Mary MacKillop Today

04/06/2026

June is Workplace Giving Month! 💙

A small contribution from your pre-tax salary can go a long way. Through Workplace Giving, you can help Mary MacKillop Today support education, health, and livelihoods for people across Australia, Timor-Leste, Fiji, and Peru.

Every payday, your giving can make a real difference. Find out how to get started:
👉 marymackilloptoday.org.au/how-you-can-help/workplace-giving/

02/06/2026

This Reconciliation Week we'd like you to meet Mikayla.
Mikayla grew up in Broome. She tried studying psychology in Perth and found she couldn’t stay away from home.
This year, with support from Mary MacKillop Today’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship, Mikayla is studying online, raising her four-year-old daughter, working in youth mental health, and building the kind of career that will serve her community for decades.
“It’s like a reason to keep going,” she says.
Since opening the Broome hub in 2023, our partners Pilbara Kimberley University Centres , has supported over 310 students in the West Kimberley.
This Reconciliation Week, your donation can walk alongside the next Mikayla. Even a small contribution stretches a long way. 👇
Donate now: marymackilloptoday.org.au/donate

01/06/2026

This Reconciliation Week, we want you to meet Cameron.
Cameron grew up in the Kimberley, where, like many Aboriginal men before him, tertiary education simply wasn't something he was raised to believe was for people like him. He was on the cattle stations at 15.
Today, he is studying paralegal studies, raising two sons, and working to become the connector between the courts and the communities the justice system so often fails.
Cameron receives a First Nations Scholarship from Mary MacKillop Today through our partners, Pilbara Kimberley University Centres - support that eases the financial pressure of studying remotely, 2.5 hours north of Broome, on a single income with two young children.
"We only have our effort and our character. Thanks to your organisation, it helps us help our community."
This Reconciliation Week, your donation can walk alongside the next Cameron. Even a small contribution stretches a long way. 👇
Donate now: marymackilloptoday.org.au/donate

26/05/2026

Today is National Sorry Day.
A day to remember the Stolen Generations. To honour the strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who have carried and survived, so much. And to reflect honestly on what reconciliation means in practice.
This week, something quiet and meaningful is happening at our office. A painting our team made together with First Nations artist Cassandra Gibbs, will be hung on our wall. A reminder, every day, that walking alongside is something you do, not just something you say.
We are also proud to share the story of Cameron Taylor, a scholarship recipient from the Kimberley who once worked on cattle stations and now wants to become a connector between the legal system and his community. And we celebrated the community screening of a documentary about the Yawardani Jan-ga Equine Assisted Learning Program, a program we support that is helping young Aboriginal people heal, connect, and thrive on their own terms.
Today we are sharing our full reconciliation update. We hope you will take a moment to read it.

https://www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/walking-alongside-our-reconciliation-journey/

A day to remember, and to act. National Sorry Day, observed every 26 May, is a moment for all Australians to acknowledge the profound pain caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, the Stolen Generations, and to honour those who continue to c...

26/05/2026

"You're doing a great work in Timor-Leste. Please send this message to the team in Timor-Leste and it's always been a pleasure to be able to support."

Words like these keep us going. Thank you to every supporter who walks alongside the communities we serve. Your generosity reaches further than you know.

www.marymackilloptoday.org.au

25/05/2026

On the eve of National Sorry Day it is fitting to share this significant moment, as a community grants project that Mary MacKillop Today funded, came to its final stage with the new plaques revealed at the site of the original ‘Whipping tree’.

Truth telling can be painful but is essential for healing.

To read more on the project👉

Marymackilloptoday.org.au/the-warmun-whipping-tree

19/05/2026

Today, 20 May 2026, we proudly celebrate the Independence Day of Timor-Leste, a nation shaped by courage, resilience, and hope. This historic day reminds us of the long journey toward freedom and honors the sacrifices of those who fought for a sovereign future.

Since 1994, Mary MacKillop Today has stood in solidarity with the people of Timor-Leste, beginning with efforts to develop Tetun literacy. Through education and community programs, this partnership has helped empower individuals, strengthen local voices, and support the nation’s path toward independence and development. Today, Mary MacKillop Today continues to stand alongside communities, contributing to nation-building through Education and Livelihood programs that create opportunities and improve lives.

As we celebrate today, we recognize that Independence is not only a moment in history, but an ongoing commitment to learning, unity, and progress. Together, let us continue building a future where every person can thrive.

Happy Independence Day, Timor-Leste!
Mary MacKillop Today - Timor Leste

Ohin, loron 20 Maiu 2026, ita hotu ho orgullu selebra Loron Independénsia Timor-Leste, nasaun ida ne’ebé hari’i husi korajen, reziliénsia no esperansa. Loron istóriku ida ne’e hanorin ita kona-ba dalan naruk atu hetan liberdade no onra sakrifísiu sira ne’ebé luta ba futuru soberanu ida.

Husi tinan 1994, Mary MacKillop Today hamutuk ho povu Timor-Leste, hahu husi dezenvolvimentu literasia Tetun. Liuhosi edukasaun no programa komunidade, parceria ida ne’e ajuda fó kbiit ba ema sira, haforsa lian lokal sira, no suporta dalan nasaun nian ba independénsia no dezenvolvimentu.

To’o ohin loron, Mary MacKillop Today kontinua hamutuk ho komunidade sira, kontribui ba konstrusaun nasaun liuhosi Edukasaun no programa moris (Livelihood) sira ne’ebé kria oportunidade no hadi’a moris ema nian.

Bainhira ita selebra loron ida ne’e, ita hatene katak Independénsia la’ós deit momentu ida iha istória, maibé kompromisu kontínuu ba aprendizajen, unidade no progresu. Hamutuk, mai ita kontinua hari’i futuru ida ne’ebé ema hotu iha oportunidade atu moris di’ak.

Felis Loron Independénsia, Timor-Leste!

*****

Today, 20 May 2026, we proudly celebrate the Independence Day of Timor-Leste, a nation shaped by courage, resilience, and hope. This historic day reminds us of the long journey toward freedom and honors the sacrifices of those who fought for a sovereign future.

Since 1994, Mary MacKillop Today has stood in solidarity with the people of Timor-Leste, beginning with efforts to develop Tetun literacy. Through education and community programs, this partnership has helped empower individuals, strengthen local voices, and support the nation’s path toward independence and development. Today, Mary MacKillop Today continues to stand alongside communities, contributing to nation-building through Education and Livelihood programs that create opportunities and improve lives.

As we celebrate today, we recognize that Independence is not only a moment in history, but an ongoing commitment to learning, unity, and progress. Together, let us continue building a future where every person can thrive.

Happy Independence Day, Timor-Leste!

18/05/2026

"When I think of her difficulties, I often feel a deep sadness. But I see how hard she works, every day. I will not give up on her."

Silveiro, a teacher trained by Mary MacKillop Today, said these words about his daughter Maria, a third grader with a visual disability who tackles every school day with confidence and curiosity.

She can't write yet. But she grasps ideas quickly, takes on challenges, and asks her dad every afternoon if she can skip straight to her homework.

Your support can help more children like Maria go to school and feel like they belong.

Donate via the link tax-appeal.marymackilloptoday.org.au/

15/05/2026

"People used to say that for girls, education didn't matter, that we would end up in the kitchen."

Maria grew up in Timor-Leste never having the chance to go to school. But recently, she walked into a classroom for the very first time as part of the Mary MacKillop Today Parent Training project.

In two weeks, everything changed.

She learned how to support her sons' learning at home, how to communicate with confidence, and how to make sure her boys show up to school ready to learn. Now she reads with them, sings with them, and has dreams as big as theirs.

"My son wants to become a doctor, and another wants to be a police officer. I will support them so they can have a better future."

This International Day of Families, we celebrate Maria and every parent who is thriving alongside their children.

Learn more about our Parent Training project in Timor-Leste: www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/what-we-do/our-projects/parents-training-program/