Guinea Pigs, Worms and a school in Tarma, Peru

MMIM News
Mary MacKillop International Mission Inc
March 2012
Guinea Pigs, Worms and
a school in Tarma, Peru
The conversation with Sr Patricia Day began with talk of
a vegetable garden and the difference it could make to the
school community. Sr Patricia works in the Fe Y Alegria School
in Tarma, Peru, a 7 hour bus ride away from Lima. We were
discussing the fact that many of the children have their main
meal at school and for some it’s their only meal. A vegetable
garden would be able to provide food for the school but also
any extra could be sold to the community and any money
raised could be used to buy resources for the students
That first conversation about vegetables led to many others
in the community and with the help of one of the senior
teachers, the Integrated Environmental Program was born.
After consultation and discussions with key teachers, parents
and students in the school, Sr Patricia, Sr Charo, the Principal
and the school applied for funds from MMIM to build a water
tank to sustain the program. With water for plants, trees and
shrubs have been planted to encourage rainfall. Having the
water supply in place, garden beds were dug and the soil began
to be prepared for composting and introducing worm farms
to increase the quality of the soil. The composted soil is now
being bagged and sold locally. This money is then generated
back into the school to help pay for teachers and resources.
The next milestone of the project and the one that will possibly
bring in the greatest income is the Guinea Pig project. A house
with small cubicles for the guinea pigs is being constructed
and is almost complete. The building itself is being made from
mud bricks and is perched on the side of the school. It is an
amazing feat of engineering!
The new guinea pig house
The guinea pig house and the Tarma Valley
Once the guinea pigs are housed the school can begin the
breeding program and also start using the manure to increase
further the quality of composted soil for sale. The animals can
be sold to the local community for consumption or breeding.
Once the garden beds are finished vegetables can be planted
and the produce used in the school kitchen to feed the
students or perhaps sold locally.
This program has highlighted the key principles of development
that MMIM promotes, which is local people running local
programs leading to self determination, human dignity, and
human rights for all.
Cath Leary
Students prepare the composting gardens
Photos - Sr Patricia Day
Executive Officer’s Report
I am writing this report on International Women’s Day, March 8, a day set aside to remember all women, but
especially those women who are the poorest in communities across the globe. The theme for the International
Women’s Day this year is ‘ The Economic Empowerment of Women’.
The statistics that relate to women globally and especially poor women are sobering and alarming. In 2012,
70% of the world’s poor are women; women earn less than 10% of the world’s wages, but do more than two
thirds of the world’s work and in Sub Saharan Africa, women own less that 2 % of the land but produce 90% of
the food. In Australia, the pay gap between men and women doing the same work is 17%.
There is still much to do to ensure that women feel safe in their homes and in their communities, that they
get equal access to jobs and incomes, that women and female children get unconditional access to education,
that laws associated with ownership of land and property by women are put in place and that securing food
security for families and communities does not just rest on the shoulders of women.
As I said, sobering statistics, but there are also some good news stories and some amazing women to be
celebrated on this day. Two of those women Sr Margaret Malady and Sr Geraldine Stringer have been living
and working in Peru for a combined period of nearly 25 years. In the last few weeks Margaret and Geraldine
have left Peru to return to Australia permanently. Their time in Peru was marked with great compassion and
great commitment to ensuring that the human dignity of each person that they came into contact with was
upheld. Margaret in recent years together with local Peruvians has been coordinating a dental health program
and a non-violence program. The programs have made a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of children
and their families. Margaret has left a great legacy in Peru as the program will continue with support from
Mary MacKillop International and the dedication of the local dental health team.
Geraldine may be small in stature but her work with children living in a small community called Juan Pablo
located on a rocky outcrop no more than 20-30 metres wide made her a giant amongst them. These children
had no where safe to play or to be cared for whilst their parents were at work. Geraldine and her volunteers,
taught them, entertained them and cared for them. Both Margaret and Geraldine will be greatly missed in
Peru.
These are just two stories and there are many more from our work in Peru and East Timor. On this day we
remember all women everywhere and thank them for all they do to make this world one of peace, equity and
justice.
Cath Leary
Executive Officer, MMIM
Christi
an (de
ntist) a
childre
nd loc
n in Jic
al
amarc
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y and
ret Malad
Sr Marga
er
ine String
Sr Gerald
Margaret Malady, Christian, Teresa
and Anne Derwin
Administration Block
Walls being put up in the administration block
Institutu Mary MacKillop –
A new education and training centre in Dili,
East Timor
The work of the East Timor program being carried out by Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission (MMETM) is evolving
and growing with each year. The number of local East Timorese staff now being employed by MMETM is seventeen.
Although Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission has been working in East Timor since 1994 they have never had a
permanent office or space in which to call home. In recent years they have generously been given office space in the
parish of Becora and in a local parish hall. The Parish Priest Fr Guil, has been extremely supportive of the work of
MMETM and very generous with Parish resources. Despite this generosity it has been increasingly difficult to run the
programs without having an office space where the staff can work and plan and where they can run the literacy and
music workshops.
Due to generous donations given to Mary MacKillop East Timor Mission and Mary MacKillop International Mission we
undertook to build an education, training and administration centre in Dili, East Timor.
The Education and Training Centre in Dili, will be called ‘Institutu Mary MacKillop’ and will consist of 3 small buildings;
an administration block which provides office space for staff, a training building where the literacy and music
programs can be run, and an accommodation block for the Sisters who are living or visiting Dili and who are working
on the program.
Having a permanent centre with proper administration and training resources will have a great impact on the work
that the staff in Dili are able to do. MMETM has been working hard to build the capacity of our own staff and of
teachers who are already working in schools but who may not have all the skills needed to be the best teachers they
can be. MMETM has been focusing on a train the trainer program for teachers teaching literacy and music to primary
school children.
When the new training centre is operational the team will be able to invite teachers in both the Catholic and
Government sectors to attend training workshops. The team will continue to run workshops in the much poorer rural
areas, but having a permanent space will mean that urban and rural workshops will be able to run simultaneously.
The Centre is due for completion in late April 2012 and our staff can’t wait to move into their new home!
ethica accessories
*
Ethica Accessories News
Ethica is now an endorsed Fair Trader of Australia!
FToA Endorsed Fair Traders are businesses that have committed to an Australian Standard for Fair
Trade, which means that you can buy from us with the confidence that fair trade is at the core of
what we do.
The Standard for Fair Trade covers ten aspects of fair trade, including creating opportunities for
economically disadvantaged producers, payment of a fair price, greater transparency, better working
conditions, capacity building, and the environment.
Ethica’s goal is “Helping women help themselves” through training, employment and immediate and
fair payment for their work.
Anderledy Lodge accommodation in North Sydney
Ethica will be collaborating with Anderledy Lodge at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney to design
cushions and bed throws as part of their refurbishing and renovation due for completion at Easter.
The rooms will look fantastic; why not visit them for a mini-break on your next trip to Sydney!
‘Winter Warmers’ in Melbourne and Sydney
Please make a note in your diaries the 22nd of May for our ‘Winter Warmers’ at the Mary MacKillop
Heritage Centre in Melbourne and Friday June 8th at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney, they
promise to be great events and you will be able to buy lots of warm clothes to keep you cosy this
winter! Keep an eye on our website closer to the date for more information.
New products for sale!
We now have beautiful alpaca jumpers for men and we are soon getting new products and fabrics.
Keep and eye on our website which will be updated with new products soon!
www.ethica.org.au
Enclosed is my gift to Mary MacKillop International Mission Fund
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OR  General Programs
Newsletter March 2012
Mary MacKillop International Mission Inc is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct.
The code requires signatories to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management.
9 Mount Street, PO Box 1508, North Sydney, 2059 : Phone 9929 7344 : Fax 8912 4833
email - [email protected] : www.sosj.org.au : www.marymackillopinternational.org.au ABN 88 808 531 480