The Fruits of Companionship

Sr. Marie Baldi – The Mother Helena funds were used to purchase a series of Chrome books (installed on carts) to be shared by the students of the 3rd and 4th grades at Our Lady of Lourdes in Taunton, MA, where Holy Union has been since 1890. They are now able to engage in a variety of activities which would otherwise not be possible. These include:

• Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) tests track students’ progress and growth in basic skills.

• “Google Classroom” streamlines the process of sharing files between teachers and students used for assessment, writing, and research projects.

• “Quizziz and Kahoot” increases teacher productivity, improving test scores and reducing test-taking anxiety, while providing a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to school.

• Getepic.com inspires a lifetime of reading, anytime, anywhere with access to a digital library for any reading level.

Sr. Pat Griffith – The Mother Helena funds were used to acquire a benchmarking program called “I-ready”, so that the Holy Angels Regional School in Patchogue, NY can now provide online assessment and instruction that helps teachers provide students a path to proficiency and growth in reading and mathematics. The funds also enabled the acquisition of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) materials that help develop critical thinking skills.

Sr. Roberta Desjardins –

The Mother Helena Grant money was used to fund this third and final part of a three-year Partnerships Program with Sisters of the Holy Family of Bafoussam, Cameroon, a congregation founded by the Holy Union Sisters in the 1930’s. The political turmoil in Cameroon has continued and the village of Fossang has been growing because more families are migrating from the besieged areas making the needs still more urgent. Funds were used to support the following efforts.

The Holy Family Catholic English Nursery and Bilingual Primary School serves many orphans whose parents were killed in the war. The funds awarded were used for four main purposes.

• Teachers’ Salaries – Supporting their families and enhancing services offered to students.

• Health care – Providing basic medical supplies and access to care.

• Food donations – Addressing the food insecurity in the area.

• School Supplies and Educational Materials –Proving an education to build a stronger future.

Sr. MaryLou Simcoe –

The Mother Helena funds continue to support the works started many years ago in Tanzania by Sr. Eleanor McNally to train farmers, mainly women in rural areas in the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, in good agricultural practices and provide materials, e.g. seeds, animals, etc. to practice sustainable farming. Areas of focus include:

• Training in raising chickens for egg production and food.

• Training farmers in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to increase produce yield.

• Develop two acres of Maize to teach sustainable farming practices.

• Training on the sustainable practices in raising cows for milk and beef production.

In addition to increasing household income from milk and egg production and improving the household health by consuming milk, especially by the children, the project also enabled farmers to get organic manure to their home which help them to practice sustainableagriculture and ensure food security at a lower cost and avoid the use of industrial chemicals which are expensive and not good for human health and the soil.