Lauralton Students Told How To Improve The World
“The best investment anyone could make in the peace and prosperity of the world is to sponsor a scholarship for a girl in a developing country, Lauralton Hall students were told recently”.
The occasion was when Sister Deirdre Mullan, who represents the non-governmental agency Mercy Global Concern at the United Nations, told juniors and seniors in the school’s auditorium that when girls are given access to education, they can better provide for themselves and protect themselves in areas of the world where disease, poverty and lack of clean drinking water are part of daily life.
She challenged the students to limit their showers to two minutes to help conserve the world’s water resources. “Water is a free beverage, and it is a human right,” Sr. Deirdre said. “But the bottled water industry is selling a product that costs more than a price of gasoline.”
“Too often modern education is equated with getting a great position, but there is no guarantee that will bring you happiness.” Sr. Deirdre declared. Nowadays we see what I call the ‘new trinity’ – “I, myself and me” Sr. Deirdre went on to explain that the Sisters of Mercy is a worldwide teaching order that administers Lauralton Hall, and many secondary schools for young women can provide vocational training to a girl in a third world country for $50 through Mercy Global Concern.
The agency has built schools in Kenya, Cambodia, South Africa and Haiti, serving girls and their families in the poorest parts of the world. In a world of plenty, 30,000 people in the world will die of hunger –today!
Senior Nyreen Henry, of Bridgeport, said that some of the data Sister presented in her slide show took her by surprise. “There was lots here I didn’t know” Nyreen said. “But I learned how I could help.”
Sr. Deirdre addressing the students at Lauralton Hall in Milford
Among the slides was one showing the stark imbalance of the world’s wealth, with twenty per cent of the world’s population left with only two per cent of the wealth among them. Only twenty per cent of the global population consumes eighty per cent of the electricity produced, Sister Deirdre informed the students.” If you have money in the bank or change in your house, you are among the wealthiest people in the world.”
“Only two per cent of the more than 5 billion people on Earth have a computer; only one per cent has a college degree while fourteen per cent are illiterate. Chinese not English is the most common language spoken on Earth, a fact that educators and world business leaders need to address”
A native of Northern Ireland who grew up amidst the “Troubles”, as the conflict and sectarian strife became known, Sr. Deirdre taught in second level education and travels the world in support of the programmes sponsored by the Mercy Order.
Megan Yan Liu asked Sr. Deirdre how much of each $50 donation to Mercy Concern’s ‘Girl’s reaching out to Girls,’ programme would actually be used to provide education and support to a student in one of the countries where the program operates.
“ALL OF IT”, she replied “It is not enough to be compassionate. You have to act.”
Adapted from the Connecticut Post by Sr. Veronica O’Brien
Deirdre Mullan rsm
Northern Province
