Last Thursday night, more than 70 people gathered at the Marist Centre Brisbane to discover the work of the Marist Brothers in India at a photographic exhibition called Eyes on India.
The Marist Brothers have worked in India, making education more accessible for very poor, socially-ostracised communities, for more than four decades.
Last year, acclaimed photographer and former student of St Francis Xavier’s College Hamilton, Conor Ashleigh visited four of these communities on behalf of Marist Solidarity and captured some outstanding images—a selection of which were featured at the exhibition.
Featured projects were: St Marcellin Higher Secondary School at Mangamanuthu; Marist Nursery and Primary School at Vizhalanmedu; and Marist Primary and Secondary School in the rural village of P.Udayapatti. The Marist Brothers’ HIV/AIDS outreach program in Trichy, Operation Rainbow, was also featured.
Guests were welcomed by Marist Solidarity Chair, Peter Sheehan and CEO, Brother Allen Sherry reflected on his experiences in India, where he first visited more than 30 years ago.
The night also marked the launch of the 2016 End of Financial Year Appeal, to support the Brothers’ ongoing work to improve education outcomes in India.
Marist Solidarity is extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the night’s success, including: Lantern Love, Creffield Digital Print, Conor Ashleigh, and Plates and Platters.
And we are grateful to the many people who supported our work by attending the exhibition and engaging in our stories of change in India.
The Eyes on India exhibition will be held at the Marist Centre Melbourne on August 21.
Please click here if you were unable to make Eyes on India in Brisbane, but would like to donate to our India Schools appeal.
By Kate Egerton