25 June 2021

Students and staff at Antonine College, Pascoe Vale South, have been putting their faith in action by raising funds for Our Lady of the Rosary Orphanage in Achkout, Lebanon.

Supported by the Maronite community in Melbourne and the college’s alumni, students were able to collect monetary donations and various supplies, including non-perishable foods and hygiene products, to assist the Antonine Sisters and staff at the orphanage amid Lebanon’s political, economic and humanitarian crisis.

Year 10 Faith and Social Justice Leaders Amani and Emmy reflected on what motivated them to initiate the fundraiser.

‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same. We were taught as a Catholic community to help those in need whenever we can and, during such a hard time for those in Lebanon, we saw an opportunity to offer as much help as we could’, the students said.

‘Being part of the Faith Club helped us understand more about having sympathy towards others, and so we wanted to put this into action. We initiated this fundraiser with the hope that we could make a change in this world.’

‘As refugees we also went through some hard times where we needed some help, thus this helped us understand what it feels like to be in genuine need. We can now give, and we wanted to contribute and put our hands together to help those in need.’

‘Lastly, the fact that many people are unaware of the needs of others allowed us to further want to raise awareness in our society so we can change the world’, they added.

The timing of Antonine College’s fundraiser could not have been better, as the event coincided with Refugee Week. This year’s theme is ‘Unity – the way forward’ and it invites us all to help build a more cohesive community and to work together.