How you can help
There are four ways you can help
Donate
All donations to (A4WH) will be used exclusively to construct the Mothers and Children Hospital in Charikot, Nepal.
Sponsor
Corporate partners provide crucial funding that allows A4WH to save the lives of mothers and babies in Nepal.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a vehicle for individuals or groups to address human, environmental and social needs.
Buy
Buy Dr Ray’s book Heartbreak in the Himalayas. It’s a real page turner and proceeds go towards our cause.
Corporate Sponsorship
A4WH is grateful to sponsors of the prolapse treatment camps.
Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd (RAWCS) in partnership with Rotary International continue as exceptional sponsors, pledging to fund the complete fit-out of the Mothers & Babies Hospital once the building is constructed. This sponsorship is valued at AUS$417,700.
Medical manufacturer and supply company, Laborie, has very generously donated urodynamics equipment valued at approximately AUD$40,000. A4WH has transferred this equipment to Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal and provided medical training for all staff involved.
A4WH wishes to also thank all the sponsors who kindly donated essential medications and other supplies:
- Ramsay Health Care (Port Macquarie Private Hospital)
- Port Macquarie Base Hospital
- Proudly supported by Rotary
- GlaxoSmithKline Australia
- Covidien
- Pfizer Australia
- Sanofi-Aventis Australia
- Laborie
- Toshiba Medical Australia
- General Electric
- Endotherapeutics
Workplace Giving Program
A simple tax-effective way to make regular donations to Australians for Women’s Health is through your organisation’s Workplace Giving program.
Workplace Giving allows you to make a regular donation to Australians for Women’s Health directly from your gross salary, immediately reducing the amount of income tax deducted from your salary.
Speak to your Payroll or Human Resources department about Workplace Giving and any tax benefits to you and set up regular payroll donations to Australians for Women’s Health.
You will find further information on the Australian Government website ato.gov.au
You can also talk to your employer about your company’s Matched Giving program. Any recent donations you’ve made may also be eligible for a matched gift from your employer.
Volunteering
Volunteering Opportunities
- Logistical organisation of camps
- Heightening awareness of the plight of women suffering from prolapse and pregnancy complications.
- Working on location overseas
- Theatre nurses with experience in prolapse and incontinence surgery
- Midwives
- Anaesthetists
- Gynaecology surgeons with prolapse surgery experience
- Research and data collection and processing
- Builders, trades people including plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc.
- General assistance
Principles of Volunteering
- Volunteering benefits the community and the volunteer
- Volunteer work is unpaid
- Volunteering is always a matter of choice
- Volunteering is not compulsorily undertaken to receive pensions or government allowances
- Volunteering is a vehicle for individuals or groups to address human, environmental and social needs
- Volunteering is not a substitute for paid work
- Volunteers do not replace paid workers nor constitute a threat to the job security of paid workers
- Volunteering respects the rights, dignity and culture of others
- Volunteering promotes human rights and equality
Advice for Volunteers
- Think about your motivations for going overseas and consider how they link to your expectations of your camp.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve.
- Speak with former volunteers before you go, their experiences can be very helpful; and fellow volunteers when you are away a shared experience is often more valuable.
- Learn some local language. A few words will get you a long way, Namaste !
- Spend time researching your host country and get to know as much as you can about the culture and history while you are there.
- Ensure you look after yourself, learn to relax and enjoy down time. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep and looking after your health.
- Reserve judgement of different cultural practices. Be willing to accept other ways of doing things and allow your own cultural assumptions to be challenged.
- Many cultures challenge our own views on equality and humanity, however, it is not a volunteer’s role to judge or pass judgement.
- Ask lots of questions before you leave – chat with previous volunteers.
- At your camp, keep asking questions. If you don’t understand something, ask. If the answers don’t align with your expectations, be patient and take time to explore the reasons why and realise that understanding others is about seeking out the complexities of people’s lives.
- A large part of being a volunteer is about forging relationships with others. Your volunteering experience will be far richer if you make an effort to forge good relationships with local people and fellow volunteers.
- Be prepared that you might not receive a warm welcome from everyone you meet.
- Be cautious of how your behaviour will be perceived by your host community and be aware that the impression you make will inform how people think about your host country and other volunteers in the future.
- As far as possible, try to keep your eyes and mind open.
- Not all organisations are right for everyone, you may need to find another organisation if you are not happy with A4WH policy and procedures
- Try and have fun!
If you are successful
Once you have become successful in your application to become a volunteer with us please arrange a time to meet either in person or over the telephone to discuss the volunteer project in more detail to get a better understanding of what’s involved.
For starters we would recommend you discuss and agree on:
- Clear objectives, timeframe and the deliverables
- Mutual obligations
- Level of A4WH support and involvement
Once you meet with A4WH and agree to fulfil the volunteer project, there is an understanding that you will do your best to complete the project. If your circumstances change and you are unable to fulfil the volunteer project, please let A4WH know ASAP. An unsuccessful or incomplete volunteer project costs the community and the organisation valuable time and resources.