Care for our neighbours and our planet this Christmas
This Christmas, Jesuit Mission Australia invites Australians to give a Gift for Tomorrow, a meaningful gift that transforms lives and brings hope to families most in need.
Through Jesuit Mission’s Gifts for Change program, supporters can choose from a range of life changing e-cards and postal cards that fund vital community projects across Asia and Africa. Each gift helps families overcome poverty through sustainable initiatives that reflect the true spirit of Christmas.
Your Gift for Tomorrow could:
• Start a chicken farm for a family in Cambodia
• Train Timorese farmers to grow sustainable food
• Provide clean water for life to a rural village in Timor-Leste
Across Cambodia and Timor-Leste, Jesuit Mission is helping communities build lasting change through sustainable livelihoods, access to food and clean water.
In rural Cambodia, Jesuit Mission’s partner, the Karuna Battambang Organisation, helps farming families establish sustainable livelihoods through eco friendly training and small start up grants. Many families have begun animal raising and cultivating organic gardens, improving food security, restoring the land and building income for their communities.
In neighbouring Timor-Leste, the Food Security Project in Railaco is empowering families to grow their own food and strengthen their communities. “This project has changed our gardens and our lives. The vegetables taste better, and we are proud to feed our families with what we grow,” said Laurentina, a community member. Through training in sustainable farming, nutrition and reforestation, the project is helping nearly 2,000 households overcome poverty and malnutrition while caring for their environment.
Clean water is also bringing new life to rural communities. The Water Project in Timor-Leste, run by partner Jesuit Social Services Timor-Leste, provides deep well pumps and pipelines to remote villages, giving families safe, clean water close to home. “Even after 20 years of independence many Timorese living in rural areas still do not have access to basic water facilities,” said Fr Júlio Sosa SJ. “We thought that as Jesuits we could help the government and help lessen this burden on people by starting the water project.”
“When you give a Gift for Tomorrow, you are giving families the chance to grow their own future,” said Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia. “It is a simple, beautiful act of love that honours the meaning of Christmas and helps care for our friends and the planet.”
To give a Gift for Tomorrow, a gift in Education, Protection or Independence, visit https://jesuitmission.org.au/christmas
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