The Muirs helped teachers in Tonga expand their skills by linking with the Australian TAFE system.  Fifty-three students graduated with a certificate IV in hospitality and commercial cookery, and 47 have already gained jobs.  What a magnificent result!

 As somebody who has volunteered in the South Pacific and in Indigenous communities, I can only agree that volunteering is an effective and efficient way of using the foreign aid budget, and it provides a pathway towards economic empowerment for the recipients.  

It is a hand up not a handout.  It gives people in developing communities the opportunity to make a living and provide for their families. It celebrates the skills of experienced older Australians, it builds Australia’s reputation and influence in the region, and it is an investment that keeps on returning dividends.

 I call on the Abbott government to reinstate funding for the Australian Volunteers for International Development  program.

 David Bailey,

Kambah, ACT