As a ten year old boy Benjamin asked his mum to make jam to support his immense love of all things fruity and sweet. He also wanted to support children in Timor-Leste who don’t enjoy the same educational opportunities that he and his brothers have here in Australia. Benjamin’s idea was to sell his jam at his school, and with the support of his tutorial class, that’s exactly what he did, holding a Jam and Brownie stall that raised in excess of $500 to help resource schools in some of the most vulnerable areas in Timor-Leste. But Benjamin didn’t stop there, he’s continued making his jam and raising money every year since. Last year he sold 147 jars of his ‘Strawberry and Vanilla’ Jam, washing and cutting 40kg of strawberries, using 40kg of sugar, 30 lemons and 30 vanilla beans, raising an amazing total of $808.50c for Mary MacKillop Today. Benjamin has even moved his fundraising enterprise online!
The money raised by Benjamin helps to continue Mary MacKillop Today’s vital works in Timor-Leste, helping break down the barriers that prevent
children from receiving an quality education. Mary MacKillop Today’s programs provide;
• a way to reach children in remote communities with our Mobile Learning Centre
• a way for parents to support their children learning at home by giving them access to basic reading and writing classes
• a way to beat preventable diseases in school with training for teachers in health literacy and
• a way for teachers, who did not receive a quality education themselves, to improve their skills with our Tetun Literacy and Teacher Training Project while gaining access to our Tetun resource books for their students.
We are both humble and inspired to see Benjamin transforming lives with education, with his mission continuing, one jar at a time.
