Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways, which restricts airflow and can be fatal. Asthma affects 1 in 9 Australians, or 2.7 million people. It has various degrees of severity (mild to severe) and affects people of all ages, from childhood to adulthood.

We are Australia's largest provider of person-centred education and support services for people with asthma, their families, health professionals, and the broader community. Our professionally staffed helpline and Asthma Assist services assist 48,000 people annually to manage their disease for improved quality of life. We find the best treatments, practices and provide education and training to make sure life with asthma is the best it can be.

We are a leading provider of evidence-based asthma training resources, educating thousands of healthcare professionals and school staff about best-practice asthma management every year.

We support innovative asthma research, so that the information we provide to people is well-researched and evidence based.

We also advocate for systemic change by working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to achieve a better future for people with asthma, including people with asthma and their carers, health professionals, non-government organisations, governments, researchers and industry

How your donation will help

In the ACT, one in eight (12.1%) people have asthma, higher than the national average of one in nine people (11%).

There are many types of medications and devices available to manage asthma. A spacer is one such device. Spacers help the medication get straight to where it's needed in your lungs, with less medication ending up in the mouth and throat where it can lead to irritation or mild infections.

The cost of purchasing spacers and the impracticality of carrying a spacer out in public is often the reason why people with asthma may not use a spacer. A disposable spacer is not impractical to carry out in public and these cardboard spacers allow each user to safely and cleanly inhale their dose of asthma medication. However, these can cost around $8 each.

Asthma Australia conducts many asthma education and awareness sessions with refugees, young children, disadvantaged and homeless people, older people and to GP clinics conducting Spirometry.

Your donation can help us to purchase disposable spacers and provide them to the communities that we work with. This could be life changing for the vulnerable people living in our community.