Home / Region + Country Categories  / Americas & Caribbean  / South America  / Brazil  / BRAZIL: 1.5 tons of food to be distributed to families

BRAZIL: 1.5 tons of food to be distributed to families

Don Bosco Educational Center in Natal received 1.5 tons of non-perishable food for families in need

BRAZIL

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Educational Center, located in Natal, Brazil, received 1.5 tons of non-perishable food to distribute to families in need who are assisted by the center in the Lagoa Azul neighborhood and surrounding areas. The food was collected as part of the Brazilian army’s “Help is in our hands” campaign. The goal of the initiative is to help low-income families who have seen their socio-economic situation worsen with the pandemic.

The commander of the 7th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Carlos José Rocha Lima presided over a ceremony while delivering the food to various institutions in Natal. Father Eneas Andrade de Araújo, deputy director of the Don Bosco Center, and Janaína Félix, a social worker, received the donation.

Since March 2020, Don Bosco Educational Center has joined efforts with various public and private partners to address food shortages. The center has served more than 2,000 families with basic food packages and hygiene kits. More than 1,000 people have needed additional assistance services because they are vulnerable to social and economic risk.

“Salesians in Brazil and around the globe are working to ensure that families have the basic necessities to get through this challenging time,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries live in the communities in which they work, so they are perfectly positioned to assess local need and ensure that relief supplies make it to the families who are most in need.”

Salesian missionaries in Brazil provide education, workforce development and social services throughout the country and specifically focus on children with disabilities within several programs. Missionaries help to meet the basic needs of poor youth, including street children, and provide them with an education and life skills to gain employment, break the cycle of poverty and lead productive lives.

According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on Brazil with poverty tripling in 2021. Nearly 17 million people have fallen into poverty in the first quarter of the year and the poverty rate now is higher than it was a decade ago. Researchers estimate that 12.8 percent of Brazil’s population, some 27 million people, are now living below the poverty line.

Issues of income inequality and social exclusion remain the root causes for those in poverty. Inequalities also exist in access to education and educational efficiency. These inequalities are greatest for children and youth who are poor, live in rural areas or who have an incomplete compulsory education. Salesians working with poor youth and their families in Brazil develop programs and provide youth with opportunities for furthering their education and skills.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Brazil – Don Bosco Natal Educational Center receives 1.5 tons of food

Salesian Missions – Brazil

World Bank – Brazil