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 Since 1991, Youth Off The Streets has been helping disadvantaged young people in Australia and has now expanded its reach with the Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund.
Working on small projects alongside local partners, the Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund provides non-religious and non-discriminatory assistance – including housing, education, health and welfare facilities and programmes – to children in countries emerging from conflict and other challenges.
Father Chris Riley first saw an opportunity to help overseas in East Timor after independence in 2002, and then moved quickly to assist in Indonesia after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. Building on these successes, Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund now also has projects underway in the Philippines, and Tanzania. Over 200 children rely on us for basic necessities, including food and water, shelter and education.
In 2006, Father Riley was awarded the Human Rights Medal from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the AUSTCARE Peter Cullen Humanitarian Award, in addition to receiving a Member (AM), General Division of the Order of Australia, at the Queen’s Birthday Honours. In late 2007, Father Riley was awarded the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, recognising the achievements of the first Volunteer team sent to Aceh after the tsunami. He is the current CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund.
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Children planting a garden at the Children’s Care Centre
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Father Chris Riley is proud to advise that the permanent Muhammadiyah / Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund Children’s Care Centre in Banda Aceh, Indonesia is now open. Officiating at the opening ceremony was Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Bill Farmer and the Vice-Governor of Aceh, Mr as well as the Chairman of Muhammadiyah Dr Sudibyo Markus, Father Chris Riley (CEO) and Tony Stewart MP (Chairman) of Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund.
The Children’s Care Centre is the result of a partnership between Australia’s charity organisation, Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund and Indonesia’s second largest Muslim welfare agency, Muhammadiyah. The partnership was formed when the two organisations worked together to provide aid in the direct aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
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Children having dinner in the new dining room
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Since February 2005, the two organisations have been operating a semi-permanent Centre that has consistently cared for over 50 children who were separated or unattached from their primary carers as a result of the tsunami. The partnership has also now completed the construction of a new permanent Children’s Care Centre with the capacity to house and care for 80 children.
“This is a huge achievement,” said Father Chris Riley, CEO and Founder, Youth Off The Streets, “It is the first time that children and teenagers in a Muhammadiyah orphanage in Indonesia will be housed in cottage style accommodation with a house parent who is dedicated to providing care for the children in each cottage,” he said.
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Children help with tree planting
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“We are thrilled this wonderful project has finally completed, and that Australian generosity to our tsunami appeal has allowed the Children’s Care Centre to become a reality. We thank all the supporters who have helped us give these children a home. We are especially grateful to Clubs across NSW and ClubsNSW who have donated over $1 Million to this project,” he continued.
Over the last 4 years, ten cottages have been built with each cottage having four bedrooms to sleep eight people. Other construction has included a central lounge area in each cottage for relaxing and doing projects such as homework, a Mosque, an administration office and communal dining hall and kitchen.
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Fun game of volleyball at the Centre
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Outdoors, a central sporting field allows lots of fun and games after school and on weekends while part of the land will be used for some agricultural activities, including crops, cattle and fresh water fish farming. Eventually it is hoped that the sale of some of this fresh produce will go towards the running costs of the Centre, as well as providing food for the Centre’s young residents.
Over the course of the Centre’s operation, 9 residents have progressed to vocational and tertiary studies at universities in Aceh. These students now live outside the Centre, either on campus or in private accommodation with the support of the Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund’s ACEH Scholarship Program, supported by ClubsNSW.
To read more about a day in the life of the Centre, its history and view photos, please click here.
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Youth Off The Streets is excited to advise that the major St James Kilolo High School project is now almost complete, and is due to open in June 2011.The new high school will eventually house and educate up to 900 young people from surrounding villages in this region of Tanzania, expanding the educational opportunities for local students, alongside other high schools in the region. Classrooms and toilets, two hostels (one for boys and one for girls), dining hall, kitchen, admin block, headmaster’s house and storeroom are now finished. Subjects will include Kiswahili 1 & 2, History 1 & 2, Geography 1 & 2, English 1 & 2 and General Studies. The school will cater to local orphans first, then fee paying students.
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Completed classrooms
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Books in one of the classrooms
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Completed administration block
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Another building and garden preparation
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Inside one of the classrooms
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The Local government will register the school and the Local communities are excited that more young people in the region will have the opportunity to attend high school closer to where they live. This wonderful project will have a long lasting impact on the region, employing local teachers and support staff when open, and providing educational opportunities for future generations. Canterbury League Club has been a major supporter of this project. A recent donation from the Club was used to purchase books and furniture, and also facilitated the connection of electricity and water to the completed buildings.
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Continuing the strong tradition of giving to worthy causes, the NSW Bar Assocation donated more than $18,000- towards the Baguia orphanage in Timor Leste (East Timor). Board member and Barrister Sue Kluss accepted the donation on behalf of YOTS Overseas Relief Fund. This donation will be used towards building a second storey addition onto the orphanage building. Thankyou to all the new silks of the NSW Bar Association - your donation is very much appreciated! |
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Board member Sue recently visited the Children's Care Centre in Aceh, and came home with many special memories!
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Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund is proud to advise that their Volunteer Team 1, sent to Aceh, Indonesia soon after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, has been honoured with the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal. |
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In January Father Chris Riley once again journeyed to East Timor to provide support to a Salesian orphanage in Baguia. This year, Fr Riley was accompanied by 4 young people from Youth Off The Streets who took part in the trip within the Service Learning programme. |
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Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund is proud to have hosted a visit to Sydney by four young people and a carer from the Baguia orphanage.
This historic visit gave these boys and girls the opportunity to see and experience Australian culture, and visit Sydney schools that have a Friendship Agreement with other schools in Timor Leste. At one Sydney High School, they sat in on a maths class, and loved interacting with other young students, keenly practising their limited English skills!Fun activities included climbing the Harbour Bridge (thankyou to Bridge Climb!) and a visit to Sydney Wildlife World and Sydney Aquarium (thankyou also to both these organisations!). The young people also performed a traditional dance at the Annual Youth Off The Streets Presentation Night, and received tremendous cheers and applause from an enthusiastic audience. All of the visitors are concentrating hard on improving their English, and would love to come back to Australia to undertake further study once leaving school. We wish them luck with all their endeavours! We know the memories of this trip will stay with them forever.
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Father Chris Riley, CEO and founder of Youth Off The Streets, was today honoured to receive the individual 2006 Austcare Paul Cullen Humanitarian Award. |
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Father Chris Riley was today appointed as a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2006. |
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