Matters of Interest

Bright Futures

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:21): Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a dinner event to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Bright Futures. Bright Futures is an Australian-based Christian aid and development agency dedicated to providing education and development opportunities for children and communities in poverty. They work with overseas development partners to offer a variety of programs tailored to local needs, including schooling, health clinics, clean water projects, vocational training, self-help groups and disability programs.

Currently, Bright Futures operates in four countries: India, Pakistan, Kenya and Uganda. Twenty years ago, in 2005, nearly 50 people gathered at the home of Paul and Barbara Madden in Para Hills. It was a breakfast barbecue, and the purpose of the invitation was somewhat unclear—most attendees did not quite know what to expect.

The reason for the gathering dates back another 10 years, when Paul and Barbara befriended Pastor Paul Raj in India. Pastor Raj was educating children from local rock quarries, in the front room of his home on the outskirts of Bangalore, India. By 2005, the school had moved from Pastor Raj's front room to dedicated premises and had grown to several hundred students. Paul and Barbara felt compelled to establish a fundraising vehicle in Australia to ensure the school thrived and continued its transformational work among Bangalore's impoverished communities. On that morning, Bright Futures Child Aid & Development Fund was established.

Since then, the fund has grown and is now supporting its partners to alleviate suffering among some of the world's most disadvantaged, especially children. More than $5 million has been remitted through the generous donations of Bright Futures' supporters. At the core of Bright Futures' philosophy is empowerment: working with established community-based agencies to deliver services ranging from schools and vocational education to health care. Bright Futures aims to create greater capacity and resilience in the communities they serve.

Having fled a war zone myself at a similar age, I can connect to the South Sudanese refugee students. Thanks to the generosity of Bright Futures donors, these students are being educated. In 2023, a special milestone was reached for Bright Futures and its partner, Dorcas Creation, with the opening of the Women's Empowerment Centre in Nairobi. Constructed from old shipping containers, the centre aims to offer space to train and empower women to rise out of poverty. Today, Bright Futures continues to support the work of its partners, which includes:

educating 10,000 students from quarries and other impoverished areas;

providing small business training to 250 adult women from quarries and villages, while developing their skills in handicrafts and jewellery making;

delivering health care through collaboration with other agencies, which helped 3,500 people to access a range of healthcare services; and

a healthcare centre established in 2016 in northern Uganda for health checks of about 4,000 adults and children annually in rural areas.

In more recent times, Bright Futures is working to raise funds to assist Bangalore City Mission to help build a second school campus in Rajankunte on land that was donated by the local government. It is hoped that, once built, the school will offer vocational training, medical clinics, water projects and self-help groups. All these achievements would not be possible without Paul and Barbara Madden. They are unsung heroes of South Australia, quietly working in the background.

Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the donors and supporters who have generously supported Bright Futures over the years. Without their kindness and generosity, none of this would be possible. I also want to thank the current CEO, Mr Jack Snelling, and patron of Bright Futures, former Governor of South Australia Hon. Hieu Van Le, for their tireless efforts and dedication.