The last week of June is the most popular time for Australians to make charitable donations and those donations have a real impact on people living in poverty, international aid agency Oxfam said today.
Oxfam Australia’s Supporter Services Manager Jez Hunghanfoo said making a donation to charity at this time of year is not only a quick and simple way to gain a tax deduction, but can lead to real action and positive change in poorer communities around the world.
“Much of the money raised last tax time went towards our work improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in Cambodia,” Mr Hunghanfoo said.
“Since then, 100% of girls in 25 of the Cambodian communities we work in now have access to separate toilets in their schools, and another 2,400 students across 10 primary schools have benefitted from improved sanitation and hygiene facilities built by Oxfam.
“This year’s donations will support our work in South Africa to address one of the most desperate areas of need – clean water.
“Every 20 seconds a child under the age of five dies as a result of dirty water and poor sanitation. This situation is so easily preventable that a donation of even just $20 can make a difference between life and death for children in the communities we work in.
“We’ve seen this recently in South Africa where we’ve introduced a simple yet effective tool known as a ‘tippy-tap’ in some communities. This ingenious hand-washing mechanism costs just $20 to build and has reduced the incidence of diarrhoea by almost 50% in the families living there,” Mr Hunghanfoo said.
“In other communities, we’ve provided students with clean water by installing rainwater tanks in schools, which means they no longer have to travel two hours a day to collect polluted water from a valley and can spend more time getting an education.”
A donation of $100 can provide 5 families with a ‘tippy tap’, and a donation of $400 can help provide a community with a water harvesting tank so they don’t have to rely on polluted springs.
“Now is a great time to donate to a good cause if you’re looking for ways to get an immediate tax deduction. Your tax time generosity has a very real impact on those less fortunate and even a small donation can go a long way.”
For more information or to calculate your donation tax benefit, visit www.oxfam.org.au/tax-donation-calculator/. For interviews please contact Emma Whalan on 0418 873 782 or emmawhalan@oxfam.org.au
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