Our Programs

Please join the Good Sams Foundation’s community


Good Sams Foundation’s latest video

Watch our Executive Director, Sonya Mears – talk about how your donations to the Good Sams Foundation are working to address economic and social inequality.


In the Philippines, the Good Sams Livelihood Assistance program was developed to provide women with small loans to purchase the equipment needed to start a micro-business and learn new skills, allowing them to support themselves and their families through financial hardships.

In Kiribati, you are helping us build three classrooms to accommodate the growing enrolment of students.

Simple structures, each classroom will cost about $10,000 to create – but will deliver so much more in terms of opportunities for the children who attend, by separating them into age groups appropriate for learning. 

In Timor Leste, our Scholarship Program has grown to provide for 75 students this year.

Each of our students were given the kind of practical support that can mean the difference between continuing education and dropping out – allowances for fees, books and living away from home expenses. Your gift today can totally change the trajectory of a child’s life, giving them hope and opening up doors.

In Melbourne, expanding the Good Samaritan Inn will provide a longer-term solution for stays of six months to a year, prioritizing those who are especially vulnerable because of domestic violence. 

This includes people without permanent residency and those effected by the cost of dramatically increasing rentals.  

Near Alice Springs, we’re continuing our successful inter-generational sewing program at Santa Teresa, which helps indigenous women develop their sewing skills and offers a safe place where older women can mentor younger women, build meaningful relationships and create a source of income.

Good Samaritan News

  • Timor Leste SGS Scholarship Program
    Sr Rita Hayes returned this month to Timor Leste to meet students from the SGS Scholarship Program. “I am in awe of their ambition and their resilience.” Please click the heading above to read Sr Rita Hayes update.
  • Creating hope in the Philippines
    The challenges of Covid, no internet access and no computers would have stopped most students from completing their studies. Read more about our amazing scholarship recipients in Bacolod, the Philippines and the hardships they overcame to complete their schooling.

Our Program Impact

Our programs have reached over one thousand women, children and families through thirteen programs spanning four countries.  This includes –

  • 600 families provided with a regular meal or food pack from the Good Samaritan Outreach Centre, Bacolod, the Philippines.
  • Over 120 students receiving scholarships in Railaco, Timor Leste.
  • More than 1,000 bed nights at Good Samaritan Inn, Melbourne for women fleeing family violence
  • Over 50 refugee and asylum seekers provided with support for their essential medical needs.

We are grateful to you, our donors and supporters who make our work possible.

Skills to Feed a Village

Our Livelihood Assistance program was developed to provide women with small loans to purchase the equipment needed to start a micro-business, allowing them to support themselves and their families.

Arcely was one of the first participants.  Using funds provided through the Good Samaritan Foundation, she bought an oven for her home in Boulevard. Her first step was to bake cupcakes, using a recipe she learnt from Sr Grace. 

Arcely then taught her five children to bake. Her family have now opened their own popular bakery in the village she grew up in. Now she is not only helping her family but is providing sustenance to her wider community in a sustainable (and delicious) way! You can read more about the program here.