I recently had the good fortune to attend the 25th birthday celebration of the International Women’s Development Agency – in both Sydney at Admiralty House and in Melbourne – and I am in awe of what this collaboration of Australian women has managed to achieve for and with our neighbouring nations in need.  So this Christmas, you may wish to support their work with a Gift of Change – an opportunity to contribute to a movement which aims not to just make things ‘a little bit better’ – but to transform them. These gifts empower women to actively create better situations through access to education, resources and support.  This festive season, celebrate with a gift that inspires joy and has a lasting impact for women and their communities in the Asia-Pacific region.

International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that, for 25 years, has been creating positive change for women and their communities. Their practical and rights-based projects directly address poverty, discrimination and oppression in the Asia-Pacific region.

IWDA projects are developed in partnership with women who work and live in these communities, because women’s active participation and leadership is key to building a more sustainable future where the rights of women and men, girls and boys, are respected.

This year, for $25 you can give, not another scented candle, but a safe venue and materials for a group of Shan refugee women facing violence on the Thai Burma border to meet, share and learn about human rights.  Click here to access the full catalogue.