VALE NOEL O’BRIEN
Noel O’Brien was an extraordinary supporter of ERFA from its inception in 1986. He was the founder of the 500 Supporters luncheons at the MCG.

Over 20 years ago, Noel began what grew into a most effective fundraising event with the twice annual luncheons, specifically for Christian Brothers’ development projects in Africa. Over the years, many millions of dollars have been raised, which in more recent years have been devoted to the Ruben Centre, enabling the incredible work to continue.

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LUNCHEON CELEBRATES ITS FOUNDER
The 500 Supporters Spring Racing Luncheon was this year held at Zinc at Federation Square as the MCG was unavailable due to the international T20 Cricket. The new venue proved to be very popular, as were the speakers.

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RELAUNCH OF THE LIBERATE LIVES AFL PERTH LUNCHEON

A diverse group of friends and donors from the West gathered for a fundraiser at Fraser’s Kings Park on Friday 26th August. It was wonderful to see this lunch reactivated after 3 years of living with COVID. ERFA is most grateful to Paywise for providing sponsorship of the event, and to their CEO, Neil Allison for bringing together a panel of interesting speakers.

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REDUCING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE THROUGH BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
In rural Zambia, girl children often become pregnant, are subsequently forced into marriage and most likely drop out of school. This can happen as early as 13 years of age and marriage is also sometimes seen as a strategy to “beat poverty” by the parents.

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HELPING NEWLY ARRIVED REFUGEES FIND THEIR VOICE IN AUSTRALIA
Newly arrived refugees in Australia, especially from war-torn countries like Afghanistan, often find integration into Australian society a challenge. One of the greatest difficulties is finding meaningful employment.

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PARTNER PROJECT VISIT
Edmund Rice Foundation has made successive trips to Africa recently, to reconnect with program partners after two and a half years disrupted by COVID-19. ERFA CEO Bren Arkinstall visited Nairobi Kenya in November, following hot on the heels of Jason Bongers and Kate Dixon, who visited South Africa and Kenya in September.

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SUPPORTERS STEP UP FOR WOMEN & GIRLS, BFF 2022
ERFA again asked people to dig deep and ‘step up’ to support women and girls on November 15 for the annual Best Foot Forward Day of Giving, and we are delighted that the annual fund-raising challenge was accepted with gusto.

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INTERVIEW WITH SAMMY MUGA
Sammy Muga works in ERFA’s Nairobi branch office and has been seconded to work as the Team Leader at Edmund Rice Centre Nairobi which is a merger of Mary Rice Centre, Edmund Rice Advocacy Network and Edmund Rice Karibu Group.

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