Every year, a festive event called Maytime Fair is held at Xavier College, Melbourne, Australia, in which every stall and attraction donates one hundred percent of its profit for the work of Jesuit Mission. The Maytime Fair consistently contributes over $100,000 each year for vital work in the developing world.
Money raised in last year’s Maytime Fair was sent to the Jesuits in Madurai Province in India, the Jesuit program in Sri Lanka and to the Jesuit Refugee Service program in Aceh in Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.
In Cambodia it was used to support an international community of Jesuits and lay volunteers and more than 150 Cambodian workers employed in a variety of projects in Phnom Penh at Banteay Prieb, in Battambang, Sisophon and Siem Reap. Support was also given to the care and education of disabled children, training programs for health workers, renovation and extension of a health hostel, assistance for TB patients, emergency food, land mine awareness training and participation in the international campaign to ban the use of anti personnel landmines.
Money sent to East Timor was used to help run St. Joseph’ Senior High School in Dili and the provision of full and partial scholarships for many of the girls and boys at the school. The grant also made a significant contribution to the running of a health clinic and senior high school in Railaco parish and the purchase of a 4WD vehicle for the clinic. Around Suai funds were used for the purchase of rice for malnourished rural families and for the purchase of additional land for the Jesuit Centre.
In China, financial support was given to the work of Jesuit Luis Ruiz in aid of people with Hansen’s disease. Some money went to Vietnam for the care of aged Jesuits, construction of a Parish learning centre, bridging education for young men interested in a religious vocation and health and educational outreach to poor hill tribe people in remote areas. Some funds were used for ministry among poor Vietnamese migrant workers in Malaysia.
In Myanmar, a contribution was made to the support of the Jesuit Novitiate, the candidacy program and two English language institutes for young men and women who seek to further their education. Support was also given to a small HIV-AIDS project and a parish education project. In Thailand help was given for a program of land mine awareness training and victim support.