Supporting schools in disaster-affected communities

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!

I have always loved this stanza from Dorothea Mackellar’s poem ‘My Country’. Despite being written more than 100 years ago, it is still very much relevant today. We have seen some extraordinary events in recent times with drought, fires and floods across the country.

The amazing thing that has come out of it all is the generous outpouring of community spirit. People across the country, and world, have stepped up to help out fellow Australians during these tough times.

If you are in a position to do so, I urge you to support our Adopt-a-School program, and help a school in a disaster-affected area benefit from our vital health education.

Life Ed NSW is committed to reaching all disaster-affected communities, to help children develop resilience and foster wellbeing. We are looking for support from business and individuals to help us deliver our program free-of-charge to affected schools.

As we progress through these challenging experiences it is imperative that we keep young Australians at the forefront of our minds. Many of our young people may never have experienced confronting events such as bushfires, droughts or floods before. Today, the impact is multiplied by the access they have to social media and instant news feeds.

Now, more than ever, it is vital that we look after the mental wellbeing of our children, and help them to develop coping strategies and re-establish a sense of safety and routine.

A visit from Healthy Harold is one of the highlights of the school year. No child – especially those facing tough times – should miss out on this impactful and exciting learning experience.

Together, we can continue to support our children and families across this wide brown land.