ERD IMPACT 10

ERD IMPACT 10

Celebrating ten years of Edmund Rice Mission transforming lives

Blessed Edmund Rice believed in the power of education to transform lives. He worked tirelessly in Ireland to ensure all children regardless of their background had the opportunity to learn and to go on to build meaningful communities. His legacy carries on today through Edmund Rice Mission, which engages directly with local communities across the globe. Edmund Rice Mission programmes and projects work with local people to build their capacity to be agents of change in their own communities.

Edmund Rice Development (ERD) was founded in October 2008 to support Edmund Rice Mission in the developing world. Working for the liberation of people and communities from poverty and injustice, ERD’s mission has been to support these projects and to source funding in a transparent and accountable way, ensuring all donations are effectively and efficiently stewarded and governed appropriately. Since 2008, ERD has supported over 90 projects across Africa, Latin America, India and the Pacific Rim.

ERD IMPACT 10 commemorates 10 years of ERD’s support of Edmund Rice Mission by highlighting the impact of the work of our partner projects. ERD works closely with our partner projects on the ground in developing countries to invest in young people, empower women and collaborate with local communities.

Young People

Edmund Rice Mission began with education, and today it continues through formal and informal educational programmes throughout the world. Countless young people, and many adults have been able to access quality education, thus transforming their lives and their future goals.

The Centro Hermano Manolo (CeHM) is a front line response to disadvantaged and marginalised youth in Cochabamba, the Bolivian city of over one million people. A team of qualified teachers, psychologists, social workers and various volunteers from the community work at the centre where young people can drop in throughout the day.

Reyna (pictured) is a 12-year-old girl who was contacted by the educators at CeHM while she was selling sweets in the streets of the marketplace. Reyna has been working since she was a little girl – she sells sweets, minds children and works in restaurants washing dishes. When the social workers at CeHM met Reyna, they learned that neither she nor her siblings had ever attended school, received identity documents or had regular vaccines. After working with Reyna’s parents, CeHM was able to guide the parents through the legal requirements to start the process of getting a birth certificate, identity documents and vaccines for all of their children. After the educators at the centre taught Reyna the basics, she enrolled for the first time in primary school.

Now, Reyna is the happiest child attending school. She visits the centre almost every afternoon where she does her homework. Reyna’s life has changed dramatically – she now has access to education, free services offered by the government and has become a great leader among the children at the centre.

Women

In developing countries, women are faced with many barriers – including those of access education and healthcare. By eliminating those barriers, women can be empowered to reach their full potential and create transformative change in their households and communities.

Edmund Rice Mission projects provide health services to women and children, while also providing opportunities for women to develop and grow their skills through education, training and micro-finance assistance.

With a staff of 30 professionals and volunteers, the Ruben Centre Health Clinic offers curative, promotive, preventative and rehabilitative services to the people of the Mukuru Community in Nairobi, Kenya. The Maternal and Child Health Programme (pictured) at the centre focuses on pre-natal and ante-natal medical care, nutrition support and health education for expectant mothers and their children. This past May 2018, the Birthing Unit at the Ruben Centre was opened to provide free, safe and dignified birthing experiences for the mothers of the Mukuru community.

“In the first three months since the clinic opened, 158 babies have been delivered – 64 boys and 74 girls. This unit is a dream come true for us!” – Zippora Mwangi, Clinical Officer, Ruben Centre

Communities

Engaging directly with local communities and working together to solve the problems of the world is a major focus of Edmund Rice Mission. Our partner projects collaborate with local communities to identify priority needs and develop long-term solutions.

Our advocacy programmes work to challenge the causes of systemic poverty and injustice from the local level through to the global level, all while encouraging and empowering the local members to be agents of change in their own communities.

In 2016 a cluster of new Edmund Rice Mission communities was established in Western Zambia, an area with immense social problems, where three out of every four people live in extreme poverty. Now, Brothers and volunteers live amongst the local communities of Mongu, Luampa, Limulunga, and Senanga. They have learned the local language and have become integrated into the local communities, listening to their concerns, and entering into discussions with local people to identify some of the root causes of social problems. This is the first phase of what has become known as our Journeying Together programme.

Pictured: Participants digging Fish Ponds as part of the Journeying Together income-generation farming activities

Join Us

As we look back over the last ten years, we see the impact Edmund Rice Mission projects have had on countless lives. Our partner projects have progressed from providing services and aid to those in need, to now working to build the capacity of local communities to support their own development in a sustainable way. Thank you to all our generous donors for your valuable support over the last decade. With your ongoing support, we can continue to strive for the transformation, and ultimately, the liberation of young people, women and communities for years to come.

Please join us on our journey by Making a Gift.

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