The start of the school year is always tough on parents, tougher still on disadvantaged families who struggle to cover the costs of putting their kids into school, be it through financial shortcomings, domestic violence or other unforseen disasters.
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Cinnamone Cummins and her mother, Carol, reached out to the Smith Family after an unfortunate domestic situation.
"When I was younger we basically got locked out of the house and we had to just, fend for ourselves," Ms Cummins said.
"We had to stay at friends' places for a while. [Carol] had to find a full-time job, that was really hard on both of us but this just helps so much because now we don't need a second person in the house to help with everything."
"I just think that my life honestly could have been a lot harder if I didn't have that [support]. I wouldn't have been able to get a full childhood experience."
When she was in year six, the Smith Family put Cinnamone through its Learning for Life program, getting a sponsor to help provide her with school books, uniforms, excursion fees and other school supplies which weigh heavily on struggling parents.
"Mum and I both work really hard, we just need that little extra assistance," she said.
Smith Family's NSW and ACT general manager Annette Young said her organisation was hoping to arrange 2128 child sponsors in NSW and the ACT.
"It makes such a big difference," Ms Young said.
"We also know education is the key to breaking that cycle of disadvantage."
She said people normally thought the need for child sponsorship was unique to developing countries
"Australians don't understand our kids in this country are faced with those situations. There's this hidden problem," Ms Young said.
She said children who didn't have access to the same resources as schoolmates could feel left out and be discriminated against, echoing the ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Associations.
Now, seven years later since they first reached out, Cinnamone, 17, is set to begin a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University, floating between passions for history, journalism and archaeology.
As well as charities like the Smith Family, the ACT government provides Canberra's families with a number of support services including the Secondary Bursary Scheme, which provides $750 per year to low income families.
Last year the federal government axed the Schoolkids Bonus, which provided up to $856 per year to children from low income families.
