CEO of Mary MacKillop Today, Jane Woolford, shares how education is transforming lives for children living with disability in Timor-Leste.
Just an hour’s flight from Australia, in a remote mountain village in Timor-Leste, nine-year-old Maria wakes each morning with a dream to learn. “I want to become a nun one day,” she says, praying for her family and for other children who cannot see.
Each day she walks to school with her cousin Aguida, along narrow dirt paths and across rivers. Every step is a small triumph.
Maria is living with a visual disability and faces two of the toughest barriers any child can encounter, disability and the additional challenges girls often experience in accessing education. Yet her determination is unwavering.
“I cannot see, but I can learn just like my other friends,” she says.
At school, her friends guide her through the classrooms and support her to participate in learning.
Her teacher, Joana, has seen her progress firsthand. “Even though she cannot see, I hold her hand to guide her in writing letters. Maria comes to school every day despite her disability. She is brave and has moved up to Year 3.”
Across Timor-Leste, many children still miss out on early education. Only 20% of preschool aged children are enrolled, and just 30% of Grade 1 students meet basic learning outcomes. Children living with disability are at even greater risk of being left behind.[1]
This is why Mary MacKillop Today’s Inclusive Early Education Project is so vital. Through this program, we work alongside local communities and teachers to create more inclusive classrooms where every child can learn and thrive.
The project provides inclusive learning materials, supports teacher training, and helps ensure children with disability are welcomed into education and supported to participate fully.
Education, Dignity and Belonging
Inspired by the legacy of Saint Mary MacKillop, this work is grounded in a simple belief that every child deserves access to education, no matter their ability or circumstance.
Maria’s story shows what becomes possible when that belief is put into action. With the right support, children like Maria are not only learning, but growing in confidence, dignity and hope for the future.
Continue this work
Your tax-deductible gift today can help continue this life-changing work through the Inclusive Early Education Project:
- $50 can help provide a set of inclusive early learning materials, including large-print books or sensory play resources, for a preschool classroom.
- $75 can supply tactile alphabet cards, large-print storybooks and visual aids to support a child with a disability in their early learning journey.
- $150 can help equip a classroom with adaptive learning tools including sensory resources so every child can participate.
Every gift counts. Every gift changes lives.
To donate visit: www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/donate
[1] UNICEF Quality Education (Timor-Leste).