By Jasmin Howorth (age 17)

Through my personal involvement in Manly-Manado my eyes have been opened not only to the urgent need that exists in the world to alleviate the issue of global poverty (in what we know as a lack of material wealth) but also to the fact that poverty is a much broader issue.   And I have been really challenged to think about the mutual poverty that exists in both Manado and Manly through our community partnership.  

I have been fortunate enough to travel to Manado with my family and to meet the people with whom we are partnering.  It was such a memorable trip.  Whilst the material and physical poverty was truly evident in Manado I was struck by the people’s friendliness, generosity and community spirit, which is something we often lack in our community.  That is the great thing about our community partnership – we can come together in Manly to help provide for the people of Manado through using our gifts and talents and at the same time we can learn from the people in Manado to build a great emotional, spiritual and relational richness in our own community.

I have learned that this is not a one-way relationship – the benefits can be and should be mutual between both communities.    

I’ve been involved in many of events that have taken place in Manly and it has been wonderful to see our community unite as one for a common purpose.  I’ve met lots of new people in Manly whom I would never normally meet and it’s been a lot of fun too. Manly-Manado has provided me with the opportunity to take action on behalf of the poor and has shown me that we all have something to bring to the table.

Through my involvement with Manly-Manado, which started when I was 13, I have developed a deep desire to learn more about poverty and the injustices that exist in our world.  And I don’t only want to learn more – I want to be part of a generation that stands up and takes action to end global poverty. The seeds that have been planted through Manly-Manado have grown to give me a passion and purpose in my life.

I’m currently in my final year at school and the Manly-Manado movement has empowered me to use many opportunities – whether it is in my role as the Social Justice Prefect at school, or in my written work, leading a youth group or just amongst my peer group – to advocate on behalf of the poor; to educate others about poverty and the injustices in our world and encourage them to take action.

The movement has also inspired me to look more into broader areas of poverty such as slavery, fair trade, trafficking and the Millennium Development Goals and to become involved in other campaigns. Through Manly-Manado my family have also been inspired to work more in the area of aid and development and to travel to other countries and become involved in other projects to help the poor.

I want to live a life that is full of purpose and I as I approach the end of my schooling I am excited about what the future holds as I feel God is calling me to work in the area of aid and development – a journey that started with Manly-Manado.  So for me Manly-Manado has been life-changing – thank you Manly-Manado!