RC50 Prospects

Behind the headlines of crisis, people are helping people.
And that’s you.

Great things happen because you care.

Thank you from us to you.

Sometimes, the stories that aren’t told are the ones the world needs to hear most – like the stories of people helping people. Because without the helpers like you, life would be much harder for so many.

You let people know someone cared. And you made sure they didn’t have to face the hardest days of their life alone. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for investing in humanitarian action and for everything you have done this past year.

Your generosity has helped prevent suffering. It protected people's dignity, ensured they felt stronger, and supported to start again. The world might not see the helpers behind the headlines, but we do. And we see you.

Thanks to supporters like you, we made a difference in someone’s life every 90 seconds in Australia last year ⓘ

Will you help us do more? Join the Red Cross 50 and shape the future of humanitarian action. Be part of a special group of supporters investing $5,000 annually for three years. Your pledge will help ensure we can proactively and effectively respond to the challenges that come next.

A last resort for people seeking safety

Elijah Buol leads one of our teams supporting people seeking asylum, and others made vulnerable by migration. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Aysha Leo

Esther* fled to Australia fearing for her safety after her village and home in Papua New Guinea were burned to the ground.

"She got off the plane and came straight to our door for help," says Elijah Buol, our Migration Support Programs, Queensland State Lead. "She was eight months pregnant and had her youngest daughter with her. They had nowhere to stay, no family in Australia and no money to support themselves."

We helped Esther with temporary accommodation, food and other necessities. Over the following months, we provided ongoing support and connected her with agencies to access longer-term housing and help to apply for protection visas.

Thanks to supporters like you, 40,000+ people seeking asylum and others made vulnerable by migration received emergency funds to help meet basic needs such as housing and food ⓘ

*We've changed Esther's name to protect her privacy.

A year of flooding comes to the Top End

“That first Friday after the evacuations began, I was exhausted. But I remember thinking, ‘There are 528 people sleeping in beds in the centre tonight. They are safe. We did that, and it’s pretty special,’” says Annette Plowman, our Emergency Services Manager for the Northern Territory.

Floods have dominated the headlines in Australia for more than a year. In February, they hit the NT's Big Rivers region, and hundreds of people in three First Nations communities – Daguragu, Kalkarindji and Pigeon Hole – had to be airlifted to safety.

Red Cross teams were waiting to welcome them at an evacuation centre near Darwin. “Our support is all about that human connection, sitting and listening to people. We helped comfort and reassure people, working with them to figure out what they needed.”

Because of our generous supporters, we could help 300,000+ people before, during and after disasters and emergencies ⓘ

The Royal Australian Air Force helps residents from Kalkarindji evacuate during major flooding in the Northern Territory. Photo: Department of Defence/CPL Ashley Gillett

Tackling an epidemic of social isolation

Kathryn and her Red Cross visitor and friend, Katie. Photo: Australian Red Cross/Aysha Leo

Every week, our volunteer Katie visits Kathryn, who is in her 90s, to chat and share stories. Sometimes, she brings homemade soup and crossword puzzles.

Kathryn says one of the hardest things about getting old is outliving friends and loved ones. “I am the only one left … you haven’t got anyone to talk to, someone who knows your life. If it weren't for Katie, I'd feel like a forgotten woman. I'd be stuck in the house and not see anyone."

Thanks to supporters like you, we provided 134,000+ hours of telephone support and 19,000+ home and aged care visits to older, isolated people ⓘ

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