Poverty is everywhere, but is especially prevalent in African countries.

Community Aid Abroad is a non-government, Australian organisation. Through a strong volunteer contingent, the C.A.A. has aided many hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries around the world.

Father Gerard Kennedy Tucker, an Anglican clergyman founded the organisation just after World War II came to an end. Due to a wider covering by the media on the issues surrounding developing nations, Father Tucker learned about such countries as India and Indonesia that were suffering decolonisation problems at the time. He instantly went into action, fundraising money to send to an Indian hospital.

Father Tucker spent most of the early fifties raising awareness within his community. After hearing an address on the needs of the poor overseas given by Father Tucker, a group of Melbourne businesswomen decided they would organise a food collection service called the "Food For Peace Campaign", in 1954.

After only eight years, there where ten Food For Peace Campaigns in the Melbourne area. The organisation grew and grew, and by the 1960's the amounts of money they were making was astonishing. In 1962, the many small, food collecting organisations merged and the name officially became Community Aid Abroad.

Every human has the right to eat.

This new group worked on the idea that they could assist communities with more long-term solutions, as well as supplying them with rations of food. By 1972, the Melbourne based group had branched out to include most parts of Australia. By this time, individual groups of the CAA were able to select and support particular projects in needy countries, and receive regular feedback on their progress.

This small - people centered - group approach is still one of the main features of CAA Today there are over 170 factions around Australia. The organisation now encourages and supports poor communities to use the C.A.A programs to help them become self-sustaining, confident societies. By 1991, Community Aid Abroad was turning over $12 million annually.

The CAA has also utilised the talent and artistic skills of the people in these countries by opening up stores in Australia for the sale of their products, and all money made is ejected straight back into the artist's community. This is just one of the many ways in which Community Aid Abroad helps poor communities help themselves.

People in poorer countries walk against want everyday for simple things like water and food.

There are many ways in which the groups in the CAA around Australia raise money for the underprivileged; one way that became a national event after only a few years is the Walk Against Want. People are encouraged to gather friends together and gain sponsorship for the walk, which takes place in nearly every city in Australia.

Another idea used for raising money is Comic Relief, which is an international comedy gala, which draws hundreds of thousands of viewers, and therefor a large amount of aid money.

A way you can get involved in Community Aid Abroad is by visiting their web site and finding out about your local chapter. Anyone internationally can donate to the aid of others less fortunate, and assist CAA programs by visiting their donating page.