Achievements

Since 2003, Oaktree has emerged as one of the most dynamic and groundbreaking development and aid organisations in Australia. Our volunteers are provocative, dedicated and determined.

We have more than 55,000 members, have spoken directly to well over 500,000 individuals about extreme poverty, and achieved an incredible media reach of over 100 million. Here is a snap shot of our most successful initiatives:

Live Below the Line 2010

Together with our partners at the Global Poverty Project, we created Live Below the Line. An experiential fundraiser which saw thousands of Australians eat on just $2 a day for 5 days. $2 is the Australian equivalent of the international extreme poverty line, and participants were allowed to spend no more than $2 each day on their food.

2010 was the first year Live Below the Line was run, and it was an incredible success. Almost 2000 people participated, gaining an incredible insight into the challenges faced by those living in extreme poverty. They had over 100,000 conversations with friends and family about the experience, and raised over $470,000 for fighting extreme poverty. You can check out the website here.

2010 Make Poverty History Roadtrip

The 2010 Make Poverty History Roadtrip was the largest youth-run event organised in Australia ever, with 1000 young people taking to the streets .

In just 7 days over 17 million people heard our message through the media, 47,091 people signed our petition, the Act to End Poverty, and in just 45 minutes we met with 143 political representatives, with the Act to End Poverty later being introduced to both houses of Parliament. Read the full impact report here.

Make Poverty History ZeroSeven Roadtrip

The MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY ZEROSEVEN Roadtrip marked the 07/07/07 midway point to the MDGs, mobilising Australia to strive for our nation’s aid target of 0.7% GNI by 2015. For 7 days, 700 Ambassadors road tripped through 17 cities and regional electorates across Australia and spoke to over 50,000 Australians directly.

At the final event of the campaign, and as a result of these efforts and the efforts of our partners, Kevin Rudd promised to increase foreign aid to 0.5% of our Gross National Income. This effectively secured an increase of $2.3 billion for the worlds’ poor – a commitment that has since become bipartisan. Read the full impact report here.

Make Poverty History Concert

We lead the 2006 MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Concert. An all star cast of Australian and International artists united to catapult the cause into the minds of all Australians. Australian artists like John Butler Trio, Evermore, Jet, Sarah Blasko, Paul Kelly and more united with international superstars Bono and Pearl Jam. The initiative inspired a generation with the message that we can end extreme poverty.

The event was the largest ever youth-run concert in Australian history. Over 15,000 people attended, and another 10,000 went to Live Satellite Parties around Victoria in Docklands, Geelong, Bendigo and other locations. Millions viewed and listened to the concert and 300,000 got a copy of the DVD the following day in the Herald Sun.

“Free Your Mind” Award

In 2007, we were also presented with the prestigious ”Free Your Mind” award at the MTV Music Awards. The award recognises incredible effort and achievement in advancing global causes.

End Child Slavery Campaign

We spearheaded the 2008 End Child Slavery campaign. The End Child Slavery Campaign raised awareness of the 8.4 million children who are denied an education because they are forced to work as slaves. We mobilised thousands of young people to campaign around the country, engaging directly with companies like Cadbury to demand they certify their supply chains as slave free. This culminated with simultaneous concerts around the country attended by thousands. In 2009 Cadbury announced their Dairy Milk Chocolate range would become entirely Fairtrade certified.

Schools 4 Schools Program

Our Schools 4 Schools program has expanded to over 40 schools across Australia, and is one of the largest programs in the country engaging students on issues of social justice.

We currently raise over 400 thousand dollars annually to support educational projects in developing communities.