This life is no holiday

For many disadvantaged Australians, the festive season is the hardest time of year.

While it's the best time for many families, others struggle with the cost of Christmas, combined with fewer work hours and the stress of distant family or a lack of community support. Christmas is often a catalyst for family breakdown and distress.

Last Christmas, single mum, Charmaine, and her two sons, Jared, 16, and Cain, 7, were living in a caravan in the cheapest park they could find. An abusive relationship with the boys’ father had stripped Charmaine of all confidence. The boys had dropped out of school.

The final straw came when Charmaine left a bag of groceries on a bus. This was the family’s only food, and there was no money left to replace it.

‘Mum just lost it’, Jared says. ‘She knew we couldn’t go and buy more. She just cried and couldn’t move.’

This is when the Brotherhood stepped in. With assistance from our programs, the boys are now back at school and Charmaine is rebuilding her confidence and her life. This year, the family is looking forward to Christmas.

Such transformations can only happen when generous donors turn their thoughts and empathy for others into action by supporting the Brotherhood’s work. Donations are essential to help us meet the needs of families in crisis such as Charmaine’s, and develop lasting solutions that help disadvantaged Australians build a brighter future.

Please donate to the Brotherhood this Christmas.