Presidents Report
Dear Friends of Assisi , on behalf of the Committee of Management ( CoM ) of Assisi Aid Projects ( Assisi ), I would like to thank you for your support over the past year .
In India , through Assisi Farm & Training Centre ( AF & TC ) led by Sr Stella , Assisi has delivered projects designed to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in villages near Chennai , and widows , single mothers and their families in villages in central Tamil Nadu . I am pleased to report that during the year Sr Deepthi , who has visited Australia on several occasions , has taken on a more prominent role in overseeing project work , reducing the workload on Sr Stella .
During the year Assisi , through our partner Live & Learn Cambodia , supported Self Help Groups led by women in Koh Kong Province , located in the south west near the Thai border , and in Kampong Thom Province on the Tonle Sap lake . Financial literacy and leadership training for women and disadvantaged children has been the focus of our work in Cambodia during the past year . Our project has focused on providing livelihood and business training to improve income generation opportunities for local communities , and through this work reduce the impact on the fragile environment in target areas .
Importantly during 2015-2016 , the Assisi CoM has worked on the preparation of its 2017-19 Strategic Plan . During this process , the CoM confirmed that Assisi will continue to focus on empowering women by enabling them to become agents of change in their communities . The approach that Assisi will take is to work to equip poor and disadvantaged women and their children in India and Cambodia with the skills and knowledge to enhance their economic and social participation .
During 2015-16 , Assisi continued to develop organisationally with the appointment of four new CoM members , Amanda Scothern , Brigid Mulcahy , Tim Chapman and Dione Brooks . Each brings new skills and experience to the CoM , laying the foundation for the growth of Assisi into the future .
I would also like to acknowledge and thank other members of the Assisi CoM , our Treasurer Andrew
Gilchrist , Past President Tom Dumaresq , and CoM member , Philippa Sholl , for their on-going commitment to Assisi and valuable contributions .
I would like to thank Christian Nielsen who retired from the CoM during the year after many years of dedicated service to focus on his work as Executive Director of the NGO , Live & Learn Environmental Education . We wish him well in his important work in the future .
I would to thank our CEO , Karen Young . Her energy , professionalism and commitment ensures that those in need benefit to the greatest extent possible from the donations of our supporters . During 2015-16 , Karen visited India and Cambodia to review activities and provide advice and support . Information on her observations can be found on our website at www . assisi . org . au
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the staff of Live & Learn in our Melbourne office who assist with Assisi ’ s administration , particularly Hannah Snape and Lin Sun . Their help during the year has assisted greatly in the smooth running of Assisi .
I would also like to acknowledge that during 2015-16 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT ) contributed $ 150,000 towards our overseas development work . This financial support from the Australian Government is greatly appreciated and acknowledged whenever we visit project locations in India and Cambodia .
Assisi looks forward to your on-going support in the coming year as we work towards creating sustainable and equitable solutions , to address the root cause of poverty and disadvantage , with a focus on projects in India and Cambodia
Tony Britt - President
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