St. Aloysius’ College & St. Aloysius Gonzaga

St. Aloysius’ College in Glasgow is hoping to establish a link with a secondary school in Kenya: a school which coincidentally bears the same name - St. Aloysius - the patron saint of youth and AIDS.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School is in Kibera, a sprawling slum outside Nairobi. Kibera has been pushed aside and ignored by the government. There are no services to the area: no electricity or sewage systems, despite the fact that some one million people live there. In 2004, the Christian Life Community started St. Aloysius Gonzaga to help children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. At the moment the school facilities are rudimentary: lessons currently take place in two sheds, but their dreams are in no way limited. They hope to build a new school in Kibera. The school is growing constantly: in 2004 they started with 56 pupils; now, in 2006, their pupil intake is 196.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga does not have the same infrastructure that St. Aloysius’, Glasgow can tell of – St. Aloysius’, Glasgow has a Jesuit tradition dating back some 150 years. However, despite the disparities, there are connections that go beyond the two schools bearing the same name. Each school’s educational philosophy is firmly based on Ignatian pedagogy. St. Aloysius Gonzaga’s motto, “Learn, Love and Serve” exemplifies this.

St. Aloysius’, Glasgow is looking not only to fundraise for this young school, but to incorporate, where possible, appropriate Kenyan material into their school curriculum in order to gain an understanding of a different culture and way of life. St. Aloysius Gonzaga hopes to benefit not only from any money raised to improve their school’s infrastructure, but also to learn how to implement Ignatian pedagogy and to learn about the lives of the pupils at St. Aloysius’, Glasgow.

Jesuit Missions visited St. Aloysius’, Glasgow in May 2006 to discuss the Companions’ Programme with the headmaster, Mr John Stoer, and Father Simon Bishop SJ and Julie McWilliams. Following this, the link was presented to Lower Six pupils during a workshop in June. A core group of pupils has been established in both schools to begin the process of learning about each other