Africa Appeal

Please assist us in supporting the Christian Brothers with their work in developing the school and medical centre at Ruben, Nairobi and Edmond Rice Sinon at Arusha.

If you wish to assist, please download the form and return with your donation.

 2008_AfricaAppealForm.pdf (PDF 116 KB)

 A letter from Br Frank O'Shea

Dear All,

St Joseph’s College Geelong for a number of years now, has demonstrated a huge willingness to support in a variety of ways Edmund Rice Education in Africa.

One great initiative by the St Joseph’s community has been the program to encourage parents of students at the College, to consider a donation to the Christian Brothers’ Foundation for charitable works in Africa. This initiative has been very well supported by a large number of parents and I wish to thank those parents who have contributed and to encourage new parents to get behind the College with this scheme.

I have just completed twelve great years as headmaster of one of these schools in East Africa. Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School in Tanzania is now educating over 1,200 boys and girls and in doing so, is really transforming their lives.

Supporters of Christian Brothers from Australia contributed the capital needed to build this great school. The school receives no government funding and is sustained by families of the students paying school fees.

Some great memories of that time include:

• The opportunity to offer scholarships to many students who had no
• hope of paying the school fees of $280.00 / year.
• Providing a daily cooked meal for the children.
• Building hostels to eliminate the constant walking - sometimes
• 20km per day to and from school.
• Being able to fund volunteers from different countries to come and
• offer their skills and friendship to the community.
• Being a link between village kids in Africa and the wider world.

I can only encourage parents to continue to participate in this great story and others like it in Kenya and Sudan. To those of you who have supported the scheme in previous years, thank you for providing me, as the headmaster, with the financial capacity to bring some hope to the African children in my care.

Br. Frank O’Shea

And in a speech to all students on Edmund Rice Day, Robert Palmer (SJC student from 2006) added the following:

“I was lucky enough to teach at the Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School. I had been really looking forward to seeing the school because I knew St. Joseph’s had raised a lot of money for it. The facilities and opportunities given to the students are of extremely high quality. To be a good student there puts them in good stead to make something of their lives. This all comes down to the fundraising efforts that you guys do. I can honestly say that the money you raise as a school community really does change the lives of the students. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”