ASSIST A STUDENT V O LUME 1 , I SSUE 1
SUPPORTER NEWSLETTER whelming, yet at the same time it spoke volumes for the high regard with which they view the assistance being afforded them. For them, this was an opportunity to say ‘thank you’. I felt honoured to be representing you, the supporters of Assist a Student. One student I met had been supported by Assist a Student for ten years. She told me that she was so happy because she had recently completed her final high school exams and was now awaiting her results. She dreams of becoming a doctor, so that she can help others in her small community. That dream is very close to fruition and she made it clear that she had no doubt that the assistance from the Assist a Student program and the encouragement of the local Vincentians were integral in facilitating her ambitions. I met her father who spoke little English, but it didn’t matter because the smile on his worn face and the tears in his eyes
A beneficiary of an Assist a Student scholarship in her home town
Dear Supporter, on a recent visit to countries supported through the Assist a Student program, I was again reminded of the direct and tremendous benefits the program gives to the students and their families. I was taken to visit many schools and small communities where Assist a Student exists and the St Vincent de Paul Society has a presence. At each venue, I was given a very warm welcome. The students and their parents went to every length to make me feel comfortable. The very little they had, they shared with me. At times their hospitality was over-
Distribution of funds 2005 / 2006 In the past 12 months a record 4,205 students were assisted. Your donations were distributed as follows:
2007 said it all. He said “thank you sir” and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride - not only as a Vincentian, but as an Australian. I told the many students I met, that you, their supporters in Australia, would wish for nothing more than for them to take the opportunity with both hands. All we want is for the beneficiaries to make the most of their opportunity to be educated and give their dreams a chance to be fulfilled. Thank you for helping that happen. James Lee, Assist a Student team
A parent’s struggle to provide I recently sat with parents of Assist a Student beneficiaries on a visit overseas. They spoke of their struggle to put food on the table for their children, often going without themselves. They found immense joy in knowing that their child had an opportunity to be educated, an opportunity denied to them. They spoke of the constant search for employment, no matter how menial it was. At times they had to keep their children home from school so they could assist in doing tasks that allowed the family to survive on a daily basis. In all this there was a strong belief that once their children were educated things would improve for them. They knew that their children appreciated the sacrifices they were making and were overjoyed that we (Assist a Student) were able to assist in a very practical way. Br Doug Walsh, National Projects Officer
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA. ABN: 68 879 107 149.
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