Australia has welcomed two additional non-government organisations (NGOs) as Partners to AusAID's NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
Minister for International Development, The Hon Melissa Parke MP, met with Australia's 10 leading NGOs in Canberra to sign the ANCP Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), together with senior representatives of The Fred Hollows Foundation and Save the Children Australia.
The Australian Government provides funding to Australian NGOs demonstrating strong organisational efficiency and community support through ANCP, its main NGO grant scheme.
The ANCP Partnership MOU seeks to build on the success of this longstanding program to harness the strength of Australia's largest accredited NGOs working together towards a shared goal: to help people overcome poverty.
The MOU will provide The Fred Hollows Foundation and Save the Children Australia with regular policy dialogue opportunities and four-year funding certainty to implement and expand their development initiatives.
Funding for our ANCP Partners will increase from $87 million last year to $106.5 million in 2013–14 and $138 million by 2016–17, through multi-year funding agreements.
The Fred Hollows Foundation works with AusAID throughout the Asia-Pacific region and Africa, training and equipping local doctors to perform eye surgery. In 2012 the Foundation and partners treated more than eight million people.
Save the Children Australia is known for its work protecting the rights of vulnerable children. AusAID's Partnership with Save the Children includes work in nutrition, primary health care and access to basic education.
These organisations join eight other leading Australian NGOs as partners of the ANCP. Others include:
- World Vision Australia
- Oxfam Australia
- Caritas Australia
- ChildFund Australia
- PLAN International Australia
- CBM Australia
- CARE Australia
- TEAR Australia