"The walking distance to collect water has significantly reduced. After the project was completed, we have water near my home, which we use for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing, and so much more."

Dyphna's story

Dyphna, 18, lives in the Auki region of the Solomon Islands, where access to clean and safe water has long been a daily struggle for many families.

Each morning, she would walk long distances from her home to collect water before school – a routine that often made her late to class and hindered her education.

With your generosity and the tireless work of our local partner, the Catholic Diocese of Auki, Dyphna became involved in the Common Home Project, which helped install a reliable source of clean water closer to her home – transforming daily life for Dyphna and her community.

With easier access to water, Dyphna now has more time for school and study – and it is already making a difference.

“I am not late for school because of spending time fetching water. I spend more time studying at home and have improved my academic performance.”

Now, with access to clean water, Dyphna can focus on her education and dreams for the future.

A young woman fills a plastic water bottle at a metal tap in a lush, green outdoor setting. She wears a white t-shirt and floral skirt. Trees and foliage surround the tap. — Dyphna, collecting water near her house in the Auki Region, Solomon Islands. Photo: Mary Malagela/Catholic Diocese of Auki.

Solomon Islands

Strengthening Rural Training Centres

About the program

In the Solomon Islands, approximately 80 percent of the population resides in rural areas. Therefore, access to quality education and vocational training can be limited.

The Strengthening Rural Training Centre Project supports three Rural Training Centres (RTCs) to provide vocational training to students including young people with a disability, students from remote communities and early school leavers.

The project helps equip school boards and management with the relevant skills and systems to govern the school so that RTCs are effectively operating and sustainable, improving education quality and outcomes for students. It also promotes better training outcomes for students by improving career pathways and income-generating opportunities.

A group of eight people stand in a classroom in front of a chalkboard. The chalkboard reads — Students at a Rural Training Centre in Solomon Islands. Photo credit: Caritas Australia.

Program highlights

The DIVIT Rural Training Centre provides vital training opportunities for young women and girls, many of whom come from rural and remote communities across Solomon Islands. For these students, simply reaching the school can be a challenge, as their families–mostly subsistence farmers earning less than SBD 500-1000 (around AUD 90-180) per year–often struggle to afford travel costs.

After graduating, many students return to their communities to apply what they have learned and generate income, while others secure employment in local industries or continue their education at the Solomon Islands National University.

Key impacts

Developed income generation plans for three RTCs that will benefit 141 students, including 33 living with a disability.
151 students participated in a chicken farming course and on-the-job placement.
20 students and teachers participated in Disaster Risk Reduction training and simulation exercises.

A group of teenagers and two adults stand under a covered open-air structure. They are all barefoot and casually dressed. A whiteboard is visible in the background. — Students and teachers at a Rural Training Centre for young people living with a disability in Solomon Islands. Photo: Caritas Australia.

Emmanuel's story

The San Isidro Rural Training Centre has helped hundreds of young people with hearing impairment gain new skills, learn sign language and create better futures for themselves.

One of these students is 15-year-old Emmanuel, who faced disruptions to his education because no one at his school could interpret for him.

San Isidro helped Emmanuel learn how to communicate using sign language, read, gain a basic understanding in finance and learn gardening.

When he graduates, Emmanuel hopes to go home and help his parents with his newly acquired skills.

Teenage boy stands smiling, wearing a t-shirt with a dinosaur graphic and a rosary. He is in front of a wall with a yellow stripe. — Emmanuel is a student at a Rural Training Centre in Solomon Islands.

New climate change program in Zimbabwe

The impacts of climate change are being felt every day in Zimbabwe, with drought and food insecurity affecting the most vulnerable communities. In response, Caritas Australia has developed the Empowering Communities in Climate Adaptation and Resilience- Building in Zimbabwe program in partnership with Caritas Hwange, Caritas Gokwe, Caritas Gweru and Caritas Zimbabwe.

The program was formally launched at the Australian Embassy in Harare at the end of last year and attended by a number of delegates and representatives, including Minoli Perera, the Australian Ambassador to Zimbabwe.

The program aims to support 33,923 people across Zimbabwe over the next five years. It builds on the success and lessons learned from the Zimbabwe Integrated Community Development Programs implemented separately by Caritas Gweru, Hwange and Gokwe between 2019 and 2025.

These earlier programs demonstrated that community-led, asset-based approaches are effective in addressing multidimensional poverty, climate vulnerability and social exclusion in rural Zimbabwe.

The success of these projects contributed to the creation of a new program that brings together the three Caritas dioceses and the National Office in a unified program consortium.

The program focuses on four components:

Supporting climate-smart livelihoods and food systems.
Strengthening water security and resilient infrastructure.
Strengthening governance to manage climate risks.
Improving inclusion in climate adaptation.

Thandolwayo collecting water near her home in Zimbabwe. Photo: Richard Wainwright/ Caritas Australia.

Sudan emergency

As the crisis surpasses 1,000 days, Sudan has become the world’s largest displacement and hunger emergency. Fighting and conflict have upended communities, destroyed essential infrastructure, and forced millions from their homes.

Over 30 million people are currently in need of acute humanitarian assistance.

Major issues affecting civilians include widespread violence, sexual assault, collapsing healthcare, cholera outbreaks and severe food insecurity. Most health facilities in conflict zones are non-functional, and famine is confirmed in parts of Darfur and Kordofan. Seasonal flooding, attacks on essential services, and disruption of agricultural regions have compounded suffering.

Caritas Ausrtaila is supporting partners including CAFOD, CRS and many others through:

Food distribution at 17 gathering points.
Multi-purpose cash assistance to over 3,285 households (16,425 Individuals).
Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for 108,713 individuals.
Shelter and protection services for 15,680 people, including gender-based violence support.

Through your generosity, Caritas continues to deliver life-saving aid and protection, helping communities survive today while building the foundation for a more secure tomorrow.

Nadia and her family standing near their tent in a displacement camp in Sudan. Photo: CRS.

Your impact throughout 2024-25

Last financial year, your generosity impacted 2,340,929 people through initiatives promoting gender equality, disability inclusion, food security, access to water and sanitation, and climate change adaptation.

Africa: 16 development projects, reaching 746,565 people – including 40,991 women and girls.
Asia: 36 development projects, reaching 815,459 people, including women, children and people with disabilities.
The Pacific: 15 development projects across, reaching 290,972 people, including 15,487 children.
Australia: 46,662 people through six First Australian-led projects nationwide.

Together with our partners, your generosity has helped us respond to 23 humanitarian emergencies across 15 countries.

Gaza

In partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas Jerusalem, we have contributed to the support of:

1.72 million people with food rations and cash assistance.
341,790 people with safe shelter, bedding and living supplies.
500,268 people with clean water, hygiene and sanitation kits.
11,732 children and caregivers with psychosocial support.
140 people, most of them children, with prosthetic limbs in partnership with the Artificial Limbs and Polio Centre.

Ukraine

In partnership with Caritas Ukraine, DePaul International and CAFOD, you have helped support more than 600,000 people with:

Emergency food and water.
Temporary shelter and housing repairs.
Trauma support for families.
Essential medicine and hygiene kits.

Map shows countries with humanitarian and development programs. Orange indicates humanitarian programs, yellow indicates development programs, and green indicates both.

Spotlight on our community

Nick Boyd has been a proud supporter of Caritas Australia for more than 35 years.

Raised in a Catholic household, he first encountered Caritas Australia through Project Compassion at school. Those early experiences fostered a lasting awareness of global inequality. Thus, after completing university and establishing his career, Nick felt it was time to give back – grateful for the opportunities he had been afforded and mindful that many others do not have the same.

He was drawn to Caritas Australia because of our integrity and focus on long-term, community-led change. He admires how donations are transformed into practical support that helps families rebuild after disaster, improves access to education and healthcare, and enables communities to create sustainable livelihoods.

Over the years, Nick has attended Caritas Australia's presentations and heard directly from field staff about the impact of their work. Seeing those real-world outcomes has deepened his commitment to the organisation’s mission.

Nick believes that giving back is part of our shared responsibility.

By leading through example, he hopes to inspire others to do the same: to recognise their blessings and use them to make a difference.

Caritas Australia’s Women for the World Luncheon

Last year, we celebrated our 12th annual Women for the World campaign with a luncheon in Sydney. The event brought together supporters, partners, and friends to hear powerful stories from Bangladesh and stand with women in vulnerable communities.

Hosted by journalist and broadcaster, Geraldine Doogue AO, the luncheon highlighted the Caritas Australia supported Safe Motherhood Training Program, implemented by our partner Caritas Bangladesh. CEO Kirsten Sayers reflected on our global impact, while Advancement Director Nicole Chehine shared how midwives are being equipped to save lives.

Keynote speaker Virginia Bourke, Board Director and Chair of Mercy Health, highlighted disparities in healthcare access between Australia and Bangladesh.

Generously supported by Commbank, guests engaged in a silent auction, raffle, and Safer Births Giving Day. Thanks to a matched donation, the event raised nearly $150,000, all of which will directly benefit women and communities in Bangladesh. We are also grateful to Michelle Fernon, our ‘Founding Mother’ of Women for the World and Diocesan Director of Wagga Wagga, who, together with her extended network of family and friends, are tireless supporters of Caritas Australia.

A woman speaks at a podium to a seated audience at long tables. Two screens display a person in a garden setting. The event is held in a room with exposed brick walls.

From our Board: Why your support matters more than ever

Foreign aid is often judged through the lens of urgency. Disasters, crises, and conflict dominate headlines, while the slow, deeply rooted work of strengthening communities rarely commands the same attention, yet it is this long-term and locally led effort that delivers lasting change.

This has become even more pressing as the global aid and development system absorbs the shock of a retreat from foreign aid across many of the world's wealthiest nations.

For organisations such as Caritas Australia, this work is only possible because of supporters like you who understand that true transformation takes time.

We are grateful to have you alongside us as we do the hard yards in aid and development, such as improving access to clean and safe water, building climate resilience, and strengthening local leadership.

You do so at a time when organisations like Caritas Australia are working hard to reframe these efforts as essential investments rather than 'nice to have' add-ons.

Thank you for already recognising the value of this long-term, patient work. Your generosity helps sustain the programs that do not always attract government funding or media attention yet are the foundation of lasting change.

You make it possible for Caritas Australia to stay committed over years, sometimes decades, until communities can stand confidently on their own terms. This is crucial even in emergency contexts, as staying long after the crisis makes all the difference to long-term recovery.

Governments often struggle to maintain this kind of consistency. But you step in where it matters most.

At a time when the global aid landscape is unstable and needs across our region are growing, your ability to look beyond short-term results is both rare and powerful. You help ensure that the stories shaping Australia’s understanding of foreign aid are not just those of crisis, but those of resilience, leadership and hope.

Thank you for standing with us, for believing in the slow and steady work of transformation, and for ensuring that communities around the world can thrive, not just survive.

With gratitude,

Christine Grima
Board Director

Close-up of a smiling woman with short gray hair and light skin wearing cat-eye glasses and a blue jacket. Green foliage is visible in the background.

THANK YOU!

As always, we are immensely grateful for your ongoing generosity and for your commitment to helping us fulfil our mission. On behalf of everyone at Caritas Australia, we hope that you enjoyed this spring edition of The Change Report.

Logos of organizations: ACFID, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Aid, Church Agencies Network, Fundraising Institute Australia, and Registered Charity.

Footnotes

Cover: Etenesh, the chairman of her women's saving group, inside a vegetable nursery in the South West Region of Ethiopia. Photo: Maheder Tadese/Caritas Australia.

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FootNotes

Cover: Etenesh, the chairman of her women's saving group, inside a vegetable nursery in the South West Region of Ethiopia. Photo: Maheder Tadese/Caritas Australia.

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