The formal education offered through the program is a fundamental aspect of the process of helping youth to reconnect back into school and life with their peers. Salesian missionaries offer grade school and high school level educational services. In addition, once youth are ready, they can advance to more technical skills training. The technical training is also offered with an internship where youth can work to put their classroom skills into practice.

Youth are paired up with jobs in the auto mechanics, woodworking and furniture making, and clothing employment sectors. They are also offered space for rest and lodging, where they are able to take advantage of their free time. It’s also a safe space where they can study, connect with peers and relax.

The Life Outlook program also offers youth the opportunity to belong to youth clubs that foster cultural, environmental, artistic and other aspects within youth. There are currently seven youth clubs. In the ecological youth club, members engage in a walk that allows them to check out the land’s natural riches in terms of fauna, flora and water reservoirs. This teaches youth about the importance of the environment and gives them time to connect with peers with common interests.

Many of the students in this program were once living on the streets or living at risk of violence, drugs and exploitation. Salesian missionaries and lay volunteers have a presence on the streets to reach at-risk youth and encourage them to visit Don Bosco City. Once youth visit the program, the rehabilitation process begins by meeting the young person’s most immediate needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

If youth wish to stay at Don Bosco City instead of returning to the streets, they are provided with housing and a remedial education in addition to being taught life skills and how to live with others. After youth are acclimated into the program and have caught up academically, they can access the formal education, job skills training and the internship program.

“We know that access to education for both boys and girls lays the foundation for a better future for homeless, abandoned and at-risk youth,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “In Colombia especially, where almost 20 percent of school-age children do not attend school, it is crucial that we offer this opportunity to as many youth as we can.”

Close to 33 percent of Colombians live in poverty, according to the World Bank. One in five children in the country has no access to education and 800,000 children reside in refugee camps. The crisis of street children is at epidemic proportions and thousands of at-risk youth have been recruited as child soldiers.

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Sources:

Don Bosco City

World Bank – Colombia 

The post COLOMBIA: Life Outlook program at Don Bosco City offers youth formal education, skills training and internships to prepare them for the workforce first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The International Labor Organization sets a theme for World Day Against Child Labor corresponding to a current or future challenge. This year’s theme is focused on the global need to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labor. The International Labor Organization notes that there are 168 million children worldwide trapped in child labor, accounting for almost 11 percent of the overall child population: 100 million boys and 68 million girls. Around half are engaged in hazardous work, and nearly 60 percent of child labor takes place in agriculture.

Child labor is associated with lower educational attainment, and later in life, with jobs that fail to meet basic decent work criteria. Those who leave school early are less likely to secure stable jobs and are at greater risk of chronic unemployment and poverty. Many of those who have left school early, particularly between the ages of 15 to 17, are engaged in work that is hazardous and classified as the worst forms of child labor.

“Children who are compelled to work, even for a fraction of the day, are deprived of the education they need to learn valuable skills that lead to stable employment later in life,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Unfortunately, in many situations, children are being forced to work around the clock with barely enough time to eat, let alone study, and their prospects in life are diminished.”

In honor of World Day Against Child Labor 2018, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight Salesian programs around the globe that help to eliminate child labor through quality education.

BENIN

Salesian sisters with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are in the process of starting a new reception center near Dantokpa market, the largest open-air market in West Africa, located in Cotonou, Benin. The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians have been active in the Dantokpa market since 2001, where they have been working for the reintegration of the “vidomegon” into society and their families of origin.

Vidomegon, as they are known, are a legacy of colonial custom. In the past, young girls from rural households were entrusted to a tutor to ensure the girls had access to a better education. Today, these young girls are often sold into slavery by the poorest families and employed as low-cost laborers. Vidomegons are victims of psychological and physical violence of all kinds. Their childhoods are spent working in private homes and in markets. These young girls spend their lives working day and night, sleeping under benches and they are often exploited and abused.

The new reception center entails the construction of a new building at the “Maison de l’Esperance,” a Salesian center for girls who have already begun to change their lives. The main objective of the initiative is to provide young girls with a place where they can sleep in total safety, but also to raise awareness and provide support activities. In addition to receiving comfortable mattresses to sleep on, the girls will be followed by a psychologist and an assistant who will help them to overcome the traumas suffered and to access skills training in order for them to gain a better life. Many become bakers, cooks and pastry makers.

The girls first enter the program right in the market at Barra Vidomegon, a Salesian shelter where girls can rest, ask for help and find support participating in recreational activities. After they are provided information about the Salesian center, they can choose to formally enter the program. The new reception center will be a girls’ dormitory that accommodate up to 70 girls each night.

COLOMBIA

Don Bosco City has been working with youth for 52 years and has saved more than 1,300 youth from a life of violence. It is estimated that close to 6,000 minors are still utilized as child soldiers with thousands more having reached their 18th birthday after years of combat. The long rehabilitation process focuses on three things youth need to learn—how to trust, to have hope for the future and to build relationships with others. Psychologists and teachers work together with youth, giving them the tools for a better future, including providing basic education and more advanced skills training that will lead to stable employment.

Don Bosco City is one of the oldest and largest programs for street children in Latin America. Since its start in 1965, the program has rescued more than 83,000 boys and girls. Through the program, Salesian missionaries offer a multi-pronged approach designed to address the broad social issues that contribute to the poverty and exploitation these youth face while training them in the skills necessary to break the cycle of violence and poverty. Currently, there are 900 youth between the ages of 8 and 12 living and receiving education at the program.

GHANA

Salesian missionaries have two centers in the urban area of Accra, the capital and largest city of Ghana. Salesian missionaries provide a home for children and older youth who have been victims of child trafficking. Currently, the Salesian house has 51 children from the ages of 7 to 16. Often, they are known as “wheelbarrow boys,” children of extremely poor families with many children who work as unskilled workers pushing and carrying diverse materials with carts and wheelbarrows. Other youth come from the gold and diamond mines, where they are utilized because they are small and move about easily.

Children face extensive hardships from being exploited in child labor to being sold by their relatives, often to pay off some debt. In the Lake Volta region, it is estimated that there are approximately 21,000 children and teen laborers who have been prevented from attending school.

Concerned, Salesian missionaries have also launched the Child Protection Center. Children come to the Child Protection Center from referrals from other nonprofits and from the police, usually following a complaint. The center offers shelter, counseling and education to help children make the transition out of trafficking and into long-term recovery. Often arriving at the center injured, with low self-esteem and little hope for the future, many become comfortable and settled into their new surroundings within a few weeks.

Academic classes are offered in the morning, after which students are able to participate in group activities with their peers such as theater, music, dance, sports and games. Through the program, participants learn life skills, gain confidence and prepare for a happy, healthy future.

INDIA

The Salesian-run Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO), located in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) and the third most populous city in India, serves child laborers, victims of child abuse and youth who are orphaned, abandoned or live on the streets. Nine BOSCO rehabilitation centers and six outreach hubs are spread throughout the city to assist these children in need.

During its nearly 40-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. 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. The majority of them live 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.

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.

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Sources:

BENIN: New dormitory provides safe haven for young girls kept as child laborers

COLOMBIA: Salesian Missions highlights work with former child soldiers on International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers

GHANA: Salesian missionaries have 4 centers across the country serving poor youth who are at risk of child labor and human trafficking

INDIA: BOSCO Helps to Provide a Second Chance for At-Risk and Marginalized Youth

World Day Against Child Labor 2018

The post WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOR: Salesian Missions highlights educational and social programs that combat child labor first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The International Labour Organization’s World Report on Child Labour in 2015 noted that one in every 11 children in India is working. Fifty-six percent of the working adolescents are no longer studying and 70 percent of those in hazardous conditions are not studying.

The Salesian-run BREADS has been on a mission to identify, rescue and rehabilitate youth at risk, those who have grown up on the streets and those who have been forced into child labor. The organization provides counseling and guidance to extremely vulnerable youth. Through projects for youth at-risk, Salesian missionaries have aimed to include more and more under-aged children in education, guidance and literacy. BREADS has rescued and/or prevented more than 2,600 children in child labor since 2012.

One of the most successful projects that help both with prevention and identification of youth engaged in child labor is the CREAM project, which has educated more than 100,000 children about their rights through 907 special clubs and courses offered in schools across India.

The project was initiated in December 2012 in order to reach the most disadvantaged children in 10 districts in the Indian state of Karnataka, especially in high risk urban rural areas. The goal was to work with youth to build a culture of protection of children’s rights. The project also puts a strong emphasis on improving the potential of minors as well as ensuring the sustainability of activities and results.

“Youth in every region and in every culture around the globe are entitled to basic human rights,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Through educational programming, the Salesians fight tirelessly each day to make sure the voices of marginalized youth are heard and accounted for. This program will 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.”

Kumar was a native of Chimangera village located in the Kalburgi district in the northern part of Karnataka. He was 10 years old and had dropped out of school in the fifth grade. His parents were uneducated and worked in the brick kilns unit. The family migrated from Chimangera village to Kalaburgi in search of jobs. Kumar and his family didn’t have a house of their own and were living in poverty. The owner of the unit gave the family a place to live, which was a temporary tenement.  As a result of the family’s situation, Kumar’s parents neglected him and were even reluctant to provide him proper food and basic clothing.

Children from the nearby CREAM center told their teacher about Kumar’s situation and passed the information to the toll-free number of Childline at 1098. As per the information received by them, the labour department, Department of Health, NCLP, Education, Police and CREAM staff rescued the child from the brick kilns working site. Kumar went before the Child Welfare Committee and was admitted to the government shelter home for boys for further care and protection.

Another youth, Ramesh, is a native of Basavan Nager Kalaburgi. He was 14 years old and a dropout from a local school after finishing his second grade. Ramesh’s parents are daily wage workers and earn a meagre income. Ramesh had been working in a fast food restaurant and bakery near the bus stand.

During one of the Child Rights Clubs follow up, the members of the Child Rights Club informed the matter to the CREAM social activist. Afterwards the children passed the information to the Childline at 1098, which acted immediately by passing the information to the coordinator, labour department and police. The team immediately arrived at the bakery and the child was rescued. It was made sure that a case is filed against the restaurant owner. As his parents were not able to look and meet Ramesh’s most basic needs, he was admitted to the government boy’s home for shelter and protection.

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.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of BREADS, Don Bosco, Bangalore

India – Slice Newsletter Volume 10, Issue 5

International Labour Organization

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

The post INDIA: Salesian missionaries provide child rights education to prevent and rescue children from child labor first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, the International Day of Families focuses on a particular theme. This year the theme “Families and inclusive societies” explores the role of families and family policies in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 16 in terms of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

The United Nations (UN) notes that families play an important role in creating and sustaining peaceful and inclusive societies as well as have a significant impact on child development. It notes that children who grow up in stable and supportive families tend to develop positive cognitive, emotional and social characteristics and become stable and peaceful adults.

“The family unit plays an important role in helping to prepare youth for the future,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “While our primary focus is on education, we also aim to provide other wrap around services that help youth and their families to have healthy and productive lives.”

In honor of the International Day for Families, Salesian Missions is proud to share some of its programs around the globe that provide education and services that help support youth and their families.

ETHIOPIA

In 2002, in the village of Abobo in western Ethiopia, a group of Italian and Spanish volunteers set up a local health clinic in collaboration with local Salesian missionaries. Today, the Abobo Health Center is the symbol of the community and provides health services for the more than 4,000 local villagers. Having expanded its reach over the years, the health clinic also serves the approximately 20,000 people living in the area and the 200,000 people in the entire region.

Two Spanish physicians, Tere and Maria, are the soul of the health center and aim to provide medical care for those who are affected by malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and various infections common in the region. Thanks to their passion and care, the clinic also has a special focus on maternal and child care, two of the most at-risk populations in the country.

Together they are engaged in providing wellness exams and regular screenings for pregnant women, as well as vaccinations to mothers during pregnancy. Tere and Maria are also focused on preventative care and routinely provide medical care to pregnant women to prevent diseases such as such as anemia, hypertension, malaria and various infections that also cause serious consequences to the newborn child. They provide an average of 40 maternal vaccinations per week and attend to 30 births per month.

INDIA

Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative” is bringing water to the Marathwadi village in India. The project was implemented by local Salesian missionaries through Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra (BGVK). Successive years of hardly any rainfall in the villages of Marathwadi and Kolhewadi, in the districts of Ahmednagar and Beed, had made the life of villagers miserable. Agricultural productivity was going down, cattle were not producing enough milk, the groundwater table was declining, people were migrating and children were suffering.

To improve water security and water management, BGVK focused on facilitating groundwater recharge and retention to improve soil moisture, de-silting the canal bed, increasing green cover and laying a pipeline to the village. BGVK also completed an excavation of two dams for de-silting and recharging village wells, as well as constructing two drinking water tanks of 10,000-liter capacity each. The local villagers provided the technical support and manual labor, while Salesian Missions provided the financial support.

This project has benefited 1,200 people in two villages and saved at least 1,000 hours each day collectively for people out searching for water. It has also made the life of young girls and women in the villages more comfortable as they traditionally have the primary responsibility of finding water for their families.

MADAGASCAR

Youth and their families in four Salesian programs in Madagascar have access to better nutrition thanks to a recent shipment of rice-meals through an ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit Christian organization committed to “feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit.” Our Lady of Clairvaux Center in Ivato, Don Bosco House in Fianarantsoa, Salesians of Don Bosco in Betafo and Salesians from Don Bosco in Mahajanga were all beneficiaries of this donation.

At the Salesian-run Our Lady of Clairvaux and the Rinaldi School, students who are taking part in vocational training are able to access feeding programs at the school to ensure that they have balanced meals and can focus on their studies. There are 70 students who are hosted at the school’s boarding school. Many of the students are orphans or are from very poor families who are unable to pay for them to attend school or have the proper nutrition to be prepared for school.

Other beneficiaries are from the Don Bosco House in Fianarantsoa. Noelson, 12 years old, lives with his mother Emilienne and his little sister Annie, 6 years old. Emilienne had been affected by very severe respiratory tuberculosis as well as by severe malnutrition. Because of this, she had not been able to properly care for her children. Annie was also quite sick with extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and other disabilities. Noelson had been forced to give up school and find odd jobs on the street to help care for his mother and sister. To help the family, Don Bosco House provided rice-meal to feed the family two meals each day. Because they have been able to access proper nutrition, Emilienne has recovered, and she has strength to work again. Annie is becoming stronger, and Noelson is finally able to go to school.

NEPAL

Nepal Don Bosco Society has a focus on transforming poor communities through social development programs, education and vocational training. The organization was also instrumental in the immediate aftermath and long-term recovery after two earthquakes in 2015 caused massive destruction in the country. A devastating 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, followed by a second earthquake that struck on May 12. More than 8,000 died and close to 20,000 were injured as a result of the earthquakes and their aftermath.

Nepal Don Bosco Society began in 1992 with the center of Dharan. Salesian missionaries then branched out to other cities including Sirsia in 1996 and in the capital city of Kathmandu with two centers—Lubhu in 1996 and Thecho in 2001. Later, centers in Baroul and Chakkarghatty opened in 2014 in eastern Nepal and finally Biratnagar in 2017. A total of seven houses are now operated by Salesian missionaries. Missionaries offer quality education and social development services to help poor youth and their families.

Sources:

INDIA: Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative brings water to village residents

ETHIOPIA: Salesian health clinic provides women and child preventative care and health services

MADAGASCAR: Rice-Meal Donation from Feed My Starving Children Helps Feed Poor Youth and Their Families in Salesian Programs

NEPAL: Nepal Don Bosco Society provides education and essential services to poor youth and their families

UN International Day of Families

The post GLOBAL: Salesian Missions highlights social development programs that aid poor youth and their families first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Because the church was in such a poor condition, Salesian missionaries went overbudget but were able to make up the shortfall with the support of additional donors. The people of the village contributed their time and labor in repairing the church. Now that the church is fully repaired, the local people have agreed to make regular collections on Sundays for the purpose of maintaining the church. They have also decided to come together on a regular basis in order to clean the church. The local Salesian priests and the sisters will make regular visits in order to ensure that the church is kept clean and well-maintained.

More than 100 Catholics who belong to the local Garo tribe benefited from the church repair. The local village has 26 Catholic families who use the church. These families are all farmers subsisting on meager wages from their work in the fields.

“Since the village is situated quite far away from the parish, it was difficult for the people to take part in the services on Sundays in the parish church,” says Father Joy Kachappilly. “It was not possible for people to conduct services in the dilapidated church in the village. As a result, they were becoming lukewarm in their exercise of Catholic faith. Some of them stopped coming to the church.”

Fr. Kachappilly adds, “The timely assistance that we received helped us to provide the people with a decent place for prayer. People are now happy because they can come regularly for the services. Their faith has been strengthened. People are grateful for the help and show their gratitude by frequenting all the services that are held in the church.”

Salesian Missions donors make a significant difference for Salesian programs and projects around the globe. They are ensuring that local Salesian churches, schools, youth centers and other facilities have what they need in order to effectively provide for poor youth and their families.

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 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 ten 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:

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

The post INDIA: Salesian Missions donor provides funding to repair St. John Bosco Parish church first appeared on MissionNewswire.

STEP will empower students with technical skills with the goal of helping them to be employable and self-reliant. Schaeffler has set up the skill training center with state-of-the-art pneumatic, hydraulic and simulation machines to offer students courses in CNC machine programming.

The Don Bosco Technical Institute was built five years ago on one and a half acres of land at Waki, Khurd, near Chakan. The institute consists of a building with a shop floor area, classrooms for teaching and a computer lab. It provides basic skills training in welding, CNC machining and metal forming. Most of the students who attend the institute are school dropouts and tribal youth from around the Chakan area.

“The students attending skills training classes are from families and communities that have been marginalized and have very few opportunities for education and job advancement,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian education aims to open doors for these individuals and help them gain the job skills needed to find work in the local economy and be able to support their families and give back to their communities.”

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 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 ten 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:

Indian Express – Pune: Vocational course for economically disadvantaged

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

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

The post INDIA: Don Bosco Technical Institute develops skills training partnership with Schaeffler Technologies first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Dandemoori has two school age children, a boy and a girl. The family was having difficulty meeting school fees and household expenses. Her neighbors told her about the Salesian Self-Help Groups and so she joined. She was able to receive training and loans that helped her move from working in a small shop and only earning a meager wage to launching her own cart to sell fresh lemonade. To date, it’s been very successful for Dandemoori, and she’s been better able to support her household.

“I receive a good profit from the sales so I was able to construct a tin slab house with the profits after paying the monthly installments,” says Dandemoori. “At present, I am able to pay my children’s school fee regularly. I am able to manage loan repayment installments, children’s school fees and maintenance of my juice cart business. My husband’s income is invested in household expenditures. We are happy with the income and are reaching self-sustainability, especially economic sustainability. I thank MACS and Don Bosco Seva Kendra for the support they have given. I advise other women to join similar self-help groups.”

Salesian missionaries living and working in India and in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality through rights training, 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 lead to livable wage employment and their independence from violence and exploitation.

“Many women and girls face disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Women who are empowered through these skills training programs along with education and workforce development assistance are more often able to achieve financial independence and help support their families and communities.”

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:

Bosco Seva Kendra April 2018 Newsletter

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

The post INDIA: Salesian MACS Self-Help Groups for women provide skills training and start-up loans to help them gain self-sufficiency 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

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Celebrated each year on April 12, the day was established by the UN to raise awareness of issues affecting youth forced to live on the streets. This year the focus of the day is on equality for street children. Street children are too often denied their rights to healthcare, shelter, nutrition, education, justice when they are harmed, and freedom from harassment and abuse.

The Consortium for Street Children founded the International Day for Street Children in 2011, and is the leading international network dedicated to realizing the rights of street children worldwide. They have noted four steps to achieve equality for street children, which include: commitment by all to equality; protection for every child and justice when they are harmed; providing access to services; and creating new solutions for the service provision and protection of street children.

Every day millions of street children suffer multiple and repeated violations of their rights, and as a result of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, recession in Europe, natural disasters in Asia and Africa and many other factors, the number of children living on the streets is expected to rise, according to the Consortium for Street Children.

“Children who are living on the streets experience discrimination and exclusion every day,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Children who are able to access programs that help youth come in off the streets, where they face poverty and are at risk for exploitation, have a chance at a better life. Salesian programs aim to help children live safely while getting the emotional support they need and the education that will help them live independently.”

In honor of the International Day for Street Children, Salesian Missions is proud to share some of its programs around the globe that provide shelter, nutrition, education and hope for a better life for street children.

BENIN

Don Bosco Foyer in Porto-Novo, the capital city of Benin, serves boys and girls in very complex situations, including youth who have been abandoned by their families, victims of abuse and those who are victims of forced marriages. The organization received funding from a donor through Salesian Missions to help support Salesian missionaries’ work with street children.

The program is a residential home for children coming directly from the street. Children’s most basic needs are met, including shelter, proper nutrition, clothing and access to adults who help them feel safe and protected from the exploitation and violence many faced while living on the streets. Salesian missionaries also operate Foyer Magone, which is another residential facility for youth who have stabilized after spending time at Don Bosco Foyer.

At Foyer Magone, youth are able to go to school and gain an education to help prepare them for the workforce. Youth are able to take workshops in subjects like carpentry, motorcycle mechanics and welding. Salesian missionaries also operate three accelerated learning schools focused on youth who have left the state-run schools or dropped out of the educational system altogether. Missionaries try to reach youth where they are while living on the street. The Salesian-run organization Foyer Mama Marguerte operates in the market of Cotonou, helping minors who are working instead of attending school and those who have been exploited into human trafficking.

GHANA

Salesian missionaries arrived in Ghana 25 years ago and began their work with poor children and older youth and their families. One of the programs they launched was the Don Bosco Boys Home for street children. The program provides shelter, education and social development services for poor youth who have been abandoned, have runaway or are at risk of violence and exploitation. The program is directed by Salesian Father Ubaldino Andrade.

Don Bosco Boys Home, as well as other Salesian programs in Ghana, are focused on providing for the needs of human trafficking victims, as well as how to bring about awareness of this issue. According to a 2016 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the vast majority of all human trafficking victims, some 71 percent, are women and girls and one third are children. Globally 28 percent of trafficking victims are children, but children account for 62 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 64 percent in Central America and the Caribbean.

Don Bosco Boys Home hosts 63 youth right now. Some are from the street or victims of human trafficking and abuse. Others are abandoned by their families and have nowhere else to turn. Don Bosco Boys House was originally set up in 1996 to help children who survive on the streets by bringing groceries to travelers in the local Sunyani markets. Their mission has expanded to meet the local need. According to Fr. Andrade, more than 400 children have been through the center in its 20 years of activity.

HAITI

Lakay Don Bosco was established in 1988 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti by an Italian Salesian priest. The program was launched to address the needs of homeless and marginalized youth who lived in situations of neglect, negligence or serious social risk. Today, the Lakay project includes five facilities in Port-au-Prince and one, divided into two sectors, in Cap-Haïtien. Each of these structures was created to respond to needs of street youth. In total, nearly 5,700 minors benefit from this project, which is facilitated by 57 staff members.

The Lakay project centers are each specialized for the various stages of life and to the types of assistance needed by the youth. At Foyer Lakay, children live as a family for a period of four years until the completion of their apprenticeship in a technical profession. Lakay Program for Street Children provides shelter and educational services for street children in Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince.

The Lakay Program for Street Children is also a recipient of Salesian Missions Hunger for Education project, which has been funded by the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID). The project aims to increase the health and learning capacity of students by implementing school feeding programs.

INDIA

The Salesian-run Don Bosco Ashalayam manages two night shelters, one for girls and one for boys who are living on the streets. The two shelters are located within the vicinity of the Salesian main office in Howrah and help to connect youth with the shelter and services they need. When night comes, street children become particularly vulnerable, and these shelters provide a resource of safety and support for them.

Every evening, Don Bosco Ashalayam in Kolkata opens its doors to all children in need of a safe place to sleep. Children and older youth come stay the night but have the freedom to leave if they wish. The night shelters are strategically located close to the main Salesian homes for street children so if they have a positive experience at the night shelter, they can easily connect to a longer-term Salesian program and more stable environment if they desire. At the night shelters, youth can eat healthy meals, wash, receive medical care, and enjoy a safe place to study and socialize with friends.

At the end of every month, Don Bosco Ashalayam organizes a “mela” (festival) at the night shelter where street children can enjoy a welcome bath and haircut and change into new clothes. They play games, watch movies and eat. Come evening, everyone goes to sleep at the night shelter. These melas can also give children the opportunity to discover life at Don Bosco Ashalayam and to elect to remain in a safe, supportive environment.

SIERRA LEONE

Salesian missionaries have been serving in Sierra Leone since 2001, when they began working to rehabilitate former child soldiers. In the years since, Don Bosco Fambul, located in the country’s capital city of Freetown, has become one of the country’s leading child welfare organizations—offering food, clothing, crisis intervention services, shelter, educational opportunities, long-term counseling and family reunification.

Don Bosco Fambul reaches out to an estimated 2,500 street children in the region each year. Transformation for street youth starts with the Salesian rehabilitation and reunification programs operated at Don Bosco Fambul. The success of the street children rehabilitation program is credited to the organization’s holistic approach focusing on attending to basic needs (food, clothing and a safe place to sleep) as well as personalized medical, psychological, pedagogical, social and spiritual care of the children. This gradual process includes formal classes, daily games, sports, music, singing, drama, dancing, counseling and prayer. Parents and extended families are contacted several times by social workers before final reunification.

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Sources:

BENIN: New Awareness Programs Launch to Better Understand Plight of Homeless and At-Risk Youth

BENIN: Salesian Missionaries Provide Shelter and Education to Street Youth in Benin

HAITI: Lakay Don Bosco celebrates 30 years providing services to homeless, at-risk youth Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince

INDIA: Thanks to Don Bosco Ashalayam former street child now studying at Chicago’s DuPage College

INDIA: Don Bosco Ashalayam Programs Help Youth Living on the Streets Have a Second Chance in Life

INDIA: Rehabilitating and Bringing Hope to Street Youth

GHANA: Don Bosco Boys Home provides for street youth and victims of human trafficking

GHANA: Don Bosco Boys home provides education and shelter for at-risk street children

SIERRA LEONE: Don Bosco Fambul helps youth living on the street access shelter, nutrition and education

SIERRA LEONE: Don Bosco Fambul Provides Life-Changing Programs for At-Risk Youth

Salesian Missions

Street Children’s Day

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This year the theme for World Health Day is “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere.” To mark its 70th anniversary, the WHO is calling on world leaders to live up to the pledges they made when they agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and commit to concrete steps to advance the health of all people. This means ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.

The WHO notes that at least half of the world’s population still does not have full coverage of essential health services. About 100 million people are still being pushed into extreme poverty because they have to pay for health care. WHO notes that more than 800 million people (almost 12 percent of the world’s population) spend at least 10 percent of their household budgets to pay for health care. World Health Day 2018 shines a spotlight on the need for universal health coverage and aims to inspire, motivate and guide stakeholders to make commitments toward achieving this goal.

Salesian missionaries offer more than 200 medical clinics and hospitals in mostly in rural areas around the globe, that handle a wide range of medical care needs. Leprosy, otherwise known as Hansen’s disease, has been a focus of Salesian-run medical clinics for more than 100 years. Salesian hospitals for people affected by leprosy and leprosy control programs can be found in Brazil, Colombia, India, Thailand, Macau and a number of nations in Africa. HIV/AIDS prevention programs are also a vital component of Salesian healthcare initiatives in Africa. In many countries with Salesian programs, dental and other necessary health services are offered.

“The work of Salesian missionaries around the globe goes beyond education,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We aim to serve the whole person by making sure that basic needs like health and nutrition are met in addition to other social service needs. Medical and dental clinics ensure that those who are living in poverty still have access to the medical care they need even when they cannot afford to pay for it.”

On World Health Day 2018, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight medical and health programs that aim to provide critical services to those living in poverty.

ETHOPIA

In 2002, in the village of Abobo in western Ethiopia, a group of Italian and Spanish volunteers set up a local health clinic in collaboration with local Salesian missionaries. Today, the Abobo Health Center is the symbol of the community and provides health services for the more than 4,000 local villagers. Having expanded its reach over the years, the health clinic also serves the approximately 20,000 people living in the area and the 200,000 people in the entire region.

Two Spanish physicians, Tere and Maria, are the soul of the health center and aim to provide medical care for those who are affected by malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and various infections common in the region. Thanks to their passion and care, the clinic also has a special focus on maternal and child care, two of the most at-risk populations in the country.

Together they are engaged in providing wellness exams and regular screenings for pregnant women, as well as vaccinations to mothers during pregnancy. Tere and Maria are also focused on preventative care and routinely provide medical care to pregnant women to prevent diseases such as such as anemia, hypertension, malaria and various infections that also cause serious consequences to the newborn child. They provide an average of 40 maternal vaccinations per week and attend to 30 births per month.

INDIA

In response to the overwhelming need for HIV/AIDS care in India, Salesian missionaries opened the Don Bosco Care Home in the village of Nilavarapatti, located in the district of Salem in Tamil Nadu, in August 2011. The Salesian-run program provides care and assistance for 62 boys ages 7 to 21 who are living with HIV. Salesian Father Daniel Sebastian, the director of Don Bosco Care Home, has developed the program with a holistic approach.

At Don Bosco Care Home, the boys receive counseling, recreation opportunities, medical observation and critical antiretroviral therapy treatments (ART). Some of the boys live at the home and have access to services and educational programs there while others, including those who attend the local polytechnic college, have access to the program’s ART treatments and then return to their own homes.

The program has been particularly effective because youth are able to study and build peer relationships in a safe and supportive environment, free from the stigma and rejection they previously encountered. In addition to their school studies, boys take care of the animals and birds at the facility and work the land cultivating fruits and vegetables. They also participate in sports each day. Special programs are also provided including comedy, singing and dancing, which the boys participate in with enthusiasm.

MYANMAR

Salesian missionaries held a medical clinic for people living in Anisakan, a remote village in Myanmar. Korean members of the Members of Global Union medical team visited the village for the second time to provide medical care to the residents. The Salesian-run Domenic Savio Hall of Nazareth Seminary was transformed into a medical clinic and operating area where doctors and dentists were able to see patients.

Many poor residents in the village have nowhere else to turn for regular health care. The medical clinic was set up to provide much needed medical services including wellness exams for men and women and pediatric exams. More than 2,000 patients who suffer from various kinds of illness were able to access medical care. Patients were given medication, some for up to six months, all free of charge. Doctors also performed minor surgery. In addition, dentists were available to provide care for patients, many of whom had never had a dental visit in their life.

PERU

Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco Foundation of Peru recently launched a free medical, surgical and dentistry clinic in the cities of Pucallpa and Ucayali in the Amazonian rainforest.  The initiative was made possible by the support of ULYSSES, a humanitarian organization providing professional medical assistance, the Lions Club of Pucallpa, the Amazon Hospital of Yarinacocha, the Salesian Congregation of Peru, Stella Maris Clinic and the Food Bank.

Eighty surgeries were performed during the medical clinic and 35 children and young adults received free dental examinations. Dentists also provided free oral health education. During the presentations, students also received free toothbrushes and toothpaste. Since 2005, Salesian missionaries have been offering similar medical clinics in Peru to improve the quality of life for people.

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Sources:

ETHIOPIA: Salesian health clinic provides women and child preventative care and health services

INDIA: Don Bosco Care Home Provides Medical Care and Education to 62 Boys with HIV

INDIA: Don Bosco Care Home Provides Education, Programs for 63 Boys with HIV/AIDS

MYANMAR: Salesian Missionaries Hold Medical Clinic Providing Care to More Than 2,000 People

PERU: Don Bosco Foundation offers free medical and dental clinic for poor youth and their families

PERU: Salesian Missionaries Offer Free Medical and Dental Clinic to Poor Residents

PERU: Salesian Medical Clinic Provides 80 Surgeries for People in Need

Salesian Missions

World Health Day 2018

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In the Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, sport’s role in social progress is further acknowledged: “Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.”

“Sports programs teach youth both on and off the field,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian 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.”

In honor of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, Salesian Missions highlights sports programs in countries around the globe.

BRAZIL

The Mama Margaret Salesian Youth Center in Niterói, a municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro in the southeast region of Brazil, 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.

The collaboration between the Salesians 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 new socio-sports program in Brazil is operating alongside 13 other socio-sporting schools in the eight additional countries of Togo, Benin, Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Portugal, Senegal and the Dominican Republic.

MALAWI

Don Bosco Youth Center in Lilongwe, Malawi, has become a symbol of youth empowerment through sporting activities as well as vocational and technical education. Don Bosco Youth Center also provides leadership training for youth with the aim of equipping them with skills in leading and motivating other youth toward positive behavior and social change in their respective communities.

The center hosts more than 600 youth each day from the surrounding townships of Areas 23, 24, 44, Kawale and Chilinde. It 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.

SENEGAL

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.

The Real Madrid Foundation provided a training course at the Don Bosco Kër Center for Salesian educators to learn 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.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

UN – International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

Unicef – Sport and Play

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While the exact number of victims is unknown, disaster-related deaths are estimated at 500 and more than 600 others are still missing and feared dead. More than 5,000 people were left homeless and hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed by the mudslides. The disaster was exacerbated by the city’s poor infrastructure and drainage system. Immediately after the disaster occurred, the government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Office of National Security, contacted Don Bosco Fambul asking Salesian missionaries to care for women and children who were victims of the flooding.

Don Bosco Fambul was turned into an improvised shelter. Many of those who came to Don Bosco Fambul had been injured during the catastrophe and were given continuous medical assistance. More than 230 victims of the flooding and mudslide took shelter at the Salesian organization.

Outdoor tents were built on the Salesian compound to house those displaced. A source of electricity was needed, but buying a rechargeable light became problematic and was a drain on the already overtaxed national electricity grid. It became difficult for children to study during the evening and mothers found it challenging to make supper and care for their children in the dark.

With $4,000 of donor support through Salesian Missions, Don Bosco Fambul was able to provide portable solar lights to 74 families and nine orphans (296 individuals). The solar lights were used in the tents as a permanent electricity source. Students used it around the compound to study and sometimes mothers used it at night to feed their babies and do other domestic work.

“We are grateful for our donor who was able to provide support to Salesian missionaries on the ground in Sierra Leone,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Because Salesian missionaries are living in the communities they serve, they were among the first to respond with shelter, aid and coordination for relief efforts. Now, they will continue to help families rebuild and lives and livelihoods.”

While all of the victims have been reintegrated back into their communities to date, Don Bosco Fambul is continuing to help beneficiaries in a post-emergency intervention. They were able to secure funding from public and private donor organizations and plan to provide continual school support and vocational skills training for women.

Don Bosco Fambul has been operating in Freetown since 2001, when it launched its work with child soldiers. Today, the organization offers food, clothing, crisis intervention services, shelter, educational opportunities, long-term counseling and family reunification. The organization was on the forefront of efforts to help prevent Ebola in communities throughout Sierra Leone and provide care for children left orphaned by the deadly epidemic. Don Bosco Fambul received Sierra Leone’s Presidential Award in recognition of its contribution in fighting Ebola.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

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Venezuela is facing an increase in corruption, prices and a scarcity of goods. As a result, the country is dealing with insecurity and violence. CNN Money released an article that noted Venezuela has lost half of its economy since 2013. According to the article, new figures published by the International Monetary Fund indicate that unemployment will reach 30 percent and prices on all types of goods in the country will rise 13,000 percent this year.

The Latin American Herald Tribune article indicated that shelters for abandoned or orphaned children have reported being overcrowded, but that requests from relatives and others housing homeless children continue.

“There are increasing numbers of children being left under the care of a relative or neighbor because the parents are crossing the Colombian border looking for work,” said Don Bosco Shelter Network director Leonardo Rodriguez in the article.

Two Salesian organizations—Red de Casas Don Bosco and the Patio Abierto Don Bosco—aim to improve the lives of street children by connecting them with shelter, meeting their basic needs and education. For many, living on the street and trying to make a meager living to eat has become a way of life. Some want access to programming while others want to remain on the street, but Salesian missionaries work to provide the services they can and meet youth where they are in life.

Red de Casas Don Bosco offers shelter to more than 1,300 street children across the country, thanks to 10 Salesian houses. These houses are part of a group of 86 non-governmental shelters, plus 27 operated by the state. In total, these shelters could house as many as 5,000 children and teens referred there by courts.

In the article, Rodriguez said that there are also children who abandon their own homes and just stop by the open courtyards of the Don Bosco shelters to take a shower, rest a little and eat something before going back to living on the streets.

“An average of 16 children pass by the open courtyards each day. Many prefer living on the streets to staying with relatives or caretakers,” said Rodriguez in the article.

Salesian missionaries continue their work in the country despite volatile conditions. They aim to provide education, workforce development and social development services to poor youth and their families.

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Sources:

CNN – Half the Venezuelan economy has disappeared

Latin American Herald Tribune – Abandoned Minors Roam the Streets of Venezuela after Parents Leave Country

Salesian Missions

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.

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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)

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In 2012, the first ever UN Conference on Happiness took place. The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281PDF document of July 12, 2012, proclaimed March 20 the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. The day was celebrated for the first time in 2013.

The day was founded as a way to inspire, mobilize, and advance the global happiness movement. In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect the planet—three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

Each year, International Day of Happiness focuses on a particular theme. This year the theme, “Share Happiness,” is focusing on the importance of relationships, kindness and helping each other.

“For youth to be happy and have a sense of well-being, they must have access to education and other basic human services that allow them to feel valued and that their voices will be heard,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries meet the basic needs of disadvantaged youth who often have nowhere else to turn. They also provide education and social and workforce development services to ensure a positive transition into adulthood.”

In honor and celebration of International Day of Happiness 2018, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight Salesian programs that educate and empower youth.

EL SALVADOR

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America, along with Honduras and Guatemala. FUSALMO, a Salesian-run organization, offers traditional and non-traditional educational opportunities for at-risk youth in the communities within San Salvador. Through recreational programs, enrichment opportunities in the arts and music, vocational training and more, youth are able to stay off the streets, learn to cooperate and co-exist, and gain the skills they need to become productive, contributing members of a more peaceful society. Founded in 2001, the organization has positively impacted the lives of more than 265,000 children and their families.

FUSALMO works to address the root causes of poverty, inequality and violence and give youth a chance for a better life in their own communities. Through the organization’s Don Bosco Youth Integral Program, three sports centers were developed in Soyapango, San Miguel and Santa Ana, allowing more than 55,000 youth to benefit from this program. The sports centers offer youth a safe space to connect with their peers and supportive adults while accessing training on creating a culture of peace, vocational guidance, adapted physical education, sports, technology, labor, culture and other topics.

HAITI

Salesian missionaries with the National School of Arts and Crafts (ENAM) have partnered with Les Cereales d’Haiti, S.A., a mid-sized organization in the grain industry in Port-au-Prince, to develop a 10-month training course for young bakers. This partnership brings the first vocational training school for bakers to Haiti and will allow participants to acquire skills needed for their future employment.

Twenty students, including nine young women, are the first to start the program and performed an exhibition promoting the value of baking at the opening ceremony. During the presentation of the course, it was also noted that the bread industry is a very important sector in the country, enabling intense economic activities at different levels of society and in various areas of the country, both urban and rural.

The goal is to provide this training so that students will be able to find and retain employment in a high-need sector. This also provides Haiti with advanced professionals in the industry. Everything has been taken into consideration including the development of appropriate, industry-standard spaces. Salesian missionaries will work to recruit new students and provide the educational supplies while professionals from the Grand Moulin des Antilles of Guadeloupe will train the students.

INDIA

Don Bosco Skill Mission is an advanced vocational training initiative for the southern regions of India. The goal of the initiative is to provide skills training to poor youth and connect 100 percent of graduates to employment. It targets students who have already completed their first year of skills training. Currently, 120 students are allowed in the program each cycle. The course is residential, lasts two months and is offered free of charge. Instructors are specialized in mechanical skills training and prepare for their role as educators through a month of teacher training and Salesian formation.

In addition to skills training, Salesian educators teach respect for ethnic and religious differences, as well as English language lessons and life skills to improve one’s character. The Salesian program also offers a guidance service that follows up with the graduates for three years following the program. The program has been successful at reaching its 100 percent employment placement rate.

MALAWI

Don Bosco Youth Center in Lilongwe has become a symbol of youth empowerment through sporting activities as well as vocational and technical education. The center conducts motivational evening talks for spiritual and moral growth. The center also provides leadership training for youth with the aim of equipping them with skills in leading and motivating other youth toward positive behavior and social change in their respective communities.

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. 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.

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Sources:

International Day of Happiness

Salesian Missions

The post INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS: Salesian Missions is proud to highlight Salesian programs that empower youth, bringing them a sense of well-being and happiness first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Don Bosco Kep, which has 250 students, 40 of whom live at the school, began welcoming students with disabilities in 2013. School administrators knew that the campus was not as accessible as it could be for the new students to access all of their classes. Often students would have to rely on their friends for assistance getting to classrooms on higher floors and into dormitory living, making them feel like a burden.

With the 2015 USAID funding, Don Bosco Kep made modifications to the school, including the installation of elevators in the main buildings, the construction of ramps to access areas for community gatherings and the creation of a student and teacher residence with all of the modifications that will allow those with physical disabilities to live and attend school independently. The funding also supported creating accessible bathrooms and the purchase of equipment to aid the learning environment for youth with disabilities.

“We appreciate the funding from USAID that has allowed Salesian missionaries to transform the Don Bosco Kep campus to welcome and giver greater access to students with physical disabilities,” says Fr. Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions. “The new construction modifications open up the campus allowing students to have better access from building to building and have a greater degree of self-sufficiency.”

For children with disabilities living in Cambodia, access to education is limited and the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty is almost nonexistent. UNICEF notes in its State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities report that globally, close to 61 percent of boys finish school but for boys with disabilities that number drops to 51 percent. For girls, 53 percent finish school but among those living with a disability, only 42 percent finish their education.

Because students with disabilities are so marginalized in Cambodia, it is taking some time for families to learn about the modifications at the school and send their children to the newly accessible campus. The school currently has a few students with physical disabilities.

Vong Savong was born without legs. He grew in an orphanage in Siem Reap, although he is not an orphan. If he had stayed at home in his faraway village, there is a chance he would be a beggar today on the street. Instead, after conclusion of 12th grade, he joined Don Bosco Kep’s media communication department. He is now working in a TV station as audiovisual editor.

Park Anh suffered from polio when he was a child. He was unable to walk properly or sit down. A Belgian doctor in the area helped him so he could at least sit down and he was given specialized equipment to get around. He joined Don Bosco Kep and took IT classes. Recently, he was in Phnom Penh where he was awarded a scholarship to finish superior education at the university. Thanks to Salesian Missions, he was able to access a special motorbike that allows him a greater mobility.

A third student, Ourk Samean, lost his right arm when he was 12 after falling from a tree. After enduring a challenging time learning to use only his left arm, he finished studies his studies in IT at Don Bosco Kep. Today, he is working at Don Bosco Children Fund as a computer teacher.

Don Bosco Kep provides basic, secondary and technical education to poor youth living in the Cambodian provinces of Kep, Kampot, Takeo, Ratanakiri and Mondolkiri. The school’s educational and social development programs help students break the cycle of poverty and become contributing members of their communities. Salesian missionaries plan to continue to promote their accessible campus for other students who wish to access education in an environment that accommodates them.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Kep Cambodia

UNICEF – State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities

UNICEF – Cambodia

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The school’s library facility, books, furniture and resources are outdated and inadequate for students and teachers. Students will benefit from access to the internet where information is current and more readily accessible. The library also  lacks updated materials for teachers to help them in their lesson planning and education for students. The environment is  less than ideal for students and teachers to come together and focus on research and studying.

The donor funding will provide facilities improvements to the library including comfortable furniture and work spaces for students, as well as computers. Funding will also be provided to update books, resource materials for students and teachers, magazines and other reading materials. This includes new children’s and youth literature, which the library has not had before.

The library will be an essential part of the Don Bosco School. Students will be able to access additional reading and materials to accentuate their classroom education. The space will serve a quiet place for students to study and connect with teachers who can provide them extra help. Once fully updated, the library will be used to its fullest potential as a center for the entire educational community.

“Thanks to generous donor funding, the Don Bosco School will have a better, more fully functioning library that students and teachers can access,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This new library will aid the learning environment at the school as well as give students and teachers the materials they need to be most productive. Salesian education provides a foundational education along with advanced studies so students can acquire the vocational and trade skills needed for later employment.”

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.

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.

Salesian Missions publishes special projects like this on its websites for interested donors. To view the projects currently in need of funding, visit www.salesianmissions.org/projects.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

UNICEF – Paraguay Statistics

World Bank – Paraguay

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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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