Edmund Rice England Collaboration with Edmund Rice Development

For a couple of years now it has been the vision of our office to link schools, their advocacy work, and fundraising, to the Edmund Rice overseas projects supported by Edmund Rice Development. Through our collaborative work we can help schools to really understand issues of inequality in the developing world, from the cultural background and systemic problems which underly poverty and injustice, to how they can be resolved sustainably through positive, long-lasting interventions, community education and responsible funding.  Closely linked due to a rights-based approach, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and of course, the Edmund Rice Charism to see Christ present in the marginalised, ERD programs are very clearly mapped and resourced, so are excellent for pedagogical engagement with overseas development. The first of our collaborations is with the Christian Brothers West Africa Girls’ Empowerment Projects and the Brother Manolo Centre in Bolivia. We have developed resources for schools on both projects which explain the specifics of the difficulties being experienced in both areas and how human rights are being infringed. These resources outline the work of each program and the positive impacts they are having on individuals and their local communities. As schools can directly link with the projects and see results of fundraising that they may choose to engage with, this collaboration seems to be a win-win situation.

Edmund Rice Office Team with Naidi McDonnell, the Programme Manager and Safeguarding Officer for Edmund Rice Development in Blama, Sierra Leone.

Let’s hear from the Staff at ERD:

ERD’s vision is ‘A world where people access opportunities and live free of poverty and injustice.’ To achieve this vision, one of our strategic priorities is building collaboration with partners in the Edmund Rice network across the world. We believe that working together we’ll able to achieve much more. We have been privileged to deepen and strengthen our partnership with ER England throughout 2024. We’ve worked together around advocacy, funding for development project partners and bringing new ideas to engaging with schools. I’d like to thank Ann, Roisin and all involved in Edmund Rice England for all their support this year. This is a partnership we really value and believe it will go from strength to strength in 2025!

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together“

Fiona Dowling (she/her)
Chief Executive Edmund Rice Development

‘Collaborating with ER England has been incredibly valuable. It has deepened our understanding of the wider network and enhanced our ability to engage effectively. We’re eager to build even closer ties, fostering stronger connections between development projects and schools. These interactions hold immense potential, offering mutual benefits while bringing the Sustainable Development Goals to life. By sharing real-world examples, from the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, to human rights challenges, we can inspire and educate. The Edmund Rice Network provides a unique platform for collaboration, and it’s essential we continue to strengthen these connections.’

Naidi McDonnell
Programme Manager and Safeguarding Officer for Edmund Rice Development

“It has been a pleasure collaborating with Edmund Rice England this year. Bringing our domains together – development work and education – has been an exciting and fruitful endeavour. By highlighting the work of the Edmund Rice development projects we support with the Edmund Rice England team, we have learned how they adapt real world concepts and issues to a school setting. The educational resources produced by Edmund Rice England for Advent bring the global work of Edmund Rice Mission into the classroom, allowing students to connect with communities thousands of miles away.  We are energised to see how we can further collaborate across the network in 2025.” 

Abigail Carney
Edmund Rice Development, Communications Officer