CARE International’s history in Australia
CARE Australia was founded in 1987 by former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to help the Confederation’s mission to fight poverty across the globe. Fraser led the organisation for 15 years, playing a key role in amplifying our presence in Australia and the programs we support globally.
For nearly four decades, CARE Australia has continued to support communities facing crises and inequalities.
CARE Australia’s work today
Today, CARE Australia works with partners globally to fight poverty and inequality, as part of the CARE International Confederation. Along with other CARE Members, we focus on women’s and girls’ specific needs and their unique potential to uplift communities.
While we support projects in different parts of the world, we work particularly closely with countries in the Pacific. As one of the most at-risk regions for climate change impacts, we help communities predict, adapt, and recover from disasters.
CARE Australia and our partners also support communities in accessing basic needs and rights. We help people increase economic opportunities, improve nutrition, expand access to education, prevent violence against women and girls, among other activities.
What does this look like in practice?
Cambodia’s ACCESS project, one of CARE Australia’s flagship programs, is a key example of how we fight poverty and inequality, focusing on women and girls.
The initiative, implemented by the Australia-Cambodia international cooperation, aims to address violence against women and girls living in Indigenous communities – especially those with disabilities. We help increase the quality of services that prevent gender-based violence and support survivors. The program also ensures survivors participate in improving these services and the policies that define them.
Partners are key to all of CARE Australia’s work, including the ACCESS project. For this initiative, we work with the Conserve Indigenous People’s Languages (CIPL), the Highlander Association (HA), and People's Alliance for Inclusive Development (PAfiD).
Learn more about CARE Australia’s work here.
