We asked schools all over Australia to hold fundraising activities during the month of August in celebration
of Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day.
We were thrilled to see so many school communities sign up to raise funds for the Mobile Kindy program in Fiji!
Why do we need Mobile Kindy?
In Fiji, people from remote islands often come to the city in search of work and end up living in informal ‘squatter’ settlements – where houses are cobbled together using whatever materials can be found. In these communities, many young children go without access to quality education. Often, the fees of pre-primary services are unaffordable for families, and children don’t have any formal identification to enrol.
The funds raised by school Feast Day activities will support the Mobile Kindy run by our local partner, Child Benefit. That means vulnerable children across three informal settlement communities in Fiji will have the chance for safe, quality Early Childhood Education – so these kids don’t miss out.
How does Mobile Kindy work?
- The Mobile Kindy visits participating settlements 2-3 days each week
- Community-based volunteers are trained with the skills they need to teach basic early childhood classes for the children
- Children get to learn and play during interactive classes
- Parents come along to quarterly parent education sessions focusing on things like health and sanitation, child development, child protection and positive discipline
What are the benefits of Mobile Kindy?
- Children have access to high quality early childhood education in their community
- Parents learn new skills and knowledge to support their children’s learning and development
- Whole communities understand the importance of early education in building positive futures for children
What an encouragement it has been to see Aussie school communities helping vulnerable kids in Fiji to access education – and carrying on the good works of Saint Mary MacKillop.
We look forward to updating you soon on the success of all the wonderful school fundraising activities!
