Sr. Kate Nolan RSHM
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
Programme Organizer of a Development Centre in
Paraiba, Brazil
The
project Sal da Terra (Salt of the Earth) is not
only concerned with teaching youth and adults to
read and write but with the development of the
person as a whole. From the very beginning the
sisters have worked towards creating a climate
of friendship, sharing, concern about every
member’s well-being, mutual respect and
understanding that has made the project special
and much more than just a project.
The building of self-esteem, the capturing and
sharing of experiences, the recognition that
with the development of a critical consciousness
we can together make the world a better place is
an integral part of the life of the project. I
am being personally enriched in so many ways by
the very diversity of the participants, their
eternal optimism in situations that seem
hopeless, their excitement when they achieve
their objective of being able to read and write
and, most of all, the enthusiasm of so many who
say that the project has opened horizons,
confess that they now feel like "real people"
and the joy expressed by so many who go on to
study in the public schools.
The support received from misean cara has served
as a huge injection for the project in that we
were able to buy equipment and materials. The
acquisition of these has given a certain status
to the project, bringing us up to date with the
world of technology and thereby increasing the
level of professionalism. The gratification that
the monitors receive has made it possible for
many of them to study at university.
Perhaps misean cara is not always aware of the
small miracles it is instrumental in creating
for so many people.