How you can help child on road to life’s success

Former Condell Park High student Iesha Allouch was just like Josh.
You would never know Iesha had a difficult childhood, living in extreme financial disadvantage meant she missed out at school a lot.
Often there wasn’t money for food, let alone excursions and sport.
Keeping up at school was a constant battle until The Smith Family, through their Learning for Life program, stepped in and offered help.
Now in her third year at Macquarie University studying Law, Iesha is on a Learning for Life scholarship with The Smith Family which she’s been on annually since Year 7.
She says that when she was at school, the support was a huge help for her mum financially.
She’d use the funds to get all the necessary school resources supplied and it was a huge weight off her shoulders.
“I used to receive letters from my sponsor when I was at school,” she said.
“It was great to know someone was actually thinking about me, taking time out of their day and helping.”
The scholarship is currently a huge help to Iesha at uni – before she begins every semester, she gets sent money which she uses for upfront fees, textbooks, technology and transport.
“My message to people thinking about sponsoring a child is to absolutely do it,” she said.
“When you’re helping a child who’s going through a struggle, most people might not know about. A bit of support helps a child to feel normal and included, like they belong.”
To find out how you can help: thesmithfamily.com.au/sponsor