Assist A Student Supporter Newsletter 2009
Dear Readers, Over the years we have been able to inform you about the neighbouring countries we are assisting with the AAS Program. We have shared with you the many letters of gratitude that the young people we have assisted send us. However this year we have taken a different approach. This Newsletter brings you stories from young Australians who have visited overseas in recent years These trips, called Encounter Trips, meant that young people from Australia were meeting their counterparts in countries where AAS Programs operate Friendships were formed and both countries are gaining greatly from our Education Programs for the poor. I am sure you will read about the Encounter Trip to the Philippines with great interest. This trip resulted in a special education program for Leyte in the Philippines. Read about it on Page 2 and 3. I would like to introduce you to a Program that has grown out of our AAS Program in Pakistan. Once Pakistan had resources from us to purchase the materials for learning for their poor children they contacted us about an Assisted Learning Program they wished to run. This program was to go to areas in Pakistan where students were denied schooling. The program has three aims: • Providing basic education to students. • Providing employment to teachers who do not have work. • Assisting students who are away from home because of their family situation and need special tuition. $1500 Australian a teacher can give basic education to students while they wait for a chance to go to a “real school”. Mary, a little girl I met in Pakistan in 2005 was in this Program with her eager classmates. She is now doing well in school thanks to the Assisted Learning Program (known in Australia as the Pakistan Literacy Program) and the AAS Program. Read about “Mary’s School” on Page 4 of this issue. As in other years I must say how grateful I am for your support in assisting so many young people across Asia and the Pacific. With us you are helping them to fulfil dreams that will change their lives and those of their loved ones. Br Doug Walsh National Project Officer, St Vincent De Paul Society Australia St Vincent de Paul Society, National Council of Australia www.vinnies.org.au ABN: 68 879 107 149
thank you • khop khun mak • shukriya • jae zu din da de • danyavad
Philippines Encounter It was a privilege to accompany the young Vincentians on an encounter visit to the Philippines. Our journey produced real insight to the many challenges families face each day, just ensuring basic survival. For many the task is beyond them and they look to the Society for help. Other families are able to provide basic needs, but do not have the means to provide education for their children. Members of our group visited Barra Island. It is 10 mins.by boats from the city of Lucena. Home to a small fishing community of 600 houses families (approx 2-3,000 people). Barra Island is one of the many Islands in the Philippines. We met 35 children from the Island who are assisted by Australians through the Assist a Student program – approximately a dozen elementary students and the rest are high school students. A quote from their report reads: “We were greeted by dozens of smiling, waving, cheering children as we sailed into the harbour and moved with
where we assist students
Pakistan India
myanmar thailand
philippines caroline islands
indonesia east timor
Papua new guinea solomon islands
vanuatu fiji
the mob up towards the local church, which doubles as a Community Centre. The AAS students and their mothers were waiting and we had a chance to meet them and hear the difference AAS is making to them and their dreams for after they finish their education. Barra Island is an incredibly warm, welcoming community and we had a wonderful time chasing after the children and sharing sometime with the community there.” In another part of the Philippines the group made this observation in their Encounter Report. “AAS beneficiaries from 13- 25 each introduced themselves and spoke about the difference that AAS makes to their lives. They shared their dreams with us about what they would like to be when they finish school and some of the graduates shared what they are now doing. It was also explained that this diocese uses the AAS support to support the same students right through their schooling, rather than changing each year, as without the support the students were having to quit their schooling half way through.” The group also visited people in Leyte whose lives had been changed forever because of the disastrous mudslide that occurred in 2005. An extract from their report says: “We visited a housing relocation village and met with the mums and dads of the Assist a Student. I spoke with one man who had lost two daughters and his wife in the mudslide, and another who had lost three sons and his wife. It is always very difficult to express words of comfort but some how we managed to let them know we care. The families pleaded with us to provide ongoing support with Assist a Student, to allow their children to reach High School. Many could not see the way forward without this support.” I returned home with no doubt that the.AAS program provides enormous benefits to families. I did not realise how vital AAS is to the recipients who would otherwise be doomed to a life of poverty without reaching their true potential. This visit assisted us to continue to grow the Assist a Student Program through out Australia and encouraged us to set up a special Education Program for the families affected by the Landslide in Leyte. John O’Brien, Chairperson, Victoria’s Overseas Partnership & Development Committee
terima kasih • ko rabwa • salamat • mehrbani • sulang • bhala hove 1. James and Br Doug with AAS Students. 2. James with Leyte students who lost family members. 3. James with students still needing help.
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2
distribution of funds 2008 papua new guinea east timor
$19,110 (273 students) $3,570
(51 students)
pakistan $35,000 (500 students) fiji $20,580 (294 students) indonesia $58,660 (838 students) philippines
$54,670 (781 students)
myanmar
$18,200 (260 students)
india $117,530 (1679 students) 3
thailand $49,000 (700 students)
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pakistan literacy project James Lee with villagers from the Punjab region of Pakistan
In 2005 I travelled to Pakistan with James Lee, the 2004 Young Australian of the Year and director of the Bagong Barrio Education Fund, which assists students in the Philippines. As we were checking on Projects and the Assist a Student Program we came across this wonderful program. I’d like to share the Pakistan Literacy Project with you, to demonstrate how it has made a real difference in the lives of Pakistani people. I would like to share with you one story about a little girl I will call Mary. I met Mary when she was sitting with her friends on the floor of a little Church building. She had one piece of paper and a pencil, as did the other children. She was being taught to read and write by a dedicated woman. I spoke to Mary through an interpreter. She told me she loves her school, although by western standards it could hardly be called a school. There were no desks, no computers, no library, no science block, and no art rooms and so on.
It was one room, where students sat on the dirt floor. Chairs had been brought in for this occasion as we were to meet parents. But while this room had nothing, it allowed Mary the dignity of telling me with pride this is her school. Mary told me she went to school every morning during the week to learn to read and write. She hoped one day to go to a bigger school. Mary told me that after three or four hours at school in this one room she returns home to assist her family. She dreamt that one day she will be educated so she can marry and be able to teach her own children how to read and write. This little girl taught me how much we take for granted. Here she was, so grateful that she had her one piece of paper, a pencil and a teacher to educate her. She could not imagine the world James and I came from. Her gratitude to the Society was evident in the welcome she and others gave us. A happy child grateful for what she has.
The teacher herself shared with me that the hours of teaching were from 7.30am to 12.30pm. She told me that she was fortunate to be educated. When she first went to school it was difficult for her to learn as many of the children had been given basic education at home. The children in Mary’s school will not have a chance to succeed in education unless this program continues. The teacher understood the plight of the 26 children in her group. If a child is lucky enough to a gain a place in a proper school, they must travel away from home and do well to hold their place. “I hope some of my students will make it but I don’t want them to fail,” the teacher told me. “I am grateful for the salary from the Society of St Vincent de Paul because it allows me to support my family as my husband has a very low paid job. The poor here are given jobs like sweeping the highway.” Br Doug Walsh
frequently asked questions Can we choose the student we assist? The Students supported are chosen by the St Vincent de Paul Society of our partner countries. We do not interfere with that process. Scholarships are allocated according to needs across the countries to ensure a fair allocation of the funds. Can we choose the country of the student? We distribute scholarships as fairly as possible between the partner countries. They are distributed according to the need and waiting lists. Are there administration costs? One of the program’s strongest and most attractive goals is that administration costs are kept to an absolute minimum to ensure nothing is deducted from each $70 donation. Therefore, the program is kept as simple as possible.
How is the scholarship money used? The money enables students to continue their education or training for one year. It is spent on supporting school or course fees, uniforms, books and materials. I would like to support a girl, is that possible? To maintain low administration costs of the program students are randomly matched with donors. It is not possible to allocate preferences. Why does it take time to receive the certificate? Sometimes, for many varied reasons, it takes longer than expected for the Society in Australia to receive the student names from the overseas country and this may delay the production and distribution of certificates.
For further information visit www.vinnies.org.au