Education

Purnima Karmakar has worked as a teacher in the Brickfield schools for over six years. A resident of the Basirhat area of West Bengal, India, she finds purpose, contentment and joy in educating the children of the Brickfields community and contributing to their growth and development.

When she began her journey as a teacher, she had just graduated from secondary school and had insufficient savings or income to pursue higher education. However, thanks to KMWSC’s Teacher Training Program, Purnima had the opportunity to receive hands-on training through teaching the underprivileged children of the Brickfields while simultaneously earning a stipend to cover the cost of her degree.

Purnima says that approximately 90 trainee teachers out of 120 had or were currently utilising their stipends to pursue degrees. Although the schools are situated in remote areas and lack access to public transport and basic amenities like toilets, Purnima cycles daily to the Brickfields to share the gift of education with these children most in need.

She says: “These children are my pride and joy. Their well-being and safety are my topmost priorities.

There was once a child who had developed severe breathing problems, it was evident that he wasn’t well and needed to see a doctor immediately, but the parents were reluctant to take him to the nearby hospital because they didn’t want to spend any money. My colleagues and I tried to explain the gravity of the situation, but they constantly refused all our pleas. Eventually, us teachers gathered and contributed towards the check-up and follow-up medications. The boy is now healthy and regularly attends school.

For me seeing all these children progress and to help pave the way for a brighter future is my biggest accomplishment and I will always try to help them to the best of my abilities.”

Lizzy Ipako’s childhood dream was to become a nurse. Now, thanks to the help of kind donors like you, that dream has come true. Located in the remote town of Lukulu in Western Zambia, 25-year-old Lizzy recently graduated from the Sancta Maria College of Nursing and Midwifery.

Lizzy is one of the lucky recipients of a Mary Ward International Australia Diploma of Nursing bursary to young, marginalised people from the Western Province, one of the most impoverished regions of Zambia. These bursaries cover the tuition, practical training, travel and accommodation costs of students with significant financial need.

“The bursary has opened doors for me to do great things in my future,” says Lizzy.

And she’s rising to the challenge.

Lizzy is the youngest of eight children. Only two – of whom one is Lizzy – have gone on to tertiary education.

Lukulu is remote and offers few opportunities. The average daily income in the area is less than $2 per person. Most families live by subsistence farming. Electricity can be erratic, as can the water supply. Some people live many kilometres from the nearest health service.

Lizzy’s education was interrupted at Year 8 when her parents could no longer pay her school fees. But she didn’t let that stop her.

As soon as an opportunity to pick up her education came along, she jumped on it.

So, when the new Sancta Maria College of Nursing and Midwifery opened – and offered bursaries – it gave Lizzy the opportunity she’d dreamed of.

“It has changed my life,” says Lizzy. “I’m a role model in my community, in my family, in my district and at the national level.”

“I’m not just a nurse. I’m also an educator other people seek help from.”

And she’s a leader, elected Vice President of the union representing fellow students.

For Lizzy, “being in leadership is being a servant. I was there to support my fellow students”.

Lizzy loves nursing and is looking forward to giving back to her local community. She hopes to get a job in a local clinic. “I want to plough back my knowledge and skills. Whenever they need help, I need to be there for them,” she insists.

The Mary Ward International Australia bursary and the Loreto Sister managed college have made a huge difference to Lizzy.

“My education in this college has helped me gain confidence, boosted my self-esteem and provided an opportunity to help other young people from my community,” she says.

“The college has brought my family and me so much joy and happiness because had this not existed, I would never be able to finish my studies and work towards a better future and life.”

“And,” she says, “When I go to hospitals, I find real joy in caring for patients”.

Her message to you is straightforward; “I am really grateful, and I would like to say thank you so much. Without Mary Ward International supporting me, I couldn't have even managed to graduate. I'm a very proud beneficiary.”

“When I work with the children,” says Sr Aithien Nguyen, “I feel happy. I feel joy when I see their faces light up because they can read.”

Sr Aithien Nguyen is an educator in Vinh Loc in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. She works with poor and disadvantaged children to give them a basic education.

And she wants to thank you.

“When we get support from Mary Ward International it helps a lot,” says Sr Aithien.

It pays the rent and the electricity bills and buys new furniture. And the students can have ‘proper’ uniforms.

“We see how happy they are when they receive proper uniforms. They wear them proudly, like children in a normal school,” Sr Aithien says.

“We don’t feel as tired as before because now we have air conditioners. And we can pay for some other teachers to help us.”

Sr Aithien was inspired to pursue this work by Mary Ward’s genuine care for children and women, and the Loreto women she has met.

“When I see the children who can't go to school, who can't get a good education, that's a call to me. I have to do something for them,” she says. And she does.

For the past year in Vietnam she has worked with children from poor families.

“We work with children who have no birth certificates, from broken families, and children living with their grandparents because their parents left them. Some children have symptoms of mental development delay. Some have run off from school. Many couldn’t pass Grade 1, even after three or four years.”

When the school first started a year ago it had only 15 students. Now they have 25, aged from six to 16.

“We focus on teaching them to read and write first,” says Sr Aithien. “And we make sure they have a safe place to be while their parents or grandparents are at work, at least in the morning while they are with us.”

Sr Aithien tries to get the children to understand the importance of literacy.

“If you don't know how to read and write,” she tells them, “Your life will be very hard, because even if you become a driver or a shipper, you'll need to know how to read the address and things. If you want to use the phone, you need to know how to read and write so you can send texts.” Sr Aithien previously spent six years in Timor-Leste, teaching in a local community.

“I moved there to help the people with very simple things in their lives. I worked with the teacher and the staff in the school and the children there,” she says.

“The children learned how to keep themselves clean, to bathe before they come to school. They wash their feet, keep the school clean, and wash their hands; simple things like that. It changed a lot in their lives,” she explained.

“The other thing I found in Timor is that when we educate the children, the children take home what they have learned at school.”

And when women and children learn how to read and write, they feel more confident about speaking up.

“It changes lives,” she insists. “It helps people to live with dignity.”

Supporters like you help Sr Aithien bring learning and dignity to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“When we get support from Mary Ward International Australia, we feel we have a big hand holding all the children with us.”