Identity and Mission

Project Compassion

Recently in a Year Ten ethics class we examined Peter Singer’s The Drowning Child dilemma.  In short, imagine that you’re walking across a shallow pond and you notice that a small child has fallen in, and is in danger of drowning […] Of course, you think you must rush in to save the child. Then you remember that you’re wearing your favorite, quite expensive, pair of shoes and they’ll get ruined if you rush into the pond. This is promptly followed by the question ‘What should you do?’

To a ‘T’ students reject the idea of forgoing helping the child to risk ruining some apparel.  In fact, many students openingly express frustration that this is a dilemma.  Singer goes on to say:

Once we are all clear about our obligations to rescue the drowning child in front of us, I ask: would it make any difference if the child were far away, in another country perhaps, but similarly in danger of death, and equally within your means to save, at no great cost – and absolutely no danger – to yourself?

It is an important question to contemplate and see within ourselves if we have the will and capacity to assist. 

We are currently in the Church’s season of Lent.  It is a timely reminder of our calling in life.  During this time we refocus our attention on the life of Christ and how we can turn our lives around to have concern for ‘the other’.  One aspect of our Lenten journey is almsgiving.  Principally, this is a reminder that we are here not just for ourselves but where possible to assist others.  During this Lenten period CARITAS’ Project Compassion (PC) helps us to focus on those in need, but not in our vicinity.  The recent bushfires have shown how we have a great commitment to helping those in need.  Perhaps next time you feel in a position to assist someone you will consider supporting Project Compassion and the great works of CARITAS Australia.

CARITAS Australia supports long-term development programs in marginalised countries. They aim to help the poorest of the poor rediscover their dignity by taking greater control over their own lives. Their culturally-sensitive programs are designed and managed by local partners who are best placed to identify the needs and problems of their own communities.  

One such example of those Project Compassion helps is the story of Tawonga:

Tawonga is a 10-year-old girl, living with a disability. She lives in a village in northern Malawi in a region plagued by food insecurity and poverty. For most of her life, her parents have struggled to put meals on the table. Tawonga often had to miss school because she was too sick from hunger.

The family also faced discrimination in their community due to her disability. Since participating in a Caritas Australia supported program, Tawonga’s life has transformed. Her family now grows enough food to provide three meals a day, ending the struggle of malnutrition, and helping her thrive at school.

Since participating in a Caritas Australia supported program, Tawonga’s life has transformed. Her family now grows enough food to provide three meals a day, ending the struggle of malnutrition, and helping her thrive at school. 

Tawonga, whose name means ‘thank you’, says her community is blessed with many resources, like rivers, fertile soil and hills. However, with dry spells followed by floods, armyworm infestations and crop failures, her parents struggled to make a living. 

In 2016, Tawonga’s parents heard about the A+ program run by Caritas Australia’s partner, CADECOM (Catholic Development Commission in Malawi). They learned irrigation farming and were given fertiliser and high-yield seeds. With these new techniques, their production of crops almost tripled. 

With your help, this transformational program can continue to empower vulnerable women, men and children, and strengthen the communities around them. Let’s Go Further, Together.

“It gives me hope that I will finish my education,” Tawonga says. “My community now understands that my living with a disability is not inability. Although I sometimes face discrimination, most of the community has realised my value as a person.”

For more information about Project Compassion can be found at https://lent.caritas.org.au/#blank

During the last week of term, the students will be encouraged to return the boxes, with the donations being sent off to CARITAS Australia.

Gerard McNulty

Acting Primary Director of Mission