Meet some of our partners in ministry and people who have been assisted by our programs.
Timor Leste
Sr Rita Hayes
Good Samaritan Sisters, Rita Hayes and Michelle Reid travelled to Timor Leste at the end of the Indonesian occupation following an appeal for assistance from the local Bishop. They travelled with Australian soldiers in the hold of a Hercules plane and arrived to find a country in ruins.
Sr Rita Hayes was to stay in Timor Leste for fifteen years, mostly living in the remote coffee growing region of Railaco. One of her lasting legacies is the scholarship program she started, which has to date, assisted over 1,000 young people to attend high school and undertake tertiary studies.
Lourenca’s story
Carrying water from the river is a twice daily task for women in the villages of Timor Leste. It is back breaking work and can take up to two hours each way. Education changes these girls lives. They gain knowledge and need no longer be tied to hard domestic duties.
Lourenca was one of the students we have been able to help with a Good Samaritan scholarship to attend secondary school in the village of Railaco. She then received a scholarship to go to Teachers’ College. Graduation was a proud moment for her and has changed her life.
Good Samaritan Inn – Australia
Linh‘s story
Linh was a guest at Good Samaritan Inn for a few months before support staff helped her to find a permanent, safe and affordable home to live in. Linh was very keen to find employment and successfully applied for a position in the Women In Work Program as a cook. Linh has now attained her Food Safety Certificate. Her new housing and job has given Linh a chance to look to the future with confidence.
Bacolod, the Philippines
The Good Samaritan Kinder Scholarship (KTS) is one of our newer programs. Students who are graduates of the Good Samaritan Kinder School can apply for support for tertiary studies. They also participate in workshops and community volunteering.
Charlie G
“I’m Charlie G, one of the scholars supported by the Good Samaritan Kinder Tertiary Scholarship (KTS.) I am 21 years of age, taking a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation. When college life comes, difficulties come as well, but the KTS workshops help us to grow and become a wise student in which we overcome difficulties. Thanks to God that he made KTS to be an instrument to bless people.”
Charlie is now in his fourth year of university study, preparing for a year of “on the job training” on a ship. After the year, he will be eligible to graduate and will be among the first students to come through the program.