Seventy years after its inception in 1951, Jesuit Mission’s legacy is sowing healing and hope in Cambodia, a region once decimated by the protracted Vietnam War and the brutal reign of the Khmer Rouge.
Witness to this evolution is Mercy Sister Denise Coghlan, who moved from her hometown, Brisbane, to the Thai-Cambodia border in 1988 to work with Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees. Two years later, she relocated to Cambodia.
“To promote reconciliation, peace and justice, we felt we needed to be on both sides of the border, and making friends with Cambodians from all the warring factions. I was part of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), recruited by Mercy Refugee Service,” she explains.
From the outset, this Cambodian ministry had strong links with the Australian Jesuits; the one-time provincial Fr Mark Raper SJ had been instrumental in establishing JRS in Cambodia.
The team of Sr Ath Long, Br Noel Oliver SJ, Fr Jub Phokthavi SJ and Sr Denise initially focused on reconciliation and the creation of an integrated rural development project and a vocational training school, Banteay Prieb, for people physically and psychologically wounded by war.
“It was a place where people learnt a skill and also had a community which helped heal hearts. Many, many poor people now have a wheelchair or a better quality of life because of the Australian Jesuit Mission.”
The ministry swiftly spread to the towns of Siem Reap, Sisophon, Battambang and the areas surrounding Phnom Penh, where, with the help of Jesuit Mission, JRS built more than 40 schools and assisted communities with infrastructure, agriculture and income-generation projects.
In 1997 a special moment of joy occurred when one of the team members, Tun “Reth” Channareth, who had lost his legs to a landmine in 1982, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
The Metta Karuna program helps people living with disabilities through livelihood training, wheelchairs, houses and more.
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Today, he inspires visitors to the Jesuit ministry’s Metta Karuna Reflection Centre in Siem Reap with his passionate advocacy for people living with disabilities.
Here, visitors can also learn about “the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth” by engaging with refugees and other displaced people, and assisting in construction and income-generation projects in remote villages.
“What began with Australians helping Jesuits in Hazaribag has flourished anew in Cambodia, a place that had been ravaged by war and genocide, a place where wounded hearts and bodies needed healing and hope,” Sr Denise says.
“We invite you dear friends to come and visit and share the joy you have given to so many others.”
You may remember five-year old Rami from Siem Reap Cambodia, who bravely overcame life threatening heart surgery, with your support and the support from Sr Denise's team.
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Gratitude Webinar - Xavier Learning Community
We invite you to join our Webinar about Xavier Learning Community on 3 November at 6:00pm AEDT.
Thanks to your generosity,
thirteen students of the first cohort at Xavier Learning Community in Chiang
Rai, Thailand have graduated and received their BA in English.
After three and a half years of studying, these students have
developed confidence in speaking English, high-level critical thinking, as well
as IT and agricultural skills.
Out of the 13 graduates, one graduate now works as an accountant
at Xavier Learning Community, four work as English teachers, two work with NGOs
serving ethnic minorities, one works at an animal shelter and five graduates
have returned home to develop their communities in the areas of agriculture and
ecotourism.
Students planting rice at Xavier Learning Community.
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Most of these young students come from marginalised ethnic
minorities in northern Thailand, ‘Hill tribes’, such as Karen, Akha, Lahu,
Hmong and Lanna groups, with limited education and employment opportunities.
Due to location, tight financial situations and documentation
issues, for many, Xavier Learning Community is the only path to pursue further studies
beyond High School.
Located near the Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai, Xavier Learning Community is a Jesuit-founded and run tertiary education institution in Thailand that operates as a residential campus.
As a residential campus where students and teachers live onsite
together, the institution has fortunately been able to run its education and
extracurricular programs largely according to plan despite COVID.
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Today, a total of 102 students are enrolled at Xavier
Learning Community and currently 78% of the students are female.
Some activities have allowed
students to build relationships and networks with people from other countries. This
year, students were provided with practical one-on-one English classes in the
evening through the support of volunteers and Jesuit universities and
organisations from the USA, Singapore and Australia.
To hear more about how your generosity is helping young people from ethnic minorities, we invite you to join our Webinar with Xavier Learning Community on Wednesday 3 November at 6.00 pm AEDT.
During the webinar
you'll meet Fr Agustinus Sugiyo Pitoyo SJ, Vice
Director for Institutional Development and recent graduate of Xavier Learning Community, Ms Chalermsri
Tahong.
Please join us to hear how your generosity is empowering young people from ethnic minorities through tertiary education at Xavier Learning Community in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Xavier Learning Community offers a Bachelor degree in English with profession-based training, including eco-tourism and hospitality.
During the webinar, you'll meet Fr Agustinus Sugiyo Pitoyo SJ, and recent graduate of Xavier Learning Community, Chalermsri Tahong.
This webinar is a rare opportunity to hear directly from a young program participant like Chalermsri, and we're grateful for her willingness to share her personal story with Jesuit Mission supporters.
This webinar will be held via Zoom. Simply click on the link below to register and you will receive a confirmation email with the link to start the Zoom Webinar at the assigned date and time.
CAPSA Webinar – A call to prayer and action for Afghanistan
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Our sister Jesuit social ministries in Australia, Jesuit Social Services and Jesuit Refugee Service, are holding a National Week of Prayer and Action for Afghanistan next week, as part of the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum.
The week will include a webinar and several ways you can take action to advocate for more humane treatment of people seeking asylum.
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Emanuel outside the National University of Timor- Leste Lorosa’e (UNTL).
Thanks to your generosity, Loyola
College graduate Emanuel is thriving in his Jesuit Mission supported
scholarship at the National University of Timor- Leste Lorosa’e (UNTL).
Emanuel is thrilled to be in
his fifth semester studying electrical engineering and majoring in electronics.
“When the scholarship program started in 2019, I immediately applied for the opportunity. I am very grateful that I was selected to be a part of this program,” he said.
This year 32 highly motivated graduates like Emanuel, of the Jesuit-run secondary school Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola (CSIL), also known as Loyola College, received this scholarship for their tertiary studies.
Students of Loyola College often come from vulnerable families in rural Ulmera-Liquica, where the secondary school is located. Many parents of these students are farmers and almost all of them face the same difficulty of covering student expenses.
Emanuel (second left) and friends during an electronics class.
For scholarship students it is an opportunity to pursue their dreams and removes the financial stress often associated with education for some rural families in Timor-Leste.
“The allowance that we receive from this program also allows me to buy my practical equipment for my electrical class, printing materials, covers transportation costs to campus, internet for my online classes and to buy lunch at campus,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic most university classes
across Dili were conducted online in lockdown, yet that did not deter Emanuel
from giving his education his all.
“I think this scholarship program is a privilege. Life is difficult and there are many others who are not as lucky as I am. I would like to say thank you to our donors. Your sacrifice helps us thrive in our education and I hope that one day I can do the same for other people who need help,” he said.
Emanuel (right) fixing some electronics at his friend’s house.
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More
Kostka Hall jams and relishes on sale now
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A very special thank you to Katrina Varis and all the
wonderful volunteers who are working tirelessly making and distributing our
jams and relishes in Melbourne.
Traditionally, a lively community of parents at Kostka Hall, Xavier College, have run a jams and relishes stall at the annual Maytime Fair to raise money for our projects overseas.
With the Maytime Fair unfortunately cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the jams and relishes are now available online for sale and our volunteers are delivering the goods themselves.
“As a school holiday activity my children have been packing orders and my 17 year old is getting her ‘Learners’ hours up by driving to different people’s houses. We’re only allowed to go 10km, so we meet another volunteer and give them orders that are within their 10km that they deliver. We know what’s in our 10km zone now that’s for sure,” she said.
Katrina is a member of the Maytime Fair Committee and parent at Kostka Hall, who is responsible for a number of stalls at the Maytime Fair, the success of which is hinged on the dedication of incredible volunteers like herself.
“This year and last year, we’ve probably had 8-12 people, current parents and past parents that have contributed by cooking by themselves, making jams and relishes. Now there are 550 jars in my living room!”
Katrina at the Maytime Fair.
The Jesuit Mission Maytime Fair is a beloved institution that has been hosted by Xavier College for 70 years. It is only made possible by the great work of our volunteers and the support from the wider community.
“Jesuit Mission and Xavier College have built an important community together to support those in need. It gives parents and students a reason to give back. When we do have a Fair the kids contribute, they make cards or lucky dips for the stalls. They’re participating and they begin to understand the big wide world and a greater purpose,” she said.
If you live in Melbourne and would like to support vulnerable communities overseas, you can purchase jams or relishes made by our volunteers at fundraise.jesuitmission.org.au/shop.
Delivery is currently available to those who live within 10 km of a Xavier campus, all other orders will be available for collection at Jesuit Mission Office, 130 Power St, Hawthorn once lockdown restrictions ease.
An impactful ministry in Jesuit Mission’s 70 year history has been the work undertaken by Fr Tony Herbert SJ among Hazaribag region’s Bhuiyan villages and other Dalit communities in India. For the past 40 years, the Australian Jesuit – who arrived in India in 1965 – has brought hope to these members of India’s vulnerable and most marginalised caste.
His role, Fr Tony wrote in his book Disturbing the Dust, was not to save the Dalits or even necessarily change their lives, but to simply “be present with the people on the hard edges”.
Fr Tony has maintained a steadfast presence while engaging in tireless social activism.
He has advocated for the Dalits in criminal, educational, health and land rights disputes, and spoken out against their exploitation by coal mining and logging companies.
“I to a certain degree entered their world, and have treated them as equals, with respect and dignity. I haven’t set up anything big for them, but I have made a thousand trips to police stations and hospitals to break through the prejudices against them,” he writes.
Fr Tony walking with village children.
On a practical level, Fr Tony’s ministry has overseen the implementation of life-changing health and educational programs, the creation of women’s savings groups and the reclamation of disputed land.
Perhaps most poignantly, it has affected a gradual change among the Dalits, from the limitations imposed due to their caste identity to one which values self-respect and empowerment.
Today Fr Tony’s work with the Utthan Uplift Project is empowering Dalit people by opening up new ways to overcome stigma, access education and gain opportunity. As schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uplift Project responded by opening Tuition Centres to provide daily lessons, so children wouldn’t miss out (or drop out) of school.
Village children studying outside at a Tuition Centre.
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More
Inspiring hope amid despair
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The enduring impact of Jesuit Mission – which turns 70 this year – is exemplified by the work of Australian Jesuit Fr Paul Horan SJ, who arrived in India as a missionary in 1965 and worked as a teacher and headmaster for the next 40 years.
Approaching his own 70th birthday in the mid-2000s, he transferred the invaluable experience he’d gained in Hazaribag to the Lhotshampa people living in refugee camps in Nepal and again in 2018 at the Campion Institute for ethnic minorities in Yangon, Myanmar.
In Nepal Fr Paul coordinated Spoken English classes in response to the refugee crisis. This mass displacement of Lhotshampas – who had settled in Bhutan after migrating there from neighbouring Nepal in the first half of the 20th century – was precipitated by the Bhutanese government’s decision in 1985 to strip them of their citizenship and expel them from that country.
Stateless and numbering around 120,000, they awaited third country resettlement while living under deeply unfavourable conditions.
[quotes]"But in the Spoken English classes, there's a certain liveliness, and I felt I was doing something that was helping somebody." [/quotes]
[quotes_author=000] Fr Paul[/quotes_author]
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In Myanmar Fr Paul again taught Spoken English at the Campion Institute in Yangon and at St Aloysius Gonzaga (SAG), Taunggyi, two well-established higher education institutes founded by the Jesuits and supported by Jesuit Mission.
Fr Paul in a spoken English class for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal – 2008.
[quotes]“Despite the hardships in their lives, the students there had a real yearning to learn and were incredibly hardworking… the things that stand out are the joy I got from the companionship and the camaraderie of my Jesuit companions and the satisfaction I got from teaching in the classroom."[/quotes]
[quotes_author=000] Fr Paul [/quotes_author]
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Fr Trung Nguyen SJ, Helen Forde and Fr Paul.
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Reflecting on his work in these marginalised communities, Fr Paul hopes he was able to contribute in some way to inspiring hope among his students to break the cycle of poverty through education and bring opportunity to their communities.
Returning to Australia in March 2020, Fr Paul continues to be involved as a Companion to Jesuit Mission by giving thank you calls to supporters and providing spiritual conversation.
Let us join together in the Prayer of Restoring Consolation, written by Fr Michael Hansen SJ, National Director of the First Spiritual Exercises Program.
Thanks to
your generosity, farmers in Cambodia like Mrs Neang, are being trained in
sustainable agricultural practices to save money and triple their yield.
Run by our partner Karuna Battambang Organisation (KBO), the project teaches farmers skills in growing rice, vegetables and fruit, as well as raising animals. In addition, the project fosters collaboration and sharing amongst local people through self-help groups.
Locals are
trained in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), an agricultural technique
developed by a French Jesuit priest that uses less seeds, less water, and no
chemicals.
“With SRI, I was able to make a profit," said Mrs Neang, a 37-year-old mother with two sons and three daughters who joined the program in Banteay Meanchey Province in 2020.
“At first, I didn’t believe that the SRI rice could bring a good harvest, but I tried it out in 2020 and the harvest was unexpected,” she said.
The three-year project aims
to train 550 small landholder farmers in sustainable practices
including rice harvesting, animal raising and waste management.
A program-participant demonstrating the SRI rice planting technique.
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Before joining the SRI project, Mrs Neang was a
construction worker and helped her husband with chemical rice farming
activities, which proved to be very expensive and left their family in debt.
Now
debt free, Mrs Neang welcomes an exciting future for her and her family.
“My family’s lives are better than before, please continue to support us and other families to live in better conditions,” she said.
In
order to provide her children with a better education, Mrs Neang will expand
her activities to include chicken and pig rearing, whilst her husband continues
to work as a construction worker to earn additional income for the family.
Many Cambodian families are experiencing economic hardship
during the pandemic with loss of employment in the factory and tourism sectors.
To help support families during this difficult time, KBO has also been providing emergency relief packages and additional farming supplies to vulnerable communities.
“My heartfelt appreciation to the donors and KBO staff for their support and generous advice during this challenging situation,” she said.
Let us join together in the Prayer of Restoring Consolation, written by Fr Michael Hansen SJ, National Director of the First Spiritual Exercises Program.
