CARE Australia works alongside local organisations to deliver practical, lasting change for women and girls. Their programs focus on economic power, inclusive leadership and access to essentials like clean water, sanitation and health.
In June 2026, the NDY Charitable Trust donated $5,000 each to two of CARE’s programs: Pacific Partnerships for Gender Equality and Ethiopia RISE. Both programs are currently eligible for a 5:1 government match through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program. For every $1 we give, $5 is added in government funding. Each $5,000 gift becomes $25,000 on the ground.
Ethiopia RISE
Ethiopia RISE focuses on the essentials that change daily life for women and girls in Dera and Farta. The program provides solar powered water systems, sanitation and menstrual health, alongside women led savings groups, climate focused agriculture and watershed restoration.
Our support helps to cut long walks for water, keep girls in school, improve health and dignity at home and at school, build steady income for women and embed inclusive local systems that last.
When water is close and schools have basic hygiene facilities, girls miss fewer classes. When homes have safe latrines, families face fewer preventable illnesses and women gain privacy and safety. When women access savings and climate‑smart farming, they build income that can withstand climate shocks. And when local disability organisations help design services, access improves for everyone.
The broader results from the current phase show why this approach is effective. Safe, reliable water now reaches 5,946 people. Water collection time has dropped from more than two and a half hours to around 10 to 15 minutes, which frees time for school and livelihoods. Local governance is stronger, with 20 Water User Associations trained to manage fees and maintenance for the system. Seventy households have upgraded to durable latrines, two market‑based sanitation enterprises are operating, and 303 girls have received menstrual health support alongside hygiene promotion for more than 1,500 students. Savings groups are growing, with 362 women participating and 50 loans supporting small businesses. Communities are restoring watersheds at scale, with 3,480 people involved. Inclusion is built in, with 138 people with disabilities engaged across leadership, WASH access and economic activities.
Our donation helps pay for the pumps and pipework, the latrine upgrades, the school handwashing stations, the start‑up capital and coaching for women’s enterprises and the inclusive planning that keeps systems working for the long term.
Pacific Partnerships for Gender Equality
The Pacific Partnerships for Gender Equality program strengthens women’s economic power, leadership and inclusion across Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Timor‑Leste. Delivered with local women’s rights and disability organisations, it uses practical entry points like village savings and loans, adolescent savings and life skills, organic farming and micro‑enterprise. It also supports household financial management and engages men, families and community leaders to shift harmful norms. The aim is simple and measurable: grow women’s incomes and savings, increase shared decision making at home, and build inclusive, climate‑resilient communities.
The results so far are clear. In Solomon Islands, women with disabilities have launched 25 income‑generating activities and are expanding sales beyond their home provinces. Family Financial Management sessions reached 136 people and households report fewer financial conflicts and more joint planning.
Tonga shows what happens when girls get the tools early. Seventy‑two adolescents, 64 of them girls, have launched viable income activities and built average savings of $150 to $250 each. After refresher sessions, all participants met the program’s life‑skills benchmarks. Many are now influencing how money is used at home and sharing what they’ve learned with their own communities by speaking publicly.
In Samoa, 336 households have completed training and 474 adults have taken part in inclusive, economically focused activities. Households report income increases of 25% to 30%. Practical steps such as access audits, home‑based training and sign‑language capacity are opening markets to women with disabilities.
Vanuatu’s savings groups are maturing, with 10 communities nearing graduation. Social norms work remains strong, with high participation in the 16 Days of Activism and close alignment with Community Development Committees.
In Timor‑Leste, 33 savings groups engage 625 women, and group capital is growing by 4% to 6%. Training sites are accessible, from schools to a permaculture centre, with strong safeguarding and inclusion. In Papua New Guinea, co‑design with disability organisations is informing delivery and village savings pilots are ready to begin.
In simple terms, our donation funds the practical inputs that change daily life – pumps, pipes, latrine slabs, soap and taps at schools, start‑up cash boxes and coaching and inclusive training spaces. The impact is time back in women’s hands, girls staying in school, safer homes, growing incomes and stronger local leadership. With the 5:1 match in place, every dollar has gone fivetimes further on the ground.
Learn more about CARE Australia here: CARE Australia: Give Now to Save Lives and Fight Poverty