Walking the talk
Life Global Australia has no employees, only a handful of volunteer Directors, and an even smaller number of volunteer Advisory Board members. Founded six years ago just before the world learned about Covid 19, it is a small organisation which then had to hibernate through the pandemic. Yet LifeGA has had the energy and influence to transform hundreds of lives.
Working with partner charity, Project Life, LifeGA has enabled 75 women to become financially secure, provided 100 units of blood free of cost to needy recipients, funded 500 screening tests for an endemic blood disorder, and gathered donations to build a school, classroom by classroom.
The source of LifeGA’s energy is the conviction of its volunteers that they must act. Every one of the Directors and Board members walks the talk.
Advisory Board member, Jane Elliott, for example, attended the launch of LifeGA in Brisbane in 2023. As retired teachers, she and her husband were particularly interested in the education programme.
“I had taken groups of students from my Brisbane school to work at a school for the disabled in Tamil Nadu,” Jane said, “and I saw what could be accomplished in India with relatively modest donations.”
Jane and her husband were amongst the first to become LifeGA sponsors. More than that, though, Jane was looking for a meaningful way to use her newfound time. After talking to LifeGA founders, Jane saw that she could utilise her journalism training and years of English teaching to achieve the sense of purpose she was lacking. Jane is now Director of Communications on the Advisory Board.
“It is energising and exciting to contribute in this way. As a teacher, I used to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson who said that improving someone else’s life is the definition of success. Helping LifeGA allows me to succeed.”
Like Jane, Rebecca Reeve had already felt a connection with India before she joined the LifeGA team, first as an Advisory Board member and then as a Director.
“In 2015, I visited India and instantly fell in love with the country as a whole and its people. The warmth, resilience, and spirit I came across left a huge impact on me.”
After a university education in the UK, Rebecca focused on establishing a career in marketing and media, but had a growing sense that work alone was not providing the deeper purpose she was looking for.
“Volunteering with LifeGA gave me a way to put that feeling into action. With the LifeGA team, I have had the opportunity to make a difference in campaigns such as empowering women with skills and training that can literally change the future for themselves and their families, and providing education to give children the best start possible. I’ve also learned that communities face health challenges we simply don’t hear of in Australia, so the health program is crucial.”
Chair of the LifeGA Advisory Board, Geoff Anson, is also acutely aware of the particular difficulties of the less fortunate and regionally isolated people of India. In fact, it was the challenge inherent in raising money in Australia for the people of India that attracted Geoff. He had already had extraordinary success in charity work within Australia, cofounding an organisation that eventually attracted federal government support to equip and educate thousands of remote indigenous Australians.
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eoff initially became involved with LifeGA as a donor.
“I was particularly motivated by the needs of remote India as it is far away and often forgotten. In remote areas like that, if funds do not arrive, people die. It’s as simple as that.”
But Geoff quickly realised that his skills could be employed more extensively if he became a volunteer, heading LifeGA’s Advisory Board.
“I saw that the LifeGA mission and objectives were clear. Helping to give children a better life through education and empowering women with new skills that enable them to support their families are right at the top of my core goals, so I was excited to offer my enthusiasm and energy.”
As Chairman of the Advisory Board, Geoff has now participated in two philanthropic trips to India. “I went in 2023 to see with my own eyes the people and their needs. I went back in 2024 because we successfully raised funds and I wanted to meet the people we were actually helping.”
In 2026, Geoff will be heading to India for his third trip, this time hosting a group of colleagues and fellow donors from Australia to show them directly how their donations have changed the lives of the recipients.
LifeGA’s Founder and Chairperson, Dr Dipti McGowan, is proud to have assembled her team of active volunteers. From the start, she was determined that 100% of all donations to LifeGA would go to the people and programmes in India. The dedication of the Directors and Advisory Board members has ensured this goal has been achieved, apart from unavoidable bank fees.
Excitement in the team is building as preparations continue for the 2026 trip to India.
“The journey makes what we do real,” Dr McGowan said. “It has inspired and motivated me to keep donating my money, time and effort to LifeGA’s vision and mission.”
LifeGA keeps walking the talk.
www.lifeglobal.org.au
