International development agencies ChildFund Australia and iCARE (International Christian Aid Relief Enterprise) have announced their decision to join forces, and combine their experience in delivering education programs for children in Asia, Africa and the Americas.

ChildFund Australia implements programs with a range of local partners in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam, and manages projects delivered by partner organisations throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas.

iCARE has implemented programs in many of the world’s poorest communities and currently undertakes projects with partner organisations in Kenya and the Philippines. Nigel Spence, CEO of ChildFund Australia, said, “Our organisations share similar histories, a long standing commitment to children’s rights and a strong belief in the vital importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty.”

“We have a great amount of respect for the work that iCARE undertakes and the support it has secured from the Australian public. So we are excited to see how combining our strengths will bring positive change to even more children in a way that is innovative, effective and cost-efficient,” he said.

Julian Fewtrell, Chair of iCARE, said, “We are delighted to be aligning with a like-minded organisation that so clearly shares our purpose and values. It presents a wonderful opportunity to expand our work to even more communities as part of the larger ChildFund Alliance network.”

Both ChildFund Australia and iCARE were established in Australia during the 1980s in response to global child poverty.

In recent years, this has seen both organisations implement projects which have delivered new or improved school buildings and related infrastructure, teacher training in child-friendly learning methodologies, modernised educational resources such as libraries and technology, and the creation of new literacy and numeracy programs to improve learning outcomes for children. The formal transition is expected to take place on 1 July 2017, when iCARE will become a subsidiary of ChildFund Australia