Our programs are run by volunteers
We need your help today.
If you can volunteer to help Friends with Dignity please email your contact details to.
Sanctuary Program
A safe and secure home is something most of us take for granted. We transforms houses into sanctuaries for survivors to start their journey free from abuse with dignity.
Urgent Requests
Urgent requests provide ‘one-off’ items to help make life a little easier for survivors of domestic violence. When we need help we post our requests for everyone to see if you can help.
Little Friends Program
The Little Friends Program provides helping hand with getting life ‘back to normal’ through funding uniforms and booklist costs, and after school sports activities and club memberships.
We never know their names
We never meet our clients nor do we ever know their names. We work through our network of referring agencies to ensure our clients’ privacy is always protected. We are here with no judgement but to ensure they have a friend they may never meet and are treated with dignity.
Many of the families write to us through the referring agency with feedback and those letters make it all worthwhile. Our little friends often send a drawing, and those not only bring a tear to the eye, but they remind us of the profound difference we have all made to that family. It’s about making a difference to “One Friend at a time”.
Stories from our clients
“thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you from my heart”Our client excitedly showed me photos that she had taken of her new home pointing out white goods, toiletries, kitchen ware, a sofa, a beautiful oriental designed wardrobe, kitchen table, TV, recipe books and her eyes lit up especially when she showed me – a sewing machine.
Our client speaks limited English but when asked what she would like to say to Friends with Dignity said “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you from my heart”.
With the assistance of in interpreter, our client was able to communicate that the furniture and household items that FWD were able to collect for her made her house feel like a home and made her overwhelmed with gratitude. Our client said when her relationship broke down due to domestic violence, she felt alone and hopeless. She said being able to move into a new home, set up with all of the things she needs has taken a huge amount of stress off her shoulders and allowed her to have hope for the future and feel so supported at a difficult time. Our client has already begun using her sewing machine to provide free repairs for her neighbours in the department of housing property where she lives and the feeling of pride and purpose this gives her is something she has not experienced for quite a while.
“nobody has ever helped me like this before in my entire life”Thank you very much for your assistance for our clients who are escaping domestic violence, what an AMAZING job your volunteers have done with the donations of furniture. Truly AMAZING and beautiful people who volunteer for your organisation.
She stated “ I cannot believe there are still genuine caring people left in the world, to do such a beautiful thing for someone they don’t even know”. With tears in her eyes she stated “ nobody has ever helped me like this before in my entire life”.
Domestic violence affects us all
Research shows that one in three women and one in five men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. That’s someone’s sister, brother, mother, father, aunty, uncle, best friend—someone that you know.
Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate in age, gender, culture, religion or economic background. It affects us all.
Fast Facts
Australian Police respond to a domestic violence matter every two minutes.
Two women every week are killed at the hands of their partner.
One in five children experience domestic violence in one place they are meant to feel most save.
24,000 Australians are homeless due to domestic violence.
How can you help?
Follow us on Facebook
We post lists of what we need in each Sanctuary as we need them. Please like our page to help us help others.
Donate
Gift cards and cash donations help us purchase items that we have been unable to source through other donations.
Make a difference
Do you have a skill that will make a difference? There are a many ways you can volunteer with Friends with Dignity.
Fundraise for Friends
Can you host a fundraising event for Friends? Check out some ideas for hosting a fundraising events and help Friends With Dignity raise critical funds to support our programs.