CARITAS Australia’s annual Project Compassion appeal topped the $4 million mark recently and Queenslanders have contributed about $600,000 of that total.
Caritas chief executive officer Jack de Groot said, “Australians know the very real impact their support has in marginalised communities in Australia and around the world.
“In schools, parishes and households across the nation, we’ve seen significant support for Project Compassion and Caritas Australia’s efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”
He said while Australia’s International Development Assistance fell short of its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals ordinary Australians were showing their generosity.
“The latest OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) reports may show the Australian Government’s International Development Assistance falling short of the mark, but there certainly has been no shortage of generosity and compassion amongst Caritas supporters this year,” he said.
“In schools, parishes and households across the nation, we’ve seen significant support for Project Compassion and Caritas Australia’s efforts towards the achievement of the Millen-nium Development Goals.”
The Millennium Development Goals are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges. They were drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000.
The goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the reduction of child mortality, and the achievement of universal primary education.
Caritas director in Brisbane archdiocese Patricia Ryan said donations for Project Compassion, the agency’s annual Lenten appeal, were still flowing in from schools and parishes.
Ms Ryan said many schools had made amazing efforts donating thousands of dollars to specific appeals such as the Chickatas appeal for Cambodia.
“Some of these are quite small schools and they have raised significant amounts,” she said.
St Augustine’s College, Springfield, makes the annual Project Compassion appeal its main fundraiser.
The 1200 students from Prep to Year 12 organise various fundraisers such as food stalls and free-dress days and, along with home-room donation boxes, individual school families are given their own Project Compassion box to fill.
Assistant principal for religious education Paul Blom said this year’s appeal motto was “10 in 10” and the school achieved just that, handing over a cheque for $10,198 on April 27.
He said the fundraising was backed by education on the plight of the people who would benefit from the donations.
Mr de Groot said Project Compassion raised $8.7 million last year and this year’s target has been set at $10 million.
