Anna Brown is the first ‘Faith in Action Graduate Volunteer’, spending a year working with Columban Justice and Peace Education and St Mary’s University Chaplaincy. In the article below she reflects on a recent learning visit to the Philippines.

Under the watchful eye of St Columban at San Columbano Mission Center, Batang, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental: L to R: Michael Javier, Gilda Comays, Naanise Mo’unga, Fr Brian Gore, Arlenne Villahermosa, Lorna Cañete and Anna Brown.

I was incredibly fortunate to spend an amazing month learning about the Columbans’ work. It was helpful for my work here in Britain as we often talk about poverty when discussing justice and peace issues in schools. Visiting slum districts, rural communities and urban industrial areas of the Philippines, I was able to begin to understand something of the complexity of poverty – there are rich and poor in every community. I am excited to talk to other young people about this, avoiding simple stereotyping and giving real thought to the language we use.