Wendy and Roland Johnson’s Successful Dili Trip
Well - Wendy and Roly are back from their fantastic trip to Timor Leste - and we have just received some great pics of the Sisters and children at Santa Clara.
You will see from the photos that the children are happy and healthy - and that the work undertaken by the Portuguese National Army has brightened up the place. There are still some structural problems (as can be seen from some of the photos taken by Roly) - and of course the kids are still pumping water by hand from the aging and contaminated well - but we hope to start work to rectify these issues very soon.
I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank Wendy and Roly for their enthusiasm and support - they were able to hand deliver the very generous fundraising cheque from Mark Aston and his team at Parliament House Security - in addition to a pile of other goodies from many of our supporters here in Australia. The smiles on the childrens faces say it all.
Fab New Tracksuits Donated by St Johns in Nowra!
It's true that every little bit helps - which is why we were so pleased to accept two boxes of brand new childrens tracksuits from St John the Evangelist High School in Nowra recently.
A letter of thank you has been sent to Principal Neil McCann for the school's generous donation. In the letter I remarked that I could guarantee that the track suits would be warmly received by the children – not only because they are brand new – a rarity for them – but believe it or not the do feel the cold at night! It will also provide the children some protection from insect bites – particularly mosquitoes – which is most important due to the prevalence of malaria and dengue fever in Timor.
The tracksuits will be delivered to the children in September 2011 by Mrs Wendy Johnson, a nurse holidaying in East Timor with her retired Naval engineer husband Roland. Whilst I would love to deliver them myself, I do not expect to be lucky enough to visit again until 2012, when Grant and I are hoping to undertake some construction and repair work for the children and Sisters.
Great Result for Parliament House Fundraiser
Once again we are thrilled to accept a very generous donation from the Parliament House Security Team on behalf of the children and Sisters at Santa Clara.
On Friday 8 July 2011, Alby Svultz gratefully accpeted a cheque for $1505 from Mark Aston from Parliament House Security. The money was raised from the proceeds of the team's annual fun run (two words that shouldn't got together!) and collected from a myriad of generous donors from the "House" members and staff.
A letter has been sent to Sister Rosa advising of the good news - and the cheque will be hand delivered by some Friends of Santa Clara who are visiting Dili in September 2011. The money will be used to buy the children some new shoes, school uniforms and books and provide much needed mosquito nets and multi-vitamins. This donation will also ensure that the Sisters and children can buy fish and meat to supplement their rice and bean based diets for at least the next 6 months.
On behalf of all at Santa Clara, we thank the hard work and commitment all Parliament House provide. It is invaluable and makes a real difference in the lives of the children.
RSL Trustees Provide $25,000 Grant to Santa Clara
We are very pleased to announce the approval by the RSL National Board of Trustees of a $25,000 grant to fund the construction of a new well for Santa Clara.
Thanks to some wonderful lobbying and support from our good friend and mentor Retired AFP Sergeant Gary "Father" Brodie, we were successful in our bid for the grant.
There will be some interim work undertaken to make sure everything will run smoothly - and of course a letter has been sent to Sister Rosa to share the good news.
Having access to clean water will make an enormous difference to the childrens and Sisters health - this is a wonderful step forward.
Also a big thank you also to RSL Trustee Chairman Mr John Sheldrick for his advice and assistance - we look forward to progressing the project as soon as possible!
Recent Trip to Dili – Outcomes
As you all know - Grant and I have supported the Santa Clara Orphanage since 2001. This has always been in small ways and when we can - with a lot of help from friends such as Mark Aston and his fabulous team at Parliament House.
We have always known that one day we would need to address the issue of the orphanage's very poor living quarters - and our recent trip to Dili has reinforced this. Now the need is quite urgent. Following several earthquakes and years of monsoonal weather, the buildings are literally falling down. The roof is leaking and has destroyed the wiring, the doors and frames are full of termites and the windows are broken, allowing disease-carrying mosquitoes to set up residence in the children’s rooms.
It really is in a very sad state of repair – and the advice we have received is that the building is structurally unstable and will need to be demolished.
Fortunately whilst at the orphanage we met with a local draftsman, who shared with us some marvellous plans for a new purpose built structure that will act as a multi-functional building for the Sisters and children.
The highlight is that the plans encompass a daycare centre and school room – so the Sisters can further help support the community and generate an income, which will help towards future self sufficiency. The initial estimate of cost for the project is $380,000 US, we are planning for construction to commence in mid 2011, prior to the next wet season commencing.
We are now focussed on forming a working party, to further develop the project. We are also seeking help from anyone who feels they can assist. We need help across a broad range of areas, including but not limited to; architectural advice, building supply and expertise, demolition assistance, shipping and freight management, project management and lobbying – the list goes on!
For those requiring further information about how to help with this project – they are asked to contact Grant or Rebecca - details below.
About the “Friends of Santa Clara Orphanage”
The “Friends of Santa Clara Orphanage” was started by Grant Schultz and Rebecca Cameron in 2001, during their posting to the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET). The group supports the Sisters and children of the orphanage through regular donations of food, clothing, medicine and school supplies. The Parliament House Security Team, led by Mark Aston, also donate at least $1400 to the orphanage each year, which is raised through their annual Fun Run. This money pays for food, medical needs, petrol and other items such as school uniforms and mosquito nets for the children.
For more information about Friends of Santa Clara, please contact Rebecca Cameron on 0438603326.
Contact Info:
Rebecca Cameron
Phone: 0438603326
Email: grantandbeck@iinet.net.au
Our Most Successful Fundraiser To Date!
Another year has flown by and we are humbled yet again by the very generous support provided by the Parliament House Security Team. Grant travelled to Canberra on the 23rd of June 2010 to meet with Mark Aston and the many other kind supporters of the children at the Santa Clara Orphanage. Once again the donations were well above any expectations, which saw Grant accepting a cheque for $1400. In addition to this, a great number of individual donations were made by the following:
Senator Claire Moore $50.00
Alan Thompson $50.00
Cameron Walter $10.00
Brian Stankey $5.00
Gail Melham $50.00
Phil McLaren $20.00
Buff Phillips $10.00
Joan Grey $15.00
Michael Johnson M.P. $20.00
Toni Dawes $20.00
Jodie Liddell $20.00
Suszn Ellvey $50.00
Mick O’Mahony $50.00
Bernard Wright $20.00
Jenny Hammett $50.00
Maxine Sells $20.00
Ian Ball $20.00
Rosalind Hearder $50.00
On behalf of Sister Rosa an the children we would like to thank everyone involved in the fundraising drive for this year. Grant and I intend to hand deliver the donations to Sister Rosa in October 2010 when we will be in Dili. We hope to be able to provide an further update on the progress of the new building plans and, of course, how the children are doing.
Thanks again everyone!
Cheers
Rebecca
A Big “Thank You” to Mark Aston and all at Parliament House Security!
- Mark Aston pictured handing a cheque for $1000 to Rebecca, flanked by ( L to R) Alby Schultz, Dr Brendan Nelson, Ann Williams and Mick O'Mahoney
The Friends of Santa Clara would like to say thanks to Parliament House Security and staff for their very generous donations. Mark Aston from Parliament House Security handed Rebecca a cheque for $1000 for the Sisters and children of Santa Clara - this being the fourth in as many years. Also making donations were Senator Janelle Saffin, the Honourable Dr Brendan Nelson and the Member for Hume - Alby Schultz. The friends of Santa Clara would also like to thank Alby for once again assisting to facilitate the meetings, and allowing us to impose of his time and office! These generous donations are greatly welcomed by the orphanage - with this years funds going towards the rebuilding fund, and to purchase much needed mosquito nets and medicines for the children.
Alby Schultz facilitates donations to Santa Clara orphanage in Dili, Timor Leste.
The group share a laugh - from left - Dr Brendan Nelson, Rebecca Cameron, Mark Aston, Janelle Saffin and Alby Schultz.
We would like to thanks the Member for Hume, Alby Schultz, for once again for assisting us in raising awareness for the children and Sisters at Santa Clara Orphanage in Dili, Timor Leste. Due to Alby's ongoing support for the fundraising efforts of Parliament House Security staff and the Friends of Santa Clara that we have been able to raise over $6000 in the past 5 years for the Sisters and children. Thanks everyone!