Social Justice in action — local projects helping provide resources to Africa, East Timor and the Solomons

Here are reports of three separate initiatives around Holy Spirit Province which graphically illustrate social justice in action...

TRIKING OUT across both the Pacific and Indian oceans in the last few months have been container ships carrying large consignments of books from Edmund Rice schools in Holy Spirit Province. New libraries are being established at Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School in Arusha thanks to the generosity of the communities at Aquinas, Trinity, Chisholm, CBC Fremantle, Clontarf and Nagle Colleges in Perth.

You can read the report of the initiative written from the point of view of the recipients on the Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School website at: http://www.edmund
rice.habari.co.tz/bernard.html

From CBC Adelaide, three shipments totalling around eight tonne of books, science equipment, typewriters and photocopiers are on there way to four schools on the remoter islands in the Solomons. The CBC Adelaide endeavour has received significant input from other schools and communities in South Australia and Victoria. You might like to read Br Pat Cronin's highly detailed report to the parents at CBC Adelaide explaining this initiative in much greater detail. The report, which includes many photographs, can be viewed on the web at: http://www.cbc.sa.edu.au/downloads/Solomons_Diary.pdf

What magnificent testimony these endeavours make to social justice in action? Who can possibly measure the value of this "mustard seed" in terms of what it will mean over the decades to the communities far from our shores who, until now, have not had access to resources like these?

Meanwhile, here's another program to help eradicate the disease Roundworm in East Timor: Geraldton Bishop, Justin Bianchini, has recently added his weight to raising funds to supply the relatively cheap medication that can make a big difference in the health of the East Timorese people. A home team from Communidade Edmund Rice East Timor aims at seeing each family each year and visiting the schools monthly with the sole purpose of trying to improve their way of life. The medication to be administered for deworming has to be given twice a year at the cost of 10 cents a tablet. A whole family has to be dewormed at the same time. A total of 4692 persons need deworming each year in the clinic’s vicinity. If you can assist with a donation to this project it would be much appreciated. Donations may be sent to:

          Social Justice Project
          P.O. Box 2044
          GERALDTON WA 6531

For more information contact Russell O’Brien.

Here's an extract from Br Bill Tynan's email from Communidade Edmund Rice East Timor explaining the need further:

I am more than pleased to give you the info about round worm. It is a very big problem here because of the lack of sanitation, shortage of water that makes it a luxury to wash one’s hands; the children don’t wear shoes so when they get cut feet the worm enters through the cut as well as through dirty hands, unhygenic food etc. Br. Vin Haseler who runs our mobile clinic, could use as much medication as he can get. He has given me the names of the medication and these are as follows: Mebandasole, Pyrantel and Albendazole. These are alternatives. They all do the same job and Vin is always trying to get some. If you thought there was a possibility of supplying us with some we would be very grateful. I think the same would apply throughout Timor especially in the rural areas. Just the thought of being able to get some medication makes us excited!

Thanks to Bernard White, Pat Cronin and Russell O'Brien for assistance with these stories.