Mary Ward International Ireland Partnership for Development and Mission
IBVM Loreto sisters and their colleagues work in 24 countries on five continents.
We work towards promoting the dignity and liberation of all, particularly women and children.
We are involved in
- Formal and informal Education
- Advocacy and Human Rights
- Pastoral Work
- Health
- Spirituality and Faith development.
Mary Ward International Ireland is part of the wider Mary Ward International network. It supports Loreto Sisters and their colleagues in their work for the most vulnerable and needy by:
- Promoting mission awareness in Loreto schools in Ireland and facilitating fund-raising projects
- Promoting best practice and seeking funding for our mission projects
- Providing information about Loreto missionary work on request
- Promoting the work of the Loreto Sisters in the general public and on social media
- Encouraging sustained prayer for our ministries
- Engaging in advocacy and collaborating with the IBVM Mission at the UN.
The Missionary Development Co-ordinator of MWI Ireland is Anthony Hannon.
Contact Anthony by:
E-mail: mwiireland@loreto.ie
Mobile: +353 85 863 8074
Donations are welcome
The work of the Loreto Sisters is life giving and empowering. It provides real hope to people experiencing extreme hardship and suffering.
Donations to support, and enable, this work are always welcome.
- Cheques can be made payable to “Mary Ward International (Ire) Mission Fund” and sent to the following address: Mary Ward International, Loreto House, Beaufort, Rathfarnham, Dublin, D14 H3V2.
- Online donations can be made to the following IBAN: IE75BOFI 90001788475165
All donations will be receipted and any designation of the funds will be honoured. We will always provide information on how the donations were spent.
Thank you for the Support
Projects
Girls Education
Girls education and empowerment in South Sudan
The Loreto Girls Secondary School in Rumbek, South Sudan has established itself as one of the leading schools in the country.
Many of the 290 girls who have graduated through the school to date, have been supported to proceed to 3rd level. This is in a context where, shockingly, girls are more likely to die in childbirth than to complete second level education.
Over the years the work in Rumbek has expanded to provide primary education and health care. It is a prime example of the effectiveness of the missionary approach to development with its ability to reach, and uplift, people living in extreme poverty.
For more information please visit the Loreto Rumbek website.
Fighting Human Trafficking
Fighting against Human Trafficking in Albania, Ukraine, Kenya and India
Human trafficking generates a profit of $32 billion every year for criminal gangs. Only 1-2% of victims are rescued and, in Europe, less that 1% of traffickers convicted.
The Loreto Sisters are fighting tirelessly, and working collaboratively with police, judiciary and other organisations, to create awareness about human trafficking and provide the holistic support needed to rehabilitate victims / survivors of trafficking.
In 2022 a key focus has been supporting the work of Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation. RENATE. Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation. The war in Ukraine has dramatically increased the risk of trafficking as desperate people, mainly women and children, flee the war.
MWI Ireland is supporting the RENATE network in countering human trafficking, supporting victims / survivors and providing humanitarian relief.
For further information please see their website www.renate-europe.net.
Migrant Workers
Education and empowerment of Migrant workers in the state of West Bengal, India
Migrant families, who work in the brickfields in Kolkata, India have no access to education. In 2008 Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre (KMWSC) initiated a project providing education for the children living and working within the brickfields.
They now operate schools in over 40 brickfields with over 2,500 children attending. The project trains teachers to deliver quality education in a child friendly, interactive and fun way. Over the years the project has evolved to include a health programme, supports for adolescents and conducts awareness campaigns on rights and entitlements.
Other projects supported by Mary Ward International include child rights projects in India and Kenya, providing access to education for girls living in remote areas in Nepal, health and education initiatives for vulnerable communities living in desert like conditions outside Lima, Peru and community development and the training of nurses and midwifes in a remote area of Zambia.
Recent articles
Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre mark 10th Birthday with “The Heart and the Hands” publication
“The Heart and the Hands” is a book marking the 10th birthday of the Loreto run Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre (KMWSC) in India. It is a beautiful publication that shows KMWSC’s compassionate approach, where heartfelt initiatives are paired with practical actions to uplift individuals in society facing adversity. You can view the the book…
