OUR STORY

Founded by Bronwyn Sheehan in 2004, the Pyjama Foundation is a children’s charity which contributes to foster children in Queensland and Western Sydney. The Pyjama Foundation offers a learning-based mentoring program called Love of Learning Program. It is free-of-charge to children in foster care. To empower foster children with literacy and numeracy is the key service, hoping that these children can achieve better life outcomes. The Pyjama Angels are who deliver this service. Pyjama Angels are volunteers screened, recruited and trained by the Pyjama Foundation. They are equipped with resources and support, and matched one-on-one with a child in care. Each week, they visit their child for an hour and together they read books aloud, play educational games, and engage in other fun, learning-based activities.

Mission: Support Children in Care

As at 30 June 2011, there were 37,648 children living away from their original homes in Australia. They live in foster or alternative care. Children in care are the most vulnerable in our society. Their backgrounds are traumatic, and they may experience a range of physical, mental, psychological and other issues which can have long term affects. Usually, their early lives have been about survival, and they have missed out on many of the positive aspects of childhood most Australian children experience. The children have been subject to neglect and/or abuse that have a negative life-long impact. Also, children in care have the lowest education outcomes nationally of any group of children. Improving the children’s educational outcomes, and therefore their life experiences, is an opportunity that the foundation and its team of volunteer Pyjama Angels is tackling with gusto, determination, and a great sense of fun.

Objectives

There are three main objectives for the Pyjama Foundation.

·  Raising awareness for the organization: It has been only nine years since the Pyjama Foundation established. The organization has earned some reputation and awareness from the society but the level of awareness is below its expectation. The higher the level of awareness the organization can get, the more attention can attract to the development of children in care.

·   Fundraising: This objective may be shared by most of the charities. The organization not only needs money to maintain the daily operation but also to pay for the advertising cost.

·  Volunteer recruitment: The organization only has eighteen staff so volunteer recruiting is necessary. Volunteers for the Love of Learning Program are needed as well as volunteers for holding each activity.