b'I had rarely emailed anyone, let alone sent an email and Lindsey Cookand enlisted their support toPHOTO: TARA LONGhalfway across the globe. It made me nervous because launch a school-wide Lenten service project.I didnt know Brother Joseph. Using a multi-pronged approachbake sales, withIt wasnt long before Brother Joseph returned her help of the Mission Club, giving jars in each classroomemail, however, and together they hatched a plan. and dress-down days, for which students paid moneyGracie agreed to raise funds to help OLN build new to dress casuallythe money started accumulating.restrooms for girls. The pictures he sent of the girls Gracie also solicited donations from Church of Thefacilities were a real eye-opener, says Gracie. Seeing Little Flower parishioners every Friday night duringwhat they have compared to our school made me the annual Lenten fish fries. She set up a little tablewant to do something. near the food line where she had a captive audience,That something turned into a full-blown school and shed make her pitch, says her dad, Scott Reeder.William Moredock, Ph.D.,fundraiser after Gracie consulted with teachers on the She is soft-spoken and shy, yet in her own quiet way,principal, Little Flower SchoolLenten committeeMelissa Taylor, Stephanie Pyror she was very effective.MARIANIST MINISTRIES IN INDIA AND EASTERN AFRICA ADAPT AS CORONAVIRUS TAKES ITS TOLL While the number of coronavirus cases in the United States farswitched to remote learning, relying on help from teachers andexceeds that of India or Eastern Africa, they, too, have experienced classmates.significant losses. Some schools and training centers reopened in October but withExtreme poverty, crowded living conditions and lack of income many unknowns. Our educational institutions are doing their bestdue to the pandemic have added fuel to the fire in this global crisis. to assist students so that their education is not disrupted, says Heres a snapshot of how the Marianists are coping. Father Sudhir.INDIA EASTERN AFRICA PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MARIANIST DISTRICT OF INDIALast March, when most of The coronavirus is slowly spreading from cities to the rural areasIndia was locked down in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia, reports Eastern Africas Districtdue to the coronavirus, Superior Father Gabriel Kirangah. Last March, schools, publicMarianist ministries were gatherings, including churches, were closed for about five months,immediately disrupted. he says. We did our best to There has been talk of online studying and business forums,minimize the impact of says Father Gabriel. But in Africa, a continent that often lacks COVID by reaching out infrastructure, this is a difficult goal to reach.To assist families during the pandemic, the to families and children in Like most schools across the globe, Our Lady of Nazareth Marianists provided food and other supplies to their homes, said Indias Primary School (OLN), a Marianist-sponsored school in Nairobi,families in need. Here, Brother Julius Tete, SM, District Superior Father Sudhir Kenya, was closed last March due to COVID-19.hands a bag of rice and other provisions to a Kujur. That meant educating Most students receive breakfast and lunch at school, sayswoman in Bangaluru. parents about the virus, as Marianist Brother Joseph Maricky, director of OLN. After wewell as providing food, masks and cleaning supplies to thousands closed, children began showing up at school hoping to find food.of families, many of them living at or below the poverty level. Many had been starving.Many students at Marianist-sponsored schools in India haveTo address these concerns, the Marianists launched a food pro-engaged in some type of online learning. For example, even without gram that provides families a weekly package of dry food consist-laptop computers, about 65 percent of students at Morning Star ing of corn flour, rice, beans, maize, sugar and cooking oil, asSchool near Ranchi have access to smartphones. Social media well as a bar of soap. Families and students also have been of-apps enable them to receive and return their school assignments.fered counseling to address depression and other social concerns. In rural areas where internet access is more difficult, Marianist The school reopened in October, but many parents are withouteducators have reached out to students directly. Some also arranged work or income. Life has become so challenging, says Fatherin-person classes for senior-high students, says administrator Gabriel. The choice is often stark: People are taking their chancesBrother Sudhir Kumar Soreng at Budakata Mission Primary School of dying while earning a living, rather than dying of hunger.in Odia. But when COVID-19 cases escalated, these studentsTo learn more about how you can help Marianist ministries in India and Eastern Africa, visit marianist.com/India-Africa.12 Call 1.800.348.4732'