KENYA

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Utume in Nairobi, Kenya, has been able to renovate the building housing students thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The funding transformed the living conditions of 215 people, mostly seminarians, by renovating and upgrading 23 student rooms and attached bathrooms and rehabilitating the communal student restroom.

Don Bosco Utume prepares more than 190 seminarians from several African countries for priestly and religious ministry. Over the years, the residential facilities had gradually deteriorated due to constant use and aging infrastructure, creating urgent maintenance challenges.

With the funding, the old plumbing system was replaced and upgraded with modern piping for both hot and cold water systems. This improvement significantly enhanced water pressure, eliminated leaks and restored reliability to the water supply system. Each bathroom was fully rebuilt and modernized with new ceramic tiles, sinks, toilets, faucets, shower systems and sanitary fittings. These improvements strengthened hygiene, functionality and durability.

In addition, a solar water heating system was installed and integrated into the residence infrastructure to replace the old heating system. This system guarantees reliable hot water while reducing electricity costs and promoting sustainable energy use. The communal restroom was also completely refurbished and upgraded with modern urinals, improved drainage systems and new fittings. Since this communal bathroom is used by all the students, Salesians installed a pressure pump to speed up water flow to the toilets and maintain hygiene.

Lastly, repairs were carried out to restore and improve the condition of the students’ rooms including replastering and repainting, while damaged doors and frames were replaced with more durable materials.

Father Emilius Salema explained, “When I served as administrator here, these bathrooms were among our biggest challenges. Pipes broke frequently, and the students often had to endure cold showers very early in the morning. It was not the dignified environment that young men preparing for the priesthood deserve.”

Fr. Salema expressed deep appreciation for the improvements. “The transformation is remarkable. The rooms are bright, clean and fully functional. The hot water system alone makes a tremendous difference. These improvements create a healthy environment where seminarians can concentrate on prayer, study and formation. Projects like this are not luxuries. They are essential investments in the education of future Salesian priests who will serve thousands of young people across Africa.”

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Kenya

World Bank – Kenya

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in recognizing World Children’s Day. Celebrated each year on Nov. 20, the day was established in 1954 to promote international togetherness and awareness on children’s issues worldwide. To date, 194 countries have signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and are bound by international law to ensure it is implemented.

This year’s theme “For every child, every right” focuses on the rights of children to live in a peaceful world, have a safe and livable planet, and have a voice to be listened to and included in decisions that involve them. UNICEF noted, “On World Children’s Day we make space for children and young people to raise their voices on the issues that matter to them. By prioritizing children’s rights and participation, we can help to build a better future for all.”

Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, said, “Salesian missionaries in more than 130 countries around the globe are working to break the cycle of poverty and bring a sense of dignity to all those they serve. Salesians are ensuring youth understand their rights, empowering them to use their voice and engaging them in creating a safe and self-sufficient future.”

Whether it’s combating child labor, assisting homeless youth or building schools where children previously had no access to education, Salesian missionaries are making sure those in need have access to programs and services. With more than 5,500 Salesian educational institutions and youth centers, missionaries are educating children in some of the poorest places on the planet.

In honor of World Children’s Day, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight social and educational programs that benefit children around the globe.

DR CONGO

Salesian missionaries provide education to raise the awareness of the rights of women and minors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Salesian missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo*, led by Father Carlos Balezi Kabumba, recently concluded a series of educational sessions aimed at raising awareness of the rights of women and minors. The training was held for children at the Salesian House in Gahinja and for girls from the Maison Marguerite Center.

At the end of the course, participants received certificates of completion. Salesians thanked the Salesian Mission Office in Bonn, Germany, for financial support and its commitment to the protection of the rights of women and children in this conflict-torn region.

Pascal Bauma, project manager, noted, “This initiative has been useful to assess the situation of many children living on the street, especially in the city of Goma. Many young people, due to difficult family situations, are forced to take to the streets. This problem is also aggravated by the influx of people displaced by the war in and around Goma.” Over the last years, Salesians have been dedicated to caring for displaced children who are living at Salesian houses in the region.

INDIA

Children and youth received food, education, counseling and more through funding from Salesian Missions in India.

Salesian missionaries with Don Bosco Snehalaya in Assam, India, were able to fund the “Comprehensive Support for Poor and Needy Children in Assam” project thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The funding provided support for 142 young people in need of care and protection at five Salesian childcare institutions.

Donor funding was used for food, education, clothing and counseling, as well as support for the staff to provide the services. The institutions that were supported were the Snehalaya Boys Home, which provides support for 29 boys ages 12-16; Auxilium Snehalaya, which supports 30 girls, ages 6-11; Ila Snehalaya, a home for 23 young boys, ages 6-11; Jyoti Snehalaya, a home for 33 girls, ages 12-18; and Snehalaya Center for Child Rights, a home for 25 boys, ages 15-18.

Anjana Tanti, age 18, is one of the youth supported by this donation. She is living at Jyoti Snehalaya. She said, “I had a very bad childhood. My father died when I was 3 years old. My mother married another man. My stepfather used to beat me. I was the victim of child abuse. I was rescued by Childline, Dimapur and was referred to Auxilium Snehalaya at the age of 5.”

PAKISTAN

Salesian missionaries focus on education for girls in Pakistan.

Salesian missionaries provide social development and educational services to poor youth and their families in centers in Lahore and Quetta, Pakistan. Salesian schools provide economic benefits, scholarships and accommodations for students from the poorest families so that education is not only accessible but also an incentive for parents to send their children to school.

Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in South Asia at less than 50%. Although the country’s constitution acknowledges free and compulsory education for children and  youth between the ages of 5-16, the rule is often not followed in rural areas for those over age 13.

Salesians have a particular focus on ensuring that young girls are able to start and continue their education. Unfortunately, many girls abandon their studies before the end of compulsory schooling to take care of their families or because of early marriage. This happens in both villages and large urban centers such as Lahore. Some families believe that early marriage will solve the family’s economic challenges.

To help combat this, Salesians provide training programs focused on educating girls and young women about their rights with the aim of creating and spreading awareness and self-determination. Salesians encourage girls and young women to continue their studies. They also organize courses to impart knowledge and skills aimed at learning a trade. One of the students said, “If we study, we can have a brighter future.”

SIERRA LEONE

Don Bosco Fambul in Sierra Leone was able to expand its child-welfare work with a grant secured by Salesian Missions.

Don Bosco Fambul in Freetown, one of Sierra Leone’s leading child-welfare organizations, has added staffing support thanks to a grant from the Flora Family Foundation secured by Salesian Missions. The Flora Family Foundation was established in 1998 by the family of William R. Hewlett (co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company) and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett to support social progress, environmental well-being and cultural vibrancy.

Don Bosco Fambul provides a range of programs to help support youth who are living on the streets, girls who have faced sexual abuse, young women who have forced into prostitution and youth in trouble with the law. With the funding, Don Bosco Fambul was able to add a program manager, advocacy officer and communications officer.

Thanks to the staffing support, Don Bosco Fambul raised public awareness about child sexual exploitation and promoted its Child Line 525 for reporting child abuse and crimes committed against children. Through an advocacy campaign, Don Bosco Fambul staff educated the public about sex offenses, child rights, sexual exploitation and the consequences when these laws are broken. They also provided information on the channels by which the public can access justice in such cases.

A young woman named Mable was one of the beneficiaries of the program. She explained, “I was able to access the resources I needed to change my life. This included education at the Portree Vocational Training Center where I studied hairdressing. During the training, I was given food, clothing and financial assistance. I was even given a start-up kit when I graduated. Today, I make a good living in my salon.”

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Sources:

DR CONGO: Women, minors learn rights/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

INDIA: Donor funding supports 5 Salesian childcare institutions/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

PAKISTAN: Girls learn rights, attend school/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

Salesian Missions

SIERRA LEONE: Don Bosco Fambul expands child-welfare work with grant secured by Salesian Missions/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

World Children’s Day

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY: Salesian Missions highlights educational and social programs that empower youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Women and girls are responsible for getting water in seven out of 10 households without supplies, according to the report “Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) 2000-2022: Special focus on gender” produced by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). This is the first in-depth analysis of gender inequalities in drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in households.

The report indicated 1.8 billion people live in households without water supplies on the premises. It also highlighted that more than half a billion people still share sanitation facilities with other households, compromising women’s and girls’ privacy, dignity and safety.

Women are most likely to be responsible for fetching water for households. Girls are also nearly twice as likely as boys to bear the responsibility, and spend more time doing it each day.

In a press release about the report, Cecilia Sharp, director of WASH and Climate, Energy, Environment and DRR (CEED) at UNICEF, said, “Every step a girl takes to collect water is a step away from learning, play and safety. Unsafe water, toilets and hand-washing at home robs girls of their potential, compromises their well-being, and perpetuates cycles of poverty. Responding to girls’ needs in the design and implementation of WASH programs is critical to reaching universal access to water and sanitation and achieving gender equality and empowerment.”

In response to this ongoing water crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has continued its “Clean Water Initiative” — which makes building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.

Water for villages in Ghana

In a region of Ghana where access to water is a major challenge, two communities now have clean water.

Two communities in Ghana have access to clean water thanks to funding from Salesian Missions. The water project was part of the Salesian efforts to bring water access to the Bono Region of the country. Water remains one of the main challenges in the region.

The water project improved access to quality water for a community and school that are part of the Odumase Mary Help of Christians Parish, which has 16 outstations and 22 villages. Funding provided for a borehole with a hand-pump in the Kojokesekrom community. The community has 700 residents and 300 people who come to the area to farm but do not live there.

The project also provided a mechanical borehole with a water tower and spouts in the community of Chiraa for 340 students, staff and Salesian sisters. In addition, 30 families are also benefiting from this new water access. The Sisters of Holy Family of Nazareth started Holy Family of Nazareth School in Chiraa in 2015. The school has eight classes from nursery school to grade four. The school is located in an undeveloped area and is isolated. The nearby community did not have stable water access. Until this new project, the school had to rely on a stream, which wasn’t a safe water source.

Bathrooms for students in India

Girls are benefiting most from new bathrooms at a school in the community of Maram Khullen, India.

St. John Paul II School in the community of Maram Khullen, located Manipur, India, has a new toilet complex thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The school provides education to 170 students, ages 4-13, with the support of 10 staff members.

The funding was utilized for construction of the entire complex from the foundation to the ceiling and walls. Funding was also used to tile the floor, paint the entire building, and install the toilets and partition them. Separate areas of the building were provided for both boys and girls.

Father Sebastian Chennoth, who is in charge of the school, said, “The whole school will benefit from the toilet complex. It is especially true for the girls in the higher classes. It was not easy for them prior to the new complex. This was more embarrassing when some were sick or had stomach troubles. A few students even used to run to the neighboring houses for their needs.”

Houdina, a girl in class 7, expressed her gratitude for the new toilet complex. “I am very happy now. I don’t feel embarrassed anymore. I never went during school recess to the toilet, but used to go during class time to avoid the gaze of the boys.”

Fresh drinking water in Vietnam

Poor students, families and farmers have fresh drinking water in villages in Vietnam.

Villages in Vietnam have clean water access thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, The projects provided water purification systems and water tanks for the Hoa An Parish in Bac Giang, the Khop village and Thanh Binh Parish in Kon Tum, and the Tac Van Oratory in Tac Van.

The Hoa An Parish has a supply of fresh water for more than 1,000 people. The new water system will also ensure clean water for the 100 children at the Salesian oratory and 20 boarders from the boarding school. Around the parish, there are many poor households with workers staying in rental houses. Ngo Thi Man, a factory worker, is benefiting from this project. With the money she saves on water, she can spend her salary on other basic needs and help support her family back home.

In Kon Tum, more than 1,147 people are benefiting from the water supply in the Khop village where there are poor families working as farmers. Mr. Rhađê, a farmer employed part-time to protect the forest, draws potable water for his family instead of having to get it from streams which are unsafe. He is supplying fresh water to his family and the crops while saving money that he once spent on water containers. There are also 2,700 people benefiting in the Thanh Binh Parish.

At the Tac Van Oratory, there are 500 people in the local parish and 80 boys at the oratory who are benefiting from this new water supply. Around the community there are many poor families who make their living by fishing. Tran Van Ngoc, a fisherman, has an unstable income and is able to draw water for free instead of purchasing water canisters to provide clean water for his family.

First water well for community in Zambia

Village residents in Kamakuti, Zambida, have clean water access for the first time thanks to the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.”

More than 300 residents of the Kamakuti village in Kabwe, Zambia, have clean, fresh water thanks to Salesian Missions. The project provided funding for a new borewell, water tank and pump in the village, which hosts one of the Salesian St. Mary’s Parish village chapels.

St. Mary’s Parish has four village chapels where priests meet people on a weekly basis for catechesis, prayers and sacraments. During the weekdays, the Salesian community utilizes these chapels for daily meetings and fellowship. Local women also use the chapels as meeting places and children’s preschools.

The villages lack basic services including water, proper sanitation and transportation. There is also a lack of education facilities for children, and people travel long distances to access a health center.

This is the first time this community has clean fresh water. Women and children will no longer have to travel a distance to bring back water to the village. Mr. Kasongo, a long-time village resident, could not believe that running water was now available. Another woman shouted, “Our children will live!” Children are often given the only water available from unsafe shallow wells, which can cause health complications that impede their growth.

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Sources:

Photos courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

GHANA: 2 communities gain access to clean water

INDIA: New toilets benefit students

Salesian Missions

UNICEF – Women and girls bear brunt of water and sanitation crisis – new UNICEF-WHO report

VIETNAM: Villages have clean water access thanks to the Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’

ZAMBIA: Village residents have clean water access thanks to the Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’

The post GLOBAL: UNICEF-WHO report says women and girls bear brunt of water crisis first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco House in Aleppo opened their doors to those in need after the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria* four months ago. Today, thousands of people are still living on the streets. Buildings that once might have been strong enough to withstand the quake had previously suffered decay due to 12 years of civil war in the country.

Funding of almost 2.4 million euro was raised by Salesians around the globe for emergency projects in the aftermath of the earthquake. In June, most of those emergency projects concluded to make room for reconstruction, educational projects, and summer camps for children and older youth affected by the earthquake.

One Salesian missionary in Aleppo said, “The situation is calmer now. The need is still great, but in these months we have helped many people. Emergency projects will end this month to make room for reconstruction and other educational and care projects for children and young people. We continue to work on providing psychological assistance and helping them overcome trauma.”

People’s suffering has been compounded by the earthquake and the devastating consequences of the war. Mateo Colmenares, a young Salesian volunteer stationed in Aleppo, explained, “In Syria we find ourselves in a situation of critical poverty due to the war and the earthquake. The basic salary in the country is 150,000 lira (55 euro), but two hours of light a day for a week costs 100,000 Syrian lira.”

The emergency aid projects included hosting nearly 800 people at the Salesian Center in Aleppo and the distribution of daily food in remote villages during Ramadan.

Salesian funding also repaired damaged houses and provided academic assistance to youth, as well as supported people with vouchers for food, electricity and basic necessities. More than 220 families received a monthly economic voucher, 116 families received a single voucher for electricity and another 220 families received vouchers for other purchases. Engineers and laborers helped 40 families with reconstruction of their homes.

Colmenares detailed additional health and education support,“We helped 300 families with the purchase of medicines and another 100 people with health advice from cardiologists and ophthalmologists. We have also provided school assistance to children between 10 and 16 years of age thanks to our youth centers, helped 900 children and university students to pay school fees, and supported 600 children in obtaining school supplies.”

Thanks to an agreement with a shoe factory, Salesians also distributed 800 pairs of shoes through a voucher for people in need. The aid extended beyond Aleppo. Salesians provided food to 300 people in Kafroun and are currently distributing 450 vouchers for the local market.

In the coming months, Salesians will be facilitating summer camps for more than 1,000 children. The camps are designed to help youth overcome psychological trauma, and Salesians will provide free transport, food, snacks and teaching materials.

Even after all these efforts, Salesians have no intention of slowing down. They reported, “We will continue with educational projects and give priority to teaching languages, because 90% of young people leave the country — boys, to avoid military service, which can be indefinite and take them to war and girls because they do not have professional opportunities in Syria.”

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Syria – Salesian aid in Syria since the earthquake last February has reached thousands of families

Salesian Missions – Syria

*Any goods, services or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post SYRIA: Salesians highlight emergency aid after earthquake first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) In November, Central America was hard hit by two Category 4 hurricanes. Hurricane Eta hit on Nov. 3 and Hurricane Iota hit less than two weeks later on Nov. 16. Hurricane Eta made landfall south of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and then Iota made landfall less than 15 miles south near the town of Haulover. The torrential rains brought deadly landslides, flash flooding and destruction across Central America. More than 200 people have died as a result of the storms with millions more impacted and in need of help.

Salesian missionaries across Central America, including Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras, are responding locally to help those in need with shelter, food, clothing and more. Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has launched a new fundraising campaign to help with this relief work.

Salesian missionaries across Central America are responding with shelter, food, clothing and more for those in need of hurricane relief.

“The stakes are high for those impacted by these hurricanes, especially now when we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Because Salesian missionaries live in the communities where they work, they are perfectly positioned to respond in times of crisis. They know the local landscape and can ensure that relief aid is provided to those most in need.”

The Salesian community of Carchá, Guatemala, has eight priests who serve 350 villages, including more than 5,000 Indigenous students. At least 40 of the villages have been directly affected. The rains, strong winds and landslides have damaged houses with some completely destroyed under flood water. Many roads have been lost and some communities are no longer reachable. People have lost everything and are facing a challenging road ahead. Villages have opened their schools and churches to welcome displaced people.

Right after Hurricane Eta, Father Vittorio Castagna, a Salesian missionary stationed in San Pedro Carchá, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, said, “It hasn’t rained for three days, yet the water continues to rise and people are unable to go out. I saw some of them with deep sadness, feeling alone and insecure. The displaced people are now crowded into a very small place. It is a very uncomfortable environment, and this is indeed a trial for them.”

In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, students in the 2021 graduating class at San Miguel Salesian Institute launched a fundraiser to support the people affected. With COVID-19 safety measures in place, more than 1,000 people from the Francisco Morazán and Cortés departments were provided food, personal hygiene items, clothes, shoes, sheets, bedspreads, mats and bio-safety equipment.

The initiative also received the support of the Past Pupils Association from the María Auxiliadora Salesian Institute and San Miguel Institute in collaboration with Mis Manos Son Tus Manos Association. Rector Father Horacio Macal and the entire Salesian community also participated.

Salesian missionaries in these local communities are still assessing the damage and working to respond to people in need. In support of this work, Salesian Missions has launched its Central American Hurricane Relief Fund. Those who want to support these efforts are urged to donate online at salesianmissions.org/lp/hurricane-central-america/. 

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Sources:

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

ANS – Honduras – Pupils from “San Miguel” Salesian Institute help over 1000 victims of Hurricane Eta

GUATEMALA: COVID-19 pandemic complicates Hurricane Eta response

Salesian Missions

The post CENTRAL AMERICA: New appeal to help people impacted by hurricanes first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the article, the program offers an opportunity for vocational students with an interest in automotive mechatronics to be a part of the Mercedes-Benz family by undergoing the skills training that certifies quality technicians in the automotive industry. Don Bosco Banpong Technological College is the fourth to join this program under the German-Thai Dual Excellence Education (GTDEE) initiative. The Samutprakan Technical College, the Eastern College of Technology and the Don Bosco Technological College are also offering this training.

During the signing of the partnership agreement, representatives from Mercedes-Benz awarded Level B vocational certificates in automotive mechatronics to 30 graduates of the program in training centers in Thailand. These graduates are the second group of Thai vocational students awarded certificates issued by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) in Germany. All of the graduates have already been recruited by 12 Mercedes-Benz authorized dealers, according to the Carrus Home article.

“Salesian missionaries know the local economy and develop strategic partnerships to help educate poor youth in high-demand employment sectors,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian programs aim to provide youth with the technical education needed to find and retain long-term employment in order to help them break the cycle of poverty and contribute back to their families and communities.”

Thailand has shown considerable economic growth over the last 20 years, reducing its poverty rate from 21 percent in 2000 to 10.9 percent today, according to the World Bank. Although the country has made strides in reducing poverty, improving nutrition and meeting the basic needs of its residents, inequality is still pervasive.

Salesian programs across Thailand focus on education and workforce development in partnership with social development services that work to meet the basic needs of youth and their families living in poverty. Nearly 1,000 students attend each of the Salesian Professional Training Centers in Thailand. These centers mostly focus on students who have performed poorly in more traditional schools or have learning challenges. Those who graduate from the Salesian training courses are typically able to find immediate employment because the programs taught are tailored to meet local demand.

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Sources:

Destination Thailand News

World Bank – Thailand 

The post THAILAND: Don Bosco Technical College and Mercedes-Benz partner to provide technical training for youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Kakuma is operated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with Salesian missionaries in the country as well as several other humanitarian organizations. The camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

As noted in a recent Anadolu Agency article, refugees are able to take classes at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center to ensure they will have the skills to rebuild their countries if they are able to go back home.

“We are arming ourselves with skills, which we will use to rebuild our countries when we go back home,” said Soieso Fumba, a Congolese refugee in the Anadolu Agency article.

The article noted that Fumba watched as militants killed her family. She fled and never looked back and has been afraid to return home because the area is still too dangerous. During her time at Kakuma, she is making the most of the opportunities at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center.

“When I came here, I was a student. I used to speak French — not even a single word of English. Now I will leave this place a designer, a professional one, if I may say. I design clothes, I make my own patterns, and I am sure that once I leave this place for my home country, I will bring change,” added Fumba in the article.

The article cites another story of 32-year old Kabat Hasafa, who ran away from Ethiopia because he felt his life was in danger.

“I am learning at Don Bosco Technical School. I study carpentry and joinery. I am living at the Kakuma 3 Refugee Camp. I fled from my country because of some political issues. You know in our country there is ethnic federalism. Ethnic federalism is not supported by the majority. I can say that, so I oppose that. Somehow, I have been harmed because of my ideology so that is why I came,” said Hasafa in the article.

He notes that the skills he has acquired at the Don Bosco center will help him provide for his family. In the article, he went on to say, “It is helping a lot because now I am a student. But after I finish this course, I can use what I learn here so I can do my business and survive. So I will start a family and then life will continue as long as the UNHCR is alive.”

Gashane Mulambo, a 23-year-old Congolese plumber who lost his parents and sister to tribal war, said things have changed for refugees in Kenya.

Salesian missionaries operate four technical training facilities in the camp. The main center offers all the technical trades as well as a literacy and math program. Another technical school offers agriculture education where youth learn advanced farming skills. Still another is a technology-focused center that combines community technology access with computer training. The newest facility is offering classes for adults in carpentry, welding, sewing and English.

Over the past few years, Salesian technical programs in Kakuma have successfully trained thousands of youth in viable trades to earn a living and care for their families.

“The refugees usually come here with their skills and experience while many others get their skills from here, so they can easily work in the country of asylum and can contribute to the local economy,” said Danya Kattan, a livelihood officer at UNHCR Kenya responsible for the livelihood of refugees at the Kakuma refugee camp, who was also quoted in the Anadolu Agency article.

He added, “The component of capacity building when it comes to vocational training will help them to be economically inclusive and also get them to work — not only in the country of asylum, but also when they head back home to their country of origin as they participate in the reconstruction of their country.”

Salesian missionaries have had an established presence in the Kakuma refugee camp since 1993 as a UNHCR implementing partner in vocational training in Kakuma. UNHCR notes that the camp was originally established in 1992 to host thousands of Sudanese refugees fleeing from civil war.

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Sources:

Anadolu Agency – Kenya’s Kakuma camp gives refugees hope

KENYA: Salesian Missionaries Provided Technical Training to 3,774 Youth in 2015

The post KENYA: Salesian missionaries offer vocational skills training to ensure refugees a better life at Kakuma Refugee Camp first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the Niti Aayog website, Atal Incubation Centers nurture innovative start-up businesses in their pursuit to become scalable and sustainable enterprises. These incubators provide support for physical infrastructure in terms of capital equipment and operating facilities. They also provide support for mentoring the start-ups, business planning support, access to seed capital, industry partners, trainings and other relevant components required for encouraging innovative start-ups. Atal Incubation Centers are being set up in specific areas such as manufacturing, transport, energy, health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation.

“These incubation centers in Assam will create a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovative start-ups, which will lead to employment generation and overall development of the region,” said Vikramjit Kakati, Assam Don Bosco associate professor of mechanical engineering and administrative officer, in the article.

According to the provisions of the award, Atal Innovative Mission will provide a grant-in-aid of up to Rs 10 crore for a maximum period of five years to cover the capital and operational expenditures to establish the Atal Incubation Centers. A total of 2,676 applications were received from all over India for scale up support of existing incubation centers and Atal Incubation Centers in the second-round call for applications by the Atal Innovation Mission.

“Salesian programs aim for innovation and to aid marginalized communities to have the skills training and resources they need to find, and even create, long-term employment that will help them break the cycle of poverty,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This and other projects in India help these communities to be competitive in the labor market and aid Salesian students to gain financial security.”

India has the world’s fourth largest economy but more than 22 percent of the country lives in poverty. About 31 percent of the world’s multidimensionally poor children live in India, according to a new report by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. A multidimensionally poor child is one who lacks at least one-third of 10 indicators, grouped into three dimensions of poverty: health, education and standard of living.

India’s youth also face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

Atal Incubation Centers

Northeast Now – Assam Agricultural University & Don Bosco University get Atal Incubation Centres

World Economic Forum – 8 things you need to know about India’s economy

Assam Don Bosco University

Assam Agricultural University

Photo courtesy Assam Agricultural University Facebook page

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The goal is to train 4,600 youth in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan so they are able to secure jobs in the new economy and build better career paths. This project was a great fit for Axis Bank Foundation, which through its vocational training projects focuses on creating employment opportunities for school dropouts, unemployed youth from rural parts of India, tribal communities and women, according to The Times of Bengal article.

Don Bosco Tech and Axis Bank Foundation have had a partnership that spans five years. During that time, Don Bosco Tech has trained more than 50,000 youth and provided employment opportunities that allowed them to obtain a sustainable livelihood.

“This second phase of the skill training program, supported by Axis Bank Foundation, helps us to achieve our 2022 goal of equipping 2 million underprivileged youth with market-driven skills in mechanical and service sectors. This will prepare them for gainful employment leading to a sustainable livelihood. This partnership certainly will be a new model in furthering India’s ability to ensure a new generation is ready for the workforce,” says Father George Mathew, assistant director of Don Bosco Tech, in the Times of Bengal article.

Salesian programs across India are primarily focused on education. Salesian primary and secondary education in the country helps youth prepare for later technical, vocational or university study. Programs also help to support poor youth and their families meet basic needs of shelter, proper nutrition and medical care in order for students to engage in their education and have hope for the future.

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India. India, which is home to 1.34 billion people (18 percent of the world’s population), will have overtaken China as the world’s most populous country by 2024, according to the World Economic Forum. While India has the world’s largest youth population, the country has yet to capitalize, leaving some 30 percent of this population not in employment, education or training.

India has the world’s fourth largest economy but more than 22 percent of the country lives in poverty. About 31 percent of the world’s multi-dimensionally poor children live in India, according to a new report by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. A multi-dimensionally poor child is one who lacks at least one-third of 10 indicators, grouped into three dimensions of poverty: health, education and standard of living.

India’s youth also face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

The Hindu – India has 31% of world’s poor kids: report

The Times of Bengal – Don Bosco Tech Society and Axis Bank Foundation launch the second phase of Bosco Academy for Skills and Employment

World Economic Forum – 8 things you need to know about India’s economy

The post INDIA: Don Bosco Tech Society partners with Axis Bank Foundation to provide 4,600 youth access to skills training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Father Jorge Crisafulli, director of the center, began this work as part of Don Bosco Fambul’s Girls Shelter in September 2016, when he launched the program aimed at searching for girls in their workplaces where they are surrounded by alcohol and drugs and at risk of danger and exploitation. The goal is to offer them shelter, health, nutrition, education and wherever possible, reintegrate them into their families.

“We realized immediately when we contacted them, that they are children,” he told journalists at a press event in Rome. “They feel like children, think like children, behave like children, and so the streets and prostitution are definitely not for them.”

Fr. Crisafulli described them as “the most vulnerable among the vulnerable.” Soon after working with these young girls, he learned that they were in need of not just economic help, but also medical and psychological attention. Fr. Crisafulli noted that nearly 100 percent of the girls carry STDs and some even have the HIV virus or Hepatitis B.

“No one is lost forever,” he says in the film. “While there’s life and the capacity to dream, there’s always an opportunity to get ahead… These girls have a real kindness in their hearts. They want to help their families, they don’t think about themselves. These girls are the real heroines of this story.”

Aminata was the first girl that Fr. Crisafulli met when he started the program, but she has yet to fully engage and come in off the streets. But Fr. Crisafulli hasn’t given up. He still invites Aminata to attend programs, access shelter when she needs it and receive a hot meal. Many girls have come and gone from the program with much success. Augusta worked as a prostitute to be able to have enough food to eat, but because of Don Bosco Fambul, she now has her own catering business and strives to help other girls make better choices like she did.

A Crux article about the program noted that there are only four Salesian missionaries working each day in the poor quarters of town. They are assisted by 110 staff members and three volunteers. They are also supported by a psychologist and counselors, but the cost is significant. Funding for the programs comes from missionary aid societies, especially Salesian Missions in Madrid, Spain. They also must rely on donations.

Fr. Crisafulli created the new film to highlight the work of Don Bosco Fambul but also to show the impact and why funding is so critical. During a trip showcasing the film, Fr. Crisafulli and his team are hoping to persuade the European Union and the United Nations to support the initiative. In the short term, they hope to employ doctors and gynecologists to be on site to provide medical attention, according to the Crux article.

Close to 200,000 young girls and older women were sexually assaulted during Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, according to UNICEF. And although the war has stopped, the sexual violence against women continues. Young women are at risk for sexual violence, trafficking and forced pregnancy, among other atrocities. Today, one third of girls are forced into marriage and often sexually assaulted by their husbands before their 15th birthday. In addition, 90 percent of girls are subjected to female genital mutilation. The Girls Shelter, which has been in operation for five years, was developed in response to this crisis.

Salesian missionaries, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been victims of sexual assault. Girls that access the shelter services are also able to attend educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network of programs. These educational programs give young women the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

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Sources:

Crux – In new film, girls rescued from prostitution are ‘heroes of the story’

SIERRA LEONE: Don Bosco Fambul Launches New Program Helping Young Girls Caught Up in Prostitution

UNICEF – Sierra Leone

Photo: Still shot from the film “Love” by Raúl de la Fuente

View the film on YouTube

The post SIERRA LEONE: New Salesian short film “Love” debuts in Rome, highlights Don Bosco Fambul’s rescuing young prostitutes from the streets first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Today there are four Don Bosco Technical Centers in Nagaland each with a separate focus, including AIDA Don Bosco complex, Working Women Center, Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Dimapur district and the Don Bosco Youth Center in Wokha district.

Recently, the Don Bosco Tech AIDA graduated 64 trainees who come from 18 different tribes within the northeast region. Graduates received certifications in hospitality, food and beverage service, and assistant beauty therapist.

The officer on special duty to government of Nagaland, national disaster management, Johnny Ruangmei, was a guest of honor at the graduation. According to an article in the Nagaland Post, at the graduation, Ruangmei lauded the initiative taken by Don Bosco Tech to provide skill training to dropouts, particularly in subjects that are much needed in the local economy and abroad.

“It is praiseworthy that these dropouts become employable and are in demand across the world,” said Ruangmei at the graduation according to the article. “Whether you are a matriculate or a doctorate degree holder, it is important to be trained in a specific field. Skill matters today because it will help you to start your own business tomorrow.”

The state coordinator of placement, Anita Kuphu, noted that Don Bosco Tech works for the development and education of the young especially those most at risk through its schools, colleges, universities, technical schools and youth centers, and many more interventions.

In the article, Kuphu further highlighted the unique selling points of Don Bosco Tech such as regular assessment of trainees through weekly tests and monthly assessment, parent meetings, eight-hour training six days a week, training in basic computing, communicative English and soft skills. These additional services run parallel to the training, which includes practical and theoretical lessons along with industrial visits and guest lectures. She noted that 13 recent graduates are already working overseas.

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India given the current state of the country’s economy. With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and, according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

International Labour Organization – World Employment Social Outlook 2015

Nagaland Post – Skill training programme for unemployed youth inaugurated

UNICEF – India

Don Bosco Tech – Dimapur (AIDA)

The post INDIA: Don Bosco Tech AIDA graduates 64 new trainees in the hospitality, beauty industries first appeared on MissionNewswire.

When the organization incorporated as its own nonprofit, it chose the name Don Bosco in recognition of St. John (Don) Bosco, the founder of the Salesians, and his legacy of education and opportunity for poor immigrant youth. Since its inception in 2006, the organization has hosted nearly 800 workers and has a current active membership of 150 men and women.

According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants now account for one-fifth of New York state’s total population and make up a staggering 25 percent of its labor force. Don Bosco Workers advocates for full and fair participation in the labor market through workplace rights education, leadership development and popular education methods for identifying social change goals from within the worker community.

As part of its goal for full integration of immigrant worker members into the labor force and society, the organization is committed to English language instruction and civic participation. The hiring site not only matches worker skills to employer needs, but negotiates wage contracts, provides wage recovery services and advocates for victims of wage fraud.

Through collaboration with other worker centers, Don Bosco Workers has become a formidable voice in advocacy for workers’ rights, in particular the cause to end the exploitation of Latino immigrant workers. The organization was recently highlighted in a Catholic Philly article about protections for immigrant workers.

The article noted that Don Bosco Workers is under the leadership of Gonzalo Cruz (a Mexican immigrant and professional community organizer) and a worker-majority board of directors. The organization partners with five other worker centers serving the Westchester area. “We meet and talk about the problems,” said Cruz in the article.

The article highlighted one recent example of how Don Bosco Workers intervenes and protects the rights of workers. A contractor was holding wages back from his immigrant workforce. Don Bosco Workers has the expertise and know-how to get a state investigation launched and suspend the contractor.

“The problem of wage theft plagues many immigrants, who may not be in the country legally and believe they can’t trust someone should they make a complaint,” added Cruz.

Four years ago, according to Catholic Philly, Don Bosco Workers and Communications Workers of America Local 1103 developed a “No Pay, No Way” campaign. Cruz notes in the video, “I was working 72 hours (a week) and no overtime. I didn’t even know what is overtime.”

Catholic Philly noted that within a year of its launch, 70 businesses had taken the “No Pay, No Way” pledge, which earned them a gold seal to affix to their store window to show customers.

The article also highlighted that Don Bosco Workers helped to start a pre-apprenticeship program in the building trades in the Westchester area. “Those in the program get good wages and benefits, and a good chance too, to get a job in the local community,” said Cruz.

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Sources:

Catholic Philly – ‘Worker centers’ show a new way for immigrants to score wins

Don Bosco Workers

Photo courtesy of the Don Bosco Workers Inc. Facebook page

The post UNITED STATES: Don Bosco Workers, Inc. protects immigrant workers’ rights in Port Chester, N.Y. first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Brigitte Felfernig from Austria is one of the volunteers working at the center. She says youth in Malawi have the potential to achieve great things in their lives through youth centers like Don Bosco.

“We have youth and kids of different age brackets starting from five years old taking part in various sporting activities,” says Felfernig in the Nyasa Times article. “Most of them are passionate with what they do and are open minded on what they want to achieve. They need support and encouragement, especially from their parents, for them to achieve their goals.”

Don Bosco Youth Center hosts more than 600 youth each day from the surrounding townships of Areas 23, 24, 44, Kawale and Chilinde among others, according to the article. The center offers facilities for youth development in sporting disciplines including a football pitch and courts for basketball, netball and volleyball games. The campus also hosts Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute, which offers commercial and technical courses such as fashion arts and beauty, accounting, bricklaying, motor vehicle mechanics, hospitality and information and communications technology.

Praise Mwandira started coming to the Don Bosco Youth Center when she was 10 and is still regularly attending at 23 years old. She says in the article that in addition to having fun, the center has helped her in so many ways including developing skills in networking, self-discipline and team work.

“Every day in the afternoon after school, I come here with fellow members of a volleyball club. We learn new skills in the sport and life skills important for youth,” says Mwandira in the article. “I believe these attributes are fundamental for youth to achieve their desired goals in life.”

Some youth believe that the center has helped them to keep away from alcohol and drug abuse. According to the article, Yamikani Kasapha, 22, is a member of a dancing club and says his life has transformed for the better since he joined Don Bosco Youth Centre six years ago.

He adds that the dancing skills acquired at the center are elevating the status of most club members with some of them acquiring job opportunities as dancing instructors in different institutions. The dancing club, which has 30 members, also takes part in competitions and is hired to perform at various community events.

In Malawi, more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and the majority of households have women as the head of the household, according to the World Bank. Located in southeast Africa, Malawi is a landlocked country bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique to the east, south and west.

Agriculture is a central part of Malawi’s economy but land distribution is unequal and crops are highly vulnerable to the region’s frequent droughts. Few houses have piped water and less than one in 10 Malawians have access to electricity. Water is collected from wells or streams and most cook over an open fire. Malawians deal with hunger and malnutrition on a daily basis. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 45 percent of the country’s children under age 5 are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. Many children also lack educational opportunities and have few options for improving their circumstances.

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Sources:

Nyasa Times – Don Bosco Youth Center Lilongwe is Home for Nurturing Future Talent

USAID – Malawi

World Bank – Malawi

Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute, Lilongwe AND Salesian Province of ZMB, Malawi

(Photos courtesy of DBC Malawi website.)

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The Global Sisters Report notes that in 2016 there were 143 murders Delft, which has a population of roughly 152,000 people. That is almost four times the national murder rate of 25.6 murders per 100,000 people. In August 2016 alone, 31 people, most of them teenagers, were killed in as many days in gang-related violence in Delft. The article also indicates that gangs are strongest in areas like Delft with high unemployment, because young people here have no other option to survive economically. Gangs also bring other issues to the neighborhood including violence, crime, and drug and alcohol addiction.

Sr. Mainero said in the article that she believes that teaching young people concrete skills, combined with a healthy dose of confidence-building and faith learning, will help graduates land jobs that will keep them out of gangs. She said, “The great concern is that the gangs take the young people in at a very early age. The children are familiar with gangs, and they grow up with that as something normal.”

Sr. Mainero added in the article that many teenagers who come from broken families are desperate for a sense of belonging. Gangs provide both a surrogate “family” as well as a way to make money through theft or drugs. “It’s all part of the environment that is conducive for the kids to join the gangs,” said Sr. Mainero in the article.

“At any time of the day, there are shootings, because gangsters perceive people are invading their territory,” added Sr. Mainero in the article. “There is total insecurity. It’s devastating when you have to go out of the house and look around the corner to see if there is some suspicion or shooting that can develop. It’s a constant feeling of being alert, because even at lunchtime, the morning—any time is good to shoot.”

Through her work at the Jubilee Church of St. Lawrence, a Catholic church in Delft, Sr. Mainero is overseeing the construction of the Don Bosco Skills Training Center, which is expected to be completed in March 2018. Once built, the center will initially serve 15 youth at a time and provide training in literacy, computer literacy and hospitality skills, along with soft skills like self-confidence and responsibility. These courses will be designed for high school dropouts, a serious problem that further limits employment opportunities in a place where jobs are already scarce.

Poverty is extensive in South Africa with more than 45 percent of the population and more than 63 percent of children living below the poverty line, according to UNICEF. A significant percentage of the population struggles to survive on less than $1 a day. The country is plagued by high crime rates and violence against women and girls. It has been the hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis in the world. There is an urgent need for education to help prevent the spread of the deadly virus and to help lift youth out of poverty.

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Sources:

Global Sisters Report – Where gangs are family, job training offers chance to escape violence

UNICEF – South Africa

Salesian Institute Youth Project (in Cape Town)

Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Delft Skills Training Centre’s Facebook page

The post SOUTH AFRICA: New vocational training center aims to educate poor youth, provide alternative to gang life first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This year’s theme is a continuation of “Getting to Zero” which has been an ongoing theme and focus of UNAIDS since 2011. In the last week of November, UNAIDS released a new report showing that countries are getting on the “Fast-Track to end AIDS by 2030” as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report notes that by adapting to a changing global environment and maximizing innovations, countries are seeing greater efficiencies and better results in treatment and prevention of the disease.

The report highlights that at the end of 2014, 36.9 million people were living with HIV and as of June 2015, 15.8 million people living with HIV were accessing antiretroviral therapy, up from 13.6 million in June 2014. This is a significant increase compared to 7.5 million people in 2010 and 2.2 million people in 2005. At the end of 2014, UNAIDS estimated that new HIV infections had fallen by 35 percent since the peak in 2000 and AIDS-related deaths had fallen by 42 percent since the 2004 peak.

“Every five years we have more than doubled the number of people on life-saving treatment,” said Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS in a recent press release about the new report. “We need to do it just one more time to break the AIDS epidemic and keep it from rebounding.”

In the report, UNAIDS urged countries to ‘break the AIDS epidemic’ by doubling the number of people receiving HIV treatment within the next five years. The organization highlighted the life-changing benefits of antiretroviral therapy that helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and has contributed to an increase in the global number of people living with HIV.

Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has a long-standing commitment to prevention education, testing and access to treatment for those living with HIV/AIDS.

In South Africa, youth living on the streets are often faced with severe poverty, lack of education, abandonment, abuse and exploitation. Many have also been affected by HIV/AIDS as the country has been the hardest hit by the epidemic. To address these issues, the Salesian-run Life Choices organization has been providing health education, leadership classes, life skills training and HIV/AIDS services that have impacted more than 138,000 youth since its inception in 2005. Originally started with the support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) grant funding, Life Choices has been able to expand over the years with the support of donors and corporate sponsors.

Life Choices programs are offered in schools and students in grades 4 through 12 participate in educational workshops and activities designed specifically for each age group. The programs benefit youth by employing a multipronged approach to HIV/AIDS prevention. This approach not only offers health education on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, but also offers life skills training, parent/teacher/community support, recreational activities, sports, youth camps, counseling and job placement services.

Life Choices’ Health4Life program provides one-on-one services to youth in schools and communities. It offers group talks around reproductive health, one-on-one psychosocial support and HIV counseling and testing sessions. The program also helps to connect youth who test positive to the medical services for ongoing support and antiretroviral therapy they need. The services aim to promote physical, mental and social well-being among youth with a special focus on HIV prevention and intervention.

“Access to healthcare and education as well as supportive services help youth improve their quality of life,” says Sofia Neves, managing director of the Life Choices program. It is important for young people to have access to the information and support that enables them to make healthy life choices in a supportive atmosphere with trusting adults they can turn to for information about prevention, testing and treatment options for those affected by HIV/AIDS.”

In Cambodia, the Don Bosco Children Fund provides services and support for AIDS orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Phnom Penh, the capital and largest city of Cambodia and surrounding areas. More than 840 youth are receiving education and health services as a part of the fund’s Project HIV/AIDS. Through Project HIV/AIDS, the Don Bosco Children Fund aims to provide holistic and proactive programs on primary healthcare and education, improve children’s health and welfare with antiretroviral therapy and encourage public awareness and community involvement.

Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in more than 5,300 primary and secondary schools and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools. To date, more than 3 million youth have participated in Salesian programs operated by more than 30,000 Salesian missionaries in more than 130 countries around the globe. Salesian programs provide poor youth and their families access to education, workforce development, humanitarian relief, youth clubs, health services, feeding programs and more.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

UNAIDS – World AIDS Day 2015

2015 UNAID World AIDS Day Report 

The post GLOBAL: World AIDS Day: Salesian Missions Highlights Programs Providing HIV/AIDS Education and Health Services first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The new college campus was built thanks to an alliance between the Antofagasta Industrial Association and the Salesian Province and was financed by the CODELCO and El Abra companies in Chile. The college started with 490 students and offers technical and vocational education for the industrial mining sector providing specific courses in mining, industrial mechanics and industrial electricity. Education is free for its students and classes are offered in both English and Spanish.

“The college is a sign of social co-responsibility in the field of education which is the first and main task of a society that attaches importance to culture, ethics and values,” says Father Alberto Lorenzelli, Provincial of the Salesian missionaries in Chile. “Salesian schools provide an educational environment of high academic excellence and generate opportunities for the most disadvantaged while promoting coexistence and living together in a family atmosphere.”

Salesian schools, social development services and workforce development programs throughout Chile are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many hope for a more positive and productive future. According to the World Bank, although the economy in Chile is one of the more stable and prosperous in Latin America, a little more than 5 percent of the population live on just $2 a day. The country suffers from high economic inequality which is particularly evident in access to educational opportunities.

“Although the education system in the country is far-reaching, many poor and disadvantaged youth fall through the cracks,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Throughout the country, young people from poor families lack the educational opportunities available to the middle and upper classes.”

Salesian technical schools in Chile cater to students who have dropped out of school and are seeking a second chance. In many programs, students complete their education while engaging in internships with local employers increasing their hands-on work experience and chance of gaining livable wage employment after their studies are completed.

“Salesian missionaries working in Chile focus their efforts on providing education and social programs to poor and at-risk youth,” adds Fr. Hyde. “At Salesian schools, universities and youth centers throughout the country, youth can access an education as well as the skills and resources necessary to find stable employment and improve their standard of living.”

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Sources:

ANS – Chile – Opening of Don Bosco Colegio Técnico Industrial in Calama: a dream that is still being realized

World Bank – Chile

The post CHILE: New Salesian Industrial College Provides Education in the Mining Field for 490 Students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

PARA has set up 759 human rights clubs in 587 schools impacting 32,420 students in the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Human rights clubs are part of PARA’s Human Rights Education Program that is carried out in cooperation with the United Nations sponsored Institute of Human Rights Education.

“Youth in every region and in every culture around the globe are entitled to basic human rights,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Through educational programming, Salesian missionaries fight tirelessly each day to make sure the voices of marginalized youth are heard. Human rights clubs help to enhance this work and make sure every child knows his or her human rights and is able to become a part of the development process.”

Youth in India, especially those living in poverty, are faced with child abuse, neglect, exploitation and forced child labor at an alarming rate, according to UNICEF. India has the largest number of child laborers under the age of 14 in the world and many are forced into dangerous occupations and live on the streets. In 2010, India passed a landmark law mandating that all children between the ages of 6 and 14 be in school, but according to UNICEF, millions of children remain in the workforce. Full implementation of the law was to go into effect in 2013, but child workers can still be found in almost every industry in India. The problem is enforcing the law, particularly in high poverty regions of the country.

UNICEF also notes that millions of girls in India face discrimination, exploitation and sexual and physical abuse because of their age and their gender. A UNICEF report, “Hidden in Plain Sight 2014”, details the incidence and prevalence of interpersonal violence against children and highlights global figures and data from 190 countries. The UNICEF report notes that violence against children is often so prevalent and deeply ingrained in societies that it can go unseen and is many times accepted as the norm.

Because physical and sexual violence is hidden from public view and tolerated in some societies, it is challenging to gather true statistical data on the magnitude of the problem. In India, a total of 48,338 child rape cases were recorded from 2001 to 2011 but researchers are aware that many more cases go unreported. Fear of social stigma and further victimization often stop children and their families from reporting these crimes.

With more than 400 million poor people, or one-third of the world’s poor, according to UNICEF, ensuring youth have access to education in order for them to find stable employment at the appropriate age and break the cycle of poverty, is a priority in the country. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

The goal of PARA’s human rights clubs is to ensure that youth are aware of their basic human rights as well as the resources available for prevention and ongoing support. PARA’s advocacy efforts with the government have resulted in more than 167,000 government teachers trained in human rights education. In addition, human rights lessons have been added to mainstream state school text books. Human rights clubs tackle issues relating to child marriage, sexual assault and exploitation, child labor, school dropout rates and the rights to nutrition, clean water and sanitation and adequate infrastructure for home and school.

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Sources:

Don Bosco India – National Convention of Human Rights Clubs in Schools

Salesian Missions – India

UNICEF – Hidden in Plain Sight September 2014 Report

The post INDIA: Salesian Human Rights Clubs Impact 32,420 Students across Two of India’s States first appeared on MissionNewswire.

While 86 percent of people living in Uganda make their living through farming, more youth are seeking jobs in urban areas often leaving small agricultural plots of land in rural areas uncultivated. The soil in Uganda is fertile with two rainy seasons and two harvests per year. In 2013, a first attempt was made to involve youth in the cultivation of the land through an agricultural project raising geese and ducks, pigs, goats and cows. After two years, the raising of the animals was successful but the farming of the land did not yield enough vegetables to feed the students at the school.

In 2015, with better farming techniques and better cultivation of the land, the farm produced cabbage, carrots, onions, beans, corn, manioc, eggplant, peppers and sweet potatoes in abundance. Recently, the program expanded to include a piggery with three pigs, one of which produced eight piglets that will be raised on the school farm. With a goal of eventually raising more than 200 pigs, construction has begun on the piggery in order to house a larger population of pigs and install water pipes to be used for cleaning as well as providing drinking water for the animals.

“The Don Bosco Children and Life Mission is in a constant state of improvement to increase its agriculture output in order to provide nutritious food for its students,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Thanks to this agricultural project, many youth have also learned a trade that guarantees them future employment and the ability to help their communities.”

With the addition of more quality teachers, the agriculture program continues to expand its training. The goal of the school is to provide young farmers with a basic education as well as advanced studies in the latest agricultural practices and modern technologies while moving towards efficiency in farming by exploring and testing new techniques in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandry. The school provides both classroom education and hands-on agriculture and livestock training on a working farm on the school campus.

Close to 67 percent of Ugandans are either poor or highly vulnerable to poverty, according to UNICEF. While the country has seen some economic growth as well as improvement in its Human Development Index ranking over the last 20 years, the country still ranks near the bottom at 163 out of 188 countries. After decades of war left many displaced, the people of Uganda face many significant challenges as they work to rebuild their country.

Uganda’s literacy rate has improved with 73 percent of the population literate but only 23 percent of Ugandans go on to acquire a secondary education. According to UNICEF, one of the biggest challenges in the country is combating the serious increase of HIV/AIDS that has left millions of children orphaned.

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Sources:

ANS – Uganda – Agricultural education for young people of Don Bosco Kampala

Don Bosco Children and Life Mission

Human Development Report

UNICEF – Uganda 

The post UGANDA: Salesian Missionaries Provide Agriculture Training to 140 Students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Located on the west coast of Africa, Senegal has close to half its population living in poverty. Crop failures due to extreme weather have impacted the economy and, combined with a recent ban on street beggars, has taken away the only source of income from many families. A recent report by the Chronic Poverty Research Center found that not only are 60 percent of households labeled “poor or vulnerable” but there is a possibility that the poverty will be passed on to the next generation. A sign of hope in the country is the steadily increasing percentage of children enrolled in primary school, which according to the World Bank has reached 86 percent.

Inequalities between men and women exist in the country with many women unable to access education or equal opportunities in the labor market. Women only represent 13 percent of all those employed. Contributing to the high rate of unemployment is a high rate of illiteracy among youth in rural areas, especially women and girls.

To address these challenges, Salesian missionaries opened Center Kër Don Bosco in January 2015 as part of an ongoing Salesian educational building project facilitated by Solidaridad Don Bosco, a non-governmental organization that is part of the broader Don Bosco Network in Spain. The new center provides education, vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities to disadvantaged youth and women.

Focused specifically on helping women gain opportunities in the workforce, the center is offering two literacy classes as well as a safe space for studying. Women in Senegal are often heads of households but lack the training and confidence to try to enter the workforce or advance into higher paying jobs. The center’s goal is to help women connect with their peers and provide access to employment training to boost confidence and improve employment prospects.

Boasting a large multipurpose room, computer room, three laboratories, two classrooms for literacy education, a meeting room and some offices, Center Kër Don Bosco  sits right in the middle of the neighborhood and is open to those seeking educational services. There is an information office which provides notices about upcoming training and work opportunities as well as counseling and career guidance. The facilities at the center are also available to community associations for organized meetings and activities as well as for sports, leisure and recreation activities for children and youth.

“Salesian missionaries opened the new center in Senegal to address the high rate of unemployment and limited skilled labor among poor youth in the Yoff district,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “In addition to serving local youth, the center is focusing on training women who are often underrepresented in the workforce and lack educational and advancement opportunities.”

Prior to the opening of Center Kër Don Bosco, there were few places for disadvantaged youth to access the skills and qualifications necessary to develop a trade and gain stable employment. To address this need, Salesian missionaries are offering vocational training in tailoring, cooking, plumbing, construction and yarn dying. In addition to classroom training in these subjects, students will have the opportunity to apprentice in local businesses where they will have access to hands-on training by professionals in their fields. In this way, students will be able to apply the lessons and skills learned in the classroom in a real working environment while also accessing social skills training to prepare for stable long-term employment.

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Sources:

ANS – Senegal – Project on behalf of disadvantaged women comes to an end

Chronic Poverty Research Center – Chronic Poverty in Senegal

Don Bosco Network

World Bank- Senegal

The post SENEGAL: Center Kër Don Bosco Trains 220 in Professional Trades and Literacy Education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The border between the United States and Mexico spans 1,969 miles and has more than 20 checkpoints along its route. Constant migration is taking place between the two countries with Mexican migrant workers traveling to U.S border towns seeking employment and immigrants from both countries crossing back and forth in addition to cases of undocumented Mexicans being repatriated.

Many border towns are plagued by crime and violence such as the illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons, money and people where the consequences of social and political tensions between the two nations are felt. Salesian missionaries have been working in Mexico and in these border towns for more than 25 years and have recently increased cooperation between the Salesian Province of Mexico-Guadalajara and the Province of USA West. The goal is to work together to address the increase of violence and insecurity in the region and launch proposals for education, social integration, drug prevention and combating the effects of organized crime.

According to UNICEF, there are 52 million people living in poverty in Mexico, approximately 45 percent of the country’s population. For children, the rate rises to just over 53 percent with more than 20 million youth estimated to be living in poverty and 5 million of those in extreme poverty.

Salesian missionaries in Mexico primarily direct their efforts toward the country’s at-risk youth, including girls and young mothers. Creating safe havens and improving educational opportunities are essential to deter youth from life on the streets where they are susceptible to drugs and gang violence.

“Young people need environments where they feel safe,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “In many Mexican cities that are branded as violent and chaotic, Salesian work has revealed that there are many youth living there who are full of dreams and talents and who have high hopes for a productive and happy future free from violence.”

Currently, the Tijuana Project is serving more than 9,000 people in six Salesian oratories, a parish and a public dining hall which serves food to close to a thousand homeless and migrant people every day. The entire project is facilitated by six Salesian missionaries with the help of volunteers, local collaborators and benefactors in both Mexico and the United States.

In support of the project, Salesian missionaries in the U.S. have been organizing “missionary weeks” for young volunteers. This year, volunteers from Bellflower, California worked together in the oratories and in the public dining hall where they fed those in need, organized activities for children and accompanied youth in charitable activities.

“Every day there was a chance to give of their best for the good of others. There is not much time to rest in Tijuana, there is so much work to be done,” said Armando Prieto, one of the volunteers taking part in a missionary week.

Innovative Salesian programs in Mexico are preventing poor children from dropping out of school and are providing important opportunities for their future. At-risk children take part in Salesian programs that integrate education, social activities and technical training. Classes are also offered in sports, music, dance and drama and give youth access to safe environments and adults who serve as mentors. The goal is to guide youth back into mainstream education so that they can reach their full potential.

“Salesian missionaries in these communities continue to provide education, safety and the promise of a better future for youth in need,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Our programs in Mexico differ depending upon the needs of each specific community but they all share the goal of providing education while building a sense of dignity and self-worth.”

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Sources:

ANS – Mexico – A mission of solidarity with those most in need

UNICEF – Mexico

The post MEXICO: Salesian Tijuana Project Serves More Than 9,000 People Living in Poverty first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The donation by IRN provided new desks, chairs, tables, bookcases and filing cabinets for Salesian-run institutions in Abidjan including a parish, a school, several houses for street children and a youth center called Village Don Bosco. Desks and chairs help to provide a more dignified and organized educational environment for students to complete their studies. As a result, students are often more focused on their classroom work and more prepared for their lessons.

“I frequently go to Village Don Bosco to study and with new individual tables our study conditions will improve,” says Florentin, a 19 year old Salesian student. “We can prepare our lessons in better conditions and this will help us improve our academic performance. We are thankful for this donation.”

The Institution Recycling Network was started in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every educational, commercial and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

“There is a clear match between Salesian Missions’ need for furniture and equipment for their worldwide projects and the supplies of surplus to which IRN has access,” says, Mark Lennon, principal of the Institution Recycling Network. “Salesian Missions has been an excellent partner.”

IRN partners with nonprofits who are known to be reputable and effective providers of relief and development assistance and who are able to use the types of surplus that IRN can provide. The organization has a “wish list” from each of its nonprofit partners of the types and quantities of surplus they can use.

When a project comes to IRN, it makes a match against these wish lists and offers the surplus to the most appropriate nonprofits. At this point, surplus is offered on a first-come-first-served basis; the first nonprofit(s) to express interest in the surplus, receives it. In many cases, a single nonprofit will claim the entire project but in some cases, the surplus will be split among two or more organizations.

“There is almost infinite demand in the U.S. and worldwide for good quality surplus so IRN’s surplus program will continue to grow,” says Lennon. “The school or company that supplies the surplus pays IRN for the service of matching their surplus with our nonprofit network. In almost all cases they pay IRN much less than they would pay to bring in dumpsters and throw the surplus away.”

In addition to this shipment to the Ivory Coast, additional furniture from the same source has been donated to Salesian programs in Sierra Leone, Vietnam, East Timor and Liberia.

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Sources:

Institution Recycling Network

Salesian Missions

The post IVORY COAST: More than 560 Youth at Salesian Programs Benefited from School and Bedroom Furniture Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, Radio Don Bosco develops a theme around which all its programs revolve. This year, the focus is on education for peace. By the end of 2016, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in the DR Congo. Father Wilfried Mushagalusa, director general of the station, has noted that the goal this year is to prepare youth to face the elections with confidence, maturity and responsibility.

The radio station has received praise from the DR Congo government for its innovative and important programming. The country’s governmental minister of communications said last year that Radio Don Bosco was among the most important radio stations in the region and constitutes a real instrument of human promotion for young people. The radio station is in the process of seeking funding and assistance to repair some broken equipment to continue operations. In January 2016, lightning struck the building where the station is located and damaged much of the equipment, especially the transmitter.

“Salesian missionaries have been working in the DR Congo for more than 100 years ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Primary and secondary schools lay the foundation for early learning while Salesian trade, vocational and agricultural programs provide youth with an opportunity for a stable and productive future. The radio station is yet another avenue to reach youth and promote hope through education and social development services while giving those new to the workforce a chance to gain experience.”

The DR Congo has been plagued by intense civil war and internal conflict since the outbreak of fighting in 1998. As a result, there have been close to 5.4 million deaths, according to the International Rescue Committee. Most deaths resulted from non-violent causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition, all typically preventable under normal circumstances but often fatal in times of conflict. Close to 1.5 million people have been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring countries after having fled the country to escape the continued violence.

Young people make up about 19 percent of the country’s population but account for 47 percent of deaths during this conflict. Poverty is rampant, according to UNICEF, and 72 percent of rural households and 59 percent of urban households are poor. Nearly 40 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and most of the population lives with moderate to serious food insecurity. The 2013 Human Development Index ranked the DR Congo186th out of 187 countries and territories listed.

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Sources:

ANS – Democratic Republic of Congo – Radio Don Bosco Lubumbashi, a meeting point for young people

UNICEF – DR Congo

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post DR CONGO: Radio Don Bosco Provides Youth Post-Graduate Work Experience first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The association’s members are former students from the Don Bosco Missionary Seminary, formerly the High School Aspirantate, which closed in 2005 and paved the way for the current school. Several past pupils are in the medical profession including Dr. Alex Junia, a cardiologist and current president of the Philippine Heart Association as well as coordinator of the medical clinic.

The annual medical clinic was held in cooperation with the local government of Lawaan, a barangay of Talisay City. Government social workers were able to identify those most in need of medical care and coordinated their attendance at the event. The clinic provided medical consultations, pediatric clearances and referrals, glucose tests, blood pressure examinations, ECGs, medical ultrasounds and free medicines. Close to 200 packs of rice with noodles were also distributed to those who needed the nutritional support.

“The health of people we serve is very important to us,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The work we do in the Philippines and in programs around the globe goes beyond education. We serve the whole person by making sure that basic needs like health and nutrition are met in addition to other social service needs.”

Access to nutrition, education and health services is essential to creating a sustainable society and optimistic future. More than one year after Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda) devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, Salesian missionaries continue to work in the region to assist those who lost their homes and their livelihoods. While missionaries have successfully completed many community rehabilitation and rebuilding projects that have allowed survivors to return to their normal lives, there is still much work to be done.

“Salesian missionaries are engaged in a wide range of programs to improve the lives of the people in the Philippines,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Poor youth and their families receive support at community health centers, orphanages, parishes and youth centers. In addition, education is provided through Salesian-run primary, secondary, technical and agricultural schools – many of which provide room and board to their students.”

More than one quarter of the population of the Philippines lives in poverty, according to UNICEF. Poverty is most severe and widespread in rural areas where 80 percent of the population–close to 88 million people–make their home. The poorest Filipinos are indigenous populations, small-scale farmers who cultivate land received through agrarian reform, landless workers and fisherman. In addition, poverty rates are higher for women than men.

Illiteracy and high levels of unemployment contribute to the elevated poverty rate. With more than 11 million out-of-school youth in the country and drop-out rates doubling as children reach secondary school, access to education becomes a critical step in breaking the cycle of poverty.

Throughout the Philippines, Salesian missionaries offer a variety of educational and social development programs for youth, many with an emphasis on recreation and sports activities. The goal is to provide the opportunities necessary to gain an education and skills training to break the cycle of poverty and retain long-term employment.

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Sources:

ANS – Philippines – Past Pupils hold Medical Mission

Don Bosco Formation Center Facebook

Don Bosco Formation Center Website

UNICEF – Philippines

The post PHILIPPINES: Past Pupils of Don Bosco Hold Medical Clinic Providing Care for Children and the Elderly first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The development of eco-clubs follows both the call by Pope Francis to promote sustainable development initiatives and the United Nations Millennium Development Goal that calls for ensuring environmental sustainability.

Begun in 2012, the eco-clubs are part of a program run by the Office of Planning and Development of the Salesian Province and have 163 active clubs with close to 3,100 student members in various districts of Tamil Nadu. The clubs promote respect for nature and good hygiene practices. They also organize environmental activities, events and festivals and celebrate major anniversaries. To date, club members have cleaned more than 200 locations, planted 5809 trees and conducted 29 environmental awareness programs that have benefited 1,750 people.

“In 2012, in the light of the many summits about the environment that were taking place, we planned with our student body to initiate a new program that was simple and practical,” says Father Albert Johnson, the Salesian Provincial of Tiruchy. “The eco-clubs have grown over the years and are now spreading across the area and diversifying in their focus and work. The community has greatly benefited both by the activities of the club and the education it provides.”

The eco-clubs are now focused on some new initiatives including waste management, creation of gardens and orchards, dissemination of practices for the reduction of non-degradable materials, promotion of organic farming and solar energy systems for the future. In addition, the clubs are planning to develop and introduce courses on environmental education in Salesian schools and train women to recycle household waste and to prepare bio-fertilizers.

The program organizers are focused on developing strong student leaders to operate and direct club activities with the goal of teaching them important environmental practices while instilling knowledge and leadership skills that will extend through the generations. Salesian missionaries and students are working to replicate the clubs in other parts of India.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

ANS – India – The Eco-club for sustainable development

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: Salesian Eco-Clubs Receive Award for Innovation and Sustainability first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This is the second campaign run by Salesian organizations in Spain to help the people of Benin. In 2014, a container was shipped carrying rice, lentils, beans, pasta and other non-perishable food items as well as donated school supplies, bicycles and t-shirts. The items were donated to several Salesian programs in Porto Novo that provide education, workforce development and social services for poor youth and their families.

“Campaigns like these are a great example of how youth in Salesian programs are able to take what they have learned and pay it forward, supporting families in other communities in a time of need,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Both campaigns for Benin have been possible thanks to the cooperation of many individuals, small businesses, supermarkets, food suppliers and local shops.”

Salesian programs in Benin provide food, clothing, shelter, medical services and education to poor youth. With the goal of caring for youth in supportive environments with access to education and training, Salesian missionaries in the country hope to help break the cycle of poverty and provide hope for the future.

The Saint Joseph Center, run by Salesian Sisters in the city of Parakou in northern Benin, operates with financial assistance from UNICEF and offers children refuge from the cycle of poverty and exploitation. The Salesian Sisters at the center ensure that children receive nutritious meals and enroll in nearby schools, providing the essential support their families cannot. At the Vocational Training Center Laura Vicuña in Benin’s largest city, Cotonou, Salesian Sisters are working with young girls, many of whom have been victims of trafficking, providing shelter and education that includes training in skills and trades in order to create more stable lives for them.

In 2013, Salesian missionaries at Foyer Don Bosco in Porto Novo launched a program as part of a European Union collaborative initiative called, Development and Action in the Republic of Benin. The four year initiative focuses on the protection of youth at risk in the areas of Littoral, Ouémé and Alibori. Through this program, Salesian missionaries are working to strengthen the collaboration, coordination and teamwork of the state and non-state bodies engaged in the protection of children as well as work to identify children at risk, offer them advice and education and rehabilitation. The program is also creating awareness among local authorities and community leaders in addition to the general population on the protection of children and the need for community programs to safeguard their rights.

Youth in Benin face overwhelming challenges in combating poverty. According to UNICEF, Benin remains one of the poorest countries in the world with close to 70 percent of its population living in poverty. Almost 20 percent are chronically undernourished and the effects of poverty in rural areas are severe. Child labor and trafficking are also concerns with about half of all children between the ages of five and 14 engaged in some form of labor.

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Sources:

ANS – Benin – 23,000 kilos of aid for Benin

UNICEF – Poverty in Benin

The post BENIN: Salesian Programs in Spain Support Food for Benin Campaign with Recent Shipment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Real concerns remain about how the village with so few members will survive. When the village had 270 residents, it was already a challenge to sustain the community working together under challenging weather conditions, frequent water shortages and other threats to growing crops and raising animals. Recently, there has been growing concern about how to work the fields to gather enough to eat with so few people as well as concern about prevention methods to stop another Ebola outbreak.

Having first visited Kumbrabai during the Ebola outbreak to distribute food, water and other aid, Salesian missionaries are now bringing hope to the village by starting projects to improve residents’ health, hygiene and sanitation practices and enhance agricultural capacity for the long-term sustainability of the community.

“Salesian missionaries in the region developed a fondness for the people of Kumbrabai as they helped them cope with the effects of the Ebola epidemic,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco “From the start, they resolved to support concrete, sustainable projects that could help villagers become more self-sufficient and hopeful for the future. The first project, a newly installed water well, is just one small step toward that overall vision.”

Kumbrabai is only accessible via poorly constructed country roads and is surrounded by dense vegetation that during the rainy season turns into soggy marshland. Villagers used a small swamp of dirty water for drinking, washing, watering their animals and even as a toilet. The new water well will provide safe drinking water and water for agriculture as well as opportunities for people to learn healthy habits like hand washing, that can help protect against many diseases. Before the well, nearly two-thirds of Kumbrabai’s crops were lost to weather conditions, including drought, annually.

The new water well is the result of a renewed focus on clean water initiatives by Salesian Missions. According to Water.org, more than 750 million people do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. The lack of clean water causes more than 3.4 million deaths each year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related causes.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions has made building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.

Looking ahead, missionaries plan to further expand agricultural expertise among the villagers of Kumbrabai by teaching new farming techniques and animal management practices and distributing seeds. And, they intend to create a local school where children can, for the very first time, begin their primary education.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions- In Sierra Leone, a Village is Reborn

Water.org

The post SIERRA LEONE: Salesian Missionaries Install New Well in Village Hard Hit by Ebola first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 1.5 million street children in the Philippines, about 75,000 of whom are living in Manila, with thousands more ending up homeless every month. Drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth.

“Most of the children who end up on our streets are forced into a life of sexual abuse and drugs, and are rounded up into crime syndicates often having no one to turn to,” says Sister Marivic Ana, executive director of the Laura Vicuña Foundation. “The girls are often abused by their own peers and others looking to exploit them and then they become victims of trafficking. They come to us severely traumatized.”

In 2012, the Laura Vicuña Foundation received the Impact Award under the Protection Category in the Asia Pacific Region from the Stars Foundation in London. The comprehensive work of the foundation, particularly its pioneering child protection clinic on wheels and its three Children of the Canes national conferences focusing on a socially responsible sugar industry, were highlighted as programs that helped it secure the award. The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco used the $100,000 prize money received with the award to help build a larger facility for the healing and recovery of sexually-abused girls. The new building also houses a training center and the foundation’s offices.

“We focus our efforts on reaching out to children in their communities, schools and even homes which is why our mobile protection unit is so effective,” adds Sr. Ana. “We want to extend the reach of that unit to child laborers in the sugarcane industry. These children are highly at risk from hazardous labor, from trafficking and from sexual exploitation. Taking a second mobile unit out into the plantations where these children are is the only way that we can intervene now and offer them protection.”

The Laura Vicuña Foundation also offers technical education to empower youth by training them in the skills necessary to find and retain stable employment and lead lives free from poverty and exploitation. In addition to attending classroom seminars, students enrolled in the foundation’s technical training programs have access to hands-on skills training and internships set up through the foundation and the local business community.

“Traditional classroom learning is an important part of any education program, and when students are able to take those skills and practice them in an interactive learning environment, there is added educational value,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries are preparing students for long-term stable employment while providing a steady workforce for growing industries in the Philippines.”

Throughout the Philippines, Salesian missionaries offer a variety of educational and social development programs for youth, many with an emphasis on recreation and sports activities. The goal is to provide the opportunities necessary to gain an education and skills training to break the cycle of poverty and retain long-term employment.

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Sources:

Laura Vicuña Foundation

UNICEF – Philippines

The post PHILIPPINES: Laura Vicuña Foundation Provides Hope and Healing for Victims of Abuse and Exploitation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

One the most urgent needs in Morobo is access to clean, safe water. The nearest water source is in Juba which requires residents to make a long daily trek to carry water back to their homes. From November to May each year, South Sudan experiences a dry season and most sources of surface water dry up. According to The Water Project, an organization that provides access to clean, safe and reliable water across sub-Saharan Africa, this lack of surface water forces millions of South Sudanese to leave their homes in search of water. Some have to abandon their homes and move all together while others are forced to trek miles every day to collect water from ponds, marshes, ditches or hand-dug wells.

Women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households and globally, spend 140 million hours a day collecting water. Children in these communities are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells. Often the water they find is contaminated with disease-causing parasites and bacteria and if drunk, results in pain, sickness and even death, especially for infants and children.

The new water well project in Morobo provides the local people drinking water as well as water for sanitation and daily chores. Missionaries constructed the water well by drilling a borehole and installing a hand pump. Its construction will improve the health of residents, increase agricultural production and lead to a better quality of life for families, especially for girls and women.

“From safe drinking water and healthy sanitation to agriculture, water is essential for life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian Missions has made building wells and other projects that supply fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”

Don Bosco Gumbo includes a Salesian parish, secondary school and youth center and offers educational and social development services to youth and their families living in Morobo. For some, the education offered at Don Bosco Gumbo’s secondary school is the only opportunity to gain an education and the skills necessary for future employment.

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with 55 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Only 27 percent of the population aged 15 years and older is literate, with significant gender disparities. The literacy rate for males is 40 percent compared to 16 percent for females. Less than one percent of girls complete primary education.

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Sources:

The Water Project

World Bank – South Sudan

The post SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian Missionaries Dig New Well Providing Close to 4,000 People Clean, Safe Water first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The donated rice-meals will provide nutrition for 320 students at the Enjabulweni Free Primary School, one of the schools under the Manzini Youth Care umbrella. The meals are provided to students during the school day and serve as an incentive for families to send their children to school. As a result of the donation, students are thriving. Many have gained weight, suffered fewer illnesses and become more focused on their studies. Teachers are seeing better student performance in class, a decrease in absenteeism and an increase in program enrollment rates as a result of the feeding program.

“Access to nutritious meals allows youth to be better prepared to take part in school activities and focus on their education,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Prepared students are more likely to learn valuable skills that will help them gain employment and break the cycle of poverty in their lives while enabling them to give back to their communities.”

The shipment also included bars of soap and girl’s dresses from Little Dresses of Africa, a nonprofit organization that provides relief to vulnerable children throughout Africa and beyond. As part of Manzini Youth Care, Salesian missionaries provide education and shelter for 28 girls age 8 to 21 at the Zakhele and Ngwane Park homes. Girls in these programs will benefit from the food aid donation as well as the soap and dresses.

Manzini Youth Care was established in the 1970s and provides services to marginalized youth including free primary school for children who have dropped out of school due to poverty, two vocational training centers for older youth, residential care for former street children and a drop-in school for street children when they first come in off the streets. Manzini Youth Care also serves the communities surrounding the city of Manzini to help residents improve their living standards, sanitation and food security.

“The poverty situation in Swaziland is getting worse and during my 45 years here I have experienced so many really desperate cases,” says Father Larry McDonnell, director of Manzini Youth Care. “More and more the signs of an ever deepening poverty are knocking more regularly on our door. The food donation is making a difference for our programs. We are sharing the rice with all seven of the poorer Salesian associated schools including two high schools and five primary. For many, the school meal is the only nutritious intake most of the children will get each day.”

Swaziland is a landlocked nation almost entirely contained within the northeast corner of South Africa. The country faces numerous challenges including poverty, chronic food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and a climate that is often unpredictable. According to the World Food Programme, nearly 25 percent of Swaziland’s children suffer from stunted growth as a result of malnutrition. With 63 percent of the country’s population living below the poverty line, the risk of food insecurity is high. Swaziland also has elevated rates of unemployment and income equality.

Few farmers in the country own agricultural machinery such as tractors or ploughs and as a result, must rely on manual labor and traditional farming methods that require them to spend long hours in the fields producing very little food. Unable to produce enough food to support its population, Swaziland residents are vulnerable to fluctuating food prices from food imports. In addition, many households are coping with the impact of HIV which affects 26 percent of those aged 15 to 49 and 42 percent of pregnant women. The high prevalence of the disease among breadwinners and caregivers further compromises food security.

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Sources:

Stop Hunger Now

World Food Programme – Swaziland

The post SWAZILAND: Students in Salesian Programs Receive Better Nutrition Thanks to Stop Hunger Now Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Don Bosco Mariapuram offers social development services and a middle and high school as well as vocational training programs. It also offers credit programs and assistance to poor women to help them start their own businesses. Many youth enrolled in the schools at Don Bosco Mariapuram come from a shelter at the Warangal railway station. Once these street children enter the school programs, they are provided housing, nutrition, clothing, school supplies and an education.

“This construction project will greatly impact Salesian students and provide them better access to safe sanitation and a place to wash their clothes,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We expect this project will reduce the number of children who become sick due to a lack of proper hygiene and safe water and encourage those who have dropped out to return to Don Bosco Mariapuram.”

With more than 1.2 billion people, India’s growing population is putting a severe strain on the country’s natural resources. According to Water.org, close to 104 million people do not have access to safe, clean water and 808 million have no sanitation services. Most water sources throughout the country are contaminated by sewage and agricultural runoff.

While India has made some progress in the supply of safe water, there remain gross disparities in safe water access across the country. The World Bank estimates that 21 percent of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water with diarrhea alone causing more than 1,600 deaths daily. Access to proper sanitation is extremely poor, particularly in rural areas where only 14 percent of the population have access to a latrine. In addition, hand washing is not commonplace and leads to an increase in the spread of disease.

Salesian missionaries across India are dedicated to ensuring that access to safe water is a priority in Salesian-run programs and schools and in the communities in which they operate.

“Water is vital for life,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Salesian Missions has made building wells and other projects that supply fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”

India is home to 25 percent of the world’s poor and more than 30 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. With the largest number of child laborers in the world, India has made significant progress the past eight years reducing the number of out-of-school children from 25 million to 8 million. However, an estimated 11 million children live on the streets facing the daily horrors of rampant exploitation, forced labor, widespread substance abuse and physical violence. Many poor youth see little opportunity or hope for a better life.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions – India

Water.org – India

The post INDIA: New Water Project Gives Salesian Students Access to Clean Water and Sanitation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

New desks, chairs, tables, bookcases and filing cabinets were among the furniture received in Monrovia. Desks and chairs help to provide a more dignified and organized educational environment for students to complete their studies. As a result, students are often more focused on classroom work and more prepared for their lessons.

“This donation is especially important for the children in our schools,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The furniture has contributed greatly to their discipline and learning environment while bringing smiles to their faces. This has been a great contribution to the high school.”

The Institution Recycling Network was started in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every educational, commercial and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

“There is a clear match between Salesian Missions’ need for furniture and equipment for their worldwide projects and the supplies of surplus to which IRN has access,” says Mark Lennon, principal of the Institution Recycling Network. “Salesian Missions has been an excellent partner.”

IRN partners with nonprofits who are known to be reputable and effective providers of relief and development assistance, and who are able to use the types of surplus that IRN can provide. The organization has a “wish list” from each of its nonprofit partners of the types and quantities of surplus they can use.

When a project comes to IRN, it makes a match against these wish lists and offers the surplus to the most appropriate nonprofits. At this point, surplus is offered on a first-come-first-served basis; the first nonprofit(s) to express interest in the surplus, receives it. In many cases, a single nonprofit will claim the entire project but in some cases, the surplus will be split among two or more organizations.

“There is almost infinite demand in the U.S. and worldwide for good quality surplus so IRN’s surplus program will continue to grow,” says Lennon. “The school or company that supplies the surplus pays IRN for the service of matching their surplus with our nonprofit network. In almost all cases they pay IRN much less than they would pay to bring in dumpsters and throw the surplus away.”

In addition to the recent shipment to Liberia, additional furniture from the same source has been donated to Salesian programs in the Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Vietnam and East Timor.

“IRN donations have furnished Salesian schools and development offices in Central America, South America, Africa and Asia,” adds Fr. Hyde. “We plan to continue working with IRN because they are a reliable partner who is eager to assist in our mission and provide quality donations to our programs.”

Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world with 64 percent of its population of 3.5 million people living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. The 2014 Human Development Index ranks Liberia 175 out of 187 countries. Still recovering from the effects of a 14 year civil war that ended in 2003 and the most recent Ebola outbreak, Liberians struggle with social and economic hardships.

Those living in rural areas make up close to 75 percent of the country’s poor and the World Bank classifies Liberia as a low-income, food-deficit country, reporting that half of the population is food-insecure or highly vulnerable to food insecurity. Orphans, street children and adolescent ex-combatants often find themselves on their own facing adult responsibilities with little support and no education.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Liberia since starting a vocational institute there in 1979. Since then, missionaries in the country have been developing programs with a focus on providing youth with the education and skills necessary to transform their lives and their country.

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Sources:

Institution Recycling Network

2014 Human Development Index

The post LIBERIA: More Than 500 Students Benefit from New School Furniture first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ethiopia is experiencing the worst drought the country has seen in more than 50 years. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently announced that agricultural assistance for the upcoming rainy season in Ethiopia is essential to help the drought-affected people as one of the strongest El Niño events on record continues to have devastating effects on the lives and livelihoods of farmers and herders. The agency reported that humanitarian needs in the country have tripled since the beginning of 2015 as the drought has led to successive crop failures and widespread livestock deaths. According to the United Nations, agricultural production in the affected regions has fallen by 50 to 90 percent and the Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency.

As a result, food insecurity and malnutrition rates are alarming in the country with FAO reporting that some 10.2 million people are now food insecure. One-quarter of all districts in Ethiopia are officially classified as facing a food security and nutrition crisis. In addition, the country’s first rainy season is delayed and, with Ethiopia’s main agricultural season fast approaching, farmers need immediate support to help them produce food between now and September for millions facing hunger.

The UN has estimated that nearly 500,000 people leave the country every year or twice that number if consideration is given to illegal migration and victims of trafficking. Due to the drought and food insecurity, many families are leaving the countryside and making their way to cities.

“In the cities, many Ethiopians will receive no help and often do not even find a place to sleep. In this situation there is a significant risk that many will fall victim to traffickers and become exploited and enslaved,” says Father Estifanos Gebremeskel, Superior of the Salesian Vice-Province of Ethiopia.

Using deep wells built by VIS volunteers in recent years, Salesian missionaries and volunteers are currently distributing water to schools, hospitals and first aid clinics, centers for street children, women’s refuges and diocesan centers. The goal during this emergency phase is to support the 12,000 residents of the Somali, Tigray and Oromia regions and those living in the South.

“A crisis of this magnitude calls for a swift response,” says the President of VIS. “We work alongside the Salesians in collaboration with local institutions and associations to help people overcome this terrible drought. They need emergency responses, but we also need to build infrastructure that can last over time.”

A Stop Human Trafficking Campaign, supported by VIS and the Association of Don Bosco Missions in Turin, Italy, is actively providing education and awareness programs to combat trafficking of potential migrants. The campaign also aims to establish development projects in the country to address the root causes of migration.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of providing educational and support services to poor youth in Ethiopia. Missionaries operate six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers in the country. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while accessing services including family sponsorship and school feeding programs. These supports reinforce the missionaries’ goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible. In addition, water and sanitation issues are regularly assessed by missionaries working in programs throughout the country and new water well projects are planned and implemented as needs arise.

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Sources:

ANS – Ethiopia – 10 million people at risk of hunger: human traffickers ready to take advantage of the drought

UN News Center – Ethiopian farmers need urgent assistance amid major drought, warns UN agency

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian Missionaries Working with VIS Volunteers are Helping to Provide Water to 12,000 During Drought first appeared on MissionNewswire.

By providing analysis and research on the real reasons for migration, informing potential migrants about the risks of the journey and the real chances of success and giving individual guidance to those who want to leave, the campaign is working to deter young people from leaving countries where people are most at risk of human trafficking such as Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Ghana. In collaboration with Salesian missionaries in Africa, the campaign will also raise funds to help with program development in targeted countries in Africa.

The campaign has already found success in Senegal after research there showed that nearly 40 percent of youth leaving the country are leaving in search of better educational opportunities. Funds raised through the campaign are helping to provide scholarships to students in Senegal so they are able to access educational opportunities within their own country.

Salesian missionaries developed the campaign to meet the needs of the migrant youth who enter their programs in Europe and in Africa. In 2014, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) produced A Global Report on Trafficking in Persons which offered the first global assessment of the scope of human trafficking and what is being done to combat it. Based on data gathered from 155 countries, the report shows that more than 1.2 million children worldwide are victims of child trafficking which accounts for just over 20 percent of all trafficking victims. In some parts of Africa, children make up the majority of trafficking victims and in parts of West Africa, children account for nearly 100 percent of trafficking victims.

The report also notes that close to 80 percent of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation with the victims being predominantly women and girls. A surprising finding from the report is that in nearly 30 percent of the countries assessed, women make up the largest portion of traffickers. The second most common form of human trafficking, accounting for 19 percent, is forced labor. Although, research notes that this may be underrepresented because forced labor is frequently harder to detect than trafficking for sexual exploitation.

“From awareness programs in communities to radio programs, the Stop Human Trafficking campaign is utilizing a number of different methods to reach its audience,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The campaign is also using real stories of young people who have returned home after having been victims of human trafficking, which has been quite effective.”

Since the launch of the Don Bosco Child Protection Center in Ghana in 2014, Salesian missionaries have been providing residential services and educational programs to victims of child trafficking. As part of the campaign, the center is also providing information on the risks of illegal migration including interviews with children who survived their migrant journey and returned home, videos, radio programs and local newspaper stories in addition to sponsoring forums, films and debates in rural areas.

“This campaign has been successful in reaching thousands of youth and creating awareness of the many forms of fraud, trafficking and exploitation facing those who venture on such migrant voyages while at the same time giving information on the possibilities for development that exist in these countries,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

Stop Human Trafficking Campaign

The post ITALY: Stop Human Trafficking Campaign is Helping to Prevent Exploitation and Abuse first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The emergency food relief was made possible thanks to an ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit Christian organization committed to, “feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit.” The partnership has resulted in the donation of 10,000 kgs of rice meals to help provide food security for 40,000 displaced flood victims residing in settlements along the Paraguay River. Any remaining rice meals will be distributed to Salesian programs in the region.

“Salesian missionaries are an integral part of the existing infrastructure in many countries and Salesian Missions plays an important role in making sure aid from the United States reaches its destination country and gets into the hands of those who need it most,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries in Paraguay are responding to the ongoing needs of flood victims and working across the country providing education and skills training to help youth excel in the workforce.”

The ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children has resulted in 40-foot containers of fortified rice-meals being shipped to Salesian sites around the globe. Feed My Starving Children provides the food and Salesian Missions takes care of the cost and logistics of shipping each container from Feed My Starving Children warehouses to the destination country. Salesian Missions also works to help identify where the greatest needs are at any given time. The partnership began in early 2006 when the first 40-foot container was donated to and shipped by Salesian Missions for programs in Sri Lanka. Through the years, as Salesian Missions has determined beneficiaries in need of Feed My Starving Children food, almost 100 containers of more than 27 million meals have been donated, shipped and received by those in need in more than 25 countries.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Paraguay since establishing a church in Asunción in 1896. Through the years, missionaries have operated educational programs to help advance the skills and knowledge of the indigenous population in the area while promoting strong cooperation with leaders of the indigenous culture. Local Salesian programming supports laws in favor of the indigenous populations, the recovery of original lands, sustainable development, the appreciation of cultural values in each ethnic group and the fostering of internal leadership.

“Through educational programs, Salesian missionaries are focusing on increasing the capacity of indigenous communities,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Youth who lack educational resources remain in poverty. Our programs teach necessary trade skills to advance employment opportunities and give youth the chance of a better life.”

Paraguay is among the poorest countries in South America. According to UNICEF, almost 23 percent of its population of 6.5 million people live in poverty earning less than $1 per day. The gap between the small upper class and the large lower class is extreme and offers virtually no social mobility. Conditions of poverty drive youth into early labor and a lack of literacy in addition to a weak educational foundation compounds the problem. Those in poverty face overcrowding, low quality housing and a lack of access to basic household services. Paraguayans who only graduate from primary school are twice as likely to live in poverty as those who have access to and complete secondary school.

According to the World Bank, those in Paraguay that are monolingual Guarani speakers have almost a 50 percent greater chance of being poor than monolingual Spanish speakers and migrant populations have a 60 percent higher probability of being poor than non-migrants.

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Sources:

UNICEF – Paraguay Statistics

World Bank- Paraguay

The post PARAGUAY: Donation Provides Emergency Food Relief to 40,000 Displaced by Flooding first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The 2016 theme for International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.” This year the U.N is reflecting on how to accelerate and build momentum for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its new commitments under the UN Women’s Step It Up initiative. This new initiative asks governments to make national commitments that will close the gender equality gap – from laws and policies to national action plans and adequate investments.

Some key targets of the 2030 Agenda include: ensuring that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes; ending all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere; eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation; and eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

“On this International Women’s Day, I remain outraged by the denial of rights to women and girls – but I take heart from the people everywhere who act on the secure knowledge that women’s empowerment leads to society’s advancement. Let us devote solid funding, courageous advocacy and unbending political will to achieving gender equality around the world. There is no greater investment in our common future.”— UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon’s statement on International Women’s Day.

Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality through programs targeted specifically for young women and girls. These programs strive to empower young women and girls by providing opportunities for education and training that lead to livable wage employment.

“Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Girls that are empowered though education are more often able to achieve financial independence, marry at an older age and make better and healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

In honor of International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions is proud to share some of its programs around the globe that empower young women and girls.

BOLIVIA

Started in 1992, the Casa Maín girl’s home in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, provides shelter, nutritious meals and schooling for girls and young women with little access to education and those who were once living on the streets. Currently, there are more than 160 girls living and being educated at the home. Casa Maín is comprised of three houses and the girls are divided among them by age. The youngest girls, attending elementary school, live together in one house supported by several volunteer students from the secondary school. A second house provides shelter and peer support for girls attending secondary school while a third house is for young women attending the local university. The university students enjoy a setting that allows them to finish their degrees in higher education in a stable environment while learning how to live independently.

In addition to academic classes, the young women and girls at the home learn skills in communication and conflict management. Additional classes in dance, gymnastics and crafts are provided in the evenings and on weekends. Recently, the organization offered a three-week technology workshop to teach the girls basic computer skills including typing, word processing and drawing.

INDIA

Women from the slums of Mumbai, a densely populated city on India’s west coast, graduated from a Salesian-run 45-day skills training course. The women took courses in basic computing, English, tailoring, garment making, beauty care, hair dressing and mehndi (henna) application. The goal of the training was to help participants become better prepared for employment.

The Don Bosco Development Society in Mumbai which works to empower women in poverty to gain the skills and confidence they need to seek work, facilitated the training. For many of the participants, this was the first time they received educational training since the basic education they received when they were young. Salesian missionaries conducting the program modeled it after Skill India, an initiative by the Government of India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. After the course was completed, many of the students noted that through the course they gained a sense of self-worth that they had not had before. They also felt that the skills and confidence they gained would enable them to earn a living and support their families.

SENEGAL

Center Kër Don Bosco officially opened at the end of January in Dakar, the capital and largest city in Senegal. The new center provides education, vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities to disadvantaged youth and women living in the Yoff district on the outskirts of the city.

Focused specifically on helping women gain opportunities in the workforce, the center is offering two literacy classes as well as a safe space for studying. Women in Senegal are often heads of households but lack the training and confidence to try to enter the workforce or advance into higher paying jobs. The center’s goal is to help women connect with their peers and provide access to employment training to boost confidence and improve employment prospects.

SIERRA LEONE

Salesians at Don Bosco Fambul in Freetown, Sierra Leone, have been running a Girls Shelter for the past two years. Here, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been the victims of sexual assault. Those that access services at the shelter are also able to enroll in educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network. These programs train young women in the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

As part of the rehabilitation program at the Girls Shelter, young women take coursework in hotel management, hairdressing and tailoring. This training helps to empower them to overcome the discrimination they have faced, gain a greater awareness of their rights and boost their work prospects. It also helps to build character while allowing the young women the freedom to make decisions that affect their lives and their health. Recently, both the trainers and the students in these programs were able to present their skills and products to the general public at an exhibition in Freetown.

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Sources:

International Women’s Day 2016

UN – International Women’s Day 2016

The post INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Women’s Education, Empowerment Programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon and have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“Salesian missionaries are trying to help youth and their families focus on normal life amid situations that are very challenging,” says Father Pier Jabloyan, Assistant Pastor at the Salesian center in Aleppo. “In such a situation youth have even greater need for socialization, entertainment and fraternity. They need a quiet place where they can play and talk with their peers and supportive adults. We try to provide that safe space where youth feel safe so they can learn, process their feelings and relax with their friends.”

Despite the ongoing violence, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Salesian missionaries have noted the absence of youth in the area as many have fled to safety in other areas of Syria and in neighboring countries.

“The country is increasingly exhausted and impoverished by the war and the consequences on the living conditions of the population have been devastating,” says Father Munir El Rai, Provincial of the Middle East who visited his home city of Aleppo in July 2015. “People are getting tired and exhausted at the moral, spiritual and material level. As well as the tragedy of death and destruction, every family is now faced with the drama of emigration, with people fleeing the country in search of a better life outside Syria. I have seen the suffering of the people who remain and the loneliness they feel for those who are gone.”

Since the outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and 4.7 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq with a recent flood of refugees now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012 assisting between 400 and 800 refugees each day, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANS – Syria – In Aleppo something terrible is happening, but many people either ignore or do not want to see it

ANS – Syria – “We try to do the normal things, in times that are not normal”

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

The post SYRIA: Salesian Programs Continue Providing Shelter and Education for Youth Despite Ongoing Violence first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In February, Salesian educators from across the country met at the Salesian House in Cochabamba, a city in central Bolivia, to discuss educational priorities and training needs, assess the current educational resources available and to develop new programs for pastoral work, schools for families and pedagogical work. More than 130 Salesian educators participated in the meeting.

“Teachers are the backbone of the Salesian educational system and we are dedicated to providing the support and training they need,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The value of strong teachers can be seen in the accomplishments of youth that graduate from their classes. Salesian missionaries believe that access to education is critical to help youth learn job skills, improve their lives and find a path out of poverty.”

One successful Salesian program in the capital city of Santa Cruz is the Don Bosco Project which offers a safe haven for homeless children with nowhere else to turn. The goal of the project is to provide comprehensive rehabilitation and vocational training opportunities that bring social inclusion and meaningful employment to students. Extending beyond providing emergency shelter, clothing and nutritious meals, the project brings together psychologists, social workers, medical staff and teachers to address the needs of the more than 700 youth who access the program.

“This work is more important now than ever,” says Fr. Hyde. “The number of children living on the streets of Bolivia has reached crisis levels. Without our help, poor youth fall through the cracks of a society bent on pushing them aside and the cycle of poverty and hopelessness continues.”

Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and has the most unequal income distribution on the continent. According to UNICEF, 60 percent of Bolivians live below the poverty line with 40 percent of those living in extreme poverty. The poverty rate is higher in rural areas where the rate increases to 75 percent of the population. It is common for Bolivians to struggle to find adequate nutrition, shelter and other basic necessities.

The geography of Bolivia contributes to the overwhelming poverty of its residents. Large swaths of the country remain undeveloped with a lack of roads and infrastructure in place, negatively impacting the indigenous farming populations who typically live there. Only half of rural children complete primary school and many others leave school to help support their families, according to UNICEF. There are others who are left homeless by parents who cannot afford to care for them and those who leave their homes to escape violence.

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Sources:

ANS – Bolivia – Don Bosco Schools serve thousands and thousands of young people

UNICEF – Bolivia

The post BOLIVIA: Salesian Missionaries Educate 80,000 Youth in 230 Salesian Schools and Educational Programs in Bolivia first appeared on MissionNewswire.

For students at the Don Bosco Primary School located on the Don Bosco Gumbo campus, Salesian missionaries are providing new pens, pencils and school stationary for the new school year. The primary school serves 1,000 children, many of whom are from families who have been internally displaced.

According to the World Bank, almost 83 percent of South Sudanese resided in rural areas before the outbreak of the recent conflict which has displaced more than 2 million people. Only 27 percent of the population aged 15 years and older is literate, with significant gender disparities. The literacy rate for males is 40 percent compared to 16 percent for females with less than 1 percent of girls completing primary education. The Don Bosco Primary School’s mission is to educate all students with a focus on ensuring that girls have equal access to education. Close to 45 percent of the school’s students are girls.

“Girls education is important to us, and we work to ensure that girls are welcome in our school,” says Father David Tulimelli, parish priest at the Salesian St. Vincent de Paul parish which operates Don Bosco Gumbo, “We are grateful to our donors who made it possible that we could provide our students the school supplies they need to be prepared for their lessons and complete their studies.”

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with 55 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. The country celebrated its third year of independence in 2015 but is facing an ongoing civil war that started in December 2013 and has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis.

According to a recent New York Times articles, international aid agencies have developed a report that indicates more than 2.2 million people in South Sudan have fled their homes over the past two years, including some 600,000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries. Last year, according to the report, a new pattern of violence emerged in which government forces adopted scorched-earth tactics burning entire villages, killing their inhabitants, destroying crops and looting livestock. The civil war, which started in northern and eastern states has now spread to the south.

During the first year of the war, fighting was initially between Nuer and Dinka ethnic communities aligned with the rival leaders but of late a wider array of armed groups and communities have been drawn into the increasingly lethal violence. The international aid agencies’ report also detailed the severity of human rights violations and abuses that have increased with the continuation of hostilities in the country and noted that attacks that have singled out and killed children as well as subjected them to sexual violence. Further, the United Nations estimates that as a result of the conflict, 2.8 million people are currently facing “acute” food and nutrition insecurity in South Sudan’s Greater Upper Nile states.

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Sources:

NY Times – U.N Finds South Sudan Increasingly in Turmoil

World Bank – South Sudan 

The post SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian Missionaries at Don Bosco Gumbo are Providing School Supplies and Food Aid to Those Internally Displaced first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The new laboratory is the first of its kind and was made possible through a partnership with New Holland Agriculture, a leading global manufacturer of agricultural machinery. The Teresa Gerini Vocational Training Center is now able to offer a specialist training course for 20 students who have already completed a three-year certificate of professional qualification. Students enrolled in the course will spend half their time taking courses at the training center and half their time gaining experience at companies in the New Holland dealer network or within the CNH Industrial group. Graduates of the program will be highly skilled technicians who will be able to meet the demands of the labor market.

Having grown throughout its seven year history, the TechPro2 project is currently operating in 57 Salesian training centers around the globe with more than 9,300 students accessing more than 240,000 hours of training in eight different languages. TechPro2 aims to help train youth to enter the workforce while meeting the employment needs of the industry.

Both Fiat Chrysler and CNH Industrial require a specialized workforce to provide service in dealerships and authorized service companies. This project is a win-win for both the companies and the students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are able to access technical training and gain the skills necessary to find and retain long-term livable wage employment.

“Salesian missionaries know how important it is to provide poor and disadvantaged youth access to education and employment training both for the individual student’s professional development and for the economy,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Students graduating from the TechPro2 training program are prepared to enter a growing employment sector and many are successful in finding stable long-term work directly after graduation.”

In April 2015, the TechPro2 project developed a new website with innovative features and up-to-date functionality so that students and dealerships can more easily access information. At the end of 2013 in Italy alone, 885 students completed the course in institutions offering the project. More than 45 percent of the graduates found employment directly after graduation, a significant feat given the current state of Italy’s economy.

Europe’s third-largest economy, Italy has close to 2 million children live in poverty, according to UNICEF. With more than 25 percent of the country’s children living in poverty, Italy has the highest percentage of child poverty out of all 25 European countries. The poverty rate has risen in the wake of Europe’s economic crisis and unemployment is at its highest level since the late 1970s with the overall jobless rate at 12.5 percent and youth unemployment as high as 41 percent.

Some youth are unable to attend school and others drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

According to UNICEF, a growing number of youth are living away from their families in temporary shelters and within government and charity programs because of inadequate support from or neglect by their families.

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Sources:

ANS – Italy – Opening of the first laboratory of Agricultural Machinery for the Professional Training of the young

TechPro2

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian Vocational Center Develops New Agricultural Machinery Laboratory first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Don Bosco Development Society in Mumbai which works to empower women in poverty to gain the skills and confidence they need to seek work, facilitated the training. For many of the participants, this was the first time they received educational training since the basic education they received when they were young. Salesian missionaries conducting the program modeled it after Skill India, an initiative by the Government of India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Salesian missionaries living and working in India and in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality though education and workforce development programs targeted specifically for women and girls. These programs strive to empower women and girls by providing opportunities for education and training that leads to livable wage employment. Many women attending the 45-day course initially struggled to balance the demands of the training with their responsibilities at home but eventually found the time and confidence to successfully complete the program.

“In the beginning we were hesitating,” said one student who completed the program. “Since some of us are housewives it was difficult to give time because of housework, cooking and small children.”

After the course was completed, many of the students noted that through the course they gained a sense of self-worth that they had not had before. They also felt that the skills and confidence they gained would enable them to earn a living and support their families.

“Women face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Rolvin D’Mello, executive director of the Don Bosco Development Society. “It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Girls that are empowered though education are more often able to achieve financial independence, provide additional financial support within their households and make healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

ANS – India – Empowering Women for the Future

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: Women from Slums of Mumbai Access Skills Training through Don Bosco Development Society first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The partnership has resulted in a donation of rice-meals that has benefitted more than 20,000 people in Estelí, including students in Salesian schools and those living within poor communities. The majority of beneficiaries have few resources and live in extreme poverty. The donated rice-meals provided to Salesian schools are given to students during the school day as part of a free lunch program begun by Salesian missionaries to meet the needs of the many area families with limited resources to feed their children. The meals ensure students receive proper nutrition and a balanced diet, helping them to focus on their studies and extracurricular activities.

Salesian missionaries and volunteers also distributed donated rice-meals to families in need through community outreach efforts and at local churches. The food aid helped elderly residents receive proper nutrition and aided in improving their strength, health and mental wellbeing. Food aid was also delivered directly to families at home to ensure that children receive more than just the one meal offered at school.

“Many of those participating in Salesian programs in Nicaragua are malnourished,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “For students, this donated food not only encourages them to attend school, it allows them to focus on getting the education they need without worrying about where their next meal will come from. Children cannot learn on an empty stomach.”

The ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children has resulted in 40-foot containers of fortified rice-meals being shipped to Salesian sites around the globe. Feed My Starving Children provides the food and Salesian Missions takes care of the cost and logistics of shipping each container from Feed My Starving Children warehouses to the destination country. Salesian Missions also works to help identify where the greatest needs are at any given time. The partnership began in early 2006 when the first 40-foot container was donated to and shipped by Salesian Missions for programs in Sri Lanka. Through the years, as Salesian Missions has determined beneficiaries in need of Feed My Starving Children food, almost 100 containers of more than 27 million meals have been donated, shipped and received by those in need in more than 25 countries.

“Salesian missionaries are an integral part of the existing infrastructure in many countries and Salesian Missions plays an important role in making sure aid from the United States reaches its destination country and gets into the hands of those who need it most,” adds. Fr Hyde. “Youth who access Salesian programs in Nicaragua are given an educational foundation, technical skills training and life and social skills to help them excel in the workforce. They are then able to break the cycle of poverty and become contributing members of their communities.”

Nicaragua is one of the least developed and poorest countries in Latin America, second only to Haiti, with more than 42 percent of its residents living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty, although declining steadily in recent years, remains high. More than 80 percent of Nicaragua’s poor live in remote rural communities where access to basic services is a daily challenge.

After decades of political instability and vulnerability to natural hazards, the country has achieved a remarkable economic turnaround and is now focusing on innovative ways of reducing poverty. However, years of widespread poverty have taken their toll and many residents suffer from poor health conditions including HIV/AIDS. In addition, crime, violence against women, gang violence and high unemployment result in challenging economic and social conditions, particularly for young people and women.

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Sources:

Feed My Starving Children

Salesian Missions

World Bank – Nicaragua

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“From safe drinking water and healthy sanitation to agriculture, water is essential for life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian Missions has made building wells and other projects that supply fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”

The construction of a simple well improves the health of residents, increases agricultural production and leads to a better quality of life for families, especially for girls and women. Women and children often bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households and globally, spend 140 million hours a day collecting water. Children in communities without access to local wells are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

Salesian well projects in Ethiopia utilize construction techniques compatible with cultural traditions, practices and customs of the region and use locally sourced materials. The new wells will improve sanitation and provide safe drinking water and water for agriculture and food production.

Residents of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia are experiencing chronic food insecurity made worse by recurring periods of drought, low soil fertility and an unsustainable use of natural resources. Agriculture is the primary source of sustenance and survival for communities in this region and the onset of drought has negatively impacted all aspects of family life. In order to address this situation and provide access to clean, safe water, Don Bosco Missions in Turin, Italy is planning to implement a well project. Each well equipped with pump is expected to cost just over $11,000 U.S.

A collaborative project between Salesian missionaries and International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) volunteers began in 2011 and has successfully completed five wells in the Gambella area of Ethiopia. The wells are operated by a hand pump and are between 50 and 60 meters deep, guaranteeing water to local villages that will benefit close to 1,200 people. To ensure that the wells last as long as possible, a village committee has been set up to oversee their management and maintenance.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of providing educational and support services to poor youth in Ethiopia. Missionaries operate six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers in the country. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while accessing support services including family sponsorship and school feeding programs. These supports reinforce the missionaries’ goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible. Missionaries at these programs continue to assess water and sanitation issues for the programs and surrounding villages. New water well projects are planned and implemented as needs arise.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – Wells in Ethiopia to improve the lives of people in the poorest regions

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Water Well Projects Provide Safe Drinking Water and Improved Sanitation during Recent Droughts first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The tour included visits to various stations in the biomedical engineering workshop at the medical center where engineers explained how the equipment works and how technology is helping doctors and nurses provide the best care for their patients. They also shared with the students what it takes to be a good biomedical engineer: a fascination with the creation of tools that help promote peoples’ health.

The high school students also visited the medical center’s clinical simulation laboratory where they were introduced to patient simulators capable of presenting hundreds of medical conditions in realistic scenarios. The lab is used by medical students to build upon their schooling by developing practical hands-on skills. The Biomedical Pathway program at St. John Bosco gives high school students exposure to many of the major concepts behind human medicine with the goal of inspiring them to pursue higher education and a career in health care.

“Biomedical Pathway students have an interest in health care and unique experiences like this where students can meet health care professionals and explore different careers in health care first-hand is invaluable,” says Robert Linares, biomedical pathway coordinator at St. John Bosco High School.

Throughout their four years at St. John Bosco High School, students are taught health and science technology, biomedical ethics, anatomy and physiology, cell and molecular biology and biochemical genetics as well as participate in field work and gain real world experience. Students conduct independent research, participate in medical simulations and attend lectures provided by physicians, research scientists and other health care professionals. Upon graduation, students have a solid knowledge base to build a future on.

Long Beach, the seventh largest city in California, has close to 18 percent of its population under the age of 18. According to U.S Census data, the city has a poverty rate of 22.8 percent which rises to 33 percent for youth under the age of 18. Access to education and hands-on learning opportunities is critical to prepare youth for advanced studies or the workforce.

“Working in more than 132 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries have created a vast network of primary, secondary, vocational and technical schools serving poor youth,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “With a focus on education and workforce development, missionaries provide disadvantaged youth an education and valuable resources to help them find livable wage employment all with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and helping youth lead meaningful and productive lives.”

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Sources:

ANS – United States – St. John Bosco High School Students Explore Careers in Health Care

Census Data – Long Beach, CA

St. John Bosco High School

The post UNITED STATES: Salesian Students Tour Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to Enhance Their Classroom Studies first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 5.8 million Indians die each year from heart and lung diseases, stroke, cancer and diabetes. One in four Indians are at risk of dying as a result of a non-communicable disease before they reach the age of 70. Doctors in the country are also finding that people are being affected by heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases at younger ages.

The WHO notes that globally, more than 4 million deaths are caused by exposure to indoor household air pollution and 3.7 million deaths are attributed to outdoor air pollution each year. Approximately 40 percent of the deaths from indoor air pollution and 25 percent of those attributed to outdoor air pollution occur in Southeast Asia. The poor in India who live near busy roads and industrial sites are disproportionately affected by air pollution as are women and children who spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from cooking stoves.

HIV/AIDS is also a serious concern in India. According to UNICEF, the disease was first detected in the country in 1986 and today there are 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS in India. Close to 38 percent of those infected with HIV are women and 55,000 to 60,000 children are born every year to mothers who are HIV positive. It is estimated that the country has more than 220,000 children infected with HIV/AIDS.

Salesian missionaries care for the sick in nearly 100 clinics and hospitals, located mostly in rural areas, around the globe. The new mobile medical project provided by Salesian missionaries helps address a number of serious and sometimes chronic health concerns faced by youth living on the streets. For some, this is the only medical care they receive.

According to Father Jose Matthew, a Salesian missionary overseeing work in New Dehli, the mobile medical team covers four locations per day. With two in the morning and two in the afternoon, it provides care for more than 20 young people each day. Prepared to address any number of medical conditions, the team  most commonly treats malnutrition but also tends to those with malaria, traumatic injuries, upper respiratory infections, scabies, abdominal pain, abscesses, seizure disorders, conjunctivitis, anemia, viral fevers and infected wounds. Fr. Matthew adds that in addition to medical help, the team provides youth information and counseling on substance abuse including alcohol, chewing tobacco, drugs and the sniffing of correction fluid (a serious problem in India in recent years) as well as educational sessions on health and hygiene that teach preventive measures to maintain a healthy body and mind.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

Lack of educational opportunities in India are often due to issues of caste, class and gender and with 44 percent of the workforce illiterate, there is much work to be done. Less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education and too many secondary graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

UNICEF – India – HIV/AIDS

PHOTO: Getty/iStock 2014: Children play in the streets of a Delhi shanty town

The post INDIA: Salesian Missionaries Develop Mobile Medical Project Providing Health Care for Youth Living on the Streets first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Both the Don Bosco Technical Center and the Don Bosco Hotel School provide two-year skill training programs to poor and orphaned youth between the ages of 17 and 22 years with limited opportunities for education. The Don Bosco Hotel School focuses on hospitality programs to prepare students for work in restaurants, at catering companies and hotels and in other areas of the tourism field. The Don Bosco Technical Center, the largest technical school in the area, offers courses in electricity, electronics, automotive repair, printing, web design, audiovisual editing and production, journalism, social communication, secretarial skills, sewing, culinary arts, hotel management and welding.

Primarily known for its social communication and journalism program, the Don Bosco Technical Center is home to the Salesian-run Audiovisual Center which operates as a teaching institution for media communications while providing audiovisual production services to the local community. Started in 2007 by Father Albeiro Rodas Samnang, rector of the Don Bosco Foundation of Cambodia, the Audiovisual Center trains youth from rural and disadvantaged communities in media communications with the goal of teaching them a viable trade that will lead to stable employment after graduation. In addition to courses in media communications, the center offers workshops facilitated by Cambodian journalists.

The donated rice-meals are provided to students during the school day, and for 161 students who are boarders at the schools, meals are provided three times a day.

“Technical students need the proper nutrition to focus on their studies and fully take part in classroom and in-field training,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Prepared students are more likely to learn valuable skills that will help them gain employment and break the cycle of poverty in their lives while enabling them to give back to their communities.”

Stop Hunger Now partners with Salesian Missions (in New Rochelle, N.Y.) which works to identify needs and coordinate delivery of 40-foot shipping containers full of meals supplemented with additional supplies when available. The partnership was developed in 2011 and since that time, more than 60 shipping containers, including more than 16 million rice-meals, have been successfully delivered to 19 countries around the globe. The meals and life-saving aid has helped to nourish poor youth at Salesian schools and programs and care for those in need of emergency aid during times of war, natural disasters and health crises.

“The partnership with Stop Hunger Now allows Salesian Missions to expand its services for youth in need,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Operating feeding programs for youth in Salesian schools whose families cannot afford to feed them is very important and integral to the success of our students and their ability to gain an education.”

Salesian missionaries have a long history of teaching job skills to youth in Cambodia. Through the United Nations, missionaries began providing technical and vocational education to Cambodian refugees living in camps along the Thai-Cambodian border in the late 1980s. In 1993, at the invitation of the government of Cambodia, a technical School in Phnom Penh was established to republish, translate and write books and educational documents that were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime. The technical school contained the only working printing press in the country – and served as a model of hope through education.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Technical Center

Don Bosco Hotel School 

Stop Hunter Now 

The post CAMBODIA: More than 700 Technical School Students Have Access to Better Nutrition Thanks to Rice-Meal Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian schools, services and programs throughout Chile are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many hope for a more positive and productive future. Salesian schools equip students with a foundational education and the skills they need to compete in the local labor market by offering courses in carpentry, farming, electrical and mechanical engineering, computers and more. Salesian schools also build partnerships with local businesses to help youth gain employment after graduation. This further helps the local economy by providing a well-trained labor force.

According to the World Bank, although the economy in Chile is one of the more stable and prosperous in Latin America, a little more than 5 percent of the population live on just $2 a day. The country suffers from high economic inequality which is particularly evident in access to educational opportunities.

“Although the education system in the country is far-reaching, many poor and disadvantaged youth fall through the cracks,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Throughout the country, young people from poor families lack the educational opportunities available to the middle and upper classes.”

Many of the Salesian technical schools in Chile cater to students who have dropped out of school and are seeking a second chance. And for youth who lack the resources to attend Chile’s universities, Salesian schools provide the opportunity to receive job skills training. In many programs, students complete their education while engaging in internships with local employers increasing their hands-on work experience and chance of gaining livable wage employment after their studies are completed.

“Salesian missionaries working in Chile focus their efforts on providing education and social services to poor, at-risk youth,” adds Fr. Hyde. “At Salesian schools, universities and youth centers throughout the country, youth can access an education as well as the skills and resources necessary to break the cycle of poverty. As a result of the vocational and technical education provided by Salesian programs, Chilean youth are more likely to find stable employment and improve their standard of living.”

Operating for more than 15 years in Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, the Don Bosco Foundation has successfully educated and provided social services to more than 15,000 children and adults. Responding to a rise in the homeless population in the city, Salesian missionaries at the foundation created programs in partnership with other local social welfare programs to meet the basic needs of both adults and children living on the street while providing opportunities for education. Participants are provided shelter, nutritious food, clothing, medical care and an education. Educational programming includes vocational and technical training to help those in need find and retain stable employment. Counseling and recovery services are also offered.

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Sources:

ANS – Chile – The Atacama desert, fertile land for Don Bosco

World Bank – Chile

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A native of Niterói, Neves was 37 when he realized his dream of representing Brazil in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Due to a lack of oxygen at birth, he suffered paralysis in the brain in addition to atrophy of his right arm, neither of which hampered his desire to become an athlete. In 1998, he began training with the Niteroi Association of the Handicapped and in 2015, became the Pan American Paralympic Long Jump Champion after setting a new national record.

Neves spoke to his young audience at the youth center about the importance of trying hard and believing in themselves in order to succeed in life and achieve their dreams. He shared stories of overcoming challenges on his long road to success and stressed above all the importance of setting personal goals and living up to one’s own expectations instead of conforming to others’ expectations.

Elaine Holanda, director of the Salesian Center, appreciated the message Pedro Neves delivered. “Despite all the titles he has won, he has not forgotten his roots,” says Holanda. “He still lives in the community and does not intend to abandon it. His example serves as an incentive for many of our young people, not only from a sporting perspective, but also in drawing up goals for life.”

The Salesian Youth Center has made sports an important part of its educational curriculum. In 2013, the center opened the Social and Sports School, a collaboration between Salesian Missions of Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation. Together, they facilitate the “They play, we educate” program in which participants receive nutritional, family and psychological support, regular health checkups and the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts, reading and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse are also provided. Outside of normal school hours, participants in the program receive sports training by coaches qualified by the Real Madrid Foundation.

The collaboration between Salesian programs and the Real Madrid Foundation has been very successful, granting more than 2,000 youth and vulnerable children the opportunity to participate in similar programs around the globe. This socio-sports program in Brazil is operating alongside 13 other socio-sporting schools in nine countries including Togo, Benin, Congo*, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Portugal, Senegal and the Dominican Republic.

Brazil has one of the strongest economies in Latin America and is an important agricultural and industrial power in the region. Just over 15 percent of Brazilians live in poverty, with the majority living in the rural northeast of the country, according to the World Bank. While Brazil is making positive changes, there are still large gaps between the poor and the rich and issues of income inequality and social exclusion remain at the root of 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 have developed programs that provide youth opportunities for furthering their education and skills.

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Sources:

ANS – Brazil – Overcoming limitations: a testimony to the boys of Niterói

UNICEF – Brazil Statistics

Real Madrid Foundation

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post BRAZIL: Salesian Youth Center Holds Inspirational Talk by Paralympic Champion Pedro Neves first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Students from four Salesian schools in the Cambodian provinces of Kep, Kampot and Takeo were selected to receive the bicycles after Salesian volunteers had visited the schools to determine which children were most in need of transportation. Many children live in remote areas of the country and must travel great distances to gain an education. The donated bicycles will provide the transportation necessary to help students reach their schools faster and more efficiently.

“In a country where less than half of children finish primary school, more than 50,000 children have received the encouragement and support needed to complete an elementary education through the Don Bosco Children Fund since its inception in 1992,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This donation is a great example of a Salesian student from the United States who has benefitted from an education, paying it forward by helping students on the other side of the world access education.”

The donation also included spare bicycle parts and tire pumps as well as eight bags of gently used blankets for the students. Through the Don Bosco Children Fund’s programs, youth not only receive support to continue their education, they also receive a monthly assistance package consisting of goods and cash. Social workers ensure that youth make progress and remain in school and those with special aptitude are further supported and encouraged to pursue college coursework.

“Many parents in Cambodia did not have the same opportunities for education as their children do today so they do not see staying in school as a priority, particularly when many children have been forced to work to bring in extra money for the family,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Youth need the extra support to stay in school and get an education. Salesian missionaries provide that much needed support and stability to help youth achieve.”

Cambodia has a long history of violence that has resulted in a quarter of Cambodians living in poverty and surviving on less than $1 per day, according to the World Bank. About 80 percent of the country’s population resides in rural areas and has limited access to education, healthcare and other public services.

Today, close to a quarter of Cambodians over the age of 15 are illiterate. With very little access to education, poor youth find it especially challenging to break the cycle of poverty. To provide youth with greater opportunity, Salesian missionaries in the country operate 45 schools in poor, rural villages through a partnership between Salesian Missions and the Ministry of Education. Salesian missionaries also operate seven vocational training centers that impart much needed job skills.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Children Fund

World Bank – Cambodia 

The post CAMBODIA: Salesian High School Student Pays it Forward Sending 39 Bicycles to Students Supported by Don Bosco Children Fund first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Father Giampiero De Nardi, a Salesian missionary in San Benito, noted remarkable progress made by a girl from a home for children during her participation in the summer program. Having previously lived with a violent father, she hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with the program. Eventually, she became interested and engaged in the program and found her situation improving. This year, Fr. De Nardi noticed she was actively engaging with the other children and enjoying all the activities.

“Today I took her picture and showed it to her letting her know how good it turned out. Her eyes lit up and she hugged me – something she had never done before. She had never hugged anybody. She had not learned the meaning of a hug,” says Fr. De Nardi.

In addition to the summer youth program, Salesian missionaries in the region offer educational programs and social development services. They have also started several new projects including the construction of a new youth center and distribution of ecological filters for water purification.

Due to complications securing land, construction of the new youth center in San Benito faced many delays. Now that the land has been secured, construction is underway and once completed, the youth center will provide poor and at-risk youth additional educational and social supports and a meeting space to build relationships with peers and engage in safe after-school activities. Tutoring and life skills training as well as recreational activities and sports will also be available.

Additional Salesian-run programs in the El Petén region continue efforts to prevent HIV/ AIDS and provide treatment for those who have the disease. The area has the third worst incidence rate for contraction of HIV in Guatemala. Despite the fact that the project that financed this work has ended, Salesian missionaries continue to do prevention work and offer medical care and other social services for those infected with the virus. Missionaries continue to seek additional funding and are working with the Office for the Prevention of AIDS of the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala which is operating many of the existing prevention programs for women in the country.

Rural poverty hasn’t changed much in Guatemala during the last 20 years, according to the World Bank. Close to 75 percent of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line and almost 58 percent live below the extreme poverty line which the World Bank defines as struggling to afford even a basic basket of food. For the country’s indigenous population the poverty rates jump even higher with almost 90 percent facing crippling poverty and few resources.

Salesian missionaries working and living in the country have been providing for the basic needs of Guatemala’s youth while helping to break the cycle of poverty in their lives. They work extensively with poor youth and their families at youth centers, orphanages, parishes and primary and secondary schools as well as technical schools, vocational training workshops and two universities. Additional social and educational programs help provide for youth living on the streets and those living in poor indigenous communities.

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Sources:

ANS – Guatemala – “Peten was really waiting for waiting Don Bosco”

World Bank – Guatemala

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Started by Father Francisco Oreglia, a Salesian priest, the Don Bosco School was the first institution of its kind in Latin America and has since become a leader in agro-industrial development both regionally and nationally. Salesian missionaries teaching at the school have witnessed tremendous growth in the winemaking industry throughout the years and today the main Argentinean wineries and agro-industrial establishments rely on the school for its production facilities. Declared “A Provincial Heritage of Tourist Interest”, the Don Bosco School is recognized as the birthplace of winemaking in Argentina.

Originally, the Don Bosco School was developed out of necessity to meet the needs of the local winemakers and fruit growers of the time who required fuller and more mature fruits and winemaking expertise. Farming and winemaking was the backbone of the economy of the Cuyo region and the increasing expansion both in terms of volume and quality required trained technical staff who could receive continuing education to enhance their expertise. Students at the school were often poor local youth who might not otherwise have access to education.

“Salesian missionaries have been working in Argentina to provide educational opportunities to poor youth for many years,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian technical and agricultural programs and other services educate youth and help them learn skills to gain stable employment.”

“Investing in agriculture education in developing countries is also vital to a community’s livelihood and essential not only to overcoming hunger and poverty, but also to ensuring overall economic growth for surrounding villages and cities,” adds Fr. Hyde.

Salesian missionaries operate more than 90 agricultural schools world-wide and 10 agricultural programs in Argentina alone. In addition to agricultural programs in the country, missionaries run primary and secondary schools as well as technical and vocational programs.

“Salesian missionaries are working hard to educate youth in Argentina and provide them a path out of poverty,” says Fr. Hyde. “The academic and technical programs offered show how education and training not only benefit the individual student, but also entire communities as graduates return home and share the skills they have acquired or start up local businesses.”

Although viewed as a relatively wealthy country, Argentina has a poverty rate of just over 26 percent, according to the World Bank. Close to 4.4 million people live below the poverty line and the country’s high school dropout rate is close to 20 percent. Youth account for one in three of those unemployed.

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Sources:

ANS – Argentina – 50 years of wine-making

World Bank – Argentina

The post ARGENTINA: Don Bosco School Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence in Winemaking and Viticulture first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The success of the conference was made possible through the support of the Don Bosco Formation Center’s Pastoral Communication students from Talisay City, the Commission on Youth Ministry, the Salesian Youth Movement and FIS Social Communications.

The conference theme was “Ctrl Shift Del: Cyber Teens Responsible Leaders” and utilized commands typically available on a computer keyboard to convey the main conference message of “Teaching the youth to shift their views, control their lives and delete the negativity in social media.” As part of the conference, youth drafted and signed a manifesto against cyber-bullying.

“We see that cyber-bullying is an inhumane, intolerable act and if left unattended, will eventually damage more people and teens like us. However, we, as Cyber Teens Responsible Leaders, can be advocates for its eradication,” the manifesto read.

The manifesto also contained the young leaders’ commitment to advocacy on how to use social media appropriately and effectively.

“We believe that our advocacy begins with defining our boundaries on proper media usage anchored on the values of respect, empathy, discipline, sincerity and compassion. We likewise believe that such advocacy empowers young people like us in accepting our differences regardless of physical attributes, race, social status, economic standing, belief or religion,” the manifesto read.

It went on to say: “Therefore, we commit to be catalysts in an enlightened youth movement that boldly stands up against cyberbullying, raises awareness and educates our fellow teenagers on the responsible use of ICTs and lends voice to those who don’t have the courage to seek help and speak out.”

During the conference, a special Twitter hashtag, #CTRLYouthCon, was launched and conference messages reached nearly 30,000 people during the week following the event.

“Salesian missionaries aim to provide education and tools to help youth lead safe, happy and productive lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This conference covered a very important topic for youth today.”

Having access to education is a critical step in overcoming poverty. In the Philippines, drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth, according to UNICEF. Almost a quarter of the country’s population (including a large percentage of children) live in poverty.

Salesian missionaries in the country offer a variety of educational and social development programs for youth, many with an emphasis on recreation and sports activities. The goal is to provide the opportunities necessary to gain an education and break the cycle of poverty as well as the skills to secure and retain long-term employment.

Sources:

ANS – Philippines – Youth Against Cyber Bullying

UNICEF – Philippines

The post PHILIPPINES: Salesian Anti-Cyberbullying Conference Provides Education to 200 Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Given the struggles in the community, many families turn to Salesian programs for safety, education and social programs. Students taking part in educational programs at the San Juan Bosco Children’s Home concluded their 2015 studies with a presentation of their accomplishments to Salesian staff and administrators. During the presentation, students played the guitar, sang and danced as well as showed off their new computer skills and academic achievements.

The Children’s Home facilitates the Children of Lead project which is supported by the Don Bosco in the World Foundation and serves more than 80 youth from the area who have high levels of lead in their blood.

Puerto Nuevo’s population is contaminated by lead as a result of the environmental damage generated by the storage and transportation of lead ore to the community’s port. Most of the children participating in the Children of Lead project have levels of lead close to 19.9 micrograms per deciliter in their blood. This level is considered highly dangerous and can cause children to suffer cognitive delays.

Salesian missionaries who operate the Children of Lead project provide education and skills training opportunities to the participating children and adolescents while addressing their behavioral and cognitive difficulties. Often because of their cognitive and emotional difficulties, these students struggle in traditional classrooms and are less likely to achieve the higher levels of education necessary to break the cycle of poverty. The project provides specially trained staff to work with the students and also provides the expertise of a psychologist on staff.

The Children of Lead project aims to improve students’ educational outcomes through tutoring in reading, math and other academic subjects while simultaneously offering workshops in interpersonal communication, logic and educational psychology. Activities that include music and dance are also offered through the project and are designed to boost participants’ physical, mental and emotional development. In addition, participants have access to computer classes using online programs and games that help them develop reason and literacy as well as useful technological skills.

“In an economically depressed area where jobs are scarce and future opportunity bleak, adults in Puerto Nuevo face an almost unimaginable choice,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “They can refuse paid work and risk the effects of long-term poverty or they can reluctantly support the presence of mines and refineries at the risk of their children’s health. The immediate need to feed, clothe and shelter their families trumps any consideration of long-term well-being so Salesian missionaries work to help in whatever way they can.”

Peru faces high levels of income inequality and has more than a quarter of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty levels are significantly higher in rural areas but urban areas struggle most with inequality, most notably metropolitan Lima. Poverty in the country is made worse by a shortage of productive farmland and a lack of job skills among women entering the workforce as well as a lack of adequate housing, nutrition and education.

Peru has also been plagued by hunger and disaster. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of children in the country are chronically malnourished. Communities continue to rebuild after an 8.0 earthquake in August 2007 which killed more than 500 people in the central coastal cities of Chincha, Pisco and Ica and injured hundreds more. The quake destroyed close to 60,000 residential and commercial buildings, leveled hundreds of acres of farmland and left countless Peruvians without means of livelihood.

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Sources:

ANS – Peru – Puerto Nuevo: over the violence there is a proposal Salesian

World Bank – Peru

The post PERU: Salesian Missionaries Provide Education and Safety in Violent Community first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The First Professional Experience program provided internships and hands-on work experience to its participants who were placed into a business where they worked for up to four months. Each participant was accompanied by a professional tutor who motivated them and guided their professional development and specialized training within the company. Many of the most well-known companies in the hospitality and tourism industries participated in the program including Meliá Hotels International, Hilton Madrid Airport, Grupo Vips, Parques Reunidos, KFC and the Accenture Foundation.

Javier Llorente, president of the Pinardi Foundation, noted that the program has proved to be an effective way of ending youth unemployment. He also explained that the foundation began by focusing its efforts on students and their individual goals and educational needs and then matched them with the most suitable company.

Pedro Boada, managing director of JP Morgan in Spain, spoke at the presentation of the program about how the successful results demonstrate that collaboration between companies and social organizations ensures youth have access to a better future. He also noted that the program will help to provide better growth prospects for Spain.

Hard hit by the current economic troubles in Europe, Spain now has the greatest inequality of the 27 countries of the European Union. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of Spanish workers are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. One in five citizens are living below the poverty line and poor youth with too few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment.

“With so many young people out of work and facing conditions of poverty in Spain, it is vital for Salesian workforce development programs to respond to market demand,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Students in these programs have a real opportunity to enter the workforce prepared both in terms of the skills they have learned and in their social development, ensuring a lifelong ability to retain livable wage employment and escape poverty.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

For its youth employment projects, the Pinardi Federation develops training programs that collaborate directly with the business sector so that students learn marketable skills and make an easier transition from coursework into employment. It encourages the business community to take an active role in program development as well as meeting with students to help shape standards and students’ academic and social development, ensuring greater opportunities for employment after graduation.

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – First Job, more than just an opportunity

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian-run Pinardi Federation’s First Professional Experience Program Placed Close to 75 Percent of its Participants into Employment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Beginning directly after the war ended, Salesian missionaries sought and received aid for the reconstruction of schools, vocational training centers, medical clinics, bridges and general infrastructure. While they did not receive aid for the reconstruction of churches, missionaries sought financial support from within local communities and Salesian congregations. To date, more than seven Salesian churches have been rebuilt across Angola. In addition to being places of worship, Salesian churches function as community hubs where residents can gather and access services.

“Stable infrastructure is vital in a community,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian schools, churches and community centers provide life-changing services to youth and their families living in conditions of poverty. These buildings also bring a sense of normalcy back to communities that experienced more than 27 years of destruction and war.”

During the civil war, educational disparities were widespread but recent reforms have paved the way for more youth to have better access to education and social equality. According to UNICEF, more than 36 percent of the population lives in poverty. In addition, more than one in 10 children under the age of 14 has lost one or both parents and 43,000 are separated from their families. As a result, nearly a third of these children are working and child trafficking has become an emerging problem in the country.

With a 67 percent illiteracy rate, the educational opportunities provided by Salesian programs can be truly life changing. Through these programs, both youth and adults have access to schools and educational programs. Classes range from simple lessons in reading and writing for adults in refugee camps to shelter and education for street children. Students are also able to access life skills training, workforce development opportunities and nutrition programs.

“At-risk children, teenagers and young adults across the country are achieving in the classroom,” adds Fr. Hyde. “They participate in programs that promote social inclusion, emotional development and access to education.”

In Luanda, the capital and largest city in Angola, the Salesian-run St. Kizito House functions as both a day and night shelter and offers a clean environment for boys who are accustomed to life on the streets. The house has a large playground at the back, ideal for sporting activities, and also boasts a new plumbing system with running water, bathroom facilities and a well-equipped kitchen. Currently, St. Kizito houses 20 boys between the ages of 10 and 15.

At the Don Bosco Sambizanga School in Lixeira, one of the poorest areas within the city of Luanda, Salesian missionaries run the Don Bosco Band. The band is one of many programs offered at the school and serves disadvantaged youth, many of whom have discovered a passion for music through their participation in the program. Started in 2008, the band currently has more than 80 participants.

Organized band activities have replaced idle time when students would often browse the internet or loiter in markets or on the streets with little to do. Participation in the band brings much needed structure to students’ lives as well as teaching valuable concepts like teamwork and collaboration. Participants become an integral part of the band’s larger community and find purpose in working together toward a common goal.

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Sources:

ANS – Angola – Salesians rebuilding churches, schools and infrastructure

Salesian Missions – Angola

UNICEF – Angola Statistics

The post ANGOLA: Salesian Missionaries Rebuild Infrastructure to Deliver Education and Social Programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that there were more than 14,122 total cases of Ebola and 3,955 deaths from the virus in Sierra Leone alone. During the Ebola outbreak, Don Bosco Fambul mobilized its staff and immediately began providing information about the prevention of Ebola. Salesian missionaries worked with local communities to provide food aid and education about Ebola while disseminating protective clothing including long-sleeve shirts and cleaning and disinfecting agents such as chlorine.

In addition, the organization provided 20 mobile hand washing basins fitted with taps and hygiene-related products to Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs for use in Freetown. Brother Lothar Wagner, director of Don Bosco Fambul, noted that the mobile hand washing basins were placed in strategic locations around the city to act as a reminder that good hygiene practices are some of the best methods to prevent the contraction of the Ebola virus.

Since 2010, Don Bosco Fambul has provided a countrywide phone counseling service. The organization began advertising its free hotline as a preventative defense against Ebola in May 2014 and youth were encouraged to call to access critical information about the virus. Since that time, more than 25,000 calls about Ebola have been answered and fielded. The data gathered as a result of the calls helped the country’s national registration office identify Ebola hotspots and crisis regions. The head of Don Bosco Fambul’s telephone counseling department maintained permanent contact with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Social Affairs as well as the Ebola command center. In addition, food deliveries were organized to the quarantine zones identified by these calls. Through the hotline, Don Bosco Fambul brought hope to the children and adolescents of one of the poorest country in the world during a terrible time of crisis.

Don Bosco Fambul, with assistance from the Catholic non-governmental development organization, Manos Unidas of Spain, also transformed a school into a home for 120 boys orphaned by Ebola. This unique care center for orphans on the Don Bosco Fambul campus meets the children’s basic needs while providing schooling and education on health and hygiene. Precautions around health and hygiene, including a focus on preventative measures, are extremely stringent since the orphans have all been in contact with people infected by Ebola.

Youth who do not have extended family to go to are able to stay long-term at Don Bosco Fambul, attend school and participate in activities such as music, dance and organized games. Counseling is also available to help them successfully transition into adulthood.

“Salesian missionaries live and work in the communities in which they serve so they are perfectly positioned to respond in times of crisis as they did during the Ebola epidemic,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “In addition to all of the Ebola related services, Don Bosco Fambul was still able to continue all of its regular programming providing education and social services to children and families who live in poverty.”

Providing crisis intervention services, long-term counseling, shelter, nutritious food and an education, Don Bosco Fambul reaches out to an estimated 2,500 street children in the region each year, many of whom have been abandoned by parents, the government and those who were supposed to protect them. Don Bosco Fambul staff are also active in providing services to young prisoners at the Pademba Road Prison in Freetown.

Don Bosco Fambul has also been running a Girls Shelter for the past two years. Here, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been victims of sexual assault. Girls that access the shelter’s services are also able to attend educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network.

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Sources:

ANS – Sierra Leone – President awards Don Bosco Fambul

WHO – Ebola Stats

The post SIERRA LEONE: Don Bosco Fambul Receives Sierra Leone’s Presidential Award for Its Efforts in Fighting Ebola Epidemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

More than 200 young men and women are enrolled at the school to learn farming and other high demand trades. Courses are offered in planting and care of crops such as rice, corn, vegetables, root crops and fruit trees as well as basic fish farming and forestry. There are also courses in basic mechanics, carpentry, electrical work, computer skills and dressmaking. In addition, literacy and music classes are available in the evening.

The center recently marked its 10-year anniversary with a celebratory gathering that was attended by more than 500 young people. The event included talks on leadership and youth taking responsibility for the future of their nation, numerous sporting activities and a vibrant concert that showcased a variety of talents.

“Most of the students who attend the center are from poor families who have dropped out of traditional schools,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “At the Don Bosco Rural Training Center, these students are getting a second chance to acquire skills that will enable them to find a job and support themselves and their families.”

The center benefits from a partnership with the Rotary Club of North Balwyn, located on the outskirts of the city of Melbourne in Australia, which helps provides program and infrastructure support as well as encouragement to the Salesian missionaries and teachers who operate the center. The club’s support has injected new life and enthusiasm into the center through new ideas and practical suggestions.

Over the last few years, the Rotary Club of North Balwyn has made several donations to the Don Bosco Rural Training Center. This monetary support has funded a three-month intensive training course in rice cultivation for the center’s deputy principal as well as the installation of three new water pumps, a concrete rice-frying platform, 400 mosquito nets and timber for new bunks at the student boarding house.

One of the most important contributions to the center was the purchase and installation of a windmill in 2013, made possible by financial assistance from the Rotary Club, that ensures the supply of fresh water to the rice paddy fields that are integral to a feeding program for the students and teachers. Considered one of Don Bosco Rural Training Center’s greatest achievements is expanded rice production throughout the Solomon Islands by former students who applied the skills learned in Don Bosco programs in their home villages.

“Don Bosco Rural Training Center has the potential to be one of the Solomon Islands’ greatest producers of a new generation of youth who possess the energy, technical skills and integrity to help advance the country,” adds Fr. Hyde.

With almost 40 percent of the population living in poverty, the Solomon Islands is one of the poorest countries in the Pacific region, according to UNICEF. About 20 to 25 percent of youth in the country never attend primary school with 30 percent of those attending, never completing. Limited access to education and an adult literacy rate of less than 35 percent perpetuates the cycle of poverty from generation to generation.

Eighty-four percent of Solomon Islanders reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. Access to health and other social services is very limited and the poor to non-existent access to reliable transport, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure compounds already challenging economic conditions. With the majority of youth living in remote areas with limited educational and employment prospects, overcoming poverty is an uphill battle.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions Australia Province Newsletter – Year in Review 2015

Salesians – Australia – Pacific

UNICEF – Solomon Islands 

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: Don Bosco Rural Training Center Provides Education for More Than 200 Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian programs in Senegal have a focus on sports education. Socio-sports schools in the cities of Dakar and Thies started their programs in 2012 and one in the city of Tambacounda has been in operation since 2010. The overall objective of the schools is to provide students between the ages of 5 and 17 with organized sports that promote positive values and teamwork. The sports programs are provided in addition to traditional vocational education programs and social development services.

During the Real Madrid Foundation’s training course at the Don Bosco Kër Center, Salesian educators learned sports techniques and advanced educational lessons. As part of the foundation’s “They play, we educate” program already operating in Salesian schools across the globe, participants receive nutritional, family and psychological support, regular health checkups and the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts and reading and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse are also provided.

“Sports programs teach youth both on and off the field,” says Father Mark Hyde, the executive director of Salesians Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Learning and playing team sports encourages leadership skills as well as teaches youth to work as part of a team. Students also learn important social skills and have opportunities for growth and maturity.”

The Don Bosco Kër Center is one of the newest Salesian centers in Senegal and provides education, vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities to disadvantaged youth and women living in the Yoff district on the outskirts of the city of Dakar.

The center is part of an ongoing Salesian educational building project facilitated by Solidaridad Don Bosco, a non-governmental organization that is part of the broader Don Bosco Network in Spain. Salesian missionaries opened the new center in Senegal to address the high rate of unemployment and limited skilled labor among poor youth in the Yoff district. In addition to serving local youth, the center will focus on training Senegalese women who are often underrepresented in the workforce and lack educational and advancement opportunities.

Located on the west coast of Africa, Senegal has close to half its population living in poverty. Crop failures due to extreme weather have impacted the economy and, combined with a recent ban on street beggars, has taken away the only source of income from many families. A recent report by the Chronic Poverty Research Center found that not only are 60 percent of households labeled “poor or vulnerable” but there is a possibility that the poverty will be passed on to the next generation. A sign of hope in the country is the steadily increasing percentage of children enrolled in primary school. According to the World Bank, that number has reached 86 percent.

“Salesians in Senegal have been providing vocational and technical training programs to local youth and women for many years,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The constant expansion of our programs is important to us and provides access to education to all youth who want to improve their quality of life.”

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Sources:

ANS – Senegal – The Real Madrid Foundation in the Salesian centre: “they play, we educate.”

Chronic Poverty Research Center – Chronic Poverty in Senegal

World Bank- Senegal

The post SENEGAL: Salesian Educators and Coaches Attend Real Madrid Foundation Socio-Sports Training Course first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Led by young adults from the St. Vincent de Paul parish, pre-novices from the Salesian community and volunteers, the camp program encouraged a holistic, balanced lifestyle designed to help campers develop a strong foundation of mind, body and spirit. It also provided local youth the opportunity to spend their vacation time in a positive, healthy environment.

The camp opened by registering campers and assigning them to one of four teams. During the course of the 10 days, the teams competed in recreational activities and sports with an emphasis on developing a healthy sense of competition and camaraderie. Each day began with a morning assembly that included positive messages of hope, joy, peace and love followed by morning classes in English and Arabic. After a mid-morning breakfast, campers engaged in sports and recreational activities including games and art, speech, singing and dance competitions.

“Youth living in poverty in South Sudanese communities have difficulty excelling and remaining in school,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian youth programs, like summer camps, provide positive role models, structured activities, a safe place to get off the streets and a nonviolent, supportive environment in which to engage with peers.”

Don Bosco Gumbo includes a church parish, secondary school and youth center and provides education and social development services for poor youth and their families. For some students, the secondary school at Don Bosco Gumbo is their only option for continued studies.

Don Bosco Gumbo is one of the host sites for the Salesian Lay Missionaries program which provides lay volunteers to work alongside Salesian priests and sisters on various projects throughout the world. Since the program started in 1981, more than 350 lay missioners have served in 20 countries on projects that range from youth ministry to agriculture to nursing.

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with 55 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. The country celebrated its third year of independence last July but is facing an ongoing civil war that started in December 2013 and has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis.

The civil war has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Close to 80,000 people have sought refuge at several UN compounds across the country. In the capital of Juba, 80 percent of those displaced are women and children. More than 350,000 people have fled to neighboring countries risking their lives and leaving everything behind.

Salesian missionaries assist those internally displaced through programs across South Sudan and in neighboring Kenya at the Kakuma refugee camp. More than 44 percent of refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after escaping conflict and violence.

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Sources:

ANS – South Sudan – Don Bosco Gumbo Summer Camp 2015

World Bank – South Sudan 

The post SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian Summer Camp Provides Activities for 270 Marginalized Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to statements made by Father Reechee Espiritu, a Salesian administrator, in a recent Sun Star newspaper article about the festival, the name of the event derived from an acronym for One Negros Encounter, a celebration of the unification of two Negros provinces through the establishment of the NIR (Negros Island Region) or Region 18. “Juan” refers to St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesians.

Father Espiritu also noted that the festival was responsible for the recent partnership between St. John’s Institute in Bacolod and the Salesians of Don Bosco of the South Province. The sports festival worked to foster unity and camaraderie among the three Salesian educational institutions and showcased the talents and skills of participants through various sporting and recreational events. Games began shortly after the opening ceremonies and activities on January 8 and were followed by friendly sports competitions. The event closed with a Catholic mass and dinner for the athletes.

“Throughout the Philippines, Salesian missionaries offer a variety of educational and social development programs for youth, many with an emphasis on recreation and sports activities,” says Father Mark Hyde, the executive director of Salesians Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The goal is to provide the opportunities necessary to gain an education and skills training to break the cycle of poverty and retain long-term employment.”

Salesian missionaries across the Philippines incorporate sports programs into their traditional educational activities. The Madridejos Football Club of Cebu Province, Philippines, recently extended its programs to Bantayan Island and donated soccer balls to Salesian elementary and high school students and those attending Salesian youth programs there. The soccer program is part of the rehabilitation and rebuilding assistance provided by Salesian missionaries since typhoon Yolanda devastated much of the country in 2013. The football club has helped many young people remain in school, and for many players, their skills on the field have granted them access to scholarships that have allowed them to continue their studies at the university level.

“Sports programs teach youth both on and off the field,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Learning and playing team sports encourages leadership skills as well as teaches youth to work as part of a team. Students also learn important social skills and have opportunities for growth and maturity.”

More than one quarter of the population of the Philippines lives in poverty, according to UNICEF. Poverty is most severe and widespread in rural areas where 80 percent of the population–close to 88 million people–make their home. The poorest Filipinos are indigenous populations, small-scale farmers who cultivate land received through agrarian reform, landless workers and fisherman. In addition, poverty rates are higher for women than men.

Illiteracy and high levels of unemployment contribute to the elevated poverty rate. With more than 11 million out-of-school youth in the country and drop-out rates doubling as children reach secondary school, access to education becomes a critical step in breaking the cycle of poverty.

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Sources:

Sun Star – Salesian schools in NIR to hold sportsfest

UNICEF – Philippines

The post PHILIPPINES: Three Salesian Schools Take Part in Sports Festival Highlighting Student Skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The three-day festival featured innovative presentations, dances, music, rituals, folktale narration and street theater dramas presented across 13 venues. Close to 200 aspiring artists participated in the festival entertaining and educating more than 2,000 attendees. Youth from the Institution for Culture and Rural Development were responsible for the preparation and execution of the festival including setting up, making and selling craft items, organizing performances and lighting and preparing informational materials on local cuisine.

A special attraction of the event were the many stage scenes presented by youth that brought to life traditional stories from Mising culture and the various rituals that mark community life. Also featured were 16 food stalls constructed like colorful umbrellas that served various ethnic foods. In the main building of I-CARD, attendees were able to study the historical heritage of the Mising people and artifacts collected from different parts of the Mising world.

The festival’s aim, in addition to celebrating Mising culture, was to remind tribal youth of the importance of belonging to a community. Each individual, rich in culture and history, contributes to a community and as the festival noted, differences are to be embraced. The festival also gave a platform to young artists to highlight their work and increase their employment prospects.

“Culture and community are an integral focus of our work with youth around the globe,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This festival demonstrates how Salesian missionaries help youth discover who they are and where they come from while encouraging them to celebrate their differences and their many talents. Festivals like these work to build character, self-esteem and cultural pride as well as help to educate the wider community.”

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of helping poor youth in India. From providing education and technical training that prepares youth for employment to art and cultural events like this festival, Salesian missionaries focus on creating opportunities for their students to become well-rounded citizens and future leaders in their communities.

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Sources:

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: Salesian Ethnique Festival Teaches Community about Mising Culture first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Although the area is difficult to access, coffee, cocoa and coca are cultivated in the Yanatile valley and the nearby basin of the river Lacco. The Salesian mission in Quebrada Honda is made up of the parish of Mary Help of Christians and the Experimental School for Agriculture and Livestock which educates more than 160 students, nearly half of whom board at the school.

The goal of the school is to provide young farmers with a basic education as well as advanced studies in the latest agricultural practices and modern technologies while moving towards efficiency in farming by exploring and testing new techniques in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandry. The school provides both classroom education and hands-on agriculture and livestock training on a working farm on the school campus.

Salesian missionaries at the school hope the agriculture degree program will entice more local youth to choose agriculture as their long-term livelihood. With a long history of providing agricultural education, missionaries currently operate more than 90 agriculture schools around the world.

“Our students are the children of poor farmers,” says Father Martin Quijano, director of the Experimental School for Agriculture and Livestock. “We want them to love the work and learn as much as they can to make a better life for themselves and their families. After graduation many of our students become agronomists, scientists, animal breeders and biologists. I am extremely proud of what they do to help their community.”

Peru has high levels of income inequality and more than a quarter of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty levels are significantly higher in rural areas but urban areas struggle most with inequality, most notably metropolitan Lima, the capital city of Peru. Poverty in the country is made worse by a shortage of productive farmland and a lack of employable skills, specifically among young people and women entering the workforce. In addition, Peruvians lack access to adequate housing, nutrition and education.

Peru has also been plagued by hunger and disaster. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of children in the country are chronically malnourished. Communities continue to rebuild after an 8.0 earthquake in August 2007 which killed more than 500 people and injured hundreds more in the central coastal cities of Chincha, Pisco and Ica. The quake destroyed close to 60,000 residential and commercial buildings, leveled hundreds of acres of farmland and left countless Peruvians without means of livelihood.

Salesian missionaries working in Peru have provided life-saving support and education to poor youth and their families through the years as well as helped with rebuilding efforts after the earthquake. Salesian programs in the country focus on education and workforce development, helping to ensure that young Peruvians have access to the education and technical skills training that will enable them to find and retain long-term stable employment.

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Sources:

ANS – Peru – Yanatile: mission territory

World Bank – Peru

The post PERU: Salesian Agriculture School Provides Education and Advanced Farming Techniques first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The recent shipments included new desks, chairs, tables, bookcases and filing cabinets donated by IRN to five Salesian institutions in Vietnam including the Ky Anh Vocational Training School, the Dong Thuan Vocational Training Center, the Tan Tien Intermediate Skills Training School, the Phuoc Loc Vocational Training Center and the Theological Institute and Provincial House.

“On behalf of all the students in the Dong Thuan Center, we are very grateful for the new school furniture,” says Pham Van Giau, a student at the Dong Thuan Vocational Training Center. “The new desks and chairs we received will replace the older furniture we had been using and will enable us to be better prepared for class and study more effectively.”

The Institution Recycling Network was started in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every educational, commercial and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

IRN partners with nonprofits who are known to be reputable and effective providers of relief and development assistance, and who are able to use the types of surplus that IRN can provide. The organization has a “wish list” from each of its nonprofit partners of the types and quantities of surplus they can use.

When a project comes to IRN, it makes a match against these wish lists and offers the surplus to the most appropriate nonprofits. At this point, surplus is offered on a first-come-first-served basis; the first nonprofit(s) to express interest in the surplus, receives it. In many cases, a single nonprofit will claim the entire project but in some cases, the surplus will be split among two or more organizations.

Salesian schools, services and programs throughout Vietnam are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many young people hope for a more positive and productive future. Salesian vocational and technical schools equip students with the skills they need to compete in the local labor market by offering courses that lead to employment in construction, hotel management, electrical and mechanical engineering, computer science and other fields. Many Salesian students are school dropouts seeking a second chance.

According to the World Bank, close to 14 percent of Vietnam’s population lives in conditions of poverty. The country has seen a drastic reduction of poverty over the last 20 years when the poverty rate was close to 60 percent. Vietnam has also made remarkable progress in education. Primary and secondary enrollments for those in poverty have reached more than 90 percent and 70 percent respectively. Rising levels of education and diversification into off-farm activities, such as working in construction, factories or domestic housework have also contributed to reducing poverty in the country.

While nearly 30 million Vietnamese have been lifted out of poverty in the past 20 years, challenges remain. According to the World Bank, although Vietnam’s 53 ethnic minority groups make up less than 15 percent of the population, they accounted for nearly 50 percent of the poor in 2010. Most minorities continue to reside in more isolated and less productive regions of Vietnam. Rapid economic transformation and growth have contributed to rising inequality in income and opportunities. Some of the poor, especially those living in rural areas or small cities, have limited access to high quality education and health services and limited long-term well-paying jobs.

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Sources:

Institution Recycling Center

Salesian Missions – Vietnam

World Bank – Vietnam

The post VIETNAM: More Than 1,500 Salesian Students and Teachers Have New School and Office Furniture first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“Teachers should educate themselves more about learning disabilities and work in a way to mold each child as the best student,” said S. Kannappan, director of School Education in India, speaking at the launch of the program in late November.

The CARE Institute for Behavioral Sciences will provide the course content and trainers. Teachers will be educated on topics that include awareness, screening of children with learning disabilities and remedial education. Both a three-day module and a three-month module will be offered.

“This new program will educate teachers how to help a child with a learning disability to overcome the difficulties in reading, writing and other school subjects which will help them to improve their academic performance,” said Father John Alexander, rector at Don Bosco Egmore. “The school-based training program will also help decrease the hardship for the parents that right now must access remedial education for a learning disability outside the school. We are opening this program to teachers at other local schools as well to help the entire community.”

Teachers play an important role in the lives of poor youth in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in 3,200 primary and secondary schools and more than 800 vocational, technical and agricultural schools in more than 130 countries around the globe.

Many Salesian students have faced severe poverty and often lack basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Some were previously living and working on the streets and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war torn communities. Salesian teachers meet these challenges head on, providing education and hope for a brighter future.

“Teachers are the backbone of the Salesian educational system and we at Salesian Missions are dedicated to providing the support and training they need,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The value of strong teachers can be seen in the accomplishments of the students that graduate from their classes. Salesians missionaries believe that access to education and highly qualified teachers is critical to help youth improve their lives and find a path out of poverty.”

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the second largest population in the world, the fourth largest agricultural sector and is home to a third of the world’s poor, according to UNICEF. More than 400 million Indians live on less than a dollar a day and 212 million are undernourished. According to the United Nations Development Program’s human development index, India ranks near the bottom at 136 out of 186 countries.

Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line. India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

ANS – India – Teachers to be trained to handle special children

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: New Teacher Training Program Developed to Help Educate Teachers about Learning Disabilities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Every Monday, more than 80 low-income, mostly elderly people between 80 and 95 years of age, visit a Salesian church in Managua and are provided food and other assistance from the church community. Salesian missionaries in the community have noticed that since the rice-meal donation, the recipients’ strength and health as well as their mood has improved. Salesian Sisters who operate a boarding school for girls just outside the city also received part of the donation and provided the meals to their boarders who take classes in baking, sewing and embroidery in addition to academic courses toward a high school diploma. The added nourishment has had a significant impact on the girls’ ability to concentrate on their studies.

The primary recipients of the rice-meal donation were two Salesian schools in Managua, a kindergarten for young students 3-5 years old and a Salesian high school. Between the two schools, more than 200 students received better nutrition as a result of the donation. The rice-meals were provided to students during the school day as part of a free lunch program to ensure they receive proper nutrition and a balanced diet, helping them to focus on their studies and extracurricular activities. Salesian missionaries began the school feeding program to meet the needs of the many area families with limited resources to feed their children.

“Many of those participating in Salesian programs in Nicaragua are malnourished,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Meals children receive at Salesian schools may be their only meals. This food not only encourages them to attend school, it allows them to focus on getting the education they need without worrying about where their next meal will come from. Children cannot learn on an empty stomach.”

The ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children has resulted in 40-foot containers of fortified rice-meals being shipped to Salesian sites around the globe. Feed My Starving Children provides the food and Salesian Missions takes care of the cost and logistics of shipping each container from Feed My Starving Children warehouses to the destination country. Salesian Missions also works to help identify where the greatest needs are at any given time. The partnership began in early 2006 when the first 40-foot container was donated to and shipped by Salesian Missions for programs in Sri Lanka. Through the years, as Salesian Missions has determined beneficiaries in need of Feed My Starving Children food, almost 100 containers of more than 27 million meals have been donated, shipped and received by those in need in more than 25 countries.

“Salesian missionaries are an integral part of the existing infrastructure in many countries and Salesian Missions plays an important role in making sure aid from the United States reaches its destination country and gets into the hands of those who need it most,” adds. Fr Hyde. “Youth who access Salesian programs in Nicaragua are given an educational foundation, technical skill training and life and social skills to help them excel in the workforce. They are then able to break the cycle of poverty and become contributing members of their communities.”

Nicaragua is one of the least developed and poorest countries in Latin America, second only to Haiti, with more than 42 percent of its residents living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty, although declining steadily in recent years, remains high. More than 80 percent of Nicaragua’s poor live in remote rural communities where access to basic services is a daily challenge.

After decades of political instability and vulnerability to natural hazards, the country has achieved a remarkable economic turnaround and is now focusing on innovative ways of reducing poverty. However, years of widespread poverty have taken their toll and many residents suffer from poor health conditions including HIV/AIDS. In addition, crime, violence against women, gang violence and high unemployment result in challenging economic and social conditions, particularly for young people and women.

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Sources:

World Bank – Nicaragua

The post NICARAGUA: Youth and Elderly Have Access to Better Nutrition Thanks to Recent Rice-meal Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Don Bosco Tech Society operates a network of skill training centers that serve as valuable resources for youth with little access to education. The skill training programs offered at Don Bosco centers throughout India provide training that meets the needs of local job markets. Courses combine classroom education with mentoring, soft skills training and hands-on internships. Salesian teachers at the centers also work with students to help them craft resumes and prepare for interviews, all with the goal of ensuring graduates find employment.

The partnership with Aspiring Minds will help Don Bosco Tech students gain recognition for their studies by granting them access to industry tests and certification processes. Students will be eligible for certification in 110 careers such as electrician, plumber, beautician and more. The certifications span 15 employment sectors including hospitality, plumbing, electronics, agriculture and beauty and wellness.

According to a recent India Education Diary article about the partnership, Aspiring Minds’ TESLA technology provides tests that are reliable, standardized and ensure high integrity results. With the Indian government’s mission to train more than 400 million candidates by 2022, it is essential to scale vocational assessment and certification infrastructure capabilities across the country. Job skill recognition paves the way for fair wages, career advancement and other job benefits which further recognizes and rewards a more skilled workforce.

“Assessment driven, industry recognized certifications are essential in enabling youth to access the right jobs,” said Himanshu Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Aspiring Minds, in the India Education Diary article. “Our skills assessment technology is used by millions of job seekers every year including youth with vocational training. The partnership with Don Bosco Tech will help youth gain the recognition for their skills and enhance their employment readiness.”

The nationwide network of assessment centers will help Don Bosco Tech and Aspiring Minds to work with and recruit new local businesses that seek skilled labor, allowing graduates to make an easy transition from the classroom into employment.

“It is essential to give youth quality training and certify their abilities to match the global standards to bridge the skill-gap,” said Father A.M. Joseph, executive director of Don Bosco Tech, in the article. “The partnership will leverage the strength of both Aspiring Minds and Don Bosco Tech to provide youth quality training and certification for employment.”

Access to professional training and workforce development services is highly valued by youth in India given the current state of the country’s economy. According to the International Labor Organization’s Global Employment Trends 2015 Report, India experienced a sharp slowdown in the economy during 2012 and 2013 when growth dropped below 5 percent. The economy grew slightly faster in 2014 reaching 5.4 percent, reflecting an improvement in the growth rate of the services sector and a better monsoon season than originally anticipated. However, the unemployment rate for youth is remaining flat after having risen 3.6 percent in 2012 and again climbed in 2013 to 3.7 percent.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Tech

India Education Diary – Aspiring Minds widens vocational skill certification network with another 250+ centres across India

International Labour Organization – World Employment Social Outlook 2015

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: Aspiring Minds Partners with Don Bosco Tech to Open 250 Assessment and Certification Centers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The new Salesian school started with 100 students, filling it to capacity. Beginning with a remedial education with a focus on literacy, the school works to raise its students’ knowledge base in order to prepare them for advanced skill training. Within the first two months of the school’s opening, its first students had advanced to learning French and computer skills and then commenced professional training. The school program includes a daily meal for each student as well as sports that are offered twice a week. The current curriculum spans eight months and graduates trained carpenters, builders and drivers.

“Most of these young people have very limited education,” says Father Robert, a newly ordained priest, bursar and principal of the school. “They have attended a few years of primary school and then left because their families could not pay school fees. Other young people, victims of the same conditions, have found work at the port of Bukavu. We opened the school for youth in order to give them the opportunity to learn a trade and gain employment.”

In addition to the school, Don Bosco Center Bukavu offeres sports and games four afternoons each week for 100 young people from the community. It also provides French lessons once a week to more than 50 area youth. The resident Salesian brother at the center participates in Sunday activities in the prison chaplaincy, a well-organized group of religious and lay people who work compassionately with the prison population. Missionaries at the center have been asked to help educate 30 of the younger prisoners so that upon release, they will be able to learn a trade and become productive members of society.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been plagued by intense civil war and internal conflict since the outbreak of fighting in 1998. As a result, there have been close to 5.4 million deaths, according to the International Rescue Committee. Most deaths resulted from non-violent causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition, all typically preventable under normal circumstances but often fatal in times of conflict. Close to 1.5 million people have been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring countries after having fled the country to escape the continued violence.

Young people make up about 19 percent of the country’s population but account for 47 percent of deaths during this conflict. Poverty is rampant, according to UNICEF, and 72 percent of rural households and 59 percent of urban households are poor. Nearly 40 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and most of the population lives with moderate to serious food insecurity. The 2013 Human Development Index ranked the Democratic Republic of the Congo 186th out of 187 countries and territories listed.

Salesian missionaries have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 100 years ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten. Primary and secondary education schools and programs lay the foundation for early learning while Salesian trade, vocational and agricultural programs provide youth with an opportunity for a stable and productive future.

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Sources:

ANS – Don Bosco Bukavu looking for a way to build a future for marginalized youth

UNICEF – DR Congo

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post DR CONGO: Salesian Missionaries Train 100 Youth at New Don Bosco Center first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Swaziland is a landlocked nation almost entirely contained within the northeast corner of South Africa. The country faces numerous challenges including poverty, chronic food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and a climate that is often unpredictable. According to the World Food Programme, nearly 25 percent of Swaziland’s children suffer from stunted growth as a result of malnutrition. With 63 percent of the country’s population living below the poverty line, the risk of food insecurity is high. Swaziland also has elevated rates of unemployment and income inequality.

Few farmers in the country own agricultural machinery such as tractors or ploughs and as a result, must rely on manual labor and traditional farming methods that require them to spend long hours in the fields producing very little food. Unable to produce enough food to support its population, Swaziland residents are vulnerable to fluctuating food prices from food imports.

“Given the present drought and the little amount of ploughing that has taken place so far this planting season, we will have a lot of hungry people in Swaziland next year,” says Father McDonnell, director of Manzini Youth Care.

Manzini Youth Care was established in the 1970s and provides services to marginalized youth including free primary school for children who have dropped out of school due to poverty, two vocational training centers for older youth, residential care for former street children and a drop-in school for street children when they first come in off the streets. Manzini Youth Care also works in the communities surrounding the city of Manzini to help local people improve living standards, sanitation and food security.

The donated rice meals were provided to more than 90 residents in six orphanages operated by Salesian missionaries as well as 320 students in the Salesian-run Enjabulweni Free Primary School. The meals are provided to students during the school day and serve as an incentive for families to send their children to school. As a result of the donation, students are thriving. Many have gained weight, suffered fewer illnesses and become more focused on their studies. Teachers are seeing better student performance in class, a decrease in absenteeism and an increase in program enrollment rates as a result of the feeding program.

Many households in Swaziland are coping with the impact of HIV which affects 26 percent of those aged 15 to 49 and 42 percent of pregnant women. The high prevalence of the disease among breadwinners and caregivers further compromises food security. Some of the Salesian programs that received the rice-meal donation were Hope House and Masekwene Care Point and Soup Kitchen. Hope House provides shelter to 40 terminally ill patients suffering from tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The donated meals help patients take their medication and fight illness.

Masekwene Care Point and Soup Kitchen provides a free medical clinic as well as education and a feeding program that offers morning and lunchtime meals to more than 400 disadvantaged children. Close to 80 percent of the participants in the program are from single parent households.

“The food donation ensures that Masakwene’s children are served with at least one meal a day and as a result, the life and social well-being of the most vulnerable children is improved,” says Fr. McDonnell. “The meals have a great impact on their life particularly in improving their health, a bigger motivation to attend school and their level of happiness. After all, they have their whole life ahead and should have the same opportunities to have energy to play with their friends and have fun.”

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Sources:

World Food Programme – Swaziland

The post SWAZILAND: Vulnerable Youth in Salesian Programs Receive Better Nutrition Thanks to Rice-Meal Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ASAP accepts tool donations at its Peachtree City, Georgia location and then utilizes volunteers to help refurbish and package the tools, both new and used. From there, the tool kits are sent to Salesian vocational training programs in Haiti to help graduates prepare for future work.

Tools are expensive and students graduating from carpentry, electrical, plumbing, auto repair and other similar training programs need tools in order to retain stable employment. The tool kits provided by ASAP are vital for those students who can’t afford to buy the tools they need for work.

“The partnership with ASAP has helped Haitian graduates gain employment and break the cycle of poverty,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Many Salesian students do not have the financial resources to purchase the tools of their trade and find it challenging after graduation to be fully ready for the workforce. This donation will prepare students for that next step and make them more employable.”

Haiti’s educational system is continuing to rebuild after a January 2010 earthquake destroyed 90 percent of schools and 60 percent of hospitals, killed thousands of people and left more than 350,000 injured. In 2012, more than 3 million children were able to return to school with more than 200,000 students educated in Salesian-run institutions.

Despite ongoing reconstruction and infrastructure improvements, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest in the world. According to the World Bank, over half of the country’s population of 10 million lives on less than $1 per day and approximately 80 percent live on less than $2 per day. The majority of Haitians lack adequate access to education, healthcare and nutritious food.

Salesian schools in Haiti fulfill an important socio-economic mission by providing poor youth a foundation for lifelong learning through education and training in skills and trades to help them escape poverty and establish a sustainable livelihood.

Salesian-run technical and vocational training centers are operated throughout Haiti. Those in Port-au-Prince and its surrounding villages offer courses in a variety of professional fields such as catering, woodworking, agriculture and hotel management. Additional centers in Fort Liberté and Cap-Haitien specialize in the fields of health, agriculture, information technology, electricity and hotel management. All of these centers, as well as other Salesian-run programs in the country, focus on providing youth with the educational opportunities and social support they need to succeed.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve education and workforce development for youth,” adds Fr. Hyde. “We accomplish this by improving the skill and capacity of professionals in existing programs and helping graduates overcome obstacles to entering the workforce.”

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Sources:

A Self-Help Assistance Program

World Bank – Haiti

The post HAITI: More than 230 Salesian Graduates Receive Workforce Readiness Tool Kits first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Originally founded as the Salesian Boys’ Club, it was established in San Francisco in 1918 by Father Oreste Trincheri to serve at-risk boys and those living in poverty in the North Beach area, an area accounting for 60 percent of the city’s delinquency rate. Father Trincheri’s goal for the club was to provide a positive atmosphere and structured activities for boys in the area. In 1994, after serving only boys for almost 80 years, the club opted to include girls and expand its programs accordingly.

“Our primary mission is working with the underprivileged, but we are very diversified ethnically and socioeconomically,” said Russ Gumina, executive director of the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, in a recent Catholic San Francisco article about the reopening. He also noted that the club has many children from local public housing projects as well as from middle class and wealthy families. He added, “I told the archbishop we are the best kept secret in San Francisco.” The archdiocese is leasing the land the club sits on to the club for $1 a year for 70 years – which the club has already paid upfront.

Functioning side by side with Salesian schools, youth clubs offer young people opportunities for engaging in constructive activities during their leisure time. Through organized programs which often include sports and music, youth are taught teamwork and social skills while gaining opportunities for personal growth.

“I’ve been a member since I was about 4 or 5 years old,” said Dave Mana, 60, at the club’s grand reopening, according to the recent Catholic San Francisco article. “There are so many great things about the club. The fact it kept us on the straight and narrow is one thing.”

The Salesian Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco provides a safe space where youth can engage in sports, music, art and other social activities. Programs help build confidence and teach team building and conflict resolution skills. Leadership development, health programs and wrap-around family services are also offered and help youth connect with their peers, families and communities. The Salesian club offers drop-in services as well as scheduled activities. It also serves as an after-school program for the local St. Peter and Paul School.

“The Salesian Boys & Girls Club targets youth who would otherwise be on their own during their time away from school,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Instead of being on the streets or home alone, young people are able to join in the youth club’s activities and use their free time productively, staying safe and accessing support services that help them stay in school and keep focused on leading a happy and healthy life.”

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Sources:

Catholic San Francisco – Grand reopening of ‘landmark’ Salesian Boys and Girls Club

Salesian Boys & Girls Club San Francisco

The post UNITED STATES: Salesian Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco Reopens after $11 Million Renovation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

While the city of Lubumbashi has both agricultural and mineral resource wealth, the area faces numerous economic and social challenges. The city and surrounding areas have close to 8.2 million people, most living in poverty. More than 60 percent of the population is less than 20 years old. A large percentage of children and young adults have dropped out of school because they are unable to pay for tuition, uniforms and school supplies. This leaves many young adults unemployed and living on the streets.

The Kansebula St Jean Bosco Institute and the Chem Chem Center are providing educational opportunities for at-risk youth living in poverty within in the community. The Kansebula Institute emphasizes a human science curriculum while the Chem Chem Center specializes in agricultural training. Both facilities prepare youth for the workforce but face challenges around energy and water sources due to their remote locations. Neither facility has water services provided by its town or government and must rely on local resources such as wells and rivers.

Salesian missionaries began the two water projects to ensure clean fresh water for the students and the sustainability of the water sources for their facilities. At Kansebula, the project consists of erecting a high water tower and two 2,500 liter water tanks in connection to the existing water system. Once completed, this project will improve water management and protect the water pump in use. At Chem Chem the project entails upgrading the existing water system to allow proper quantities of clean water for students. This is being accomplished by deepening the existing well, erecting a high water tower and installing two 2,500 liter water tanks.

According to UN-Water, the United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanism on all freshwater related issues, 1.3 billion people cannot access electricity, 768 million people lack access to improved water sources and 2.5 billion people have no improved sanitation, worldwide. For those who have no access to clean water, water related disease is common with more than 840,000 people dying each year from water related diseases.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has made building wells and supplying fresh, clean water, a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work. The two projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are just two of many underway.

“Water is essential for life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “From helping to ensure our communities have access to clean water for drinking and agriculture to helping build a hydro-electric power station, Salesian missionaries working in 132 countries around the globe are always looking to expand their services to meet the needs of the poor youth and families they serve.”

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been plagued by intense civil war and internal conflict since the outbreak of fighting in 1998. As a result, there have been close to 5.4 million deaths, according to the International Rescue Committee. Most deaths resulted from non-violent causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition, all typically preventable under normal circumstances but often fatal in times of conflict. Close to 1.5 million people have been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring countries after having fled the country to escape the continued violence.

Young people make up about 19 percent of the country’s population but account for 47 percent of deaths during this conflict. Poverty is rampant, according to UNICEF, and 72 percent of rural households and 59 percent of urban households are poor. Nearly 40 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and most of the population lives with moderate to serious food insecurity. The 2013 Human Development Index ranked the Democratic Republic of the Congo 186th out of 187 countries and territories listed.

Salesian missionaries have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 100 years ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten. Primary and secondary education schools and programs lay the foundation for early learning while Salesian trade, vocational and agricultural programs provide youth with an opportunity for a stable and productive future.

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Sources:

UNICEF – DR Congo 

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post DR CONGO: Two Water Projects are Ensuring Fresh Clean Water for Salesian Students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The ongoing violence in the Central African Republic has resulted in more than 650,000 internally displaced people (with more than 232,000 in the capital city of Bangui alone) and 300,000 who have fled across the borders as refugees. Due to the conflict, close to 2.2 million people have needed humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations. Earlier in 2015, peace had begun to return to the country. Small markets were opened, taxi service returned and residents were able to move back and forth safely between locations. Although violence between the militias has receded, attacks on civilians remain widespread with witnesses describing them as retaliatory.

During his visit to the country, Pope Francis visited a refugee camp for those who have been internally displaced. Nearly 4,000 people, mostly women and children, live in the settlement of white tents donated by the United Nations. Here, the Pope visited mostly with the more than 500 children in the camp and offered some remarks.

“Peace without love and forgiveness isn’t possible,” said Pope Francis as quoted in a recent Crux article about his trip. “Each one of us has to do something to forge peace. I wish for all of you, and everyone in Central Africa, peace, that you can live in peace regardless of your ethnicity, culture, religion and social status.”

The Pope expressed similar messages of hope in Uganda and Kenya. According to the Crux article, the Pope’s trip to Africa underscores the importance of the continent to the Catholic Church. Africa has the fastest-growing population of Catholics and Muslims in the world, according to the Pew Research Center, with both Islam and Christianity expected to have more than twice as many followers in the region by 2050 as they did in 2010.

“Salesian missionaries work across the African continent and in more than 130 countries around the globe providing education, workforce development and social development programs for vulnerable youth and their families,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries have also been on the forefront of assisting those affected by violence and those that have been displaced in the Central African Republic.”

In the Central African Republic, Salesian missionaries operate two centers, Don Bosco Damala and Don Bosco Galabadja, both located near Bangui, the country’s capital city. The centers have provided shelter for those who have been internally displaced reaching well over 1,000 people at one time. The Salesian Center in Damala has an orphanage, youth center, professional center and high school. At the center in Galabadja, Salesian missionaries offer primary and secondary education along with a college and professional training program. A youth center and medical clinic are also available.

Both centers operate the Spaces of Peace project where youth of all ages, cultures and religions learn to live and work together peacefully. Through the project, Salesian missionaries offer sports, musical training, summer camps and other activities that promote teamwork and social skills. In addition, the program offers one meal a day to more than 1500 students during their school day, helps 700 students with school supplies and scholarships and assists 120 older youth gain the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

Salesian missionaries will continue to work diligently for the young and poor in the Central African Republic and across the African continent carrying out the Pope’s message of peace and hope while helping youth gain an education and break the cycle of poverty.

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Sources:

ANS – Central African Republic – The Pope’s Visit: a call for peace and a new way forward

Crux – Pope arrives as ‘Pilgrim of Peace’ in war-torn Central African Republic

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Pope Francis Wraps Up Africa Trip with Visit to War-Torn Central African Republic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Flooding has killed more than 300 people in the region and close to 28,000 have needed to be rescued, according to India’s National Disaster Response Force. The flooding knocked out government services, stopped public transportation, damaged roads and left people stranded. As the flood water begins to recede, relief efforts are already underway. India’s National Crisis Management Committee recently reported that nearly 90 percent of the city has power, buses are running again and many schools are starting to reopen.

Salesian missionaries living and working in the region are dealing with the damage to their own facilities while responding to the situation with aid for the flood victims, many who have lost everything. Several Salesian houses situated in the worst hit areas were badly affected and the children living in them had to be moved to safety. Some older buildings and walls around Salesian compounds have collapsed due to erosion caused by the flooding.

Many of the children in the damaged Salesian houses lost the few possessions they had including clothing, bedding, pillows and blankets as well as valuable school supplies such as books and stationary. Also lost to the flood damage were major kitchen appliances, televisions and DVD players in the houses. At this point, the primary concern for Salesian staff is making sure the children remain safe and have their basic needs met including food, clothing and adequate shelter.

A Don Bosco Flood Relief Services team has been organized under the direction of Salesian Father Johnson, Father Mani Lazar and Father Jesumanickam and has been reaching out to hundreds of people in need. In addition, more than 100 youth volunteers with bikes have been aiding villages that are inaccessible due to flooded and collapsed roadways. For those in the surrounding communities of Chennai whose homes could not be repaired right away, Salesian missionaries and students have relocated villagers, mostly women and children, to safety by transporting them by boat to local church compounds and state school buildings. Missionaries have also set up temporary camps to provide shelter to those in need. In total, Salesian missionaries have been able to assist and provide supplies to close to 60 villages.

“Salesian missionaries were able to immediately assess the situation on the ground and move into action providing assistance and relief,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Our programs are helping to provide food, clothing and shelter to those in need and our missionaries will remain in Chennai through the long recovery process helping the many affected families.”

With the support of students, teachers and volunteers, Salesian missionaries have distributed more than 8,000 packets of cooked food and candles as well as clothing and other supplies to families in communities and villages in the area. Looking ahead to the weeks and months to come, missionaries plan to repair their facilities and replace lost items while continuing to help local families in need.

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Sources:

ANS – India – Don Bosco Flood Relief continues

ANS – India – The Flood Relief works of the Salesians in the affected areas

CNN – Relief effort underway for flood-ravaged Chennai in India

The post INDIA: Salesian Missionaries are Providing Relief and Assistance to Those Affected by Intense Flooding first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The two Covenants together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights form the International Bill of Human Rights and outline the civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights that are the birthright of all human beings. The theme of Human Rights Day 2015 is “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always” which aims to promote and raise awareness of the two Covenants on their 50th anniversary. The day also marks the kick-off of a year-long campaign that will promote the theme of rights and freedoms – freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

According to the United Nations, many people around the globe remain unaware of the existence of the International Bill of Human Rights and many countries still have much to do to build political institutions, judicial systems and economies that allow people to live with dignity. Through education and social development programming, Salesian missionaries in more than 130 countries around the globe fight to ensure that all youth know their rights, are able to fully participate in their communities and have their voices heard.

Whether it’s combating child labor, assisting homeless youth or building schools where children previously had no access to education, Salesian missionaries are on the front lines educating youth on their rights and ensuring access to programs and services they need. Working in more than 5,300 Salesian primary and secondary schools around the globe, missionaries educate children in some of the poorest places on the planet. Education provides vulnerable youth a sense of personal dignity and self-worth and helps to break the cycle of poverty. At Salesian schools, young children gain an education, learn about their rights and freedoms and participate in sports and other activities all in a safe environment that encourages learning and growth.

“Education is always our primary focus,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “We know youth are dealing with much more than just needing access to education. Salesian programs are tailored to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Homeless and malnourished youth are simply not able to focus effectively on their studies while they struggle to meet their basic needs. Salesian programs also provide food and shelter so students are able to focus on the education provided.”

In honor of Human Rights Day, Salesian Missions highlights its unique educational programs that are helping poor youth receive an education, understand their rights and find a path out of poverty, bringing them hope for the future.

CAMBODIA

In a country where less than half of children finish primary school, more than 50,000 children have received the encouragement and support needed to complete an elementary education through the Don Bosco Children Fund since its inception in 1992. The Don Bosco Children Fund assists poor youth between the ages of 6 and 15 who are either unable to go to school or have had to drop out due to poverty. Through the fund’s program, youth not only receive support to continue their education, they also receive a monthly assistance package consisting of goods and cash. Social workers ensure that participants make progress and remain in school and those with special aptitude are further supported and encouraged to pursue college coursework. During the 2013-2014 school year, the Don Bosco Children Fund supported 4,426 students in Cambodia’s government-run schools and another 637 students in schools managed by Don Bosco Schools Battambang.

INDIA

The Child Rights Education and Action Movement Project operated out of the city of Bangalore reached out to poor youth in both urban and rural areas of the State of Karnataka in southwestern India to create a culture that will support and uphold the protection of children’s rights. The goal was to encourage and enhance youth participation in the development process of promoting children’s rights and ensuring their care and protection. The project included the formation of more than 450 child rights clubs and the training of 900 teachers and 22,500 children in human rights education. The clubs aim to impart children’s rights awareness to about 75,000 children within a three year period.

SIERRA LEONE

Salesian Missions in Madrid, Spain recently released a report titled, Right to Protection of Children in Sierra Leone, which detailed a number of child rights violations that have been occurring in the country in the wake of the Ebola epidemic. According to the report, youth are faced with the devastating repercussions of Ebola including forced child labor, child abuse and more than 12,000 children who have been left orphaned. In Sierra Leone’s capital city, Freetown, Don Bosco Fambul, one of the country’s leading child welfare organizations, has been working for the prevention and detection of child rights violations as well as providing care and social integration for children and youth at-risk. Since 2010, the organization has provided a countrywide phone counseling service and since the outbreak of Ebola in 2014, the counseling line has turned into a widely used resource for Ebola prevention and support. More than 25,000 calls about Ebola have been answered and fielded. The data gathered as a result of the calls has helped the country’s national registration office identify Ebola hotspots and crisis regions. Through the hotline, Don Bosco Fambul brought hope to the children and adolescents of one of the poorest countries in the world during a terrible time of crisis.

SOUTH SUDAN

As a result of violence and a struggle to gain independence, much of South Sudan had been reduced to rubble. Infrastructure including hospitals, churches, schools and social program buildings were almost totally destroyed. Given the inability of the government to solve the problem, two Salesian priests decided that the best way to help the fledgling nation was through education. At the time of independence, more than 70 percent of the country’s children did not attend school. The “One Hundred Village Schools for South Sudan” project started in 2012 and since that time, 60 primary schools, comprised of four classrooms and a teacher’s office, have been built across the Salesian dioceses in the country. These schools are currently educating 13,500 children. The remaining 40 schools are expected to be completed by 2017.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

UN – Human Rights Day 2015

The post HUMAN RIGHTS DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Education, Child Rights Programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The donated meals are provided to students during the school day and serve as an incentive for families to send their children to school. As a result of the donation, students are thriving. Many have gained weight, grown taller, suffered fewer illnesses and become more focused on their studies. Teachers are seeing better student performance in class and two programs have increased enrollment rates as a result of the feeding program.

“Access to nutritious meals allows youth to be better prepared to take part in school activities and focus on their education,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Prepared students are more likely to learn valuable skills that will help them gain employment and break the cycle of poverty in their lives while enabling them to give back to their communities.”

Stop Hunger Now partners with Salesian Missions (in New Rochelle, N.Y.) which works to identify needs and coordinate delivery of 40-foot shipping containers full of meals supplemented with additional supplies when available. The partnership was developed in 2011 and since that time, more than 60 shipping containers, including more than 16 million rice-meals, have been successfully delivered to 19 countries around the globe. The meals and life-saving aid has helped to nourish poor youth at Salesian schools and programs and care for those in need of emergency aid during times of war, natural disasters and health crises.

“The partnership with Stop Hunger Now allows Salesian Missions to expand its services for youth in need,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Operating feeding programs for youth in Salesian schools whose families cannot afford to feed them is very important and integral to the success of our students and their ability to gain an education.”

The recent Stop Hunger Now shipment also contained 54 boxes of soccer clothing and equipment. Sports programs are an integral part of many Salesian centers around the globe and encourage teamwork while imparting valuable leadership skills. They also teach important social skills and provide opportunities for participants to grow and mature.

The Don Bosco Children and Life Mission, the primary recipient of the donation, provides more than 200 at-risk boys aged 8 to 17 access to primary, secondary and technical education along with sports programming, youth clubs, guidance counseling and life skills training. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities including Jazz band, brass band, acrobatics and Youth Alive Uganda, an organization that works with youth to promote social skills and values.

Each year, Youth Alive Uganda works with Salesian students to organize a festival to showcase singing, drama and poetry performances and fine arts exhibits. These arts activities help students express themselves and realize their individuality while developing skills and talents outside of the classroom.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Children and Life Mission

UNICEF – Uganda 

The post UGANDA: Students Receive Soccer Equipment and Rice Meals in Recent Stop Hunger Now Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to USAID, the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential, there are more than 62 million girls around the globe who are not in school. Many families cannot afford school fees and others send their daughters to work at a young age instead. As a girl ages, the fight to get an education becomes progressively more difficult. USAID notes that in the developing world, one in seven girls is married before her 15th birthday. Girls with secondary schooling are up to six times less likely to marry as children compared to girls who have little or no education.

For those who are able to attend school, the walk to and from school is often unsafe. Around the world, 246 million children experience gender‐based violence at or on their way to school every year. A report released by the United Nations Human Rights Council noted that attacks on schools occurred in at least 70 countries between 2009‐2014, and that approximately 3,600 attacks against schools, teachers and students were recorded in 2012 alone.

“Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Girls that are empowered though education are more often able to achieve financial independence, marry at an older age and make better and healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

In honor of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that empower and educate young women and girls.

BOLIVIA

Started in 1992, the Casa Maín girl’s home in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, provides shelter, nutritious meals and schooling for girls and young women with little access to education and those who were once living on the streets. Currently, there are more than 160 girls living and being educated at the home. Casa Maín is comprised of three houses and the girls are divided among them by age. The youngest girls, attending elementary school, live together in one house supported by several volunteer students from the secondary school. A second house provides shelter and peer support for girls attending secondary school while a third house is for young women attending the local university.

The university students enjoy a setting that allows them to finish their degrees in a stable environment while learning how to live independently. In addition to academic classes, the young women and girls at the home learn skills in communication and conflict management. Additional classes in dance, gymnastics and crafts are provided in the evenings and on weekends. Most recently, the organization offered a three-week technology workshop to teach the girls basic computer skills including typing, word processing and drawing.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In the Dominican Republic, women striving for a better life can access support services through the “Madres Project” in Santo Domingo. This project addresses the root causes that force children to live on the streets. By teaching mothers skills that enable them to earn a living wage and improve their living conditions, their children become more likely to stay at home and off the streets. Made possible through a partnership between Salesian Missions and the International Volunteer Movement for Development, the program offers women complete courses in literacy, post-literacy, health care and computer skills with each training module including lessons in human rights. Salesians in Santo Domingo also operate a training program for youth in the poorest areas of the city called “Boys and Girls with Don Bosco.”

INDIA

In the state of Tamil Nadu, India, the Salesian “New Beginnings” program helps to educate Sri Lankan refugees while giving their families the chance to achieve stability in their new country. The program offers technical and vocational courses and skill training as well as job placement support to aid refugees in finding employment.

For women with children who are unable to leave the refugee camp and attend traditional classes, a special program has been developed within the camp. Through it, women receive training in skills such as jewelry making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. In addition, they are eligible for financial assistance to start up new businesses where they can use their new skills while continuing to take care of their families. One such business is a cooperative that utilizes sewing machines and equipment financed through a micro-credit program. To date, close to 2,500 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program and 550 women are benefiting from the refugee camp-based small business incubator program. In addition, Salesian missionaries are currently serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India.

MEXICO

Salesians working in Mexico City, Mexico, are directing their efforts toward the country’s at-risk population, including girls and mothers living on the streets. Innovative programs are preventing poor youth from dropping out of school and are providing them important educational and training opportunities. Through the “Yolia” program, girls and young women are able to spend their days at a Salesian center in the city where they can have meals, receive tutoring, obtain therapy and learn job skills such as jewelry making and hair styling. Some girls choose the residential program where they receive additional education and services while gaining a renewed sense of dignity and self-worth.

SIERRA LEONE

Salesians at Don Bosco Fambul in Freetown, Sierra Leone, have been running a Girls Shelter for the past three years. Here, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been the victims of sexual assault. Those that access services at the shelter are also able to enroll in educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network and which train them in the skills necessary to find and retain employment. The training helps to empower them to overcome the discrimination they have faced and gain a greater awareness of their rights. It also helps to build character while allowing the girls and young women the freedom to make decisions that affect their lives, improve their health and boost their work prospects.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

United Nations Human Rights Council Report: Attacks on Girls February 2015

UN Women – 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

USAID – Let Girls Learn

The post GLOBAL: Salesian Missions Highlights Girls Education and Empowerment Programs for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Youth currently comprise more than 23 percent of the country’s total population and those between the ages of 20 and 24 years face an unemployment rate close to 40 percent, according to  a 2014 United Nations Human Development report. A Sri Lanka Labor Force Survey conducted during the first quarter of 2015 found there were 422,446 unemployed persons between the ages of 18 and 24 years.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in the north and east of the country has forced more than 800,000 people from their homes and sources of livelihood. Thousands of children lost one or both parents in the conflict and the number of households headed by women increased, negatively impacting the poverty rate in the country.

Nine out of 10 poor people in Sri Lanka live in rural areas, according to the World Bank. More than 40 percent of the country’s rural poor are small-scale farmers with farm production often hampered by neglect and low investment levels resulting from poor financial services and limited technology. Sri Lankans are affected by a significant lack of infrastructure including roads, electricity, irrigation systems and communication channels. In several areas of the country, seven out of 10 people have no access to electricity and almost half of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. Malnutrition among children is also common.

“Youth unemployment stems from the ongoing war and deeply entrenched social factors of class, ethnicity and caste,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries working in the country focus their efforts on meeting basic needs as well as education and social development services for poor youth and their families.”

Salesian schools, services and programs throughout Sri Lanka are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many hope for a more positive and productive future. The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center equips its students with the skills they need to compete in the labor market by offering courses in hotel management, electrical and mechanical engineering, computers and more. The center is also serving local employers by providing them a well-trained labor force.

“I am in a good position to help my family financially and hope to have a better future,” said 19-year-old W. Tiron Lakmal who stopped studying due to financial problems and undertook a welding course at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center, according to a recent UCA News article about the school.

Lakmal said he is grateful for the vocational training or else he would have been just another unemployed young person with no future and no confidence to find work.

Many of the technical school’s students are school dropouts seeking a second chance. The school is accessible to poor youth regardless of their religious affiliation who are looking to dedicate themselves to overcoming the challenging labor conditions in the country. The Salesians of Don Bosco have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute and since then, have established 17 more in locations across the country.

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Sources:

The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Nochchiyagama, Sri Lanka

UCA News – Sri Lankan Salesians help youth in difficult job market

World Bank – Sri Lanka

The post SRI LANKA: Salesian Missionaries Provide Technical Training to Poor Youth to Help Them Gain Employment in Difficult Labor Market first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Since the Ebola outbreak started, the World Health Organization has reported more than 14,000 Ebola cases in Sierra Leone and close to 4,000 deaths from the virus. The Salesian-run Don Bosco Fambul in Sierra Leone’s capital city, Freetown, is one of the country’s leading child-welfare organizations and was on the forefront of efforts to help prevent Ebola in local communities. Now the organization has turned its attention to helping care for children who have been left orphaned and assisting those whose rights have been violated.

The Salesian Missions report found that 82 percent of Sierra Leone’s children between the ages of 4 and 12 have been victims of violent punishments. More than 70 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 are forced into child labor. Some 10,000 children are working in mines and many others are working in places where they are exploited and made to work for more than 12 hours a day. In addition, child abuse and teenage pregnancy have increased and hundreds of children have been accused of witchcraft and blamed for the deaths of their family members. The report notes that the lack of political commitment, family disintegration, loss of values and overall poverty have led to these child rights violations.

“It is true that many things have been done to improve and protect children, but since the Ebola crisis, Sierra Leone has remained sorely tried and the facilities that care for children are weak,” says Ana Munoz, spokesperson the Salesian Missions Madrid. “Protecting the children and young people of Sierra Leone is the way to build a better country and a better future.”

Don Bosco Fambul has been working for the prevention and detection of child rights violations as well as providing care and social integration for children and youth at-risk. Since 2010, the organization has provided a countrywide phone counseling service. At one time, nearly half the calls focused on teen relationship issues. Since the outbreak of Ebola in 2014, the counseling line has turned into a widely used resource for Ebola prevention and support.

The organization began advertising its free hotline as a preventative defense against Ebola in May 2014 and youth were encouraged to call to access critical information about the virus. Since that time, more than 25,000 calls about Ebola have been answered and fielded. The data gathered as a result of the calls has helped the country’s national registration office identify Ebola hotspots and crisis regions. Through the hotline, Don Bosco Fambul brought hope to the children and adolescents of one of the poorest country in the world during a terrible time of crisis.

Youth living on the streets in Freetown face emotional trauma and are in need of support, basic necessities and education. Providing crisis intervention services, long-term counseling, shelter, nutritious food and an education, Don Bosco Fambul has reached out to an estimated 2,500 street children in the region, many of whom had been abandoned by parents, the government and those who were supposed to protect them.

In addition, Don Bosco Fambul has been running a Girls Shelter for the past two years. Here, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been victims of sexual assault. Girls that access the shelter’s services are also able to attend educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network. These educational programs give young women the skills necessary to find and retain employment while working to empower them to overcome the discrimination they have faced and gain a greater awareness of their rights. After having suffered tremendous disadvantages and violence in their past, these opportunities for a brighter and more stable future have been welcomed.

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Sources:

ANS – Sierra Leone – Violations of Children’s Rights have increased since Ebola

Don Bosco Fambul

World Health Organization – Ebola Stats Sierra Leone 

The post SIERRA LEONE: Salesian Missions Madrid Releases Report on Increase in Child Rights Violations Since Ebola Epidemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The organization serves child laborers, victims of child abuse and youth who are orphaned, abandoned or live on the streets at nine BOSCO rehabilitation centers and six outreach hubs spread throughout the city. In its 35 year history, BOSCO has helped improve the lives of more than 125,000 children and rescues and rehabilitates close to 7,000 children each year. In 2014, BOSCO volunteers rescued 6,451 runaway youth and were able to reunite 4,681 of them back with their families. Those remaining are under the care of India’s Child Welfare Committee. Of the youth rescued, there were 5,561 boys and 900 girls, the majority of whom were between the ages of 6 and 16 with 75 of the children under age five.

Many children living on the streets are runaways who have left home in search of work or to escape violence or other family difficulties. According to UNICEF, more than 40,000 children are reported missing every year in India. Of these, close to 11,000 remain untraced. As many cases go unreported, it is suspected that the actual number of missing children is much higher. Many runaways come to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru in search of work and a better life with the majority of them living on the streets and on the country’s railway platforms where they beg, steal or perform menial jobs to survive. All too often, they fall victim to child traffickers.

In 2010, India passed a landmark law mandating that all children between the ages of 6 and 14 be in school, but according to UNICEF, millions of children remain in the workforce. Full implementation of the law went into effect in 2013, but child workers can still be found in almost every industry in India. The problem has been enforcing the law, particularly in high poverty regions of the country.

Once youth are identified by BOSCO and convinced to come in off the street, their basic needs are provided for such as housing, food and clothing. In addition, they receive counseling and, if appropriate, are reunited back with their families. Education is also a primary component of BOSCO and is provided to those in the rehabilitation program while those who are returned to their families have access to Salesian schools throughout India. Youth who continue their education are more likely to find and retain stable employment later in life and break the cycle of poverty.

“Salesian missionaries in India are working hard to rehabilitate street children and restore their childhoods,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Many take for granted having a safe place to sleep, enough food to eat and access to medical care. Salesian missionaries recognize how critical it is to meet these basic needs before expecting youth to be able to focus on education.”

BOSCO is also involved in child rights education in schools, colleges, and for the general public and has made significant contributions towards the development of government policies for the protection of children. In addition, BOSCO has been running the Childline Youth Hotline since 2002. This hotline is a safety net for youth on the streets and connects them to safe shelter and other services. Salesian missionaries collaborate extensively with the Indian government and child protection system by providing training, advocacy and outreach program development to help reduce the number of street children while sharing resources for finding, identifying and rehabilitating those currently living on the streets.

India is home to 25 percent of the world’s poor and more than 30 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. With the largest number of child laborers in the world, India has made significant progress the past eight years reducing the number of out-of-school children from 25 million to 8 million. However, an estimated 11 million children live on the streets facing the daily horrors of rampant exploitation, forced labor, widespread substance abuse and physical violence. Many poor youth see little opportunity or hope for a better life.

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Sources:

Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota

Don Bosco India – Government of India names BOSCO, Bangalore the best NGO for Child Welfare

UNICEF – State of the World’s Children 2012

World Bank – India

The post INDIA: Indian Government Awards Salesian-run BOSCO Bangalore the 2014 National Award for Child Welfare first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Since violence initially broke out in December 2012 between Séléka rebels and Christian anti-balaka militia groups, thousands have died, more than 650,000 have been internally displaced (with more than 232,000 in the capital city of Bangui alone) and 300,000 have fled across the borders as refugees. Due to the conflict, close to 2.2 million people have needed humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations (UN). Earlier in 2015, peace had begun to return to the Central African Republic. Small markets were opened, taxi service returned and residents were able to move back and forth between locations.

A new outbreak of violence has since erupted after a body of a young man was found in September causing residents to flee from their homes again to seek shelter in the country. Those in need have sought refuge and assistance at the two Salesian centers. According to local Salesian missionaries on the ground, the recent clashes have killed close to 60 people and left 300 wounded.

The donated rice-meals were distributed to children, women and the elderly at a Salesian school and church as well as to local villagers. The distribution happened quickly in order to reach the populations in need without any interruption from the armed groups of rebels and bandits. For many families, this donation has brought some relief as it had been several months since they had the supplies for regular meals. The rice-meal donation has improved the health and overall mood of the recipients and helped students to concentrate on their school studies.

“Salesian missionaries are an integral part of the existing infrastructure in many countries and Salesian Missions plays an important role in making sure aid from the United States reaches its destination country and gets into the hands of those who need it most,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Those who access Salesian programs in the Central African Republic have very little and are in need of the basics like proper nutrition, clothing, shelter and education. This donation will go a long way in helping those who are most vulnerable.”

The Salesian Center in Damala has an orphanage, youth center, professional center and high school. At the center in Galabadja, Salesian missionaries offer primary and secondary education along with a college and professional training program. A youth center and medical clinic are also available.

Both centers operate the Spaces of Peace project where youth of all ages, cultures and religions learn to live and work together peacefully. Through the project, Salesian missionaries offer sports, musical training, summer camps and other activities that promote teamwork and social skills. In addition, the program offers one meal a day to more than 1500 students during their school day, helps 700 students with school supplies and scholarships and assists 120 older youth gain the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

Despite the ongoing violence, Salesian missionaries continue to work diligently for the young and poor in the Central African Republic. Educational and social development programs helps youth regain a sense of normalcy while allowing them to move past the violence and focus on more productive activities.

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Sources:

ANS – Central African Republic – Recurring cycles of violence … hoping for peace

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Rice-Meal Donation Impacts Close to 1,500 Internally Displaced People Seeking Assistance from Salesian Programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Out of the 1,000 Boys and Girls Clubs across 14 states in the Northeast, the Salesian Boys and Girls Club of East Boston was one of two clubs in the region to be selected for the national award. According to an East Boston Times article, Father John Nazzaro, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of East Boston, traveled to Princeton, New Jersey on Oct. 29 to receive the award on behalf of the club.

“This is really an honor,” said Fr. Nazzaro in the East Boston Times article. “We really are a small club compared to some of these other clubs in the region that have huge facilities but we were able to double our enrollment over the year to 320 kids in attendance daily.”

“This award belongs to the hard working staff and young people who see the Salesian spirit of reason, religion, kindness and active presence every day,” added Fr. Nazzaro in the article.

The mission of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. The organization has been serving youth in East Boston and the neighboring communities of Revere and Winthrop since 1945. The clubhouse provides a space for young people to engage in projects and recreational activities, receive assistance with homework and tutoring and have access to computers and a daily snack. It also serves as a site for neighborhood activities.

The Salesian Boys and Girls Club of East Boston accommodates 320 young people a day in its after-school program which costs $20.00 per child each year, a very minimal fee as compared to similar programs. Serving children ages 6 to 19, the program runs from 2:30 to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The club has more than 1,000 active members.

Through the club’s educational programs, youth learn social and life skills. The Torch Club is a leadership and service club for boys and girls ages 11 to 13 that aims to meet the special character development needs of young adolescents at this critical stage in life. The Keystone Club provides older youth, ages 14 to 18, with leadership development experiences. Members participate in activities in three focus areas including academic success, career preparation and community service. In addition, Salesian staff offer a program that promotes financial responsibility and independence among club members ages 13 to 18. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, create a budget, save and invest, start small businesses and pay for college.

More than 200 young people participated in a summer day camp offered at the Boys and Girls Club last year. Annual fundraising activities such as a breakfast hosted by the club raise money to allow youth who otherwise could not afford the summer programs, to attend.

“We do a lot with the money we get and we have over 40 families that receive scholarships for our program each summer,” said Fr. Nazzaro in the article.

With the addition of new programs and services and a change in location, the Boys and Girls Club of East Boston has been far more successful than in previous years when they were lucky to have 60 to 80 young participants a day. The recent award recognizes the club’s success in attracting and impacting neighborhood youth.

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Sources:

East Boston Times – Salesian Boys and Girls Club Receives a National Award

Salesian Boys & Girls Club of East Boston

The post UNITED STATES: Salesian Boys and Girls Club of East Boston Receives National Award from Boys & Girls Club of America first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Actor Michael Peña and director Joe Kelly have collaborated on a public service announcement, You Are My Sunshine, for the Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles. You are My Sunshine tells the story of a young girl’s journey to the Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles where children from less fortunate circumstances are provided a safe place to dream, learn and become successful educated adults.

The public service announcement is available on YouTube and has been shared on Twitter by some of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities including actors Mark Wahlberg and Andie MacDowell, director and producer Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Michael Peña also provided another short film which is available on the Salesian Boys & Girls Club’s website, speaking about his own connection to the Salesian club. Since 1966, the Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles, located within walking distance of more than 13,000 elementary, middle and high school students, has served the Boyle Heights and City Terrace communities by providing positive after-school activities and low-cost alternative programs for thousands of at-risk and economically disadvantaged youth between the ages of 6 and 18.

Young people living in the East L.A. area face a number of challenges. According to the most recent 2012 U.S. census data, close to 27 percent of residents of East L.A. live in poverty, an increase from the overall 15.3 percent poverty rate for California. Youth living in poverty face lower rates of high school graduation and difficulty finding and maintaining employment as well as struggle with high crime rates and gang activity. Only 50 percent of youth living in East L.A. graduate high school and only 7 percent go on to college. For those involved in the Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles, more than 85 percent graduate from high school and 50 percent go on to college.

“Youth living in poverty in East L.A. communities often have difficulty remaining in school. They also face high levels of unemployment and pressure to join gangs and engage in other illegal activities,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian youth programs provide positive role models, structured activities, a safe place to get off the streets and a nonviolent, supportive environment in which to engage with peers.”

Functioning side by side with Salesian schools, youth clubs offer young people opportunities for engaging in constructive activities during their leisure time. Through organized programs which often include sports and music, youth are taught teamwork and social skills while gaining opportunities for personal growth. Some youth clubs also offer small medical clinics and, where needed, lunch programs to protect children from malnutrition.

Functioning side by side with Salesian schools, youth clubs offer young people opportunities for engaging in constructive activities during their leisure time. Through organized programs which often include sports and music, youth are taught teamwork and social skills while gaining opportunities for personal growth. Some youth clubs also offer small medical clinics and where needed, lunch programs to protect children from malnutrition.

The Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles provides a safe space where youth can engage in sports, music, art and other social activities. Programs help build confidence and teach team building and conflict resolution skills. Leadership development, health programs and wrap-around family services are also offered and help youth connect with their peers, families and communities. In addition, the club offers at least one full meal a day and additional tutoring and educational programs to complement school studies. Currently the club has more than 3,400 registered members.

“The Salesian Boys & Girls Club targets youth who would otherwise be on their own during their time away from school,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Instead of being on the streets or home alone, young people are able to join in the youth club’s activities and use their free time productively, staying safe and accessing support services that help them stay in school and keep focused on leading a happy and healthy life.”

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Sources:

Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles

United States – Hollywood stars collaborate for LA Salesian Club

The post UNITED STATES: Actor Michael Peña, Director Joe Kelly Collaborate on PSA for Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Earlier this year, while speaking to Salesian priests and nuns at a Sunday mass in Turin, Italy’s Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, the Pope recounted fond childhood memories of his family’s closeness to the Salesians and how when his mother was ill, he was taken out of public school to spend one year studying with Salesian missionaries. The Pope went on to recall how he grew very attached to the Salesian community during the year he spent with them. Noting how Salesian missionaries go above and beyond classroom teaching by using creative arts, sports and other activities to engage young people, he recalled the creation of a soccer team for Argentinian street children by Salesian Father Lorenzo Massa in 1908.

In anticipation of the bicentennial of  Salesian founder St. John (Don) Bosco’s birth on August 16, Pope Francis sent a letter to Father Ángel Fernández Artime, the Salesian Rector Major. In the letter, Pope Francis praised the work of Don Bosco and the Salesian Family and highlighted Don Bosco’s call to service and his work with poor and disadvantaged youth. Pope Francis also praised Salesian efforts in establishing education and social development services that are open to all youth regardless of language, race, culture or religion.

As part of the letter, Pope Francis states, “A characteristic feature of Don Bosco’s pedagogy is loving kindness, which is to be understood as a love that is manifested and perceived, and reveals itself in caring, affection, understanding and involvement in the life of another person. In the experiential process of education, according to Don Bosco, it is not enough to love, but love needs to be expressed in gestures that are concrete and effective. Thanks to this loving kindness, so many children and adolescents in Salesian settings have experienced an intense and serene emotional growth, which has proved very valuable in the shaping of their personality and in their life’s journey.”

Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in more than 5,300 primary and secondary schools and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools. To date, more than 3 million youth have participated in Salesian programs operated by more than 30,000 Salesian missionaries in more than 130 countries around the globe. Salesian programs provide poor youth and their families access to education, workforce development, humanitarian relief, youth clubs, health services, feeding programs and more.

“Salesian missionaries are dedicated to caring for poor youth through programs that are innovative in design and customized to meet local needs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries focus on helping young people become self-sufficient through education and skills training that leads to employment, which in turn builds strong communities.”

Salesian missionaries are widely considered one of the largest private providers of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth in some of the poorest places on the planet by providing access to educational opportunities that match local workforce development needs. Through Salesian skills training programs, youth are able to gain the skills necessary to find and retain stable employment. This work helps grow local economies and breaks the cycle of poverty for poor youth and their families.

“Salesian missionaries are often faced with challenges when providing programs in some of the most difficult environments, especially after natural disasters and in regions plagued by conflict and war, but despite hardship, their mission to bring hope and opportunity to those living in poverty remains strong,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

Vatican Radio – In Turin, Pope recalls charism of Salesians’ Don Bosco

The post GLOBAL: Pope Francis Recalls His Positive Educational Experiences in Salesian Schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Rural life in Guatemala is often associated with extreme poverty. However, rural Q’eqchi are among those in the community looking to improve their lives. Through Salesian programs, Q’eqchi are learning new skills that can lead to additional income for their families while increasing the capacities of their communities.

The Don Bosco Center is the male counterpart to a local educational project for girls known as Talita Kumi which was started by a Salesian missionary from India, Father Jorge Puthenpura, and is now run by the Salesian Sisters of the Resurrection. This program works to raise the status of women and empower them to become household and community decision-makers.

“Both of these educational efforts are part of the much broader mission developed by the Salesian community in Guatemala,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian educational programs have been very successful with the number of schools in the region doubling, allowing for more children than ever before to have the opportunity for a brighter future.”

Under the leadership of Salesian missionary, Father Anthony De Groot, the Don Bosco Center has also developed an extensive teacher training program. Father De Groot came to the Carchá mission in the Alta Verapz region of Guatemala in 1975 and has been helping youth break the cycle of poverty and improve their lives through education ever since.

Upon his arrival in Guatemala, Fr. De Groot was immediately struck by the extreme poverty and deprivation in the mountain communities. What started for him as an effort to provide support to remote villages neglected during a civil war, turned into an educational revolution resulting in the training of hundreds of teachers while offering poor youth a second chance.

“Determined to make a difference, Fr. De Groot began visiting the villages to build hope and offer support,” adds. Fr Hyde. “After a while, he realized much more needed to be done especially for the sake of the children. He started to build schools and initiated a teacher training program.”

Today, more than 850 local students are enrolled in a series of teacher training courses. Upon receiving their teaching certificates, these students will go on to teach in some of the 600 villages throughout Guatemala that participate in the program.

Rural poverty hasn’t changed much in Guatemala during the last 20 years, according to the World Bank. Close to 75 percent of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line and almost 58 percent live below the extreme poverty line which the World Bank defines as struggling to afford even a basic basket of food.

For the country’s indigenous population, the poverty rates jump even higher with almost 90 percent facing crippling poverty and few resources. Salesian missionaries have been working in Guatemala for many years, particularly with indigenous populations, to help break the cycle of poverty and provide access to basic needs and education.

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Sources:

World Bank – Guatemala

The post GUATEMALA: More Than 800 Indigenous Q’eqchi (Mayans) Receive Technical Training at Don Bosco Center first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In Nagaland, located in the northeast of India, Salesian programs are working to help poor youth. The Don Bosco Technical Institute there has trained 1,300 unemployed youth in vocational courses such as spa and beauty services, food and beverages service, hospitality, housekeeping and sales and marketing. The institute boasts a 77 percent placement rate in stable employment for graduates and it plans to train 15,000 more poor youth in the next 10 years.

“Successful trainees have found placements in reputed companies and groups including hotels, spas, resorts and even hospitals,” says Father AM Joseph, executive director of Don Bosco Technical Institute in a recent local Morung Express article about the school. “Earlier, we needed to seek out placements in industries and companies, but now they approach us for placement of our students. Today we have an impact and Don Bosco Technical Institute has become a brand name.”

The Salesians have been educating poor youth in Nagaland since 1969. In response to rising youth unemployment, they launched Don Bosco Technical Institute in the region in 2012. There, students focus on learning specialized skills through vocational training while also taking additional courses in grooming, social skills, computer skills and English.

Today there are four Don Bosco Technical Centers in Nagaland each with a separate focus: AIDA Don Bosco complex, Working Women Center, Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Dimapur district and the Don Bosco Youth Center in Wokha district. According to officials at the institute, there are plans to expand to ten centers by 2014.

This past summer, 90 students graduated from the AIDA Don Bosco Complex in Dimapur. With support from the Union Ministry of Rural Development, students are educated for free and are provided free accommodation and meals if they live a distance away.

Many students work hard in their programs and strive to succeed. For some it’s one of the few opportunities available to break the cycle of poverty and find employment.

“It’s a dream come true for me getting admission in this training institute,” says Miss Rongsensangla, a spa trainee interviewed in the Morung Express article. “I came here with a goal of becoming a professional beautician. After I joined the institute, I have learned how to communicate, punctuality, how to speak English, health care and cleanliness.”

Don Bosco Technical Institute has 176 educational centers across India and has trained close to 75,000 youth in vocational and technical programs. The school boasts an 80 percent placement rate into stable employment after graduation.

In the same Morung Express article, Fr. Joseph noted that the Salesians plan to substantially increase the number of technical institutes across India over the next several years with new centers already opening in Jammu and Kashmir and other northeast and Maoist controlled regions.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Technical Institute –India

The Morung Express – Don Bosco: Empowering unemployed youth in Nagaland

Planning Commission for India – Poverty Report

UNICEF – India Poverty

The post INDIA: Don Bosco Technical Institute is Preparing Poor Youth for the Workforce in Nagaland first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Mukoya initially traveled to the area to cover stories related to the proposed disarmament process by the United Nations (which has yet to happen). Instread, he decided to focus his attention, and his lens, on children affected by the instability in the region. His research brought him to the Salesian-run Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma.

Children are extremely vulnerable when it comes to civil war and violence. Many were abandoned during the recent fighting between the Congolese army (known as the FARDC) and the M23 rebels. For many of these abandoned children, Don Bosco Ngangi has become a safe haven.

Established in 1988, Don Bosco Ngangi hosts more than 3,000 abandoned children and HIV/AIDS victims. According to Father Piero Gavioli, the center’s director, young victims with nowhere else to turn continue to arrive at the center.

“Father Gavioli told me that when the rebels took over Goma in December 2012, the center was not affected,” said Mukoya. “Not a single bullet was fired towards the facility that played host to running refugees from the different villages of North Kivu. The work happening at the center is very important.”

Father Gavioli—who Mukoya described as having a “very kind personality”—gave the Reuters photographer a tour of the facility, including the kitchen where dinner was being prepared, the outside space where groups of older kids were playing and laughing and a nursery where young orphans were being cared for by the Salesians.

“Immediately entering the children’s room I was touched by this 18 month old child named Imani,” said Mukoya.

The toddler, whose name translates to “Faith” in English, was “playing in his baby-cot and always smiled to the camera,” he added.

“The children are gorgeous and it was moving to see how much they liked visitors and were interested in my cameras,” Mukoya said. “I was inspired by the way young children lived and played together as a family.”

The photos were initially posted on Trust.org, a site of the Thompson Reuters Foundation.

THOMAS MUKOYA’S PHOTOS ARE BELOW:

(ABOVE) An abandoned child drinks milk at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) Abandoned children play at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) Michelle Sodiki, an abandoned child, rests in his cot at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) A youth jumps through the air as he plays at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) Imani, an abandoned child, plays in his cot at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) A worker prepares food “ugali” at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(LEFT) A medic treats an abandoned child at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

The post DR CONGO: Reuters Photographer Captures Life at Center Where Salesians Care for More than 3,000 Abandoned Children, HIV/AIDS Victims first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“Luis Bedoya is baby-faced and skinny,” reports the NPR story, by Juan Forero. “And he looks ever the boy when he puts on an industrial-sized apron, thick gloves and a metal helmet — the tools of an apprentice welder at the Don Bosco center in this city in southern Colombia.”

The vocational training and youth center, run by the Salesians of Don Bosco, specializes in rehabilitating child guerrillas. It is one of many such centers in Colombia and offers what Salesians around the world are known for – opportunity for youth through education and vocational training provided by caring adults. For children who have never had anyone care about them before, the center is life changing and life saving.

“It’s a big complex, complete with classrooms, basketball courts, a dormitory and work rooms. It’s home to boys and girls, as well as very young adults, who defected from the FARC rebels or were captured by the Colombian army,” reports NPR.

Children, including girls, have been recruited by guerrilla groups and even kidnapped and forced to do the war’s “dirty work” – often the most dangerous. Human rights groups and humanitarian groups have identified Colombia as a major country of crisis for children.

Many children – who have known nothing but war in their lifetimes – are recruited very young. Teenagers and even younger children are trained to be soldiers, stripping them of their childhoods. Those who survive and escape the nightmare have few places to turn for help.

The story continues: “These days, [Jasmine] is far removed from that life. She’s in cooking classes, and looking forward to higher studies – and maybe someday opening her own restaurant.”

The Colombian war has lasted more than 40 years. It is a brutal conflict between many different armed groups who struggle for power and control over land. All the armed groups have abused the rights of innocent people. About 5,000 people are killed every year, and most of these are civilians, according to Unicef. Massacres occur almost every week. Since 1985, more than 2 million people – or 1 in 20 Colombians – have been forced to abandon their homes because of the war.

While the two sides are in peace negotiations, the recruitment of child soldiers by the FARC rebels seems to be ramping up making programs to help these children essential.

“About 500 children are in programs like this across the country, but if peace is achieved, experts anticipate a much greater need,” NPR reported.

“We pray that peace does happen,” says Father Mark Hyde, the director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “And when that peace causes a need for more programs like this one, the Salesians will be there to help meet that need.”

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PHOTOS: Father Mark Hyde / SALESIAN MISSIONS

Read / listen to the story on NPR’s site: Years Of Combat Experience, and Just Turning 20

Learn more about Salesian Missions programs in Colombia >

The post COLOMBIA: NPR Tells Story of Salesian Center Helping Former Child Soldiers Start New, Positive Lives first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The school’s Principal Father Chris Ford was thrilled to have his students be a part of what was a Rotary Club of Apia initiative.

As a part of the initiative Rotary donated new tools and resources so the students could complete their task to the best of their abilities.

This donation led to six fourth year students being trained by volunteers of Ashburton, Ashburton Plains, Greymouth and Riccarton Rotary Clubs to use modern power tools and other equipment in the workshop.

This training made for some impressive work with the pupils constructing more than 350 book shelves in four days.

Father Ford said he was pleased for his school to be included in the project saying that an initiative like this instills a spirit of unity in the community.

“We are thankful to Rotary Club for selecting our students to work with,” he said.

“We are happy to receive the donations and the opportunity granted to further develop the experience and skillset of our carpentry class.”

Don Bosco student Kilisi Telenise described how useful it was to have been part of this Rotary project.

“These were all new tools to us – like the cordless battery operated drills we used,” he said.

“We not only got the chance to learn how to use this new technology but also the opportunity to work outside of the classroom in a real work environment.”

The vocational training and work experience will both enhance the students’ CVs and also better their chances at finding work when they graduate.

Read the entire article >

Written by Phaedra Moores / Samoa Observer

The post SAMOA: Salesian Students Give Back by Building Libraries for Don Bosco Schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Slade is one of 326 students enrolled in the Corporate Work Study Program at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, a private college preparatory school in Takoma Park that partners with businesses across the Washington metro area. For students, the program offers an opportunity to gain some professional experience early on, before they continue their education outside the walls of DBCR. For businesses, it trains the workforce of the future while providing capable, eager hands, willing to perform often mundane but essential office tasks for a low price.

“For me the biggest [value of] this program is the self-responsibility I see the students acquire, the reins they take of their own life,” said Kevin Virostek, managing partner for Greater Washington at Ernst & Young LLP.

The school trains students through a preparatory boot camp of sorts, then sends a rotating team of four to the partnering company’s office from September until June, with each student working about one day a week — five days per month. In return for what essentially equates to one full-time staffer, the company typically pays $30,000.

See the complete article on the Washington Post website >

The post first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the article, during the last 40 years, Buck and his wife Lucy have traveled to Haiti countless times where they witnessed slow progress with governmental regime changes, continued violence and technical delays. Ozburn reports that in 2008, the Closes had dinner with Partners in Health co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer, like Buck and Lucy, the article says, had a deep connection to Haiti and gained fame by building rural health clinics there. According to the article, these clinics became a healthcare assistance model for developing countries. The article also attributes the meeting between the Closes and Dr. Farmer to the development of 1000jobsHaiti.

In the article Buck explains, “The three of us came up with the idea for 1000jobsHaiti because we saw that job creation was the most important thing we could do in Haiti. Dr. Farmer’s organization has made huge strides in health care and education in the Central Plateau of Haiti and 1000jobsHaiti’s goal is to make similar progress, over time, in the field of economic opportunity.”

Ozburn reports that 1000jobsHaiti fights poverty by providing sustainable jobs to Haitians at fair wages. The organization, he explained, doesn’t function like a traditional nonprofit. It builds partnerships with local, motivated Haitians that are anxious to improve their lives through their own efforts and creativity.

According to the article, one of the first accomplishments of the organization was employing small women’s groups in the production of artisanal goods like embroidered or knitted table linens, bed linens and tote bags. Ozburn reports that 1000jobsHaiti trained the groups and then supported them by selling and merchandising their products in the United States.

The project was in the middle of building sales and merchandising when the earthquake struck in Jan 20120. In the article, Buck explained, “We spent six months using all of our resources to bring emergency aid to our employees.”

Working within the new conditions in Haiti after the quake, 1000jobsHaiti formed a company to manufacture material for the new wave of construction happening in Haiti. The organization, as noted in the article, employed 25 men at fair working wages and currently produces concrete and earthen blocks used in the rebuilding effort.

“Our projects change lives in a pretty direct way,” Buck said in the article. “They give someone without income a way to earn a living and do it by creating, over time, sustainable business models that can carry on without an outside charity being involved.”

According to the article, 1000jobsHaiti’s relies on Haitian management to oversee the day-to-day functions of the construction business and women’s employment groups. Here in the United States, the organization has a marketing operation that mostly serves the women’s groups in sales and product design. In the article, Buck explains that finding the right Haitian leaders is essential to the project and they remain careful about expansion, making sure employees can depend on their jobs even when demand might drop.

Looking forward, Ozburn reports that 1000jobsHaiti plans to continue to grow the construction business. The Closes, the article says, are focusing their efforts in the United States to raise enough money to purchase $60,000 of equipment which would double their capacity and increase sales margins at the same time. Currently, the organization is selling more blocks than it can manufacture. With the new equipment, employment could double in Domond, the small rural town where the concrete blocks are made.

In closing, the article states that although there have been ups and downs to their progress, the Closes remain undeterred in their efforts on behalf of the Haitian people.

“This is not work for people who want overnight success,” Buck states in the article. “However, I’m confident our chosen strategy will be embraced.”

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PHOTO Courtesy 1000jobsHaiti

Original Article – DoGooder Spotlight: Transforming Haiti, One Job at a Time

The post HuffPost DoGooder Spotlight Highlights 1000jobsHaiti Founder Inspired by Salesian Sisters first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the article, Levy volunteered at the orphanage in summer of 2010, and during his time there worked as a computer skills teacher and teacher’s assistant while staying in one of the 10 dorms with the children. In addition, he played soccer and basketball with the youth, sang with the choir, and participated in community service. He was able to fully experience life at the orphanage during his stay.

Levy writes, “Every day on the streets of Manila, Philippines, children as young as seven years old are forced to sell their bodies to survive. Many join gangs and become addicted to drugs. Not only do these children face traumatic experiences, such as sexual violence, but they are also homeless, usually because they were abandoned or neglected by their parents. It is hard to comprehend the hardships faced by these young children, left to fend for themselves on the mean streets of Manila.”

Levy says that in the sea of indifference, poverty, and exploitation, Tuloy Foundation Orphanage is making a real difference in the lives of youth. Tuloy specializes in working with street children, most of whom have been addicted to drugs, members of gangs, and victims of sexual violence. The articles states that Tuloy was opened in 1993 and has since taken in about 1,000 street children, giving them a safe home, love, and the skills to become self-sufficient adults. Through their outreach programs, Tuloy Foundation Orphanage has reached more than 10,000 since its opening.

Tuloy doesn’t just house youth, it focuses on educating them with practical vocational skills in addition to standard education that enables the youth to support themselves once they graduate, Levy explained. These skills, he says, include automotive, air-conditioning and computer repair, cooking, and culinary arts. In addition Levy wrote that once students have mastered a skill and graduate, Tuloy will connect them with a job and continue to let them live at the residence while they get the necessary experience to gain a degree and support themselves.

Levy also explained that in addition to teaching youth a trade, educators also instill important work ethics that help them to maintain employment and function in their daily lives. Levy explained a lesson he saw first-hand while volunteering in 2010.

“During my stay, the staff focused on improving the punctuality of the children. For example, if a child was late to morning assembly, they were informed that they did not waste just one minute of their own time, but rather one minute of every other child’s time which would total 500 minutes wasted, since there were 500 children at assemblies,” Levy explained.

Levy said in the article that while Tuloy has received a number of grants and gifts to build dormitories, it still lacks the funding to operate all of the dormitories. He explained that at the present time, three new dormitories remain empty because of a lack of operational funding. Ninety children, Levy writes, 30 who could be housed in each dormitory are left on the streets having to fend for themselves potentially joining gangs and doing drugs.

Levy’s goal, as stated in the article, is to raise enough money to fill one Tuloy dorm with children. The article notes that it will take $150,000 to support a full dormitory over the next five years. To date, Levy has raised $110,000 which includes a dollar-to-dollar match from his parents, who fully support his fundraising efforts. As a result, according to the article, Tuloy will be able to open a new dormitory for 30 children in the fall of 2012. Donations are still needed to cover the operation of the dormitory over the next five years.

“It is a truly magical place that is giving a future to thousands of children who have known only poverty, homelessness, drugs, and abuse.” Levy states in the article. “I plan to spend another month volunteering at Tuloy during the summer of 2012.”

Levy encouraged potential donors to learn more about the organization at TuloyFoundation.org and those willing to support can donate at Salesian Missions.

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Original article – Saving Street Children in the Philippines: The Tuloy Foundation Orphanage and Don Bosco School

The post Piedmont Post Highlights Volunteer’s Effort to Help Street Children in Philippines first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The article noted that Liangamang Robert, who met the child, tried speaking to him but found that he could speak only some words of Rongmei and something that sounded like Kuki dialect. However, according to the report, he said, “the boy could speak Tamil fluently” and when asked about his village in Rongmei, “the child could say Duiga.”

In addition to providing contact information for those who may have some information on the missing boy, the report noted that while “the Don Bosco fathers do not have any problem looking after the boy, they, however, feel that he should be reintegrated with his family or at least to a culture he can identify himself with.”

Go to the original E-Pao article: Tamenglong kid found on street of Tamil Nadu.

The post Child Found by Don Bosco Brothers in Tamil Nadu first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Shekhar, she reports, was just five years old when he got lost at the very same rail station seven years earlier. He was traveling with his family to a wedding when they told him to wait in the train compartment while they went to get something to eat. Chanam recounts what happened next, “The train had started and Shekhar still recalls standing at the door of the train and looking out for his parents. In the last moment, out of fear of never finding them if he continued sitting in the train, Shekhar had plunged from a running train. He had waited for his parents on the platform. He still does.”

According to the report, with the assistance of the Bosco Mane Bangalore worker, Shekhar asked to find his family. Chanam recounts, “He told what little he knew about his village and also that he had an elder brother who worked in Pandavapura near Mandiya district. In just 24 hours the team reached his parents only to be told that Shekhar hadn’t got lost as he believed, he had been deserted. They didn’t want him then, they didn’t want him now.”

The news report went on to say that when Shekhar was unable to reunite with his family he was brought in front of the Child Welfare Committee under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. There he was categorized as a street child and assigned to the care of the State Children’s Home, the Bala Kana Bala Mandira till the time he finishes school and can stand on his own feet.

Chanam reports that through conversations with the Bosco Mane Bangalore workers she learned about the misfortune of many of the street children like Shekhar. She reports, “I learned that these children are deserted by parents and families at birth or later due to monetary constraints or gender discrimination; or they are runaways who fled from a home where there was violence against the mother due to drunkenness of the father, remarriage of the mother to the man she now lived with or other domestic strife.”

Bosco Mane Bangalore maintains a presence on the streets where they provide street counselors 24 hours a day seven days a week at contact points in the city like railways and bus stations. They offer constant support to street children by preventing and protecting them from exploiters through guidance and rehabilitation. In addition, the organization offers counseling, home placement, vocational education and job placement as well as many other services.

In her report, Chanam praises the work of Bosco Mane Bangalore and the important role they play in helping street children in India while encouraging the government in India, Bosco and other NGOs and CBOs to strengthen their advocacy work in this arena.

“I wish each mother came forward to support this cause to rehabilitate children on the street, I wish they marched along with organizations like BOSCO, APSA, ECHO, REDS, Paraspara and others, to help provide for them for a better education and other needs.” Chanam reports, “I wish we begin to see in these nameless faces our own children. I wish we did our part to help these motherless children to go on ahead and one day, equipped with education, become parents themselves and find the joy of a family once again.”

Go to the original The Sangia Express news article: O Sweet Child O Mine

The post Sangia Express Highlights Praise for Salesian Missions BOSCO Mane Bangalore Work with Street Children first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The piece reported that 19-year-old Derontae Mason, who once slept in homeless shelters and on school playgrounds, is now headed to college thanks to the Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Maryland, a Catholic college preparatory school for low-income teens.

In the piece, Mason says, “I had many obstacles that came across my way and made me want to be like, just forget it, throw in the towel you know? But the teachers, the staff, friends, family they all pulled together with Don Bosco and helped me overcome those obstacles.”

Mason, the piece noted, is part of Don Bosco’s first graduating class of 70 students, all of whom have already been accepted to various colleges and universities.

The CNN piece detailed early domestic problems and personal conflicts that forced Mason on to the streets when he was 15 years old. As one of six children being raised by a single mom with little money, he was in and out of homeless shelters. CNN reported that it was a child advocate that first alerted Mason’s mother to Don Bosco, which the piece notes is one of 24 schools in the country that use the Cristo Rey model: a combination of employment and academics.

Students, reporter Lazo reports, must work at one of the school’s designated job partners. The students are paid when the employer makes a financial contribution to the school.

Shafran explains to Lazo, “They’re picking up the culture of that corporate environment. They see the people that are there, and they’re picking up some great skills of interaction that’s helping to mold them and their own character.”

The piece goes on to say that Don Bosco went even further for Mason and helped him to arrange housing so he wouldn’t have to sleep on the streets. Families of other students at the school agreed on a rotation to let Mason stay in their homes.

Also in the piece, it says that high school was not always easy for Mason and that in his junior year one of his close friends was killed in a drive-by shooting. His teachers, the piece explained, kept prodding him to stay on track. CNN reports that Mason is now bound for Potomac State college in West Virginia on a scholarship with his sights set on becoming a pediatrician.

The article explains that for Mason this is just the beginning. Mason, a determined, soft-spoken young man, told reporter Lazo how much he will always cherish his four years at the high school. “I walk away from Don Bosco knowing I have people who care about me, more determination, perseverance than I can ever imagine.”

See to the original CNN piece: High School Gets Teen off Streets and into College.

The post CNN Piece Tells Story of How Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School Helped Teen Get Off the Streets, Into College first appeared on MissionNewswire.

To survive, the family turned to Salesians for food and assistance. In Ecuador, like in more than 130 countries around the globe, the Salesians are a safety net for the poorest members of society — with a special focus on helping vulnerable children and their families.

The article, by Larry Abramson and Marisa Penaloza, reads: “Her house is a concrete cinder block home. She and her husband bought the land from the city about 12 years ago and lived in a cane shack until last year, when the Salesians of Don Bosco, a Roman Catholic order, helped the family build the house.”

The eldest sons, ages 14 and 16, live in a Salesian shelter for boys during the week and come home to their mother on weekends. At the shelter, they attend school, learn life skills and are provided nutritious meals.

The Salesians specialize in teaching vocational skills to young people, so they can learn to care for themselves.

Maribel still has an entrepreneurial spirit and dreams of one day operating a food business from home.

Read the entire NPR story >

The post NPR: Ecuadoran Family Finds Refuge With Salesians first appeared on MissionNewswire.