{"id":378,"date":"2024-09-11T19:52:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T09:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jafa.org.au\/hcphub\/?page_id=378"},"modified":"2025-07-15T20:54:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T10:54:29","slug":"about-jafa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jafa.org.au\/hcphub\/about-jafa\/","title":{"rendered":"About JAFA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About JAFA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia (JAFA) is a fully registered national charity with DGR1 status. It was established in 2019 and is the primary organisation representing children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and related childhood rheumatic diseases (CRDs) and their families in Australia. JAFA is governed by a Board of Directors, staffed by a CEO, Digital Lead, Program Manager and Admin Officers and relies heavily on volunteer support.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why JAFA?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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When JAFA\u2019 s founders, Professors Ruth and Stephen Colagiuri\u2019 s granddaughter was diagnosed with JIA in 2018, they were shocked to find that, despite similar prevalence and seriousness, services for JIA lagged 40 years behind those for diabetes and other common chronic childhood diseases. They established JAFA with the aim of bringing government services and support for JIA and related CRDs up to the same level as comparable conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What has JAFA achieved?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since its establishment JAFA has built a community of JIA families across Australia and raised political awareness and attention to the plight of children with JIA and related CRDs. For example in the past four years, JAFA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Was named emerging Not-for-Profit (NFP) of the Year in 2021 Third Sector Awards<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Instigated a Parliamentary Inquiry into Childhood Rheumatic Diseases – 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Levered $22million in MRFF Grants for Juvenile Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions – 2022<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Initiated an awareness raising event hosted by Prime Minister Albanese at The Lodge – 2022<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Established a minimum dataset registry for JIA and related CRDs 2023 now >400 registrants<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Commissioned and published the IMPACT Study on the personal and financial burden of JIA and related CRDs in 0-25yr olds – 2023<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Leveraged an investment of $6.9million by the NSW Government to expand and enhance its paediatric rheumatology workforce and services – NSW Budget 2024<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Secured federal funding for a health professional support\/early diagnosis program 2024-26.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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