“He was just very adamant that she needed this, she needed that – he didn’t see why she couldn’t have [a laptop], and that made me feel really bad as a parent.”
Meagan has since graduated from high school, and the family has received two laptops for Merlinda, 17, and Mackye, 12, from The Smith Family.
Finlay said the computers had been a lifeline.
The Smith Family supports about 12,800 students in Queensland whose families would otherwise have difficulty paying for their basic education needs.
Survey data from 1109 Australian families like the Finlays found more than half expected their child would miss out on a digital device due to financial constraints.
Smith Family chief executive Doug Taylor said the charity introduced its laptop access program seven years ago and has since supported 14,000 students across the country, including 3000 Queenslanders.
“Most education departments and schools will have a policy of lending a laptop to a student if they don’t have one when they’re at school,” he said. “What we do is raise money to buy these laptops for families so they can have access to them at home.”
Merlinda (right) and Mackye Finlay (left) both received laptops from The Smith Family.Credit: Belinda Finlay
Taylor said the charity also partnered with the National Device Bank to buy old government laptops that had been decommissioned and refurbished.
The Smith Family also found two in five families surveyed were concerned they would not be able to afford new shoes or uniforms.
“We’ve been steadily increasing the support in terms of the number of families and students that we’re reaching,” Taylor said.
“It’s been more difficult in recent years, despite our growth, with cost of living pressures, particularly in the fundraising sense … the number of Australians giving through tax-deductible donations has decreased year-on-year for the last 15 years.”
On Thursday, The Smith Family launched its back-to-school appeal, one of its three major fundraisers each year.
Taylor said an extra 45 per cent of the charity’s funds come from its sponsor-a-child program.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Read the full article here
