Youth Off The Streets - Overseas Relief Fund

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.

After the generosity of Australians to our tsunami appeal early 2005, we are pleased to advise that construction work is now well underway for the Children's Care Centre project, in the village of Sibreh, Aceh province, Indonesia. Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund committed to building t he Centre using these donated funds, and then operating the Centre for a five year period, in partnership with Muhammadiyah.  Muhammadiyah is a large, modernist social welfare organisation in Indonesia, and we are proud of the historic Memorandum of Understanding between our two organisations.

All the foundations for the ten cottages are finished, with work accelerating after rain delays. Walls to many buildings are also complete. Each cottage will house 8 young people (in 4 bedrooms) with a central lounge area. Each bedroom will have wardrobes, beds, desks and chairs, as well as storage shelves and a beside table. A big dining table in the central shared area of the cottage means that homwork, reading and craft activities can be done together, under the careful supervision of a team leader for each house.

The existing wooden huts will be left in the same location, and will be used to expand after school activities such as computer classes, and to expand the little library that the children run themselves.

One large fenced area of the land will be used for farming activities, such as crops, cattle and fresh fish cultivation. Food harvested from these activities will not only be used to feed the residents and staff at the Children's Care Centre, but will be sold at the local markets. The income received will be used towards the running costs of the Centre, such as food, water, wages, school fees and books, clothing and shoes, and electricity.

We anticipate the project will be complete by October this year, with a grand opening scheduled for November. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been invited to officially open the Centre.

Heinz Australia has helped overcome food shortages in Timor Leste by again donating two containers of seafood products (including cans of tuna) to YOTS Overseas Relief Fund. Patrick Defence Logisitics have given wonderful assistance with the clearance and transport of the containers, as part of their community assistance program in Timor Leste. We thank them sincerely once again!

The containers have been unpacked and the distribution will commence very soon. Many boxes will be sent to the Baguia orphanage while many more will be distributed to local village communities in the region. "The children are excited to see the trucks arrive carrying the food - and the villagers as well" said Father Jo Jo, who is in charge of distribution. "Thankyou again to Heinz for their kindness" he added.

In Kilolo region in Tanzania, there is only one high school providing an education for young people from 83 villages.Through a local well established charity, Orphans and Social Development Organisation (OSDO) Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund is supporting the building of another high school, to be called St James Kilolo High School. Initial enrolments will start at 100 students, and when completed, the high school will cater for a maximum of 900 boys and girls.The first stage of construction, out of a total of five stages, will be land clearing, foundations, four classrooms and a toilet block, at a total cost of approx.$45,000-. The next stage is the building of a library, hostel accomodation (one for girls and one for boys) and administration block, at a cost of about $89,000-. The first students will be orphans cared for by OSDO, then fee paying students will attend.

Land clearing has already started, and local labour is working hard to collect rocks and make bricks for the foundations.

We are proud to be associated with this outstanding project, which will give many more young people the opportunity for a high school education; increasing their opportunities for a brighter future. 

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!

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.

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.

Father Chris Riley, CEO and founder of Youth Off The Streets, was today honoured to receive the individual 2006 Austcare Paul Cullen Humanitarian Award.