From the Faith and Mission Coordinator

Each Lent Caritas Australia invites us to support the work they do, partnering with fellow agencies internationally, to support and uplift vulnerable individuals and communities. In doing so we respond to the Gospel call to care for our global family and walk alongside the most in need. Through the stories of Sisilia, a school student in Tanzania, and Monoranjon, a farmer in southwest Bangladesh, we can see life-changing impact Caritas Australia and their global partners can have for those in great need.

Project Compassion Lent 2026

This Lent, we are proud to support Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion and to stand in solidarity with school communities across the world who have their education disrupted by the daily struggle for clean, safe water.

We’re introduced to Sisilia, a 13-year-old girl from Tanzania. Sisilia supported her mother by walking long distances three times a day to fetch water. The water was unsafe, causing frequent illness, and the long walks left Sisilia exhausted and struggling to focus on her studies.

Thanks to Project Compassion and the support of schools like ours, Sisilia’s school and village now have safe clean water taps. This means it takes Sisilia just two minutes to collect water, giving her more time to learn so she can fulfil her dreams of one day becoming a pilot.

“I’d like to fly to different countries and pass through the sky.” – said Sisilia. “Also, I want to help my family live a better life. If I can study without spending so much time fetching water, I know I can achieve my dream.”

Watch Sisilia’s story HERE to learn more about how our school’s support of Project Compassion helps to create ripples of change that are felt by our fellow students, teachers and parents across the world.

We can also help empower people across the world to build stronger, more resilient futures for themselves and their families. People just like Monoranjon.

Monoranjon lives in a coastal village in southwest Bangladesh, one of the regions most affected by climate change. He and his family face extreme heat, cyclones and water scarcities, which often destroy his crops and threaten his livelihood.

Things began to change when Monoranjon joined the Community Managed Sustainable Livelihoods and Resilience Program run by Caritas Bangladesh, with the support of Caritas Australia. Through the program, he learnt climate-resilient farming techniques including organic vegetable cultivation and livestock vaccination, meaning he is now able to grow salt-tolerant vegetables and raise livestock.

Today, Monoranjon’s income has improved, allowing him to send his children to school and protect their futures from poverty. He also now teaches others in his village, inspiring further change and opportunity across the community.

Watch Monoranjon’s story HERE to learn more about how our school is changing lives around the world – ensuring that people have the tools they need to face poverty, climate change and disaster.

Will you join us and walk alongside students like Sisilia and people like Monoranjon this Lent?

Please donate today.

You can support Project Compassion 2026 through the donation boxes, online at: projectcompassion.org.au or by calling: 1800 024 413

Thank you for standing with us as we Unite Against Poverty this Lent.

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