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This engagement with other organisations is underpinned by the belief that change happens through relationships. We can connect on many levels and recognise the need to tailor our approach according to the needs and opportunities at hand. It is through dialogue and collaboration that we build trust and understanding and find ways to work together that result in mutual benefit and ultimately, benefit for children.
Exploring engagement with the resources sector Although we already work with organisations from across all sectors of society, we believe there is scope to explore different types of relationships that can positively impact children living in poverty. World Vision Australia realises that our ability to reach poor children directly is limited to the scope of our projects. In order to amplify this impact, we wish to learn from and work with others to ensure their policies and practices make a positive contribution to the lives of children in poor communities. We call this “partnering with purpose”. We are exploring how we may “partner with purpose” with the resources sector. In many of the countries in which we work, including Australia, there is abundant mining activity that poses both development opportunities and challenges to the wellbeing of children. Over the past year, we have been learning more about these opportunities and challenges for the children and communities we serve. World Vision Australia encounters very poor communities living in resource-rich countries. We want to ensure that natural resource wealth translates to better lives and futures for them. To do that, we must engage with governments, mining companies and communities to ensure that policies and practices protect and respect the most vulnerable. We must assist all citizens in resource-rich countries to benefit from their land’s wealth. We recognise there are complexities and challenges in every relationship, particularly with those who are often perceived to have different values to ours. As we explore engagement opportunities in the resources sector, our commitment to communities remains unwavering. We will continue to walk alongside them and work with them while we assess the direct risk to the communities we support. Equally, we will always declare our role, never displace government nor become a voice for, or extension of, another organisation.
On Budget night, we kept our supporters updated via social media and became the leading voice in the aid debate online, with our messages becoming central in the conversations between the debaters.
Increased health funding As part of the Child Health Now Campaign, World Vision Australia is calling on the Australian Government to increase the proportion of overseas development aid that is allocated to health to 20 percent. Due to our lobbying efforts, health expenditure (excluding water and sanitation projects) in the 2012-13 Federal Budget was increased from 15 to 16 percent.
AusAID Civil Society Engagement Framework AusAID launched its Civil Society Engagement Framework in June 2012. Developing this framework was one of the recommendations of the Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness released in July 2011. We were strongly engaged in the development of this framework through involvement in public consultation forums, active contribution to negotiations led by our peak body, ACFID, and in discussions with AusAID. As a result, significant improvements were made to the original draft. They included better reflection of the inherent value of civil society; the important role that NGOs play in connecting with communities on the ground; and outlining more clearly how government and NGOs can most effectively work together for the benefit of the communities we seek to serve.
Investing in medical research In our submission to the Independent Review of Australia’s Aid Program, we called for a greater investment in health research, which was focused on the health needs of people living in developing countries. In August, AusAID released a draft Medical Research Strategy for the first time. It announced an increase in funding to medical research aimed at saving the lives of poor people in the Asia-Pacific region.
GOAL 7: Influence policy, practice and attitudinal change in Australia In this year’s Federal Budget, the Australian Government announced that its commitment to increase Official Development Assistance to 0.5 percent of Gross National Income by 2015-16 has been delayed to 2016-17. Whilst disappointing, this was a far better outcome than could have been the case, due to World Vision Australia and the international NGO sector generally engaging in a coordinated advocacy campaign. World Vision Australia played a key role in working with our colleagues in the NGO sector to coordinate and implement this campaign, which included: • arranging public events in support of aid, attended by the local political representative; • facilitating meetings between community leaders and their local MP; • sending letters and opinion pieces to the major newspapers; and • managing integrated social network campaigns.
In Pakistan, women bring their children for health checks to a World Vision-supported Women and Infant Friendly Space. Photo credit: Muhammad Ali//World Vision
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