Jane Sloane joins the Mary MacKillop Today Board

We asked Jane to share with us what motivated her to join the Board:

“I’m so excited to join the Board of Mary MacKillop Today. I’m drawn to the spirit of solidarity that is the foundation of the Sisters of St Joseph’s commitment and the organisation’s work.

As someone who has spent decades working to advance women’s rights and gender equality, I’m committed to Saint Mary MacKillop’s focus on empowering women and girls through education and practical life skills and working in Australia, Timor-Leste, Fiji, and Peru to support self-sustaining communities. At a time when many donors are pulling away from investing in education, and particularly girls’ education, it’s so encouraging to know Mary MacKillop Today makes this work a priority. This is a generational investment in girls realising their potential and is a vital commitment to advance gender equality.

I also passionately believe in the power of youth networks and movements, and so Mary MacKillop Today’s support to young people in rural Peru who want to start their own business is so impactful. What is also crucial is providing low-income earners with the foundation for economic security, so Mary MacKillop Today’s Financial Inclusion Program to propel people living on the margins to greater opportunity and security is changing many lives. We also know the level of mental distress many young people are experiencing because of climate change, COVID, conflict, and economic insecurity. So, Mary MacKillop’s Yawardani Jan-ga (Horses Helping) Equine-Assisted Learning program, operated near Broome in Western Australia, is a game-changer in supporting young Aboriginal people to heal and thrive. Notably, it’s a program owned, developed, and facilitated by Aboriginal community members, which has been vital in ensuring the greatest impact for Indigenous young people.

Having spent time working in Timor-Leste, Peru, and Indigenous Australia and living and working in Fiji, I’m committed to doing all I can to support the communities Mary MacKillop partners with and the work they lead to help advance opportunities and justice.

Bravery is a hallmark of the Sisters of Saint Joseph’s approach and work, including by being at the frontlines with those most at risk. Most tragically and memorably, this includes the 1991 assassination of Sr Irene McCormack and four villagers in Huasahuasi, high in the Andes Mountains about 200 km from Lima, Peru, by the Sendero Luminosa terrorist group. A commitment to radical justice is a political act, and the sisters have demonstrated this in so many ways.

The Sister’s values, and the work of Mary MacKillop Today are also underpinned by feminist principles of trusting local communities and leaders to determine priorities, providing core funds to sustain important work, and engaging in a spirit of partnership, mutual learning, and support while being flexible, respectful, and responsive to changing circumstances.

To transform communities and society, there needs to be a focus on shifting resources, power, norms, policies, and narratives and this is what Mary MacKillop Today does through its approach and work. The organisation’s way of working alongside people and communities in fueling change is inspiring, and I’m proud to be a Board member and to be on this journey with Mary MacKillop Today and contributing my time, talent, and treasure.”