Project at 8 Salesian centers will support additional efforts

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá Province of South Argentina launched an environmental project to raise awareness about sustainability in eight Salesian centers. The project, funded with the support of the Swiss Salesian organization Jugendhilfe Weltweit (JuWe), has reached 5,000 youth directly and another 2,000 people indirectly.

Teachers and other staff have been trained in sustainable practices, and local government policies have been influenced through the project. Salesians have also strengthened the environmental teams in participating Salesian centers. In addition, three manuals were produced for the continuity of environmental commitment in each Salesian center. The manuals will provide a framework for other Salesian centers and communities.

The project provided tools to generate new jobs and promote new habits. The Salesian province communication office noted, “As a province, we are convinced that there is no way out of the environmental crisis except in community.”

Father Gabriel Doddi, provincial economer and director of the province planning and development office, explained, “This project excites and challenges us, not only for these eight centers that have worked and continue to work on sustainability, but also the support we can now provide other Salesian houses and centers in the province in the future. This is the commitment that Pope Francis has asked of us, and we, as Salesians, have taken on.”

More than a quarter of the people in Argentina live in conditions of poverty with no formal employment and poor-quality education, according to the World Bank. The country’s high school dropout rate is close to 37% and youth account for a third of those unemployed. Almost 12% of children ages 5 to 17 are working instead of being in school and 20% need government assistance. Many face malnutrition, a lack of clean water and sewage, and inadequate housing.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Argentina – Salesians with children and young people towards a sustainable environmental mentality

Salesian Missions – Argentina

World Bank – Argentina