Bringing healthcare to remote communities

For many people living in the remote areas of Timor-Leste, there is no access to healthcare. It means painful ailments go untreated, serious conditions are detected too late, children are undernourished and not immunised, and women give birth without professional help.

Sr Eliza Fernandes RJM has dedicated extraordinary efforts to make healthcare accessible for remote communities. She shared her experiences helping to set up a vital health clinic - highlighting the incredible impact supporters like you are making.

[quotes]“It was with great joy that I came to Timor-Leste to be of service to the people of this land. I was happy to be part of Jesuit Social Service in the Public Health Care Service Project at Kasait, in Liquica District from 2014. The Lord gave me the opportunity to be there from the beginning of the construction of the clinic, Centro De Saude Daniel Ornelas.”[/quotes]

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[quotes_author color="#000"]Sr Eliza RJM, Director of CSDO. [/quotes_author]

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In 2017, thanks to the generosity of St Vincent’s Health Australia, Centro De Saude Daniel Ornelas,  officially opened its doors as a fully functioning health clinic with a qualified doctor, nurse, and helpers to serve the community of Liquica District.

[quotes]“This was a dream come true for the Society of Jesus and a hope for the people of Ulmera and neighbouring villages. It was very interesting to listen to people as they came to the clinic with different sicknesses - physical, emotional, and psychological problems. To help them to cope with their life’s situation was a consolation to me.”[/quotes][quotes_author color="#000"]Sr Eliza [/quotes_author]

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Supporters like you are making sure no one gets left behind. You’re helping people in the hardest-to-reach places of Timor-Leste to receive lifesaving healthcare. Thank you!

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Posted 26 February 2021

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In rural Cambodia, many families face food shortages because of difficult conditions for agriculture.

Thanks to your generosity, our School Children’s Project is providing children in Cambodian schools with training in agriculture and ecology through the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method. This simple method of rice farming, developed by a French Jesuit priest, reduces costs and increases production. It puts rural farmers in a significantly better position to provide for their families and build a stronger future for their community.

Also, as part of our agriculture education, we are giving each of the participating schools about 100 story books in the Khmer language for their library. Each participating school is also given support for teaching the children traditional Cambodian dance.

Thank you for generously providing the practical support, families in rural Cambodia need!

[quotes]“We cannot underestimate the needs of the distant rural schools with very limited facilities…Our aim is to get the children of these schools to experience the SRI method. It goes back to a new start for the rice planting process and they can experience the great value of this method at the end.” [/quotes][quotes_author color="#000"]Br Noel Oliver SJ, Project Advisor.[/quotes_author]

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Posted 26 February 2021

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Love, care and companionship gave prisoner Jadao a second chance at life.

For the men and women incarcerated in Thailand’s prisons, life is extremely difficult. Many have no visitors and struggle with terrible loneliness, fear, depression and hopelessness.

This was certainly the case for Jadao, who received a life sentence in 2010. However, everything started to change when he began receiving visits from the Prison Services Program, run by our local partner, Jesuit Foundation Thailand.

Thanks to the compassionate support of people like you, the Prison Services Program accompanies over 1,200 prisoners in eight prisons across Thailand, providing companionship and much needed care, love, and pastoral support. For Jadao, these visits were transformational.

[quotes]“How come you, who I never knew, came to visit me in prison?”[/quotes][quotes_author color="#000"] Jadao [/quotes_author] [break height= 20] [quotes]“There must be a God!” [/quotes][quotes_author color="#000"]

When Jadao’s sentence was reduced, and he was released from prison in August 2019, the Prison Services Program team was there to accompany him on his journey to begin his new life. Jadao returned to his home village with a heart full of love, gratitude and  determination. He started out living with his parents, as his own home had fallen into disrepair. Jadao soon became the primary income earner in the family, but longed to repair his own home and gain more independence.

With your help, the Prison Services Program team was able to provide Jadao with materials to repair his house. Now with firm walls and no more leaks, Jadao can begin his next chapter.

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“Now I can live here and start my new life, not so far from my parents and I can still take care of my father who is paralysed,” - he says.

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Posted 28 January 2021

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Thanks to your support, an inspiring graduate is helping to give vulnerable young people the education they deserve.

Due to decades of neglect, there is a vital need for education in Myanmar. With the generous support of people like you, SAG has been working to fill this gap.

For twenty years the Institute has been providing young people from the poorest backgrounds with the training they need to become teachers, social workers and compassionate leaders. With these skills, graduates can go out into their home regions as teachers to improve access to education, rebuild communities and bring opportunity to the entire country of Myanmar.

Mary Lu is delighted to be working with JRS, helping to empower vulnerable communities through education. Currently, JRS is focused on providing quality education for children living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in conflict-affected remote areas of Kachin State, her home region.

For Mary Lu, this is challenging work, but she is grateful to be able to use the transformational education that she received at SAG to help her community. She works each day with children in Banmaw IDP camp, promoting education and providing essential supplies and invaluable hope.

[quotes]“I love my job with Jesuit Refugee Service."[/quotes][quotes_author color="#000"] Mary Lu[/quotes_author] [break height= 30] [quotes] “My fieldwork focuses on providing teaching and learning materials for children who live in IDP camps, accompanying volunteer teachers in remote areas and training teachers."[/quotes]

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As a result, people living with a disability often face discrimination and exclusion. Rattana’s family had to cope with this discrimination, while also carrying the burden of poverty and the high level of care required by Rattana.

But thanks to your support, KBO’s ‘Enhancing the Life of People with Disabilities’ program has been able to bring hope to the family.

The program provides practical support and interventions to give people living with disabilities the skills, medical care and help they need to live fuller, freer lives.

Rattana is one of the 276 people living with a disability, who KBO is working with today. His mother diligently follows the advice of the program’s staff and is delighted to see Rattana’s continuous development.

Along with feeding himself, he is now able to walk with the support of a rail installed in the family home – and he recently voiced a new aspiration. [break height=10]

“Rattana wants to go to school now,” says his delighted mother.

“When he sees children in their school uniform, he points and says ‘I like.’”

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We would like to thank all our supporters for their valued and ongoing support this year. As our office will be closed from 24 December and reopening on 11 January, we leave you with a video Christmas message from our CEO Helen Forde and our friends at Xavier Learning Community in Thailand. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Thanks to your support, five-year-old Rami from Siem Reap Cambodia has bravely overcome life threatening heart surgery.

From an early age Rami had developed a growth disorder which left her physically stunted and often too breathless to play.

“One day she fell down because she just did not have the strength to run anymore. We sent the parents back to the doctor to ask if anything could be done,” - Sr Denise Coghlan RSM, Director of Jesuit Refugee Service Cambodia and project partner of Jesuit Mission.

Rami and her then pregnant mother spent three weeks in hospital, where Rami received her heart surgery that was made possible from blood donations from her community.

Thanks to your generosity, her hospital expenses were covered, allowing her family to ensure Rami’s safe recovery.

For many years, Rami’s family have been a beneficiary of the Jesuit Mission supported Promoting Reconciliation through Reflection program in Cambodia, which assists the quality of life of 5,000 marginalised youth through income-generating grants, mobility devices as well as providing mental and physical health support.

Rami’s mother Lakena was born with a physical disability in her leg and met Rami’s father Jett from working in the program in Siem Reap.

This Christmas her family has even more to celebrate, as Rami joyfully welcomes a new baby sister.

“Now Rami is running around our Centre, playing with her sister, the puppy and even being naughty. Thank you Jesuit Mission for being part of this little miracle,” - Sr Denise.

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Posted 24 November 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic is no obstacle for determined Xavier Jesuit School students in Cambodia, who eagerly ride great distances in rain, hail or shine to their campus after six months of school closure.

With your support, staff and students have overcome immense challenges of remote learning, when the Cambodian government imposed heavy restrictions on community life in March in order to control the spread of COVID-19.

“With the help of mobile phones we have been able to teach classes remotely and deliver worksheets to those who live far away,” - Father Jinhyuk Park SJ, Director at Xavier Jesuit School and project partner of Jesuit Mission Australia.

Founded in 2015 by Jesuit Service Cambodia, the school is committed to provide affordable, quality education to students from Sisophon, one of the poorest provinces in the country.

This year however, students of vulnerable families fell into deeper levels of poverty and hunger, as casual employment opportunities disappeared with people being forced to stay inside.

Some families were forced to reduce the number of meals they have per day, as they simply did not have enough food and became dependant on your financial support.

“We supported families through income-generating activities such as mask production and distributed 100 emergency packages for the most vulnerable families” - said Father Jinhyuk.

Combined with the challenge of the pandemic, torrential rain in October brought severe flooding, spoiling rice fields, damaging the livelihoods of many Khmer villagers and bringing areas of the school underwater.

However, the students continue to demonstrate their resilience, by prioritising education and even playing in the flood waters.

With each gift purchased, you will receive a card to share with your loved one.

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Posted 24 November 2020

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In late 2020, Jesuits in Central Vietnam responded to a flood crisis that uprooted the lives of thousands of people.

After many days of irregular, torrential rain, six successive typhoons combined with the discharge of water from nine hydroelectric dams, thousands of vulnerable families were left stranded in the provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam, with no access to food, water or shelter.

Jesuit priests, nuns, Buddhist monks and local governors collaborated in creating a relief program for flood victims that provided 20 tons of rice and emergency assistance to 2,000 vulnerable families.

Pastoral halls of 40 parishes were used to distribute 2,000 packs of food supplies and drinking water. Financial support was also distributed to repair 500 damaged houses.

With the floods decimating over 300,000 hectares of rice and fruit plantations, and killing 50,000 domestic animals the Jesuits provided seedlings and livestock to restore the livelihoods of the most vulnerable.

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Posted 24 November 2020

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Madonna, published by the Australian Jesuits, has accompanied Australians in their daily prayer and spiritual growth for more than 120 years. It is more than a magazine. It is a community. Jesuit Mission Australia has long been an important part of that community.  

Despite a great love for the publication by those who read it, subscriber numbers have fallen to the point that print publication is no longer sustainable. The Jesuit Communication team are working to turn this around.

While those who know Madonna love it - there are many in the community who are not familiar with the publication.

If you are a subscriber, we invite you to help keep Madonna alive by recommending it to family and friends, buying a gift subscription or two or donating one to someone on the margins.

If you are not a subscriber, we invite you to consider subscribing.

For more about Madonna, how to subscribe, purchase a gift subscription or donate a subscription visit Madonna .

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Posted 27 October 2020

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