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Projects To Support
The Social Justice Office is closely connected, through support and advocacy, to many organizations in Australia and overseas. Many supporters and readers of our newsletter, Life & Justice, regularly donate money to the projects they read about and although we are not a service provider, we gladly and gratefully accept these donations. There are several projects that the Social Justice office supporters are currently supporting.
They include:
 Indigenous Reconciliation Scholarship
Good Shepherd runs a scholarship program for Indigenous women throughout Australia.
The program allows Indigenous women to apply for scholarships that will help them study at TAFE, university or to do a bridging course.
Good Shepherd launched the Indigenous Reconciliation Scholarship Program in 2007 to help build leadership capacity within the indigenous community.
These scholarships might mean a woman can buy a computer, pay for childcare or cover travel expenses related to her study.
Foundation staff work with Good Shepherd representatives in selecting the scholarship recipients. To date 12 women have received scholarships to help them undertake TAFE or university study. The women have a remarkable determination to contribute to their communities.
Many of the women who have been awarded scholarships have been featured in the Social Justice office’s newsletter, Life & Justice.
One group, the Catholic Parish of Ivanhoe in Melbourne, ran a film night in November. The movie, Australia, attracted a large following and the group raised more than $1000 for the scholarship program.
As well as one-off fund-raising events, this program has also led to other organizations and religious orders making significant contributions to the program.
Please feel free to download any of the stories that have been written about the scholarship program to use in promoting your fund-raising event.
GS would like to extend the scholarship program and it can do so with your help. Would you like to support the program. Call Michael Yore on (03) 9205 4120
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Issue 41 2008
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Carmel Everitt, mother of four, is studying to become a nurse. Carmel is in the final stages of her Bachelor of Nursing at Southern Cross University in Lismore, NSW. Carmel, from Lennox Head would one day like to deliver health care to Indigenous people in the community. More...
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Issue 39 2008
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Belinda Marks, a Wotjobaluk woman from Ballarat, is studying to reclaim her people’s Wergaia language. Belinda, 32, is an administration officer at the Aboriginal Education Centre at the Ballarat University in regional Victoria. The course is studied with Monash University linguist Dr Julie Reid. More... |
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Issue 38 2008
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Joleen Ryan is in her final year of study for a Bachelor of Social Work at Deakin University in Geelong. Joleen has worked for several years in community organizations and has her sights set on one day working of the United Nations to improve the lives of Aboriginal people. More... |
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Issue 37 2008 |
Andrea Kyle, originally from Palm Island in Queensland, is studying law at Deakin University in Geelong, Victoria. Andrea, a Birri Gubba woman, lives in Townsville with her daughter, Jada, 8, and attends residential blocks in Geelong. Her ambition is to one day provide legal services to people on Palm Island. More... |
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Issue 36 2007 |
Noritta Morseu-Diop is a Torres Strait Islander woman from Brisbane who is studying her PhD. Noritta, a mother of four children, hopes her PhD will underpin the development of Indigenous prison programs in Queensland in the future. More... |
Indian Shelter Gets Six Months
Karunalayam Shelter in Andra Pradesh, India
Early in 2007 the Social Justice office learned of the plight of the Karunalayam shelter for girls in Andra Pradesh in India. The shelter, run by Good Shepherd Sister Aruna George, was about to close because funding had been withdrawn.
The Social Justice office’s newsletter, Life & Justice, featured a story on the shelter, which offers a home and education for about 75 girls, mostly girls who have been living on the streets. Many of the girls had fled from trafficked situations or from abusive homes.
Sr Aruna was desperately looking for $26,000 – that’s all that is needed to keep the shelter running for a year. It seemed like a small amount to us, but to this determined team in India, it was a fortune.
Life & Justice readers and other Good Shepherd supporters were so moved by the story that by July 2007 $14,000 had been raised and the shelter could survive a further six months. By September the $26,000 had been raised. A significant amount of this money came from several orders of Catholic Sisters committed to the anti-trafficking movement.
The Karunalayam shelter is now just surviving from one year to the next. If you would like to support the young girls who are living at the shelter please send your donations to
Social Justice Office
261 Victoria St
Abbotsford 3067
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