Action on Poverty
Charity in Sydney

Action on Poverty is a trusted charity in Australia that works with approved partners for long-term aid & developed projects to relieve poverty. We provide clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, food security, promote gender equality & more in developing communities. Our work spans across the world in Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Action on Poverty is the trusted partner for changemakers creating a better world.We connect philanthropists, corporates, non-profits, and innovators with developing communities and local NGOs across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific to break the poverty cycle.We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating a more just and equal world. Our specialty is in creating networks, maximising resources, and upskilling people and organisations so that, together, we can create lasting change.Since 1968, Action on Poverty has been supporting community-led development projects that tackle the root causes of poverty. We are a secular, independent NGO working through partnership on quality, evidence-based programs that create measurable change.

Action on Poverty was founded by a Marist priest and an Australian film star (no, it’s not the start of a joke – you can read our origin story here). Brought together by their shared passion for alleviating suffering in Pacific Island nations following World War II, Stan Hosie and Betty Bryant established the values of partnership, transparency, and accountability that continue to guide us today.Our staff and volunteers were on the ground in Timor-Leste following the war for independence, addressing mental health trauma. We were the first Australian NGO formally recognised by the Vietnamese Government, with ground-breaking dengue research. Our programs have reached millions of people, mobilised a global network of supporters, and helped local organisations develop skills and access resources to meet their communities’ needs.Today, we work in 14 countries on integrated development projects addressing four key areas:Food and water security and climate resilienceLivelihoods and economic empowermentGovernance and social accountabilityHealth, including public health