News Post

Student technicians in the St. Joseph’s Academy Help Desk repaired 20 laptop computers which have been donated to Salón San José, an elementary school in Canto Chico near Lima, Peru. The school is run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The Help Desk technicians are currently working on additional units for donation to the school, whose students come from impoverished backgrounds.

SJA Pastoral Care Minister Sister Chris Pologa is a friend of Sister Anne Davis, who is missioned at the Canto Chico school. Their friendship led to the donation, to the delight of Sister Anne. 

“Thanks to the generosity of St. Joseph’s Academy, the children in Canto Chico are able to be more successful in school and feel better about themselves,” Sister Anne said. “We are so grateful to have these computers to use. Last year, we had one very old laptop, and the children used our cell phones to do the research for their homework.” 

Sister Anne told the story of one former Salón San José student, Ricardo, who would go to the Sisters’ residence every day to do his homework. In return, he helped clean the tables and sweep the floor. His family lives in extreme poverty, with his mother selling fried chicken wings to support the family. 

Ricardo was recently accepted into one of the most prestigious universities in Lima, where he is studying chemical engineering. He is now borrowing one of the donated computers to do his university homework. “We are grateful to have been given the means to help those in need,” Sister Anne said. 

SJA senior Anne-Marie Dizor said it is gratifying to know that a computer she repaired is helping students in a far corner of the world. “It feels really good to know that something I put my time and effort into is being used for a good cause,” she said. “I really feel like we are doing our job as Redstickers in building relationships through sacred threads that connect us all over the world to places like Peru.”

Junior Madison Roy was equally enthusiastic. “I’m so excited to hear that the school in Peru is getting to enjoy the refurbished laptops,” she said. “It’s truly amazing to think that the same computers my friends and I repaired and learned on are now in the hands of another set of students who will use them the same way we did. Using a computer daily at SJA was certainly a key factor for me becoming interested in technology, and I am so glad that students in Peru will have the same opportunity to discover and develop their own interests. The service component of our technology program is one of the most gratifying experiences I have ever had, and I look forward to helping distribute computers elsewhere and continuing to see the results.”

Senior Eden Landry said that being part of the Help Desk and its commitment to “serving the dear neighbor” is a vital part of her SJA experience. “Through the Help Desk, I have been exposed to some of the greatest service anyone can receive,” she said. “Seeing and knowing these children will be able to grow and expand their knowledge and education with the computers is one of the most humbling things. These children will have greater opportunities than they probably ever thought possible, and I am grateful to know that I assisted in that process.”
 

Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director