One thing you’ll quickly learn about Georgina Fenton is that she’s the kind of woman who creates impact. Her foundation is named Create Impact, because it so aptly captures her mission and what drives her forward every single day. And while the path to change takes time, over a decade in, she has the dedication to make real, lasting change.

It was during a holiday to Ethiopia with her partner back in 2008 that she stopped at a primary school in the Ethiopian Highlands. There she discovered classrooms that were made of mud and had partially collapsed. Cold, bitter winds that meant all the windows had to be covered with boards. Inside, the rooms were dark and filled with children huddled together desperately seeking warmth. “After seeing children in that environment, I don’t think anyone could not be profoundly affected and feel a strong need to help,” recalls Georgina. Sadly, Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the poorest regions of the world, with 9 out of 10 children living in extreme poverty and half of all children still not in school. Women and girls in rural Ethiopia struggle without the most basic life needs like access to education, clean drinking water and health care.  

Create Impact was founded two years after she returned home. She has since built 10 schools. One of them, Shrimzree primary school, which is located in a mountainous area with no road access and is only accessible by foot. Before Create Impact arrived, there were no buildings, and classes were taught under trees. To build a school, Create Impact used donkeys to carry in the building material and called on the community to help. “It was particularly rewarding for all of us once completed and even more so when it resulted in young people who had previously dropped out of school, return to their education,” she says. Recently, Create Impact has built two brand new Health Clinics and they are also committed to providing girls in rural areas with locally made reusable pads to help them manage their periods and stay in school. The work they do is seemingly endless – there’s a hostel for 36 disadvantaged high school girls, emergency food aid and cash grants, and providing communities with access to clean water sources – and so much more.

When asking about her approach to making work meaningful, she says: “It’s cliché but one of my favourite quotes is Desmond Tutus ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world’. I think about that a lot when I’m feeling overwhelmed at the level of need in Ethiopia, and we are having to make really tough decisions around which projects to fund.” Georgina’s sister is Lucy Fenton of Melbourne-based interiors design boutique and gallery Fenton & Fenton – and the company is her most significant partner. “Fenton & Fenton has raised over half a million dollars for our work in Ethiopia,” she says. “Without Lucy, I am not sure I would have had the confidence to launch Create Impact. Lucy is a risk-taker; she has incredible self-belief and confidence. She launched Fenton & Fenton when she was just 26, with very little experience running a business and during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. I tend to be a cautious person, but Lucy gave me the nudge I needed to jump into a whole new sector and continues to inspire me with her optimism and ability to problem-solve, especially when facing setbacks or challenges.”


Here, we speak to this remarkable woman ahead of Mother’s Day, about making an impact, her career journey and motherhood.

It was during a trip to Ethiopia that you visited a local primary school in a remote area – tell me about this life-changing event?  
I was on a holiday in Ethiopia with my partner in 2008 when we decided to randomly stop at the Eshet Amba primary school, which is on a high-altitude plateau in the Ethiopian Highlands. The mud classrooms were partially collapsed. Because of the icy winds that whipped across the area, the classrooms needed to have all the windows boarded over. It was so dark inside that it was difficult to see how many children were sitting on the floor in each room. They were huddled together to share blankets, attempting to keep warm. These were clearly children living in extreme poverty. After seeing children in that environment, I don’t think anyone could not be profoundly affected and feel a strong need to help.  

You co-founded Create Impact in 2010 – tell me about the last 13 years and some of your most significant milestones? 
Each of the 10 schools we’ve constructed feels like a milestone, but Shrimzree primary school was especially challenging as it’s a mountainous area with no road access; you can only reach the school on foot. The school had no buildings, classes were just taught under trees. We used donkeys to carry in all the building materials, it took a huge amount of time and effort from the entire community. It was particularly rewarding for all of us once completed and even more so when it resulted in young people who had previously dropped out of school, return to their education. 

We’ve recently built two brand new Health Clinics, that provide primary healthcare for rural communities, focusing on maternal and child health. The female healthcare staff are seeing at least 35 people per day; mainly for family planning, immunizations, and malnutrition. When I was visiting one of the clinics last month, I met a woman who was attending for her Depo Provera injection. Before the Health Clinic was constructed, she couldn’t access family planning locally, she said it was very stressful, for all the women. To carry out a project that leads to not just one, but thousands of women being able to access reproductive health services, felt like a monumental milestone.    

Can you share any stories with us – are there any girls you’ve met which have had a lasting impact on you? 
There are many girls, but Ayana comes to mind. When I first met Ayana, she was a 17-year-old, who was working as a labourer in road-construction, breaking rocks, and earning $1.40 per day so she could afford to go to school. There was so much pressure on her to drop out of school and get married. She was one of the first students to join our Scholarship program, which is based on both merit and neediness. Six years later, Ayana has not only finished school, but has graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science and is now employed in a regional Health Centre. This is a major achievement considering only 2.7% of girls in Ethiopia attend university. She is now an educated, independent young woman, who has become a role-model in her community. It’s for girls like Ayana that I do this every day.   

What does meaningful work mean to you? 
Meaningful work doesn’t mean working in the not-for-profit sector, but for me, it’s about making positive connections with people and contributing to the greater good in some capacity. It’s cliché but one of my favourite quotes is Desmond Tutus “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”. I think about that a lot when I’m feeling overwhelmed at the level of need in Ethiopia, and we are having to make really tough decisions around which projects to fund.  

As a mother, how have you navigated career and motherhood? 
I’ve struggled with managing my responsibilities to Create Impact, my previous career as a Genetic Counsellor and my kids (I have three girls aged 7, 9, 11). After I launched Create Impact, I continued working as a Genetic Counsellor and completed a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies during my numerous maternity leaves. Inevitably, there must be compromises and sacrifices! A few years ago, I decided to stop working as a Genetic Counsellor and this sometimes leads me to worry that I have “stepped off the career ladder” and am I going to be able to get back on… so I would say I am still trying to navigate it! 

How does your sister Lucy inspire you? 
Without Lucy, I am not sure I would have had the confidence to launch Create Impact. Lucy is a risk-taker; she has incredible self-belief and confidence. She launched Fenton & Fenton when she was just 26, with very little experience running a business and during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. I tend to be a cautious person, but Lucy gave me the nudge I needed to jump into a whole new sector and continues to inspire me with her optimism and ability to problem-solve, especially when facing setbacks or challenges. 

You have spoken about experiencing a fear of failure – something so many of us can relate to – tell me about a fear of failure and how it drives you? 
There are few other aid agencies working in the region we are, therefore if we don’t fund a project, it won’t get done. So I feel a huge amount of personal responsibility to these communities and with that comes a fear of failing them. Last month when I was in Ethiopia, we were asked to fund the fuel for the only two Ambulances servicing a population of 200,000 as the local government have no money left until the next budget is handed down in August. Five women had recently died during childbirth solely because an Ambulance could not get them to the hospital in time for an emergency c-section. The fear of letting these women down drives me to be more audacious with fundraising and networking, which are naturally outside my comfort zone. 

What role does determination play in your career? How has it helped you? 
When I first co-founded Create Impact, I was working full time as a Genetic Counsellor. I had no work experience in the not-for-profit sector; no knowledge around charity’s governance or compliance; I’d never done any fundraising or marketing; nor did I know anything about bookkeeping or preparing financial accounts. The only thing moving me forward was the determination and a sense of duty to make sure the children at Eshet Amba had a safe, warm, comfortable school to attend. Running a not-for-profit is no different to running a business, if you don’t have grit and resilience, then it just won’t succeed.

If you think of your career in chapters, what chapter are you up to now? 
To be honest, I have no idea! I still feel like I am at the beginning of the story and don’t know how it will end. I am a fastidiously organised person in every aspect of my life, except for my career. I am always brainstorming new ventures that in some way can further support Create Impact so I’m sure there’s still a few more chapters to go. 

Fenton & Fenton has been a major sponsor of Create Impact since 2014 – what role has Fenton & Fenton played? 
Fenton & Fenton has raised over half a million dollars for our work in Ethiopia, making them our most significant partner. This has mainly been through their biennial Peace of Art Exhibition and Auction, which showcases a diverse collection of works from coveted and emerging Australian artists, which are then sold via online auction. Due to the generosity of the artists, who donate their artworks, 100% of the proceeds go towards our projects. 

Small not-for-profits, like Create Impact generally struggle to gain reach on social media platforms. It’s also really difficult to establish partnerships, as companies tend to support large, well-known charities, or those that concentrate on Australian causes. I’m incredibly grateful to Fenton & Fenton. The funds they’ve raised has built three primary schools and one secondary school; enabling over 2,000 children each year to access school.   

Change takes time, as does having an impact. What have you learnt about creating change since you started your journey?
Create Impact is focussed on creating opportunities for life to change for people in Ethiopia, but for this to be sustained across generations, it needs to be locally led and is going to take time. We firmly believe that local people have the answers to local problems in their local communities. It’s easy for us to build a school, but the real change happens gradually, with every child who stays in school for another year, every girl who delays marriage and pregnancy for another year etc.  And that involves the entire ecosystem of a rural Ethiopian community, which is the reason our work expanded beyond education. I’ve learnt you need to be in this for the long haul!

What does being a mother mean to you? 
Being a mother means giving it my best shot to raise three compassionate and inclusive people, who recognise their privilege and opportunities. Although I am still working out exactly how to do that without just lecturing them on how lucky there are and why they don’t need more stuff! 

What life lessons has your own mother taught you? 
My mum cannot stand complaining. She’s taught me that if I’m unhappy about something, or feel like life is unjust in some way, then it’s up to me to do something about it. If you want something to change, don’t expect someone else to do it, go and make it happen yourself! 

Go to createimpact.ngo