The 2019 School year has now commenced and it's an exciting time for children and parents, as they embark on a new journey of learning and discovery.
This time of the year can also be difficult for families struggling financially to prepare their children for school.
This is especially the case for asylum seeker families with very limited access to government support, recently arrived refugee families and single parent families on government benefits.
In recognition of this and the critical role that education plays in lifting families out of poverty, the National Zakat Foundation has been running the Back2School Program for the past 4 years.
The Back2School program provides an educational grant from our Zakat fund to struggling families to kick-start the academic year on a positive note.
The 2019 Back2School Program budget was set at $60,000, and our team has completed distribution of these funds to 121 families across Australia benefiting over 300 children.
The Back2School Program has been steadily growing over the past 4 years, both in budget and reach. We anticipate exceeding 400 children in 2019 by the time we close the program in Week 2 of Term 1.
