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PO Box A524
Sydney South NSW 1235, Level 11, 227 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000

Telephone: 1800 812 164

© 2024 Opportunity International AustraliaABN 83 003 805 043

Entrepreneurial Aussie students kick start education for children living in poverty

By Opportunity International Australia

18 October 2016 – Opportunity International Australia is excited to announce that Aussie students from Ringwood Secondary College in Melbourne are putting their entrepreneurship skills to the test today as they raise funds to kick start the education of children in India who are living in poverty.

Opportunity Chief Executive Officer, Robert Dunn, congratulated the Ringwood students for this initiative, which will enable several children in India to have a quality education.

“Students from Year 9 at Ringwood Secondary College will be running their own small businesses with borrowed start-up funds from people in the local community in the same way families in India receive small loans from Opportunity to start a business.

“The Ringwood students are participating in Opportunity’s School Challenge, which is an innovative fundraising challenge aimed at students in years 5 - 12 to empower and educate them about fighting global poverty.

“Throughout 2016, we are challenging schools to see who can create the most innovative business and raise the most money to help families out of poverty through Opportunity International Australia.

“The Ringwood students’ businesses will sell a range of products – health and beauty, home and garden, art and craft and food and drink – and after paying back the original loan, the students will donate the profits to Opportunity. We will then use the funds to provide small loans to families in India who will use them to start a business, earn a regular income and be able to afford to send their children to school.

“The students have been inspired to make a difference to the future of children living in poverty through a special subject at Ringwood known as interGREAT. In this program students learn about world issues such as poverty and they develop ways of helping people through projects such as today’s Business Fare,” he added.

Ringwood Headmaster, Michael Phillips, said he is impressed with the ingenuity displayed by the school’s students as they endeavour to use their budding business skills for a social purpose.

“It is gratifying to see the students’ deep commitment to improving the lives and future of children who are in less fortunate circumstances than themselves,” he said.

Media contact

Marie Kelly-Davies
Media and Communications Manager
Opportunity International Australia
02 9270 3332; 0408 256 381
mkelly-davies@opportunity.org

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