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Executive Director’s update

Photo of BSL Executive Director Conny Lenneberg

Welcome to the March issue of Building better lives together – our first edition for 2020. The new decade began, not as we would have wished, with unprecedented bushfires decimating many of our communities and environments and the tragic loss of human and animal lives.

We hope that the stories we share demonstrate that with the right support, people are capable of great resilience. This month, money raised will go to our Healthy Climate-Safe Homes project, which will help those in need to manage temperature fluctuations in their homes and reduce the impact of energy bills. It will also try, test, refine and document a model that could be delivered on a larger scale. This is an exciting initiative and I hope you feel compelled to get behind this project.

In this edition, Hamsa shares his story of struggling to find work as a new graduate. Our Given the Chance program helped him connect with employment and he now works as a sustainability advisor for a major engineering firm. Hamsa’s conviction and determination to succeed will see him go far, we’re sure.

Sithi, a graduate from our Stepping Stones to Small Business program is running her own restaurant. Once a stay-at-home mum in Sri Lanka, in only two years, Sithi has used our microenterprise course to learn business skills and reshape her life to provide for her family. It’s incredible to see the courage of people who’ve been forced to leave home, when they pick themselves up and start all over again.

We’re delighted that Cherish, who attended our David Scott School, received so many words of encouragement through our Christmas Appeal. It means a lot to participants who have shared their stories to know our supporters stand alongside them as they reach their goals. She has shared some notes with you below.

Thank you once again for reading our stories of people making change in their lives. Without the support of people like you, our work wouldn’t be possible.

Conny Lenneberg
Executive Director

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