CHAD

(MissionNewswire) More than 1,000 youth living in poverty in a rural area of Koumra, Chad, have a new gym thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The gym was constructed primarily for the education of vulnerable youth and women.

Koumra, the capital of Mandoul Oriental, is a major agricultural and commercial center in southern Chad. The city faces structural challenges including insufficient energy with frequent power cuts and fuel shortages, limited urban infrastructure, and restricted access to basic services.

Salesian sisters with Daughters of Mary Help of Christians community were responsible for overseeing the project. The gymnasium will ensure the smooth operation of the youth center and the oratory. Together with the youth leaders, the gym will be properly cared for.

Allaïssem Xavier Ngarsales, aged 19, is a Salesian youth leader helping to support oratory activities on Sunday afternoons. She explained, “We entertain younger children with games and try to teach them things through play, sports, theater, and crafts. On very hot days and days of heavy rain, apart from a few trees, we had no shelter to safely accommodate the children.”

Ngarsales was excited by the prospect of a new gym. She said, “The gymnasium perfectly meets our needs. It provides a training space for us, a welcoming place for children and young people, a film screening venue, and a place where we can stay overnight during major events.”

She added, “It’s important to advertise so that all young people understand they are welcome at the center, that it’s for everyone. The benches and mats will allow us to accommodate large audiences for performances. In the future, we would like to have an office for the center, a meeting room, and a space where actors can prepare and change.”

Most of Chad is covered by desert and this presents a significant challenge for a developing country that depends largely on subsistence farming. The most successful practice is migratory farming, where herds can move and adapt to changing climate conditions, but even this practice is severely limited by resources.

Women in Chad also face significant gender discrimination. They often must work outside the home as well raise a family, tend the farms, gather water and cook. Yet they are culturally limited from access to education or training, and marginalized by society. These women are especially vulnerable to the psychological as well as physical effects of poverty.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Chad

World Food Programme – Chad

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CHAD

(MissionNewswire) Youth in Chad are faced with numerous challenges including lack of access to basic infrastructure and education. Chad is experiencing a deep social and economic crisis. Millions of refugees have been trying to escape to Sudan since 2023. Those who remain have to face many obstacles, including the lack of electricity. This is a problem also experienced by the more than 100,000 inhabitants of Sarh, the third largest city in the country.

A Salesian said, “In many places around the world, electricity is an obvious fact of life whose importance is only felt when an occasional brief blackout reminds us of the fragility of all digital systems and modern societies. But there are still many places where this primary benefit is not taken for granted, and its absence puts a mortgage on the human development of young people and societies as in the Salesian mission in Sarh, Chad.”

The Salesian added, “In Chad, it is normal to go to school under a big tree. The image may seem poetic and evocative, but in reality it brings about immense difficulties. If it rains, everything comes to a halt. The Salesian center in Sarh has made it possible for the students to have covered spaces available. But when it gets dark, the children struggle to finish their homework and the older children cannot use the computers.”

Yannick, age 15, attends the local Don Bosco Center every day. He explained, “I often come here to the Salesians. For me, it means being able to read and study, because here there is a well-stocked library for books that we don’t have at home and where I can deepen my culture. There is also a computer lab where I can do school work. Unfortunately, there is often a lack of electricity. That is here at the Don Bosco Center and in the whole city. There is no light and that slows everything down.”

Pierre Claver Agbetiafan, Salesian coadjutor and director of the mission orator, confirmed the challenges. “When we don’t have electricity we sometimes turn on the electric generator, but it is too expensive and diesel is hard to find.”

To help rectify the situation, Don Bosco Nel Mondo Foundation, located in Rome, has devised a significant project. Salesians want to install 40 solar panels on the Don Bosco Center, which would guarantee clean and stable energy for the 500 children enrolled in the nursery and primary schools, for the 50 youth studying computer science, and to the approximately 5,000 girls and boys who attend the youth center. The organization is seeking funding at this time so youth like Yannick will be able to study properly.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Chad – The future of young people in Sarh is waiting for some light

Don Bosco Nel Mondo Foundation

Salesian Missions – Chad

World Food Programme – Chad

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CHAD

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been living and working with poor youth in Chad in central Africa since 1995. They established their first programs in Sarh, the third largest city in the country, which has more than 120,000 residents. Three years later, missionaries began other programs in the capital of N’Djamena, and in 2013, in the city of Doba.

In Sarh, Salesian missionaries operate a kindergarten, a school for older youth, a youth center and a church parish. Salesian work also takes them into more than 116 villages in the surrounding areas. The goal is to provide people with their most basic needs including food, clothing, and medical assistance while encouraging youth to attend the local Salesian school.

Education has proven to be an effective means of breaking the cycle of poverty while giving the most vulnerable youth a sense of personal dignity and self-worth. Salesian primary and secondary schools lay a foundation for future education while Salesian vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools provide practical skills so youth have an opportunity to become contributing adults in their communities — rebuilding communities and ending the cycle of poverty.

“Education is always our primary focus,” says Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We know, however, that youth in Chad are dealing with much more than just having access to education. Salesian programs are tailored to meet the needs of the youth in 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. Our services provide food and shelter so youth are able to focus on the education provided.”

Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. According to the World Food Programme, 42 percent of its population lives below the poverty line. Chad is a low-income country with limited income-generating opportunities and restricted access to social services. The Human Development Index ranks it 187 out of 189 countries in 2020.

Most of Chad is covered by desert and this presents a significant challenge for a developing country that depends largely on subsistence farming. The most successful practice is migratory farming, where herds can move and adapt to changing climate conditions, but even this practice is severely limited by resources.

Frequent droughts have also aggravated already challenging conditions. Recent climate changes have decreased rainfalls and consistent overuse has led to soil erosion and land degradation. As a result, farmers lack infrastructure, support and resources needed to grow sufficient food to feed the country properly.

The World Food Programme has noted that there are 3 million vulnerable people affected by chronic food insecurity and climate-related disasters in 2022. In addition, 37.8 percent of children under age 5 suffer from stunting, according to the Global Nutrition Report, with low height for their age caused by chronic malnutrition.

Women in Chad also face significant gender discrimination. They often must work outside the home as well raise a family, tend the farms, gather water and cook. Yet they are culturally limited from access to education or training, and marginalized by society. These women are especially vulnerable to the psychological as well as physical effects of poverty.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Chad – Salesians in Doba, committed to ensuring children’s nutrition

Salesian Missions – Chad

World Food Programme – Chad

The post CHAD: Programs for youth extend beyond schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In Sarh, Salesian missionaries operate a kindergarten, a school for older youth, a youth center and church parish. The missionaries work goes far beyond the inside of classrooms and the parish though. Their work takes them into more than 116 villages in the surrounding areas. The goal is to provide the people their most basic needs including food, clothing, and medical assistance while encouraging youth to attend the local Salesian school.

Education has proven to be an effective means of breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty while giving the most vulnerable youth a sense of personal dignity and self-worth. There are 3,200 Salesian schools around the globe providing education to young students to prepare them for advanced technical and vocation studies.

In addition, more than 850 Salesian vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools give practical skills to youth to create productive and contributing adults in their communities—rebuilding communities and ending the cycle of poverty. These specialized programs help students become contributing adults in their communities. These schools go above and beyond educating. They also assist youth in making connections within industries while preparing them for the process of searching, finding and retaining employment.

“Education is always our primary focus,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “But we know youth in Chad are dealing with much more than just having access to education. Salesian programs are tailored to meet the needs of the youth in 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. Our services provide food and shelter so youth are able to focus on the education provided.”

Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. According to the World Food Program, 87 percent of Chad’s rural population lives below the poverty line. Chad ranks 73rd out of 78 countries on the Global Hunger Index and 185 out of 188 countries on the 2015 UNDP Human Development Index. Most of the Chad is covered by desert and this presents a significant challenge for a developing country that depends largely on subsistence farming. The most successful practice is migratory farming, where herds can move and adapt to changing climate conditions, but even this practice is severely limited by resources.

Frequent droughts have also aggravated already challenging conditions. Recent climate changes have decreased rainfalls and consistent overuse has led to soil erosion and land degradation. As a result, farmers lack infrastructure, support and resources needed to grow sufficient food to feed the country properly. In 2015, more than 2.4 million rural Chadians became food insecure, of which 428,000 people are classified as severely food insecure, according to the World Food Programme.

Women in Chad also face significant gender discrimination. They often must work outside the home as well raise a family, tend the farms, gather water, and raise children and cooking. Yet they are culturally limited from access to education or training, and marginalized by society. These women are especially vulnerable to the psychological as well as physical effects of poverty.

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Sources

ANS – Chad – The Salesians in the country – preaching and changing lives

Human Development Report 2015

World Food Program – Chad

The post CHAD: Salesian Programs Help Combat Food Insecurity, Address Educational Needs in One of the Poorest Countries in the World first appeared on MissionNewswire.