La Salle Tech Helps More Students

Even though we live in unprecedented prosperity, many kids and teens still have no idea how to proceed because of their lack of resources and education. The Lasallian Foundation considers education one of the most critical ways disadvantaged children and young people can access better economic and social opportunities, strengthen their own families and communities, and become respected members of their nation's society at large. Since 2004, the Foundation has funded several projects and initiatives in Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and South Sudan. Historically, the Lasallian Foundation worked in many different countries, but in recent years it has reduced its attention to just two: Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.

An initiative at La Salle Technical Secondary School, Hohola, Papua New Guinea, regularly provided breakfast to 300 students in 2022 thanks to contributions from the Lasallian Foundation and fellow Lasallians who donated K25849.85 in late 2022.

The Free Breakfast Club runs four days a week and provides a filling morning meal to the students who choose to partake.

According to the Food Research Action Center, children who eat breakfast at school have better attendance, conduct, and test scores. Ensuring students have a nourishing breakfast will help them focus and perform better at school.

Students at this Papua New Guinea school are underrepresented in several ways. They have left traditional schooling, and they are often living in poverty and in rural areas.

The Breakfast Club is an initiative of the school to provide students with something to eat before they start lessons for the day. Many students arrive as early as 7 am at school. They get up around 5 am to make their way to school. At the end of the day, students leave at 4 pm, some without eating food. Over time, this has a harmful effect both on students’ health and learning.

75% of La Salle Tech students live in settlement areas lacking essential services like water, electricity, and sanitation. Most of these students miss out on breakfast. The school can provide a large bun with fillings (garlic, onions & tomato sauce) and a mug of hot tea served from 7:30 am to 8 am through the Breakfast Club.

The school provides complimentary breakfast four days a week. It can run this program because of donors’ generosity and support.

 The Breakfast Club has been a very positive initiative for the school as it allows more students to have something to eat as they start the day. Their attention and participation in class during the day is better.

School leaders attribute the school’s rising academic standing at least in part to the Breakfast Club. Last year, many Grade 10 students attained good results and were selected to different Secondary schools to further their upper secondary studies.

La Salle Technical Secondary School, Hohola, is a Catholic Agency school established 50 years ago under the PNG Department of Education, administered by De La Salle Brothers. This school evolved from the Hohola Youth Development Centre (HYDC), founded by Brigidine Sisters from Australia in 1973, to cater to youth who had dropped out of traditional education for various reasons.

In 1993, the De La Salle Brothers took over the administration of HYDC, and the number of students increased to 350 by 1999. As a result of the increasing difficulty in getting graduating students into employment, there was an increased focus on CODE (College of Distance Education) courses. The education of girls with low secondary school enrollment rates was a real need that HYDC met.

Improvements to the grades and educational opportunities offered at the school have continued to be implemented since the Lasallian Mission took over.

In 2021 National Curriculum was introduced at the school for Grade 9 and continuing this year for Grade 10. The college was registered under the PNG Department of Education in January 2022 as a Technical Secondary school. The school’s name has been changed, it is now known as La Salle Technical Secondary School, Hohola, since January 2022.

How to Donate

Through the Lasallian Foundation's Workplace Giving program, you can help change people's lives by giving money to long-term, sustainable development projects.

Workplace Giving allows employees, employers, and the Lasallian Foundation to work together. It makes it easy for employees to give money to the Lasallian Foundation. Programs are straightforward, can be trusted, and don't require expensive fundraising. This is an easy and tax-wise way to give. When an employee gives through payroll, the money comes out of their paycheck before taxes are taken out, so they get a tax break immediately.

Employers can also match employee donations or give a set amount, which helps them do well with the corporate social responsibility part of helping the community. Workplace giving can make it easier to find, hire, and keep good employees, and it costs less and doesn't take up much of the payroll administrator's time.

Workplace/Payroll Giving programs are quickly becoming a good thing about working for a company, thanks to the support of senior leaders and a network of champions.

Workplace Giving programs help the Lasallian Foundation raise money, run its business more efficiently, and save a lot of money.

For more information, visit the Lasallian Foundation website.