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PARTICIPATION
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DONOR
PARTICIPATION
Thank you for looking at this page; I hope it means that
you are interested in sending a donation for our Sisters and/or the works in which they
are presently involved.
YOU CAN CHOOSE how your money will be
used … (click
on the heart to help others through your donation).
Either #1 MISSION SOLIDARITY
Maybe you would like to help the people in a particular
country NOW, or even help a particular work that the Sisters are doing in that country.
Check out the 20 countries in which we work by going to
our WORLDWIDE page.
When you have made a choice email me, Mary Rose on
fundraiser@rndmgen.org and
I will give you directions about transferring your money.
Or #2 MISSION INVESTMENT
Maybe you would prefer your money to work FOREVER –
by putting it in our RNDM Millennium Mission Investment Fund.
Donations to this fund will be held in trust forever and
the interest from the investment will be used annually for the missionary expenses
and works of the Sisters throughout the world.
If you want to make a donation now, or a pledge for
several years, or a legacy in favour of this fund, email me, Mary Rose on fundraiser@rndmgen.org to ask for directions
about transferring your money.
RNDM MISSION SOLIDARITY NEWS is the quarterly bulletin
which keeps everyone up to date with developments and achievements in our missions.
The current bulletin is on the web site and past
bulletins can also be viewed there.
If you would like to receive a copy of the next bulletin
by email please advise me, Mary Rose on fundraiser@rndmgen.org
and I will put you on our emailing list.
Thank you so much for reading this page. I hope to hear
from you soon.
New
Projects for 2006:
REQUESTS FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
From RNDM Solidarity Funds 2006
14 projects - 5 from Bangladesh , 1 from Kenya, 5 from
Philippines
2 from Senegal and 1 from Vietnam
TOTAL REQUESTS = US$ 27,038
BANGLADESH –
Project : BAN-1 : Education of
children from the tea gardens, Sreemongal
Our Sisters have been working in
Sreemongal since 1973, as a Team with the Holy Cross Fathers. There are 35
tea gardens belonging to different companies in this region. The daily
income for workers in the tea gardens is less than 50 cents per day. Poverty
is endemic.
The
local authorities have no intention to educate the workers’ children in case
education would enable them leave this bonded work. But the parents are very
eager to send their children to school. In small schools in the gardens
Catechists teach the children the catechism, the alphabet and some words and
sentences in Bengali – that is all. A few children, with much difficulty,
reach the year V standard in the local schools and try to continue their
education in the town schools.
The Sisters travel around the
district helping with the catechism and the education of the children and
trying to encourage some self-sufficiency projects among the adults. Now
they would like to help the few who have the ability to further their
education by providing for their school fees and books. The amount available
locally is
US$ 167.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US4833.
Project : BAN-2 : Education of
tribal girls, Rangimati
Our Sisters have been working in
Rangimati since 1959. They have a hostel where 50 tribal girls from the
interior areas of the Hill Tracts are accommodated, because education
facilities in their own area have not yet been developed. The sources of
income for their parents is primitive and limited, so the Sisters are
supporting these children with social, moral and spiritual formation in
their primary school. However, those who can cope with higher education must
go on to the Government schools and so the cost of their board and school
expenses must still be found. The local contribution could be about US$1500.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
US$3,500.
Project: BAN-3 : Education
support for the children of cobblers and fishermen, Bagerhat
Our Sisters have been working in
Bagerhat since 1995, giving social, moral, spiritual and pastoral care to
the new Christians, Hindus and other denominations. These people earn their
living mostly by mending shoes and fishing from nearby rivers, but their
income is very small. They live almost from hand to mouth; at one time they
were considered as untouchables. A catechist was engaged by the local Bishop
to catechize them as well as to give some basic education to their little
children but due to poverty, neither the children nor the parents showed
much interest in learning. However, soon after our Sisters’ arrival the
peoples’ interest and attitudes changed and the number of children has
increased from 50 to over 200 – nursery to class II, ages 5 – 10. The
children are very eager and interested in learning; but their parents are
unable to buy books, exercise book, pencils etc. The chance of education
would help them change their livelihood and get established in society. The
local contribution is US$350.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$3650.
Project BAN-4 : Support for the
education of an orphan boy.
Bikash Benedict was bought to the
convent at six months of age, because his parents could not afford to pay
for the treatment of his skin disease. A boy child is very precious to the
Bangladeshi and would not normally stay long in an orphanage. He was twice
taken by families but both times ended up being ill-treated. Finally a
Sister, finding him like this, got her own poor family to take him and he
has developed a great affection for them. Now he is 14 and studying in class
IX, but this family cannot afford the extra expense of his education. The
local contribution for his education could be US$137.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$288.
RNDM Solidarity is
planning to support this project for 2006, but it would be ideal if a
sponsor could be found who could give regular financial help so that his
future can be assured. Can you think of a possible benefactor for this young
man? Please contact Sister Dorothy Gomes, Provincial Superior Bangladesh.
Project BAN-5 : A deep well and
pump for St Peter’s Orphanage, Chittagong.
During the year in Chittagong there
is often a water problem, because the Orphanage has no deep well and has to
depend on the City Corporation. Without water, sometimes for one or two
days, our 35 babies and 38 girls face a lot of difficulties especially
because of the hot climate. A deep well and a pump would be a great help in
this difficult situation. There is no local money for this.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$2000.
KENYA
Project : KEN-1 : Parish youth
training, Machakos
One of our younger Sisters is
working as the youth coordinator in a parish which covers a large rural area
with four zones. Many of the young people in the district have been unable
to complete secondary level education, but they are a vital group within the
Church, and they need some formation. Seminars are run, but it is always a
great financial burden for the young. Funding would make it possible to
organize four live-in seminars of 2 days in each of the four zones, with
programmes to increase self-awareness and faith formation. There is also
need for a one-week seminar for the leaders from all the outstations focused
on Leadership Training. The young people preparing for marriage are an
especially vulnerable group, and it is hoped to have a one week programme
for them. For their seminars the young people would bring their own food and
make a small cash contribution, but it is impossible for them to meet the
complete cost of board and speakers – approximately US$40 per day. The local
contribution would amount to US$1000.
The request to the RNDM
Solidarity Fund is US$3000.
PHILIPPINES
Project : PHI-1 : Educational
Support for the Manobo Girls, Kulaman
The Manobo girls and their families
are being pro-active in the struggles of their people for
self-determination, cultural regeneration, improved self-esteem and active
participation in formal education. The good news is that from June 2006, a
Philippines group has pledged to support the Kulaman dormitory project, to
which RNDM Solidarity has been a regular contributor.
A heartening outcome of the total
project is that the first girl of the Dulangan Manobo tribe graduated as an
Elementary Teacher this year and has returned to Kulaman to work among her
own people.
Now the project has 20 girls in High
School and 5 girls following an Elementary Teachers’ program at a small
Foundation College in Kulaman. There is a shortfall in the cost of
education for these girs. The local contribution is US$1700 and other donors
are contributing US$15,151.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$1,667.
Project : PHI-2 : Catechist
Training Programme, Gumaca
When the Sisters began work in the
San Vicente Ferrer Parish in 2000, they were asked by the Bishop to initiate
a parish-based training programme for adults to help in the re-animation of
the faith. This parish is a poor and neglected part of the Quezon Province,
and it experiences a greater share of poverty and related economic hardships
because of the political instability caused by the presence of an insurgency
group, the New People’s Army and the military.
The 25 catechists, who are trained
by Sisters Rose RNDM, are mainly women and they have an outreach to some
8000 children whose parents are active participants in the Base Christian
Communities programme in the main village and the far-flung barrios. Much
work has been done in encouraging the Parish and Diocese to find creative
ways to fund the program, but there is still a shortfall.
The total cost of the programme is
US$8400 and the local contribution is US$7500
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$900
Project : PHI–3 : Early Learning
Centre for the Poor, San Vicente, Gumaca Diocese
There are now 20 little children in
the morning program and another 20 older children in the afternoon program
in this little project for the pre-schoolers of San Vicente. The alternative
to this pre-school is that the children will be left to fend for themselves
while their parents are trying to earn a few pesos per day. The parents,
mainly day labourers and fisher people, make a monthly contribution for
their children’s participation but some struggle to contribute the whole
sum. So the parents are also making big efforts to fundraise to become
self-supporting. A Filipino teacher is appointed to run the classes.
The village continues to live in
tension. The NPA, a Marxist insurgency group, continues to threaten, kill
and plunder the area. The military also bring fear as they engage in combat
in the barrios. Nearly all families have been affected through loss of
crops, loss of property or life. Against this background the early learning
centre brings a certain peace, stability and security to the children.
The total cost of the project is
US$3300 and the local contribution is now US$2,700.
The request to
RNDM Solidarity is for US$600
Project : PHI-4 : Micro-projects
to support poor Muslim and Lumad familes, Cotabato City
The Sisters in Cotabato City are
involved in micro-projects for urban poor Muslim and Lumad families in line
with the Vision/Mission of the Archdiocese – “to build bridges of peace and
engage in loving outreach to our poor Muslim and Lumad sisters and brothers
thus promoting a culture of peace and justice.” [Cotabato Archdiocesan
Vision/Mission 2004]
In response to this the sisters have
befriended three extremely poor families and in various way are working
together to provide some improved life for these families
- A family of two Muslim women –
a widowed mother and her physically disabled daughter who has two young
children.
- An elderly Muslim widow who has
TB, and a single mother with two small girls. Illiteracy and
malnourishment have left them physically and mentally impaired.
- A family of the T’duray Tribe
consisting of an elderly man, his wife and invalid son.
In these three cases the Sisters are
trying to respect the dignity of the people by providing numerous little
jobs for which remuneration is given. The Sisters also invite these families
to share the produce of the vegetable garden, and give them empty bottles,
cans and newspapers to sell.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$400 to pay small remunerations and to provide some medical aid.
Project : PHI-5 : Hygiene needs
of Kuya Center for Street Children, Cubao, Quezon City.
The Kuya Center was established in
1991 by the Association of Religious Brothers of Luzon, Philippines. This
year one of our RNDMs has begun working collaboratively with the Center in
full-time Ministry. The Center offers residential care for up to 80 boys
from the streets, each year. The work is to re-socialize the boys, to
nurture and to informally education them in the hopes of moving them on to
family reconciliation, or to residential care and formal education.
This project request is to assist in
the cost of personal and center hygiene needs. Overall the Center costs
US$54,000 including 8 salaries and 2 honoraria. US$52,000 is available, some
from the sale of rosary beads made by the boys themselves.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$500
Senegal
Project : SEN-1 : Metal shelving
for the Mission Library, Ndondol
In 2001 the RNDM Solidarity Fund
helped the Sisters at Ndondol set up a small library of reading and resource
books, principally for the teachers and pupils of Ndondol’s Junior High
School The same fund helped us build an extension to the library in 2003.
The library is very much appreciated by all who use it and the College
Director attributes a large part of the success of his pupils in the public
examinations to the increasing availability of resource materials in the
library and the pupils’ use of them. Sr Elsie has been responsible for
running the library very successfully and has been able to offer part-time
work to some young people from the village who assist her in the library
work.
The new project seeks assistance to
replace the wooden shelving with metal ones. Every rainy season Elsie has to
store all the books as the termites make their annual visit to feast on our
wooden shelves! Metal shelving is more expensive, but given the valuable
asset that the library has become for our young people, we feel it is a
necessary expense.
The local contribution to the
shelving is US$250.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$1500.
Project : SEN-2 : Assistance for
malaria medicines, Mboro
Our dispensary at Mboro, founded in
1971, is the focus and base for a health care programme serving people in
the numerous villages scattered throughout the Rural Community of Mboro and
often beyond this. With a team of 9 Senegalese - of whom one is the Chief
Nurse - and one Sister, the dispensary offers curative services as well as
an important laboratory service, a weekly ante-natal clinic, various
preventive programmes [vaccinations, hygiene, nutrition] in outlying
villages, and education/information programmes concentrating on Aids,
sexually-transmitted diseases and malaria prevention.
Over the past few years our
dispensary has been able to function financially completely from the
contributions of the sick to our services. Now we find that we are having
difficulty in covering all our costs. We would like to ask for financial
assistance to help pay our medicine bills; more precisely assistance to
cover the cost of medicines for malaria treatment. Each year the dispensary
treats over 2500 stricken with malaria, and medicines for their treatment
have become more expensive. The medicines for malaria make up about 1/6th
of our annual bill.
The annual medicine bill comes to
US$12,000 – 13,000. The amount available locally is US$10,000 – 11,000.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$2,000.
Vietnam
Project : VNM-1 : Assistance for
education of 16 poor young women, Thu Duc.
For many years our Sisters have been
welcoming young women, to live with them while they continue their studies
and reflect on their possible future in religious life. Presently they have
40 young women in this group. The parents of those from rural areas, 16 of
them, work in agriculture, planting rice or fishing. They earn very little
and are too poor to meet the full education costs of their daughter,
although they try to pay a part. The Sisters are meeting the cost of food
and accommodation for these young women.
The annual education expenses for
these 16 girls come to US$4,800 with funding assistance of US$1000 and a
local contribution of US$1,600.
The request to RNDM Solidarity is
for US$2200
This schedule
was approved by the Congregational Leadership Team on 29.11.04
ALL are invited to
contribute to these RNDM Mission Projects for 2006.
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