Aucklander Laura McLellan says her experience working as a teacher Ranong, South Thailand, has had an immense impact on the way she sees her world and the people in it. Laura is working with a Marist community teaching English and social studies within the Burmese migrant community. She was a volunteer in the Marist Youth Read more
On Thursday, Operation Restore Hope, a team of 25 volunteer medical professionals, are heading for the Philippines. They will carry out the repair of cleft lips and palates, facial disfigurement and other deformities for children who cannot afford medical care. This is the 20th year in which such a team has visited the Philippines. Health clinics throughout Read more
Is it too much to ask the Church to pay its workers a living wage? According to Valerie Schultz, while the church relies on volunteers in many instances, certain jobs require steady commitment and extensive training, which must be compensated. Paying the people who provide these services is a matter of economic justice. Schultz says Read more
Annabell Malaulau, a teacher at Holy Family School in Porirua, is one of a number of volunteers who have been recognised for their outstanding service to the people of Porirua City. Porirua Deputy Mayor Izzy Ford presented them with Civic Awards at Pātaka in June. “The Civic Awards are the city’s highest form of recognition to Read more
The Free Store is an inner-city community in Wellington that daily redistributes edible surplus food from 35 local cafes, bakeries and restaurants. It operates out of a converted shipping container in Upper Willis St. More than 100,000 items of food are redistributed in the shipping container annually. The Free Store serves people from all walks Read more
A dental initiative has allowed 850 low-income people to get free dental care this week. The Smile New Zealand programme set up by the Dental Association and the Southern Cross Health Trust gives basic dental care for community card holders needing urgent attention. Project manager Deepa Hughes said professional dental care was out of the Read more
New Zealand has been named the second most giving country in the world, largely thanks to more Kiwis giving up their time to help others. The results of the World Giving Index survey – organised by the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation – reveal that New Zealanders are second only in giving to Americans, and tied Read more
A new facility to provide transitional housing for single women in Wellington has opened its doors. Wellington Women’s Homeless Trust (WHWT) spokesperson Frances Broatch (pictured above left) said the housing unit opened in July and had been busy ever since. The Trust’s accommodation unit can take up to five women at any one time. The Read more
The seven Catholic Australian volunteers have completed their one week visit at Visale parish in North West Guadalcanal. During their time here the volunteers did alot of renovation work at the Visale secondary school and the Visale clinic which was built way back in 1960 and was named St Vincent clinic. The renovation work included Read more