The Australian Ethical Investment has awarded a total of $300,000 of grants for organisations that are working to empower women, protect wildlife, support renewable energy and overcome poverty in Australia. A total of 18 charities and social businesses received the grants to continue their projects in Australia and other countries across the world.

The Australian Ethical has been running the grants programme for more than 25 years for its commitment to donate 10 percent of its pre-tax profits to organisations helping people and the environment around the world. The company has already donated more than $2 million since the programme started.

“Our company Charter isn’t simply a guide for screening investments – it is the basis of our company culture. Underpinning it is a belief that we have a responsibility to do more than just make money, but to improve the world around us,” said Phil Vernon, managing director of Australian Ethical. “The grants programme is one way we are achieving this goal,” he added.

One of the recipients, the Free To Shine, an Australian charity that focuses on helping current and possible victims of sex trafficking in rural Cambodia, received $10,000 grant. The grant will be used to identify and enrol an additional 33 girls into a scholarship programme, according to Nicky Mih, CEO of Free To Shine.

The programme helps girls in rural villages to have uniforms, school resources and an Education Outreach Officer to visit them every month. The charity used to visit rural villages in the country to meet their leaders and officials and assess which families are at high risk of being targeted by traffickers.

“Girls should be in schools, not brothels. This grant is helping us proactively tackle this problem and prevent young girls from being trafficked,” Mih said.

The Australian Ethical grants programme also helps an initiative that aims to help homeless people find shelter. The founder of the Angel Place Project, Claire Wearne, said that the organisation will be designing sustainable, financially sound hotel that will accept the homeless.

The Angel Place Project received $20,000 grant that will be used to conduct market testing before launching its new venture, Wearne said. To date, there are around 20,000 young Australian children, who are with their parents, experiencing homelessness each night, she added.

Vernon said that even the recipients have different initiatives, they still work in a dedication to improve the lives of people. “Whether it’s supporting Indigenous health in the outback, caring for donkeys in Afghanistan, or creating jobs for refugees – there are so many inspiring people working hard to make a difference. We are proud to support these organisations and the great work they are doing,” he stated.

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