National Families Week is a time to celebrate with family, make contact with extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community. It is a time to celebrate the meaning of family and to make the most of family life.

“Families are society’s most important building block. Strong families equate to strong communities because they embody caring for others, connectedness with people, and providing hope, support and comfort.”

Get involved this May by:

• Reaching out to your own family
• Planning and Organising an event
• Handing out the promotional products
• Watching the video on the website
• Raising awareness on social media

For more information: http://nfw.org.au/

International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day provides an opportunity to recognise nurses around the world for their contribution to health care. The day is celebrated on 12 May as this is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the founder of modern nursing.

This year the theme for International Nurses Day is

Nurses: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Nurses are consistently named one of the most trusted professions, year after year. Taking care of people during times of vulnerability allows nurses to form a special bond with their patients.”

Let us acknowledge their services by:

• Donating
• Showing appreciation to the nurses in our local community
• Volunteering
• Raising awareness on social media

For more information, visit: http://www.icn.ch/publications/international-nurses-day/

World Lupus Day is designed to raise awareness about the disease Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that may cause abnormalities in the function and structure of vital organs such as kidney, brain, lungs etc.

“Lupus affects one in 700 Australians. Nine out of every ten people with lupus are women, with the onset of disease usually occurring between 20 and 50 years of age.”

Fight Lupus this May:

• Organise a fundraiser
• Download toolkit to gain information regarding the issue
• Sign the petition
• Raise awareness on social media
• Donate

For more information, visit: http://www.worldlupusday.org/

National Domestic Violence Remembrance Day is an initiative to honour those who have been victims and survivors of Domestic and Family Violence. The theme for 2017 is ‘don’t be silent but speak up and obtain support’. Unfortunately domestic and family violence is not always reported to police and there are still some concerning statistics surrounding Domestic and Family Violence:

“85% of domestic violence victims are women”

Get involved this May by:

• Attending the Domestic Violence remembrance breakfast
• Volunteering
• Raising awareness on social media
• Showing your support in the community
• you can donate to several organisations, which are involved in assisting the victims in various ways. Donate generously.

The Starlight Day is a national campaign involving the painting of streets to Power the Happy for seriously ill children. The Starlight Children’s Foundation has brightened the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children, and their families, throughout Australia.

“Research shows sick kids and teens face different challenges to adult patients and are entitled to play, imagine and dream so they can continue to develop physically, mentally and socially.”

You can contribute by getting involved this May by:

• Raising awareness on social media
• Donating to the foundation and helping them reach their goal of $1.3 million
• Volunteering with the organisation
• Holding a fundraiser to raise money for the cause

For more information, visit: https://starlight.org.au/what-we-do/campaigns-and-events/national-campaigns/starlight-day

Kiss Goodbye to MS is a campaign designed to accelerate research targeting the prevention, better treatments and a cure for multiple sclerosis. Ultimately, MS Research Australia is working towards freedom from MS. Multiple sclerosis is a condition of the central nervous system, interfering with nerve impulses within the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

“MS affects over 23,000 in Australia and more than two million diagnosed worldwide.”

Get involved this May by:

• Making a donation
• Registering as a fundraiser
• Raising awareness on social media
• Informing family and friends
• Wearing red lipstick

For more information: https://kissgoodbyetoms.org/

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an international campaign to promote safe and healthy work ethics. These are crucial in moving ahead in our fast paced society to maintain quality of life and working standards.

“Every year some two million men and women lose their lives through accidents and diseases linked to their work.”

Get involved this April by:

• Learning about the safety and healthy protocols
• Donating to the foundation
• Raising awareness on social media
• Informing family and friends of the risks

For more information, visit: http://www.un.org/en/events/safeworkday/

World Malaria Day is a chance to shine a spotlight on the global effort to control malaria. The theme for 2017 is ‘END MALARIA FOR GOOD’ and highlights the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. Malaria remains both a major cause and a consequence of global poverty and inequity.

“According to the World Malaria Report 2016, in 2015, there were 212 million new cases of malaria and 429,000 deaths. One child dies from malaria every two minutes.”

Fight against malaria this April by:

• Raising awareness on social media using #EndMalaria
• Donate to the foundation
• Organise your own fundraiser
• Volunteer
• Inform family and friends of the harms

For more information, visit: http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/calendar-of-events/world-malaria-day

Sexual Assault Awareness month is a campaign designed to raise awareness in the community regarding the harms of sexual assault.

“17% of women and 4% of men experience sexual assault since the age of 15 in Australia”

Fight against sexual assault this April:

• Change your profile picture on Facebook in support of the cause
• Buy the merchandise
• Donate to the foundation
• Organise your event
• Hand out flyers and posters in support of the cause
• Spread the message on Instagram or twitter
• Inform family members and friends

World Haemophilia Day is a campaign designed to bring attention to the women and girls in our community who live with a bleeding disorder. Haemophilia is a genetic bleeding disorder that prevents the blood from clotting normally.  

“Currently in Australia there are more than 2,700 people with varied degrees of severity of haemophilia.”

Get involved this April:

• Share personal stories online
• Post videos, photos or share an experience
• Raise awareness on social media using #WHD2017
• Go to the WFH eLearning Platform to learn about the disorder
• Make a donation
• Volunteer with the organisation

For more information, visit: https://www.haemophilia.org.au/