31 March 2011

(ANS – Duékoué) – Confirmation of the bloody events taking place in the Ivory Coast comes from the “Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus” Salesian community, which is the only Catholic mission in Duékoué. Conflicts between the two faction in the field have now reached the level of the rounding up and killing of adversaries. Read the rest of this entry »

“This is the story of a young man of generosity, courage and compassion. He spent his short life working for the poor children of Africa. Service to others is embodied in his now well-known motto, “While my heart beats, I have to do what I think I can do, and that is to help those who are less fortunate”. Although his convictions cost him his life, his spirit lives on in the young people he worked for in Africa, and in all those who have been inspired by his life.”

A preview of the book by Michael Delmer SDB on Sean’s story is available online through Google Books. The preview includes several pages with sample text from the book, with links to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble et al. You can find the book page here.

We’ve added a number of previously unseen photos of Sean to our Flickr account today, including the one above.

Welcome to the Christmas update to keep you informed of what, why and where we are working. It is also to say a huge thanks to all our donors, supporters and fundraisers, because without you none of the projects would be possible. We take a look at two new projects which highlight the Fund’s desire to promote sustainability and fund matching. We also think it is important to give you regular updates on events both far and near to home. Have a peaceful and joyous holiday.

• Download Newsletter December 2010 (.pdf, 508kb)

Introduction:

Sierra Leone is located on the West Coast of Africa.  Guinea and Liberia are its neighbors.  There are approximately six million people living in this small country.  According to the U.N. development index, Sierra Leone is the second poorest country in the world.  Child mortality is very high:  one in five children dies before five years of age.

The majority of the people earn less than $1.00 per day.  With very little industry, the unemployment rate is very high.  The country is just recovering from a civil war which took the lives of thousands and broke up many families.  It continues to suffer from rampant corruption in almost every sector – both government and private.  The people are hard-working and industrious.  About two-thirds of the people make a living from agriculture. Only a small percent benefit from the country’s mineral wealth.  Non-governmental organizations provide income to others.  The government employs a large number of teachers, policeman, and soldiers. Read the rest of this entry »