Wests Tigers is proud to team up with Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia (JAFA) as our club’s Charity Partner for our Round 4 NRL match against Melbourne Storm.
The timing of this partnership falls in line with Australia's first Juvenile Arthritis Week (March 18-24), when JAFA will be actively raising awareness of the struggles facing so many young Australian children who are suffering with juvenile arthritis and childhood rheumatic diseases.
More specifically, the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia (JAFA) is urgently calling for funding to address the inequality in services for Australian children with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.
Karla Kimber knows only too well about the struggles and the pain facing children who are afflicted with arthritis. She is a mother of an 11-year-old boy who battles daily with the debilitating condition.
“It is so hard for young children, like my son, who are living with this condition,” she said.
As a family we are so grateful for the support provided by JAFA, and we thank Wests Tigers for helping us raise awareness in this space.
Karla Kimber
The JAFA Board has also welcomed the support of Wests Tigers.
“JAFA is delighted that Wests Tigers are shining a light on Juvenile Arthritis, which affects up to 10,000 Australian children but is virtually unrecognised and dramatically underfunded,” said JAFA director, Tanya Dmitronow.
We are extremely grateful that Wests Tigers is helping to raise awareness about this serious medical issue affecting so many Australian children and their families who deserve a better deal. JAFA Director, Tanya Dmitronow
"Wests Tigers' mission statement is 'to enrich the lives of the community’, and by partnering with us to spread JAFA's message, Wests Tigers are certainly living up to that goal."
Aims and objectives of JAFA:
- Raise awareness of juvenile arthritis (JA) among health professionals, politicians and governments, the education sector, the broader community and potential funders.
- Lobby governments to provide optimal and accessible health care and support for children with JA and their families and carers.
- Influence and partner with government and private funders to invest in research into the causes, treatment, care and a possible cure for JA.
More about juvenile arthritis:
- Juvenile arthritis (JA) is a painful, incurable and inflammatory autoimmune condition affecting the joints and eyes. JA is estimated to affect some 6,000 to 10,000 Australian children aged 0-16 years making it similarly prevalent to childhood diabetes and epilepsy.
- Eighty percent of children with JA experience daily pain and suffer a high burden of permanent disability, time off school and lost educational opportunities, social and physical marginalisation, isolation and mental ill-health.
- Twenty percent of children with JA will also have uveitis - an inflammatory eye disease that causes visual impairment, cataracts, glaucoma and eventual blindness if not detected early and treated. JA carries a financial burden to families through additional medical and treatment costs and reduced employment.
International comparison:
- Australia has a 225% shortfall in specialist services compared with optimal resource levels in other developed countries, leaving children with sub-optimal care.
- Ten months is the average time from the onset of painful symptoms to diagnosis with some children having already developed irreversible joint damage and loss of vision at diagnosis.
- 43% of children do not have access to essential multidisciplinary care - specialist medical, nursing, physio and occupational therapy.
