Village Update: July-Sept ’17

October 23, 2017 project kindy

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Village Updates

Dear Project Kindy Villagers,

Thank you for your support for our grassroots project to support kindergartens in rural Malawi. 100% of your donation is sent to the Canossian Sisters in rural Malawi, Africa, to cover the $4/month kindergarten fees for children experiencing extreme poverty, many of whom are orphans. Through your gifts we are able not only to provide immediate food security for the children but also to improve their standard of living for life through basic literacy, numeracy, behavioural and social skills education. We are so grateful you have chosen to support these communities in your own way. Please consider donating to Project Kindy monthly from as little as $4/month so we can reach more children. Learn more at www.projectkindy.com/donate

Our main news from July to September is:

1) A tenth kindergarten was opened (photos haven’t arrived yet, sorry!) bringing the number of children supported to nearly 900

2) Community support for Project Kindy increased with donations from the Holy Cross Catholic Parish, Mary MacKillop College, Nundah, and East Brisbane Goodstart Early Learning Centre (see photos below)

3) Erin Toohey, a 20 year old from the Sunshine Coast, took it upon herself to volunteer with the Canossian Sisters in Malawi and is currently still there doing wonderful work. (see photos below)

4) Brightwater State Primary School at the Sunshine Coast, and the “Get Reading Right” company, have donated expensive resources for our kindergarten teachers in Malawi, supplying them with a cutting edge learn-to-read program for early childhood, which Erin is currently training them in.

Because of your generosity at this year’s Benefit, one off donations and especially ongoing monthly donations, we are pleased to announce a tenth kindergarten has opened, and we now support nearly 900 children! The leaders of the village approached Sr Josephine Allieri and requested a kindergarten be supported in their area. Knowing she had your support, Sr Josephine agreed to partner with them and they built their temporary classroom, arranged a P & C committee and sent some volunteers to receive basic teacher training. Unfortunately photos are not available just yet, but will be posted on our website and social media as soon as they come through.

The Holy Cross Catholic Parish of Lutwyche held their annual Social Justice night this quarter and chose Project Kindy to be the blessed recipient of their gifts. They raised over $1000 for the kindergartens, created teaching posters and encouraging notes and donated secondhand uniforms, tooth paste and burshes, books and other educational materials plus the cost of excess baggage (Erin took it with her). We are so grateful to the Holy Cross community, including the Holy Cross and St Mary of the Cross primary schools. The impact of their generosity will go a long way in Malawi!

Mr Kenneth Mayers, a teacher at Mary MacKillop College, Nundah, began selling chocolate in his staff room this quarter and then banking the proceeds in our Project Kindy bank account! Teachers and chocolate are a very good mix it seems as the donations Ken is sending our way are really adding up! Thank you, Mr Mayers and the staff at Mary MacKillop College! Your kindness is deeply appreciated by the communities helped by the kindergartens in rural Malawi.

The toddlers and young children from Goodstart Early Learning Centre in East Brisbane also created encouraging notes for our Kindergartens and raised money for a book for the main kindergarten. We thank them for their efforts!

Erin Toohey contacted Project Kindy earlier this year to see if the Canossian Sisters and the kindergartens in Malawi could benefit from her help. Determined to be of service in the best way she can, Erin sought support from her Aunt Shelley, who is the Deputy Principal at Brightwater State School. Shelley arranged for Erin to not only receive training in the Get Reading Right program so she could then train the teachers in Malawi, but she also managed to have thousands of dollars worth of resources from the program donated for our kindergartens. Erin is currently in Malawi providing this wonderful training to the teachers who are reportedly soaking up every word and implementing the strategies immediately!

Improving the quality of literacy education in the kindergartens is a key factor in their success. The impact of Erin and Shelley’s combined generosity will be long felt after Erin’s months of work is finished. We cannot thank them both enough for the most beautiful gift of love, time and resources which will give the teachers confidence and skills and the students a lifelong gift of literacy. Please note that Project Kindy doesn’t run a formal volunteer program – this was Erin’s initiative which she funded herself (because she’s incredible).

Find out more about the reading program at: http://www.getreadingright.com.au/