ARGENTINA: Program provides education, promotes service to others
Salesian Oratory in Santiago del Estero launches ‘Weaving Ties’ program
(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Oratory in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, has launched the “Weaving Ties” program for 100 youth and adults from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds. The program, which receives support from the Salesian Missions Office in Buenos Aires, provides education for those ages 13-30. Participants come together Monday through Thursday for lessons and service to others. In one project, participants serve snacks to needy people in the community.
Most of those who attend have faced addiction issues, have not completed their studies, or are unemployed. Many come from poor families, and their parents survive on informal day-to-day jobs. Some of the younger children in the program who are still in school struggle with the formal educational structure. Their neighborhood offers few positive activities for youth. The program and others like it offered by the Salesian Oratory are a lifeline for many.
Nely is one of the participants. She is a young single mother who had dropped out of school but has found a second chance in the program. She said, “Personally, it has helped me so much. With the space they provide for us, I now want to go back to school.”
Daniel was losing himself in addiction, but he is now on a better path. He said, “I’ll never get bored of coming here because it’s a beautiful, unique environment in which I encounter that peace that I couldn’t find elsewhere.”
Many youth and adults—like Nely and Daniel—are making positive changes in their lives thanks to the “Weaving Ties” program. “Many people, in many small places, doing small things, can change the world,” said a Salesian with the Salesian Mission Office in Buenos Aires.
Salesian missionaries in Argentina and around the globe provide education and social development programs to help poor youth and their families achieve self-sufficiency and have hope for a better life. Through schools, vocational and technical training programs, youth centers, medical clinics, and more, Salesians are ensuring youth have the services and programs they need to thrive.
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 percent and youth account for a third of those unemployed. Almost 12 percent of children ages 5-17 are working instead of being in school and 20 percent 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 – Creating hope, weaving bonds
Salesian Missions – Argentina
World Bank – Argentina