Appeals
Here you can find a summary of all our current appeals. You can support any of them at any time. If you would like to be involved in supporting any of them, please contact the office for further details or click on the link to download a form and send off your details to the St Veronica Welfare Committee office. Every bit helps!
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APPEAL FOR SPEECH THERAPY UNIT AT MADONNA SPECIAL SCHOOL & RESIDENTIAL HOME FOR THE MENTALLY CHALLENGED, CHALAKUDY, THRISSUR, KERALA, INDIA
BACKGROUND: St Veronica's has been helping Madonna Centre financially for many years, with donations towards the needs of the 130 children who are on the roll. Sister Rubina, who is charge of the home and school, has asked us for more help as she wants to build, staff, and fit-out a speech therapy unit.
The Sisters have been offering free education since 1986 as the government does not help them. They survive on the charity of groups like St Veronicas so we wish to raise extra funds for them. As well as having special educational needs, the children often have terrible speech problems. If these are worked on they will often contribute to an improvement in the children's development at the educational level. Madonna Centre's philosophy is to get the children to a stage of maximum independence coupled with minimum dependence on others.
We recommend this appeal to the generosity of our donors and hope to raise several thousand dollars towards the Speech Therapy Centre
APPEAL FOR WIDOWS’ EMPLOYMENT PROJECT – CHURCH OF ST JAMES, VADASERY, TAMIL NADU, INDIA
BACKGROUND: A woman who is both poor and widowed, especially in many under-developed societies, is often very vulnerable in terms of her ability to earn enough to support her family. She mostly lacks training in skills with which she can earn a living.
ONE WIDOW'S STORY: "It has been with a lot of difficulty, we have managed to find a job as a house maid for her. She washes dishes and utensils, scrubs floors and washes soiled clothes. She is paid 2000 rupees a month ($50AUD), which is too meagre especially considering her workloads. She goes at 7 am and returns at 7 pm. I believe she is given left-over food from the employer’s house for her children. She gets no other benefits." Fr. Kildos, parish priest of Vadasery.
Fr. Kildos has identified 42 widows in this area, who are eager to be given the chance to start their own petty (one person) business. He has appealed to us for funds. The project envisages that each widow will be given a sum of working capital. She will be instructed in how to use this primary investment in an efficient way to earn a livelihood.
Read a progress report on the widows' self-help and empowerment programme
APPEAL FOR PURCHASE OF GOATS FOR WOMEN’S SELF-HELP GROUPS IN DHARMASTHALA, KARNATAKA, INDIA
DIOCESE OF BELTHANGADY
BACKGROUND: Fr Michael Kumminiyil is the Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Church, Dharmasthala, which is about 300 km from Bangalore. Many parishes have several village communities, called substations, as part of the wider parish. One of the Dharmasthala substations is Bolminar.
This village lacks critical infrastructure, so the socio-economic conditions are very backward. With Fr Michael’s help, the groups wish to set up a goat-rearing project which is very practical for poor people. They require only a small land area and even children can easily manage them.
The goats will: provide milk for the children to reduce malnutrition; enable women to earn immediate income from the sale of any kids and; help women to be self-reliant and able to educate their children.
BUDGET: Cost of goat 4,000 rupees, approx $110 AUD
Goats provided will be fully grown, for immediate benefit to recipients.
Each beneficiary is expected to provide 500 rupees as a self-help contribution.
APPEAL FOR KITCHEN RENOVATIONS FOR SEVA SADAN GIRLS' HOSTEL PATAN
GUJARAT - INDIA
BACKGROUND: Sister Vimla, assisted by two other sisters, conducts a residential hostel for 22 primary age girls from poor villages around Patan. They have been sent from their villages to obtain an education and, for many of them, they are the first generation of girls from their family to be educated.
As well, Sister Vimla works with parents to try to change their attitudes towards the value of, and necessity for, education, especially for the girl child. Previously, children were kept home to help with labour to try to increase the low income of the family.
The hostel has been operating for only 5 years and facilities are basic. There is one large building which is used for everything, eg for evening study, recreation and sleeping. Sister has requested help to renovate the detached kitchen.
BUDGET: The cost of the proposal is approximately $7,000 AUD which is about the upper limit of what our appeals raise. Depending on the amount raised, Sister will tailor the work to get the best possible building for the money. We have already collected $1,000 in donations from two generous donors.
APPEAL FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO ENABLE REGULAR SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY, IRENE HOME, ALLEPPEY, KERALA
DISTRICT OF ALLEPPEY IN KERALA
Irene
Home is an orphanage in the District of Alleppey in Kerala. It has been
functioning for 70 years. Since it is a coastal area and the people are
mostly fisherfolk, Irene Home serves the poor girls in the locality. Their
low economic circumstances and the “family brokenness” is, to
an extent, eased by the care the sisters take for the girls who are good
at study. The Sisters also visit and listen patiently to the families and
this has helped them to have hope in life and hope for the future of their
children.
NEED FOR THE PROJECT: Because of frequent electricity failures and cuts by the Government, the children often have to use candles. This creates problems with their ability to complete their homework. Being unable to use their time effectively leads to their studies being affected. Also, as the usage of electricity in all parts of Kerala State has increased, the Government has seen this as an opportunity to increase the price.
THE PROJECT: Sister is requesting funds to provide alternatives to the Government-supplied electricity. Sister wishes to install a Solar-generated electricity system, as well as a Biogas plant. Both of these alternative generating methods will provide a more reliable electricity source and reduce the costs of that electricity.
