Caritas Challenge: Cardboard comfort raises thousands

Students from Marian College and Cathedral College build their shelter for the night.

Christchurch
by KATHLEEN CASEY

In a blustering, cold easterly before Easter, 100 students from Marian College and Cathedral College built a cardboard village to live in for a night as part of the Caritas Challenge.

Students from Marian College and Cathedral College build their shelter for the night.

Students from Marian College and Cathedral College build their shelter for the night.


The years 9-14 students stapled and stuck together big cartons. Holding the tarpaulin “roof” down to attach it was a feat but, as Marian pastoral chaplain Antje Duda said, the 2014
weather was worse and more students were asking about such a challenge this year. Boys did it a little differently from the girls.
While chaplains and teachers offered support, special character leaders from both colleges organised the programme and led the event, said Mrs Duda.
Events included an informative talk and an outdoor Mass situated in school grounds behind the broken Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
“Reminding us that the world is not whole,” said Mrs Duda.
At the end students spoken to were positive. Rachel Safu said, “I learnt a lot about the Philippines and what they must have gone through during the disaster and what their daily life would have been like. It was a really good experience.”
Cole Swain said, “I learnt a lot about the Philippines and the disaster. It was a cool experience.”
“We were quite warm,” said Devin Lefebre. “There were six of us in a cardboard box with one little (cut out) hole for air.”
The students’ efforts raised $3472.

fb-share-icon
Posted in

NZ Catholic Staff

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *