Some of our current and recent partners overseas

AFRICA

Spiritan Mission Services, Kenya – In February 2014 the Spiritans opened a new school in Makueni County in Eastern Kenya, approximately 2 hours from Nairobi. The school expanded in several phases over the following 3 years. The Spiritans are also involved in Community and Parish Development work in the area.

Franciscan Missionary Sisters of St Joseph, Kenya – VC is currently in its third year of working in conjunction with FMSJ to set up a Development Office in Nairobi to manage the orders projects across Kenya. The partnership has been successful in recruiting and training a number of staff to work as project support officers for FMSJ’s operations.

Home of Hope, South Africa – Home of Hope is a Designated Child Protection Organisation which provides services for the safety, well-being and care of children in need, with a holistic approach through protection, education and support with the aim of breaking the cycle of abuse. Home of Hope cares for children in its cluster foster scheme, and provides special needs education for children who have been abused, abandoned, neglected, or have HIV or Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Home of Hope has cared for approximately 300 children, of which 80% suffer from FASD.

The Salesian Development Office, South Africa – A coordinating office for all Salesian projects in the Southern Africa province

Don Bosco Youth Centre, South Africa – A retreat centre for young people run by the Salesians in Walkerville near Johannesburg.

Prison Care Support Network, South Africa – This is a Cape Town-based project under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Cape Town and associated with the Irish Loreto sisters. It is active in the area of restorative justice.

Missionary Sisters of the Assumption (MSA), South Africa – VC has supported the MSA in two schools – St James RC Secondary School in Port Elizabeth and Enkuthazweni Special Needs Centre in Port Alfred. VC were involved in the provision of expert consultancy and support in the area of education and sustainability.

Xaveri Youth Movement, South Africa – Xaveri South Africa was established in July 2007. It supports youth activism, economic participation and civic engagement in a non-political manner through 25 youth clubs operating at parish, school and community level in 14 critical areas of Archdiocese of Pretoria with a view of instigating positive social and economic change from the bottom-up. Most of these areas fall under the City of Tshawane Metropolitan Municipality in the Gauteng Province. Xaveri is a non-profit organisation functioning under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Pretoria. It has its roots in the Missionaries of Africa congregation and they continue to play a role within Xaveri.

The Salesians Manzini Youth Care, Swaziland – The Salesians Manzini Youth Care centre provides accommodation, support, care and education for marginalised and homeless young people at risk through poverty.  MYC operates 5 residential homes for 90 street children including the McCorkindale Orphanage for 30 boys and girls.  MYC provides training and life skills and supports young people in their spiritual and social development.

Bishop Magambo Counsellor Training Institute, Uganda – BMCTI is an institute seeking to address the psychological distress of the Ugandan people by providing counselling services to the community, and running counselling courses at Masters, Diploma, and Certificate level.  The institute provides quality counselling education to students of multiple religious orientations. BMCTI’s vision is to be a model institute for Uganda which will spearhead the integration of counselling into the National Health Care System and the Ministry of Education. VC currently supports BMCTI in their running of a psychosocial support project for the elderly.

Justice and Peace Commission in the Diocese of Hoima, Uganda – VC is working with the Justice and Peace Commission in Hoima to set up a dispute settlement arbitration service in the diocese. As a result of a huge influx of migrants and the recent discovery of natural minerals in the area there are regular land disputes. The project also involves training sessions being run at local refugee camps on peaceful dispute settlement.

Diocese of Kiyinda Mityana, Uganda – VC volunteer development workers are working in conjunction with the Diocese of Kiyinda Mityana’s Education Office to improve the quality of school inspection in the diocese. It is hoped that in training and up-skilling school inspectors and teachers the quality of education in the diocese will improve.

Caritas Kampala, Uganda – Caritas Kampala is the Social Services and Economic Development Department of the Catholic Church in the Kampala Archdiocese. It was started in 1973 but became fully established in 1986 as the arm mandated to carry socio-pastoral activities within a number of administrative districts. The department covers an area of 3,644.75 square kilometers and an estimated population of 6,077,716 people. VC has worked with Caritas for the past five years establishing and growing their cooperatives project. Which is now a thriving department helping thousands of members with their financial management and literacy.

St. Francis Family Helper Programme, Uganda – Launched in 1984 with the Child Sponsorship Project, the organisation has grown over the years with the addition of a Tailoring School in 1986 and a Counsellor Training Institute begun in 1999. Services have changed greatly over the years from paying school fees to carrying out a variety of projects with families in rural communities, to offering a number of trainings in areas all related to development. As needs of the family grew so did the response of the organization. They began to develop nutritional, agricultural, and counselling projects, eventually founding the present Counsellor Training Institute in 1998. Since then they have been offering training in counselling and psychosocial skills to communities, counsellors, catechists and development workers, continuously revising and optimizing our training methods.

Padre Vjeko Centre Kivumu, Rwanda – This centre based in rural Rwanda provides technical training in a number of areas including woodwork and tailoring to students from impoverished and migrant backgrounds. The school places a significant emphasis on ensuring their graduates are marketed well to employers and have the necessary communication and literacy skills to apply for jobs. The school holds regular open days for external employers to come in and meet the students and see their work. The school has recently begun loaning students the necessary tools they require to start their careers which has resulted in a significant increase in the number of their graduates securing employment.

Weaver Nest Early Childhood Development Teacher Training Institute, Uganda – VC work in conjunction with the Sacred Heart Sisters in Moyo, Northern Uganda to strengthen the capacity of their training institute. Here young adults, many of whom are refugees, are receiving an education to become experts in early childhood development (ECD). ECD education is uncommon in Uganda and this institute is paving the way for competently trained teachers to enter the workforce and ensure the benefits of ECD education are bestowed upon an increasing number of Ugandan pre-schoolers.

Franciscan Brothers, Uganda – The Franciscan Brothers operate an agricultural college project, whose aim is to contribute to the quality of life of rural people in Northern Uganda, Sudan, and DRC, and the focus is on promoting sustainable agriculture through education, training, and research.

Congregation of Immaculate Conception, Zambia – VC has been working in partnership with the CIC Sisters since December 2010 in the Home of Joy Project for orphaned girls. The Future In My Hands training centre offers hope for the future by providing follow-on opportunities for graduates of Home of Joy as well as targeting the 16 plus age-group in the wider community.

Jesuit Missions Dublin, Cambodia, Zambia, Kenya (JRS East Africa)

Jesuit Agricultural Centre Kasisi Zambia – Since 2014 VC has been involved in the development of a social enterprise farming initiative in West Lusaka.

 

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Brazil –The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary operate an Integrated Educational Community Project in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  Its aim is to empower the people in terms of education, human rights, health – achieved through the following activities: a crèche/childcare, revision classes for special needs students, programmes for disadvantaged youth, a health & nutrition programme, senior citizen activities, and adult literacy classes.

V.I.D.A, Peru – This is the Association Vecinos Integrados para el Desarrollo Ambiental (Neighbours Together for Environmental Development).  The aim of the project is to create a safe and healthy environment, and improve the quality of life for 2,000 pupils in Fe y Alegria (Faith and Joy) Parochial School and Santa Rosa School.  The project includes the development of a botanic garden for the Santa Rosa National School, and the organisation of environmental events in collaboration with schools, church, and community groups.

The Incarnate Word Missionaries (IWM), Peru – Incarnate Word Missionaries in conjunction with Women’s Global Connection, run women’s groups, Income generating activities, and early childhood projects.  They promote the learning and leadership capacity of women locally and globally, particularly in the least advantaged regions and countries

CAITH, Peru – CAITH (Centro de Apoyo Integral a la Trabajadora del Hogar/Centre for Integral Support for Domestic Workers) operate a support centre for Domestic Workers, a hostel for abused children, and a tourist hostel to fund the children’s hostel.  CAITH also manage six casa de cultura (homework clubs) in Huancarani district of Cusco, and another casa de cultura in Accha (four hours from Cusco).  They also provide health training.

Nos Petites Freres et Soeurs (NPFS), Haiti and the Dominican Republic – Operating in Haiti and Dominican Republic among others, the organisation has been addressing the social needs of the poorest of the poor, raising children in a loving environment and creating future leaders. Following the twin disasters of 2010, the earthquake and cholera outbreak, NPH programmes launched into high gear serving over 1 million people. The programmes are vast and include multiple homes for children, healthcare campuses and various educational facilities in Port-au-Prince and Kenscoff, Haiti and in San Pedro de Macoris

Religious of Jesus and Mary, Haiti – VC is working in conjunction with RJM Haiti to provide IT training and resources to communities based in rural Haiti to improve members of the communities IT literacy skills and thus, their potential to find employment.

SOUTH EAST ASIA

National Catholic Commission on Migration, Thailand – NCCM is responsible for the management of 8 major projects located in the North, North East and Central Regions of Thailand. The Mandate of NCCM is the care of Migrants. Non-Thai migrants enter Thailand to work with or without work permits. It is estimated that there are over 2 ½ million in Thailand from neighbouring countries. The number of migrants illegally entered into Thailand is not known. For those without work permits (so-called unregistered migrants), they often live in continuous fear of arrest, extortion and deportation. Life situation of migrants and their dependents is extremely difficult. Most non-Thai migrants are low-skilled workers, doing heavy and difficult work for low wages.

Partners in Compassion, Cambodia – The Mission of Partners in Compassion is to enhance the welfare of all Cambodians, who are living without a voice or the opportunity to change their situation, by providing counsel, education, vocational training, and/or capacity building to help create sustainability in both the individuals and their communities.

The Good Shepherd Sisters, Thailand – The Good Shepherd Centre for Women and Children’s Rehabilitation and Development (GSCWCRD) is located in Phuket, Thailand.  The centre provides non-formal education and vocational training to detainees, street children, women sex workers, young ethnic girls and people living with HIV/AIDS.  Priority is given to the problem of human trafficking in Phuket, which is ever worsening due to recent economic problems in Thailand and neighbouring countries.  The situation leads to migration, which enables human traffickers to attract more labour into human trafficking.  The Good Shepherd Sisters are working to empower women and children to address the problem of human trafficking.