Project Compassion And The Work Of Caritas

Project Compassion and the Work of Caritas Australians Helping the Poor of the World

Project Compassion is the main fundraising appeal of Caritas Australia, the Catholic Church’s overseas and indigenous aid agency. With the money raised through Project Compassion Caritas is able to fund projects that help people in need all over the world. Each year during Lent we are asked to think about those who are living in poverty and to place coins in the Project Compassion box. Here is what the 2008 Project Compassion box looked like:

Imagine your class has collected $2000 dollars during Project Compassion. What might the money be used for? What difference could your donations make to the lives of people living in poverty?

Task: Cut up the project description strips from the page called “What Your Project Compassion dollars could do”. Decide what projects you would like to support with your class’s $2,000 donation. Glue your selected projects onto the blank Project Compassion box on the following page.

Poverty in Australia Watch the power point Close the Gap on line – http://www.caritas.org.au/AM/PrinterTemplate.cfm? Section=Multimedia_resources_and_downloads#Indigenous Some of the information in the power point is hard to understand but you will be able to find out a lot about poverty amongst Aboriginal people if you use the grid below to take notes.

How many Indigenous people are there in Australia? What percentage of the Australian population is this? Name some places where Indigenous Australians live. Who is more likely to: An Indigenous Australian  Live 17 years longer? A White Australian

 Have a kidney disease? An Indigenous Australian

A White Australian

 Get diabetes? An Indigenous Australian

A White Australian

What is the “gap”?

Name two reasons why the gap 1. exists. 2. Name two programs funded by 1. CARITAS that aim to close the gap. 2. Working with the Poor in Australia – St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies)

Read the fact sheets about the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Complete the fact grid and cloze passage that follow. The Facts The St Vincent de Paul Society is a Catholic non-government organisation offering help to people in need. “Vinnies” offers help to anyone who needs it – no matter the colour of their skin or their beliefs. Sometimes people find it hard to pay the bills or feed themselves or their family – Vinnies helps. Sometimes people become homeless – Vinnies helps. Sometimes people arrive from overseas not knowing much about Australian customs and systems – Vinnies helps. Sometimes people live with mental illness that affects the way they cope with life – Vinnies helps. Winter is a very difficult time for people in need. This is the time when the volunteers of St Vincent de Paul are at their busiest. This is the time when they need the support of people like you and me the most. Cost of living In the last five years, the cost of everything we buy has gone up (15% - CPI). The price of petrol rose by about 32 per cent, fruit rose by 28 per cent, dairy by 24 per cent, and bread and cereal by 18 per cent. People on low incomes can’t afford these cost increases; instead, they often go without important goods and services. Housing Australia has the most unaffordable (expensive) housing in the world, out- ranking the US, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and most of Europe. For most Australians, the dream of home ownership is over, and renting is impossible. Over 400,000 Australians spend more than 50 per cent of their total income on housing costs. Many of these families skip meals, delay essential medical costs, or take on extra jobs, simply to keep a roof over their heads. Homelessness Over 100,000 Australians are homeless, and over 60% have been homeless for longer than a year. Of the total homeless population, 58% are males and 42% females. The generalisation that homeless people are predominantly older men is no longer relevant. The average homeless person is now a 35 year-old male. A quarter of the homeless population are children under 18 years of age. 45% of homeless persons became homeless because of serious problems such as domestic violence, family breakdown, conflict and abuse. Mental Health One in five Australians has a serious mental health problem. Mental illness affects more people than cancer and lung disease combined. Depression and anxiety can lead to loss of a job, social isolation, money problems, addiction, family breakdown and even homelessness. Migrants and refugees The majority of refugees admitted to Australia have experienced horrible events in their lives, including physical assault, sexual assault, torture, abuse, separation and the loss of loved ones prior to their settlement in Australia. The Facts How the St Vincent de Paul Society helps... The St Vincent de Paul Society is one of the largest providers of homeless services in Australia. The St Vincent de Paul Society in NSW and the ACT has a network of more than 21,000 volunteers who work to assist people in every area of need. St Vincent de Paul Society assisted over 750,000 people in NSW and the ACT last year. Every night, more than 4,000 people sleep in the St Vincent de Paul Society’s many facilities (shelters) around the country, while in NSW and the ACT over 800 beds are made available every night to those in need. Last year, across NSW and the ACT, the St Vincent de Paul Society provided more than 800,000 hot meals to people in need and assisted over 180,000 people through the Society’s various services. Last year our Vinnies Centres in NSW and the ACT provided over 75,000 people with more than three million dollars worth of donated items such as clothing, electrical, furniture, Manchester, blankets and kitchenware. Last year, in NSW and the ACT, St Vincent de Paul Society volunteer members visited and assisted over 500,000 people in their homes.

Vinnies – Fact Grid Circle the correct fact 1. Vinnies is …. Part of the A Catholic A hotel Australian organisation government

2. Vinnies helps … Only Catholics Only migrants Anyone in need

3. “Vinnies” is another The St Vincent de The Vin Diesel Fan Anything made out name for …. Paul Society Club of vinyl

4. Australia has … Not enough houses The most The cheapest for people to live in expensive housing housing in the in the world world

5.Every night ___?__ 100 400 4,000 homeless people sleep in Vinnies shelters 6. Last year in NSW and 800,000 8,000 800 ACT Vinnies provided ___? __ hot meals to people in need 7. Vinnies is run by …. Mainly business Mainly poor people Mainly volunteers people (people who offer their time for free)

Fact Sheets were adapted from Fact Sheets available at – www.vinnies.org.au The Work of the St Vincent DePaul Society in Australia

Cloze Passage

The St Vincent de Paul Society is a ______organisation that helps people in ______. Sometimes the St Vincent de Paul society is called ______.

The work of St Vincent de Paul is carried out by many ______who help people in many ways – by serving hot ______to homeless people, by serving in one of the many Vinnies Centres, or by visiting people in their ______to bring much-needed items like electrical goods or furniture.

Last year Vinnies volunteers helped over ______In their homes. homes volunteers 500,000 meals Catholic

Vinnies need Extension Activities: Research the life of Saint Vincent de Paul or Frederic Ozanam. Do a point form report on one of these great men.

(Teachers can find background material in the resources “Passion for Justice – A Social Justice Teaching Resource” available to download from the St Vincent de Paul website.)

Who is Saint Vincent de Paul helping in this picture? Make a list. Doing God’s Work

Jesus had a great love for all people – especially those in need. He taught us that we should love one another in the same way God loves us. This means looking after one another. Look at the following messages from the bible and write down what you think God is telling you about how you should act.

"Do not store up riches for yourself here on earth. Instead store up riches in heaven." (Matthew 6) ______

"You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6) ______

"He has sent me to be good news to the poor." (Luke 4) ______

“Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” (1 Peter 5:14) ______

“The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking, but of justice, peace and joy that is given by the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way pleases God and wins the respect of men. Let us, then, make it our aim to work for peace and to strengthen one another.” (Roman 14:17) ______

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." (Luke 7) ______

"Do not judge others and God won't judge you." (Luke 7)

______The Body of Christ

Catholic organisations like the St Vincent DePaul Society and Caritas Australia do the work of God – but we can help. Jesus left us with a special mission – to act for him in the world. Look at the picture below and circle the things that you can do to be part of this mission. Add some more ideas if you want. From the Old Testament

Read this story about how God cares for Elijah and the widow. Draw a picture about Elijah and the widow below. Real Treasure

Jesus teaches us that being rich and having lots of things is not the only “treasure” a person can have. If someone is kind and acts for justice they have a treasure that is worth far more.

Draw a line down the middle of a page in your workbook. On one side write the heading “Treasures of the Earth” on the other side write the heading “Treasures of the Heart”. Cut out the two treasure boxes below and glue them under each heading. Then cut out each of the sentences and glue them under the appropriate treasure chest. (From www.kids4kids.org.au ) Refugees

Who are Refugees?

In 1951 the Australian government signed an important document called The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. It tells us that a refugee is –

A person who has good reason to fear that they will be treated very unfairly (persecuted) because of:  race,  religion,  what country they come from,  what social or political group they belong to or someone who is outside their country and is afraid to return because of how they might be treated or someone who feels that they won’t be protected in their own country.

(Definition paraphrased from The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees)

The UNHCR is an organisation that looks after the rights of refugees world-wide. The UNHCR put out this list in 2007. It show where the world’s refugees come from:

(Information from Refugee Week Resources Kit – A place to Call Home) Task: Using an atlas to help you, colour and label the countries refugees come from on the world map on the next page.

Refugees

Where do “our” Refugee come from?

Australia has helped many refugees over the years. They have come from many parts of the world.

After World War II most refugees came from countries like Germany, Poland and the Ukraine. In the 1970s refugees came from places like Vietnam, Chile and El Salvador. In the 1990s large numbers of people came from Bosnia, Croatia and the Middle East.

The graph below shows the countries refugees are coming from today:

Which country did most refugees come from in 2007-2008? ______

How many refugees came from the Sudan? ______

How many of the countries in the graph are in Africa? (You might you’re your teacher’s help with this one.) ______Stories of Refugees

SADO'S STORY Sado was eight years old when she fled from Somalia. "I came back from Sunday school and I remember seeing that our living room as well as our kitchen had collapsed. Then I saw tanks in front of our house and they began firing. It was terrible. We ran as fast as we could, my mother holding my hand. There was also Feriyo, my friend, as well as her granny who was running behind us because she could not catch up with us. She was old. President Siad Barre's picture was everywhere. I used not to look at him, but while we were running I saw a huge picture of him and I was scared. Feriyo fell down while we were still running and there was this deafening noise. I let go of my mother's hand and ran back to help Feriyo but she wouldn't stand up. I shook her saying, "Feriyo, stand up." I begged her to stand but she wouldn't. Sado found another home in London England.

WALI'S STORY Wali is twelve years old. He is an Afghan refugee. He fled from Afghanistan in 1997 and now lives in the UK with his mother and brother. "I was born in Afghanistan, in Kabul. Kabul is the capital city of Afghanistan. We lived in a brick house. We were not poor, but we were not rich. My father worked at the civic centre and my mother was a housewife. When I was small I was quite happy. Life was very happy. Life was not hard and people were always kind to me. I went to school and I was in Class Six. My teacher was very kind to me. I always did my homework and I had many friends. After school we would go for a walk and play football together. Sometimes we would have a picnic. Fighting started in Afghanistan. One night some men came to our house and took my father away and he was shot. Our life became very hard. Then fighting started in Kabul. One morning at about four or five I was woken up by a noise. My mother and my family went into the corridors where there were no windows. The rockets came in fours. We stayed in the corridor for about an hour. Then it was a little bit quiet so we came out and my mother started to cook. The rockets stopped coming to Kabul, but not for other cities near us. After this there were lots of soldiers walking about. Sometimes there were bad soldiers who went into houses and took things. All the schools were shut. I couldn't go to see my friends because it wasn't safe to go outside. The only time my mother went out was to get food. We were lucky because my uncle had a car and we could go quickly to the shops. After living like this for a week, my family decided we had to leave."

ELMER'S STORY Elmer is Colombian He and his parents left their homes because they were threatened by soldiers.

We couldn't go into town, we couldn't get our things from the house because the army would grab my mother, my grandfather, and kill them. Since we had no change of clothes, we repaired the clothes of my brothers. Then where we were staying was bombed and we had to run away again. It was raining, and we only had a small tent. All the children went inside and the adults stayed outside. Again the soldiers came near and they threw grenades. These made a terrible noise and we all cried out of fear. Then the soldiers bombed us from helicopters. it was just like a Rambo movie. This activity has been adapted from resources available at – http://www.irespect.net/ Story Chart Sado Wali Elmer What made them leave their homes? Are they living in a safe place now? What differences are there between their lives and yours? What similarities are there between their lives and yours? What do they miss about their home? Task Sometimes refugees spend many months, even years in crowded refugee camps. Life is very hard in these camps. Sometimes there is not enough food. Often people get sick. The poster on the next page shows life in a refugee camp. Cut out the “Matching Words and Pictures” and label the poster with the words in the appropriate places. This resource is part of schools materials available from the CAFOD website. How would you Feel?

How would you feel if you had to leave your home without any of your belongings, not knowing where you were going or what your new home would be like? How would you feel if, when you arrived in your adopted country, you were treated unfairly just because you were a refugee? Did you know that Jesus was a refugee? He was treated unfairly because of it. Look at the poster below. Imagine how you would feel being forced to leave your home and settle in a new country. On the following page there is a bank of “feeling” words. Circle the appropriate words. Feeling Words

sad relieved

confused happy

excited angry

scared frustrated

surprised nervous

relaxed unsure

confident curious

hurt shocked

Extension Task: Pretend you are a refugee seeing Australia for the first time. In your workbook write a diary entry about your first day in Australia. Use the feeling words you chose from the list above in your diary entry. Catholics Working with Migrants and Refugees The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office

The Bishops of Australia (who are the leaders of the Catholic Church here) created a new organisation in 1995 to help people coming to Australia. This organisation is called The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office. It helps both people who choose to come to Australia (migrants) and people who are escaping war or terror in their birth countries (refugees). Here are some of the jobs the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office does:

 It gives the Bishops advice about what is happening with migrants and refugees in Australia and what the Church should do  It helps local groups and people working with migrants and refugees  It’s officers talk to the Australian government about what Catholics believe should be done about migrant and refugee issues

Each year the Catholic Church has a special event to celebrate the fact that we have migrants and refugees in our communities, who bring with them their rich cultures, ideas and experiences. This event is called Migrant and Refugee Week and is usually held in August.

Each year Pope Benedict XVI sends a special message to people celebrating Migrant and Refugee Week. In 2009 the Pope given us a special theme – St Paul, migrant – “Apostle to the Peoples”. The Pope sees St Paul as an important role model for migrants and refugees and as someone who speaks on their behalf.

Find out about the life of St Paul by reading stories about him on these websites: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/religion/christians/paul.htm http://bible-stories.org/Paul1.htm http://bible-stories.org/Paul-shipwrecked.1.htm Colour these pictures and read the scripture quotes. Glue them in order into your workbook:

Colouring pages from: http://msssbible.com/newtestament/paul.htm