St Phillips Christian College Year 8 student, Zara Matthews, is one of nine young women selected as a finalist for The One to Watch Award category in the 2021 NSW Women of the Year Awards.
She was chosen for her efforts in raising more than $30,000 for Kenyan orphanages by holding school mufti days, sausage sizzles and stalls.
Matthews started the initiative when she was in Year 2 after her school principal came back from a trip to Kenya.
“We were told about the living conditions of school children there, and I thought it was no way to live,” Matthews said.
“I went around during recess and lunch collecting money, and I raised a total of 72 cents.
“I showed my mum, and she organised a meeting with my teacher at the time.
“She told me to write a proposal to the principal suggesting we do a fundraiser and asking can you help.
“We did full school mufti, sausage sizzle, stalls such as hair spray, face painting, and a guessing competition, and we raised over $2000.”
Last year alone, Matthews raised $7000, which she said goes to the Mission in Action Orphanage and a local school.
“The money goes to the teacher salary, as it was really hard for them during COVID,” she said.
“The money also goes towards the dairy cows they bought and the bakery they started, allowing them to be self-sufficient.
“My dream job is to be an author, and I would definitely want to keep helping these kids in Kenya and do maybe even more.”
The 13-year-old was selected as the Junior Ambassador for the Fred Hollows Foundation in 2018.
Minister for Women, Bronnie Taylor, said she was proud of the cohort of 7 to 17-year-olds in contention for The One to Watch Award.
“Each and every one of these young women can be incredibly proud of themselves for standing up and standing out at such a young age,” Taylor said.
“From the nominees to the finalists, each of these future role models has had a look at the issues affecting the community around them and set their minds to making a real, practical difference.
“I was really touched to read the nominations that were submitted on behalf of these young girls, which came from teachers, employers, parents and neighbours, who spoke passionately about kindness, strength and determination.
“These young girls are playing a significant part in helping us build a safer, stronger NSW for themselves, their families and the communities they are growing up in.”
Among the other finalists are young women who supplied farmers in drought with groceries, led a robotics team, and represented Australia in acrobatic gymnastics.
In their 10th year, the awards provide a comprehensive and targeted approach to promoting gender equality.
They are an initiative of the NSW Women’s Strategy 2018–2022 and form part of NSW Women’s Week held from March 8-15.
Jacinta Counihan