We dream of a world where poverty has ended and all people enjoy the fullness of life God intends. We've been committed to this vision since 1959.
At Baptist World Aid, we believe God’s desire is a world without poverty and injustice. That’s why we work toward ending poverty so all people can enjoy the fullness of life as he intends. With your support, we partner with local Christian organisations already working in 22 countries to help vulnerable communities emerge from poverty.
Our Children and Youth Programs assist young people to move beyond the barriers of poverty – for themselves and their whole community.
Our Community Development projects build lasting solutions to poverty for entire communities.
Our work in Disaster Relief saves lives before, during and after a disaster strikes.
Through our Advocacy work, we stand with the oppressed and marginalised working towards a more just world.
We encourage and equip the Church, in Australia and globally, to respond to the environmental crises that affects our most vulnerable neighbours around the world through disaster response while it pursues the work of community transformation.
Who would have thought that more than four years on, we would still be needing to factor the challenges of a global pandemic into everything we do? But this last year has continued to test our commitment and resilience and this has made our work through—67 projects in 22 countries, alongside 35 Christian Partners—arguably more important than arguably any time in our 65-year history. We are so grateful that even though the economic climate here at home is uncertain, the Australian Baptist family and our other faithful supporters have continued to provide sacrificially to allow us to impact the lives of more than 781,528 people, including 314,332 children.
We are a global community of people, doing great work, on a foundation of great faith. To God be the glory!
Jesus calls us to care for those who are hungry and thirsty, to welcome those who are strangers in a new land and to offer help to those living on the margins (Matthew 25:35-40).
And so we dream of, and work towards a world where poverty has ended—a better world for all.
But we don’t dream or act or pray alone. Together, with God’s people, we co-labour with Jesus in the practice of restorative justice, caring for vulnerable communities around the world.
Baptist World Aid Australia is a Christian aid and development organisation
Baptist World Aid helps Australians tackle the injustice of global poverty and act together in ending it.
We partner with like-minded agencies overseas to empower communities as they emerge from poverty, challenge injustice and build resilience together.
We partner with Christians and churches in Australia, particularly those from the Baptist movement, in faithful prayer, ethical consumption, generous giving, and courageous advocacy as together we follow Jesus to end poverty so all can enjoy fullness of life as God intends.
In August 1959, a small group of Australian Baptists gathered in Perth with a single purpose. They wanted to respond to the horrors of the previous decades and came from various parts of the country full of vision and concern. They knew that they’d been called to care for some of the world’s most vulnerable in the aftermath of WWII’s many humanitarian crises.
Over the course of those few days, they prayed and talked and strategised until, finally, they felt sure of their mission. Later, they described that gathering like this:
‘In many parts of the world, after World War II, there were refugees, victims of national strife, poor, hungry, sick, and dispossessed people, all waiting for help. Their problems remained, even though the War had ended, and had grown in number and diversity. The whole concept of Aid, by this time in 1959, had taken on new expressions and more and more emphasis was being placed on longer-term solutions, which looked beyond the immediate demands for emergency relief toward development and self help programmes.’
We partner with local Christian organisations to find innovative and lasting ways for vulnerable communities to emerge from poverty.
Our Community Development projects recognise that the greatest power for lasting change lies within communities themselves. Our Christian Partners help people to enjoy the fullness of life God intends for them, equipping them with the tools they need to pursue a better livelihood for their families and communities.
As a Christ-centered aid and development organisation, our reading of the Christian Scriptures and current developmental theory inform and guide our practices as we work with local Christian Partners. In addition to our history, our theology of development anchors our work, decisions, prayers and action:
Specifically, we believe the biblical storyline gives expression to a remarkable vision of ‘development’. As described in the creation narrative in Genesis 1-3, God’s intentions are for the emergence of a world filled with healthy, vibrant creatures living in safe, just, participatory, welcoming and equitable communities and lovingly engaged with God their Creator.
Like us, they share our biblical understanding of the better future God intends for people living in poverty. And they are best placed to help communities identify the unique challenges they are facing.
We provide our Christian Partners with financial and prayerful support, guidance, accountability and training, helping them to grow in effectiveness as agents of change in their own communities.
In working together, we learn from our local Christian Partners. They expand our understanding of the cultures they work within, while we implement best practice development programs together.
Poverty can leave people hungry, malnourished, uneducated, excluded, dispossessed, and susceptible to disease, environmental crises and early death. While individuals feel the effects of poverty, lasting solutions involve whole communities.
Community members are invited, resourced and trained to take collective action. They identify the root causes of poverty in their community, and draw on their strengths to make and carry out plans to overcome them. Together.
With your support, we invest into projects which build leadership and capacity at a local level, helping to ensure the impact continues well beyond the duration of the project and Your support helps communities experience the fullness of life God intends.
Baptist World Aid Australia joins him specifically in supporting Christian Partners in countries such as Papua New Guinea, Lebanon, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and others. And we respond to disasters in Asia Pacific, Asia, Middle East and more.
We work in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands
We work in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, and Uganda.
We work in Lebanon, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka
We respond to disasters in Papua New Guinea, Ukraine, Indonesia, India and more.
Our Annual Report summarises the activities and performance for Transform Aid International, Baptist World Aid’s parent organisation, from 1 July to 30 June. Find our latest reports now.
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