Give Thanks by Giving
Walk alongside communities in Egypt, Cambodia, the Philippines, Nepal and Indonesia — practically, faithfully, for as long as it takes.
91%
of every dollar reaches overseas programmes — one of the highest ratios among Australian charities.
ACNC 2023 AIS · data.gov.au
Thanksgiving Australia began not in Sydney or Melbourne, but in Heliopolis, Cairo — in the parish of St Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, where Father Daoud Lamei has served his community for decades. His ministry is practical before it is anything else: food on tables, seedlings in soil, children in classrooms. We are not a household-name charity. We are not trying to become one. We are trying to do small, careful, durable good in five countries — and to keep doing it for a long time.
Practical. Faithful.
For as long as it takes.
Walk Alongside
We don't parachute in and leave. We resource local partners who have names, faces and registry numbers of their own — staying for as long as it takes to build lasting change.
Radical Transparency
Over 91% of every dollar we receive goes directly to overseas programmes. One paid coordinator. Twenty-seven volunteers. Zero government revenue. Everything is on the public record.
Five Countries, One Mission
From the Esna farm in Upper Egypt to community work in Nepal's Lalitpur, we resource practical projects: agriculture, education, medical care — delivered alongside trusted local partners.
Where we work
Each project is delivered alongside a local partner — with names, faces, and registry numbers of their own.
Esna, Upper Egypt
The Esna Farm and Community Centre — date and citrus groves, vegetables, dairy, and eggs. Designed to give two hundred families consistent agricultural work. Companion programme: Brighter Future education.
Partner: The Little Flock Foundation
Kampong Speu Province
West of Phnom Penh, bordering the Cardamom Mountains — one of Cambodia's poorer rural provinces. Working with local partners to build sustainable community support.
Partner: Local community partners
Bacolod · Sipalay · Manila · Tacloban
Four operating footprints across Luzon, Negros and Leyte. The Tacloban work follows years of rebuilding after Typhoon Haiyan — community support that grew from disaster response into lasting presence.
Partner: Local community partners
Bhanimandal, Lalitpur
Our Nepal work began in the months after the 2015 earthquakes with medical camps in Chitwan and Dhading. Today, ongoing community work continues from Bhanimandal in Lalitpur, alongside the True Light Foundation.
Partner: True Light Foundation
North Jakarta
Operating from Greenlake City in North Jakarta, working alongside local partners to deliver practical community support where it's needed most.
Partner: Local community partners
Father Daoud Lamei (born in 1962) is an influential Coptic Orthodox priest from Cairo, Egypt. Before his ordination, he worked as a dermatologist. He is widely known for his leadership at St. Mark's Church in Heliopolis and for a number of achievements in pastoral, social, and media fields.
Medical Career
Graduated in Medicine (1985) and specialised in Dermatology, working in the field for over a decade before his ordination in 1998.
Parish Leadership
He is the principal leader and priest of St. Mark's Church in Heliopolis (Cairo), where he manages several ministries.
Missionary & Social Work
He has worked with refugees and underprivileged communities since the 1980s, and coordinates volunteer missions in African countries such as Kenya and South Africa.
Prolific Author
He has written dozens of books on spirituality, biblical meditations, and Christian living, with several works translated into English and French.
Media Presence
He presents religious programmes on several Coptic television channels (such as CTV, Aghapy, and Logos TV) and has a strong digital presence, with sermons and studies available on his Official YouTube Channel.
Ready to walk alongside communities in five countries?
Over 91% of every dollar reaches overseas programmes.
Over 91% to overseas programmes
FY23 · Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission public record
34%
to overseas programmes
$1.15M of $1.26M total expenses
$0.48M
total revenue FY23
Filed with the ACNC, 30 January 2024
8
volunteers
Driven by 27 volunteers and one paid coordinator
$0
government funding
100% community-funded, zero government revenue
$142K
net assets
Building reserves for long-term programme stability
Source: ACNC 2023 Annual Information Statement, data.gov.au
The kind of help that mattered most was the kind that stayed. Not the parachute-in-and-leave kind. The walk-with-you kind. That's what Father Daoud's ministry has always been — and that's what Thanksgiving Australia carries forward.
Father Daoud Lamei
Trustee, Thanksgiving Australia
GIVE THANKS BY GIVING
Your gift supports families in five countries.
Over 91% reaches overseas programmes.
Gifts of $2 or more are tax-deductible in Australia.