We work with families and communities living in abject poverty in villages in Thailand, Burma and borders with Laos. We cultivate partnerships and grassroots initiatives to tackle the root causes of poverty and the issue of trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls.

Leadership for Change

Applications are now closed > This program invites young Australians to experience unique learning and to strengthen initiatives tackling poverty and gender issues affecting girls in Southeast Asia.

Field office underway on Mekong river

This week the team celebrated with the opening of the new field office in Nakhon Phanom on the Laos border.

We are coordinating many projects in villages and communities along the Mekong and taking important steps to enable resources to achieve the best results. Over the next 5 year period budgeting and staffing will increase significantly and operational responsibility is delegated to local staff members.

Young Australians will have opportunities to work with the program on the border with Laos and interact in new culture. Preparations are also well advanced to establish a team on the Western border with Burma and structural changes and the development of the strategic plan (responsibilities and timelines) will be available at the AGM in August.

Beyond a doubt, the development of the organisation along the West-East corridor is strategic and imporant. We are committed to measured steps and ensuring resources are managed carefully, not wastefully. The opening of the field office in Nakhon Phanom has brought great praise from the local community. Organising for the structural changes necessary has been a big job, but everyone involved is committed to enabling Openaid to achieve the best results possible with astonishing opportunities for important dialogue with villages and families across the northeast Mekong region.

Operational management of Openaid is advancing with new leaders positioned in Melbourne and Thailand. Each person working with Openaid has a critical role and a number of further structural changes will follow before 2011. Human resource is a focus and funding requirements, although a formidable challenge, is also clearly understood.

Ultimately, substantive structural changes have been a theme during 2009-10 and opportunities to make changes continue to offer Openaid levers that help us succeed. In our plan, special emphasis is on local workers and targeting people to take more responsibility, nurturing initiatives that are capable of conditions which manifest structural change.

We have a clear vision and definite understanding of responsibilities and progress. We are actively seeking change and obstacles are being removed.

Thank you for your support!

All the best,

Justin Whitecross