Empowering women in Southeast Asia: What does Australia have to do with it?
Many people in Australia, deeply passionate about the type of work Openaid is doing, are looking for an opportunity to make a real contribution towards improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of communities in the region. While most of Openaid’s work happens at the grassroots level in villages and communities in Asia, there is a lot of important work that needs to be done in Australia as well.
Over the past year or so, Openaid has been working hard to create a base in Melbourne that can effectively support activities in the Southeast Asian offices. This involves coming up with structures that allow Australians to come into contact with Openaid’s work and to engage with the issues of poverty, exploitation and vulnerability that Openaid deals with.
Openaid has always believed in the importance of involving Australians in efforts to combat human trafficking in the region. This can be seen in Openaid’s BBQ programme, which has for many years acted as an important tool for raising both funds and awareness for Openaid’s work. In 2009, further recognising the importance of involving Australians in the efforts to combat human trafficking in the region, the efforts to create a stronger and more dynamic base in Melbourne began with programmes like Leadership for Change and the 40 Days of Global Activism Campaign.
2010 has been an exciting time for Openaid. We are currently meeting many passionate and highly-skilled candidates, eager to involve themselves in the work we’re doing and looking to be part of the base we are attempting to create in Melbourne. In the next few weeks, you will hear more from some of the individuals who have recently approached Openaid. We hope this will give you a clearer idea of the work that is currently being done in Melbourne and we hope this will inspire you to think about how you, the reader, with your unique skills and passions, can get involved in Openaid’s work!
