In contrast to the Australian government aid, there are many non-government and community groups trying to help the poor within poor countries achieve real and lasting change.
International Women's Development Agency
The IWDA is an Australian-based non-government organisation which undertakes development projects in partnership with women from around the world, giving priority to working women who suffer poverty and oppression.
IWDA projects include food production programs in Cambodia and Vietnam, literacy programs in Pakistan, community resource work in El Salvador and other smaller projects that help women around the world to learn new skills.
Contact: 193 Smith St, Fitzroy Victoria 3065. Ph: (03) 419 0519.
Community Aid Abroad
CAA is one of Australia's largest non-government aid organisations. Its guiding philosophy is: change, not charity. CAA projects look at providing sustainable assistance to communities in the developing world which enable those communities to learn how to help themselves.
CAA projects include working with Aboriginal Australia, income generation for the poor in Africa, training courses for community leaders in Nicaragua's Atlantic coast, village education in the Solomons and agricultural training in Kanaky.
Contact: 156 George St, Fitzroy Victoria 3065. Ph: (03) 289 9444.
Committees in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean
CISLAC is both a solidarity and an aid organisation. The projects it sponsors in Central America, the Caribbean and parts of Latin America aim to help develop local skills and sustainable production practices.
Integral to its aid work, is the promotion of an understanding of the political, economic and social aspects of the region. Consciousness raising in Australia, CISLAC believes, plays an important role in development work in Latin America. CISLAC is currently sponsoring projects in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Cuba.
Contact: PO Box A431, Sydney NSW 2001. Ph: (02) 552 4173.
Aid/Watch
Aid/Watch is a watchdog on government aid. It keeps tab on where government money is being spent and who it actually benefits. Aid/Watch seeks to actively encourage the implementation of ecological and socially sustainable reforms.
Contact: PO Box 652, Woollahra NSW 2025. Ph: (02) 349 6593.