VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Province of St. Lucas in Venezuela* had the funding to help provincial staff improve their well-being thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Staff received monthly contributions from April to November 2025 to support access to healthy meals, along with an additional amount in December. The project impacted 63 staff members.

Most of the staff members earn a minimum wage and struggle to meet their essential food and other needs, and the project helped reduce their economic vulnerability and a high level of stress associated with daily subsistence. In addition to the economic support provided, the project reinforced staff identity through the distribution of uniforms, which included two shirts and one pair of pants for women, and three shirts for men.

Capacity-building was also prioritized through a structured training plan, designed after assessing staff needs. Five employees pursued individualized studies in administration areas, while 35 workers participated in two group courses, including a 15-hour parafiscal program and a workshop on assertive communication aligned with the 2025-2026 pastoral educational year.

Stefani Agreda, aged 29, who works in monitoring and evaluation in the Provincial Office of Planning and Development, was one of the recipients. She said, “I am deeply grateful to Salesians Missions for the project. Sustaining living costs in the capital is very difficult, but thanks to this support I have been able to meet critical expenses of food, rent, transport and health.”

Agreda added, “I have also benefited from the Design of Management Indicators course, which has enabled me to reinforce this vital area for the office, knowledge that I owe largely to my experience in youth ministry, achieving a better drafting and evaluation of our projects for the donors. I must also thank you for the uniforms, because they have allowed us to strengthen our institutional identity and sense of belonging, projecting an image of unity and professionalism.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth in need and their families. An estimated 87% of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce.

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Salesian Missions – Venezuela

*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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VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Entrepreneurship School of San Félix, located in Bolivar, Venezuela*, has a new roof over the computer laboratory and wing where four classrooms are located thanks to donor funding. The funding was provided by Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The project included the tear-down of the previous roof and then cleaning and repairing the metal structure, applying anti-corrosion protection, and installing a thermo-panel sheeting system.

The construction project ensured a safe, optimal and welcoming learning space to enhance the training for youth. The replacement of the roof eliminated leaks and structural risks, protecting equipment, furniture, and facilities. The environmental conditions of classrooms and laboratories were improved, providing greater comfort, better acoustics, and a safe learning environment. The risk of accidents associated with leaks or falling debris was reduced.

A Salesian said, “The new infrastructure promotes academic performance and motivates student attendance and participation, positively impacting the continuity of their education. The school reputation was strengthened, projecting a commitment to educational quality and increasing community satisfaction, which may attract new students.”

Yamilet Garcia, a 29-year-old student, considers the roof restoration project as fundamental to a good learning environment, since the laboratories previously represented a risk both for the equipment and for students due to the holes in the roof. She pointed out that before the repair, lack of electrical power and deterioration forced students to study outside the classroom and use computers in church. Since the project finished, she added, “We are very happy and satisfied that the project has been completed and we have a new roof.”

The work was completed during the vacation period, which minimized the impact on academic activities. The use of local workers also strengthened ties with the community and contributed to the social sustainability of the project.

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth in need and their families. An estimated 87% of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

*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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VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) The Madre Mazzarello Industrial Technical School, located in Coro, Venezuela*, has a new meeting space thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The space, designed for more than 100 people, includes a multipurpose room and an open, shaded area with natural vegetation. Funding was also utilized for training materials.

A Salesian explained, “The hall will be used as a training and community space for a wide range of activities, including pastoral and educational uses. This new space will bolster the pride our students have and increase the emotional well-being of the young people in the school and in the nearby communities.”

Activities that will be held in the new space include pastoral education; gatherings for students and parents; student organization meetings; inter-congregational meetings of the parish, archdiocese and community; youth ministry and volunteer activities; vocational orientation; and spiritual formation and catechesis of first communion and confirmation.

The entire educational community, made up of 342 youth as well as their families, will benefit from the space. It will also be available on Saturdays and Sundays, allowing continuous use for training and recreational activities.

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth in need and their families. An estimated 87% of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

*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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VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Students and educators at Salesian San Jose Agricultural Technical School, located in Barinas, Venezuela*, received nutritional support through a project funded by Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. During the nine months of the project, 64,584 meals were served, providing three meals a day to 96 boarding students who are training to become agricultural technicians. In addition, 50 educators at the school received lunches as an incentive for their work.

The project has been fundamental in helping the school increase its enrollment from 82 to 95 students. Most of these students come from families with low incomes. Education provides a way for students to improve their future and offers them a better quality of life. For many students, this education also gives them the opportunity to revive their families’ agricultural production activities.

The school grounds cover 1,880 hectares with a solid infrastructure, numerous pastures and 12 production units. These areas cover crops, nurseries, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, dairy farming, and cheese production, as well as the production of poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and rabbits. As a result of efforts and alliances made through cooperation agreements, project initiatives, and coordination with the private sector, some production units are in the process of reactivating production after years of being shut down due to the chronic crisis in Venezuela.

Father William Jiménez, administrator of the Salesian community and agricultural school, noted, “Youth have said that the project has had an impact on their psychological well-being. There have been significant advances in nutritional indicators for the students as a result of the feeding project. The project has even made it possible to identify 15% of students who were underweight or overweight, enabling comprehensive follow-up with their families to improve their health. It has also been an opportunity for students to learn about the value of maintaining good nutrition.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth in need and their families. An estimated 87% of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

*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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VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Province of St. Lucas in Venezuela* were able to provide training on the “Bosco Way Walking with Don Bosco Toward the Salesian Identity” thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The project sought to provide pastoral and educational staff with a deeper understanding of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello. Nearly 500 people participated in the five regional training meetings.

In addition to learning more about the life of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello, participants deepened their vocational commitment, enhanced their capacity for comprehensive emotional and spiritual support, and acquired tools for leading youth groups with creativity and adaptability. Training sessions fostered teamwork, co-responsibility and a shared Salesian identity among lay people and Salesians.

A Salesian noted, “The experience promoted ongoing education and enriched the Salesian Youth Ministry with renewed energy, fraternity, and a stronger pastoral mission, enabling teachers to more effectively support the integral growth of young people.”

Jesmary, a Salesian animator and advisor at the Miguel Magone Oratory in Sarria, said, “For me to know the life of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello helps me to improve my service, to know deeply what they did and how their life can be a testimony for me to teach young people to be a little like them.”

Sister Sandra García, a daughter of the Divine Savior in the community of El Tostao, Barquisimeto, explained, “Each young person has a different process and applying the preventive system that leads them to a change of life. Each one shows it in a different way, some get closer to God, others get closer to their family, and others are more integrated into the community. I feel fortunate and at the same time with a great commitment because being part of the Salesian family requires loving young people, first feeling loved by God to be able to love young people.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth in need and their families. An estimated 87% of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesians train nearly 500 staff about life of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Venezuela* were able to cover a portion of the Salesian medical insurance thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The insurance coverage includes medical consultations, hospitalizations and necessary procedures for unforeseen health situations for 125 people, including youth in formation, coadjutor Salesians, and Salesian priests.

A Salesian noted, “The support provided allowed us to have secure health services for all Salesians of the San Lucas Province. We were able to have good help which in turn strengthens our pastoral work.”

Salesian missionaries are working in 22 communities throughout the country. Most of these communities are located in areas which have complex social and economic environments. These Salesian communities cannot sustain themselves solely with their own income or with the income from the pastoral care and support services they provide. Funding from donors makes a critical difference in the lives of Salesians and the communities they serve.

Monsignor José Ángel Divasson, bishop emeritus of the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Ayacucho, who is currently residing in the Salesian Provincial House of Venezuela, highlighted the shortage and high cost of medicines, a reality that also affects the Salesian community in the country. He expressed gratitude for the support received for the medical insurance for the elderly Salesians, recalling medical treatment he received made possible thanks to this health insurance coverage.

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth and their families.

An estimated 50% of Venezuela’s 28 million people are currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce. Since 2014, 7.7 million people have fled as refugees to neighboring countries to find work and a more stable way of life.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation 

*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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VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) The Maria Auxiliadora Popular Technical School, located in Altamira in the Chacao municipality of Caracas, Venezuela*, has improved the learning environment for students thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Funds were used for similar initiatives at the Madre Mazzarello School, located in the state of Amazonas, to strengthen the students’ development of practical skills and competencies necessary for the workforce.

At the Maria Auxiliadora Popular Technical School, upgrades included the purchase of equipment for specific tools for nursing, including anatomical models.

Funding also supported technology equipment for classes in accounting and administration, such as administrative accounting programs. These acquisitions have had a positive impact on 355 students, expanding their technical and digital skills. Additional funding was allocated for the adaptation of spaces for students to connect with the labor force under the supervision of specialist teachers.

These investments made it possible to implement internship hours in a new curricula, which significantly expanded professional training for youth. Previously, internships began in the 4th year through shadowing activities in companies in the community. With the new approach, training begins from the age of 11, adapting to the maturity of the students and respecting the legal frameworks that regulate their early incorporation into the workplace.

At the Madre Mazzarello School, located in the state of Amazonas, more than 565 people were impacted by the donation. The vast majority are families cared for by a single family member. Many of the youth come from families with parents who, due to the country’s situation, do not have the possibility of giving their children a quality education.

In addition, through a secondary donation to the Madre Mazzarello School, students between the ages of 10-18 were impacted. Many of the students are from Indigenous groups, whose communities have migrated to the Amazonian capital in search of better living conditions.

One of the youth impacted by the donation was Edilmar, aged 17, who lives in Petare, Caracas, one of the largest neighborhoods in Latin America. She comes from a family with very limited economic resources and is under the care of her older sister, a graduate of the same technical school.

A Salesian explained, “Thanks to her sister’s support, Edilmar decided to study management assistance, a comprehensive training that develops skills in financial management, resource administration and administrative processes. The spaces for employment implemented through the project allowed her to complement her last months of training with real and innovative practices. In addition, the inclusion of accounting and management programs gave her additional skills, expanding her employment opportunities.”

The Salesian added, “Today, Edilmar is in her last year of training and has been accepted to do her internships thanks to her dedication and commitment. Her experience in the employment classrooms has not only allowed her to acquire practical skills, but has also motivated her to strengthen her vocation for service. She dreams of excelling in her internships and obtaining a permanent contract in the company where she will begin her internship, with the aim of paying for her university studies and financially supporting her mother.”

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation

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

The post VENEZUELA: Donor funding from Salesian Missions supports high-quality technical education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Agronomic Technical School in Barinas, Venezuela*, provides close to 100 students between the ages of 15-17 with an agricultural and livestock education. While attending  school, youth have access to nutrition and health care, as well as recreational and extracurricular activities. They find a welcoming space and a family atmosphere where they have the support of adults and can connect with their peers.

This year the school has re-activated the production of milk and other agricultural products thanks to the Salesian Mission Office based in Madrid. Rafael Garrido, head of the organization’s Latin America projects, said, “This project guarantees the sustainability of the Barinas school, reactivates the productive sector and at the same time strengthens the technical capacities of young people in vulnerable situations in rural areas. This also allows students, teachers, staff and the community to have healthy and nutritious food.”

Currently in Venezuela, basic products are difficult to find, and more than 50% of the population lives in poverty. Project funding is also improving infrastructure, purchasing seeds and livestock, and strengthening educational and teaching activities.

Éibar, a graduate who is a teacher and manager of his own farm, recalled, “All students shared experiences and culture, regardless of race or economic status. When we left school we were technically prepared to work the land better.”

In Venezuela, 34% of youth are not in school due to conditions of poverty. Venezuela is also currently suffering from a serious educational crisis where many teachers are not working and schools are only open two to three days a week. Salesians have been in Barinas for more than 80 years and have provided a quality education to thousands of youth.

A Salesian explained, “Education is fundamental. At the Salesian Agronomic Technical School students are in an atmosphere of trust and great respect. Teachers are also supported. They receive their salary as well as food and transportation.”

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

ANS – Venezuela – The Agronomic Technical School of Barinas: education and much more for the country’s young people

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation 

*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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VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) For 30 years, the Salesian-run Civil Association for Youth and Work has played a fundamental role in the education and support of youth in Venezuela*, including those who have dropped out of school and faced violence in the country. Salesians provide these youth an opportunity to access technical and vocational training to gain the skills for a brighter future.

Students attend classroom training and are able to access the hands-on training needed to succeed in the workforce. Because of the practical and technical skills youth learn, some students have been able to open their own businesses after graduation. Others make a smooth classroom-to-work transition and are able to earn a stable living to support themselves and their families.

The organization is also focused on violence prevention. Through workshops, conferences, and activities, Salesians promote peace, tolerance and respect among all. This helps youth learn conflict resolution, how to problem solve effectively, and how to get along with the people at school and at work. Students leave with the life skills needed to succeed.

A Salesian missionary said, “The Civil Association for Youth and Work network has educational centers throughout the country, from urban and rural communities, that provide youth a safe space where they can learn, grow and dream. Despite the challenges that Venezuela faces, we remain firm in our mission and celebrate with great joy the organization’s 30th anniversary of commitment to youth. We hope it continues to be a beacon of hope for generations to come.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support poor youth and their families.

An estimated 50% of Venezuela’s 28 million people are currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce. While this is a decline from the year before, the population still continues to suffer from extreme inflation. Since 2014, 7.7 million people have fled as refugees to neighboring countries to find work and a more stable way of life.

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

ANS – Venezuela – “Civil Association for Youth and Work”: 30 years of formation for work

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation 

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

The post VENEZUELA: Youth gain technical education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) The San Lucas Salesian Provincial House, in the San Lucas Province of Venezuela*, was able to help support the stability of personnel thanks to funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. People in the country are challenged to meet basic needs due to the country’s incessant inflation and devaluation of the currency.

Salesian staff at the provincial house provide education and pastoral work for more than 20,000 people in the region, as well as governance for the house. The funding went to support basic needs including medical care, food, basic living expenses, educational expenses and transportation. Forty-nine people were able to access funding for basic needs.

Yusmary Castellano, secretary general from the administrative team, was one of the beneficiaries. She said, “The contribution helped us a lot. I will be eternally grateful. With this funding, I was able to help my daughter and a person who has cancer. What we do here we do from the heart, but the fact that we have one more motivation, it is really welcome. I am truly eternally grateful.”

Kleiver Sanchez, a 22-year-old kitchen assistant, said, “I’ve been able to pay for college and tuition. Thanks to this contribution, I have also been able to pay for some things that my family has needed, such as food and some medications that we needed at this time in our lives.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support poor youth and their families. An estimated 87% of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian Missions provides funding for basic needs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) This summer more than 10,000 youth and volunteers are expected to attend activities hosted at Salesian centers and oratories in Venezuela. The Commission of Oratories and Youth Centers, chaired by Salesian Father Jorge Bastidas, delegate for youth ministry, launched the national motto “With the strength of love everything is possible.”

Youth are coming back to in-person activities after the COVID-19 pandemic forced almost all activities to be online or distanced in-person smaller events. July and August are two of the most active months for Salesian oratories with youth on breaks from school. It’s a time for them to engage with their peers and receive additional support from trusted adults.

Fr. Bastidas explained, “They are unforgettable experiences, because with them the participants have fun, make new friends, improve their social skills in relationships with others, grow in respect, tolerance and freedom, increase their self-esteem and confidence, develop their independence and autonomy, learn and practice values, assume a healthy lifestyle through daily life, and value their families and social environments.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support poor youth and their families.

An estimated 87 percent of the population is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce. Among them, just more than 75 percent are living in what’s considered extreme poverty, up from 67.7 percent in 2020. The increase is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and fuel shortages, which means many people cannot put gasoline in their cars to make it to the few jobs that are available.

Salesians continue to distribute food, water and hygiene products in the communities they serve to help those impacted by COVID-19. They have also helped returning migrants, organized community kitchens, supported people in parishes and aided Indigenous communities in the Amazon. They remain focused on the youth served in their programs.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – “With the power of Love everything is possible.” Over 10,000 participants in activities of Salesian Youth Oratories and Centers

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation 

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

The post VENEZUELA: Summer activities benefit youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began and are reporting that people are losing hope, according to an article in Crux, a Catholic news source. To date, more than 5.5 million people have fled the country due to the challenges they faced and lack of opportunities.

An estimated 87 percent of the population of 28.5 million is currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce. In the Crux article, Salesians reported, “We do not see effective responses against the coronavirus, although the situation was already very complicated before. Moreover, the population is losing hope. They do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

A Salesian working in Caracas, speaking about Venezuela’s inability to address the COVID-19 pandemic, warned, “People are coping. If they feel unwell, they take something and carry on, because many do not have access to medical care.” According to Johns Hopkins University, less than 4 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Salesian missionaries are helping distribute food, water and hygiene products in the communities they serve to help those impacted by COVID-19. They have helped returning migrants, organized community kitchens, supported people in parishes and aided Indigenous communities in the Amazon. They are also focused on the youth served in their programs.

Salesian missionaries have also kept their focus on youth who participate in one of the seven programs operated by Casa Don Bosco, located in Caracas. Every day, Salesian missionaries provide breakfast and lunch to children in vulnerable situations thanks to the support of the Salesian Missions office in Madrid.

Education in the country is challenged. In many places, there are no teachers because they have not been paid. In most schools, it is impossible to implement sanitation measures due to structural deficiencies. In response, at the end of 2020 Casa Don Bosco implemented an emergency education initiative and enrolled 4,184 children and adolescents within its seven programs.

According to the Crux article, Salesian missionaries are also working hand in hand with the bishops’ conference in their efforts of dialogue and national reconciliation.

“In Venezuela, we need to dialogue, we need to find an expression of the popular will,” Salesians wrote in a statement released in the Spanish news outlet Religion Digital. “Those who should have the last word are the people, the citizens … It is necessary to give security to choose, to speak.”

Salesians also wrote that they need to find “a way that the aid that we receive reaches where it should go. We receive a lot of solidarity, even from outside our country. There are many people who want to help… but it is useless if it remains on the way.”

For those who remain in the country and are in need, Salesian missionaries will continue their work providing education, workforce development, and social development services to poor youth and their families despite ongoing volatile political and economic conditions.

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

Crux – Salesians warn Venezuelan people ‘losing hope’ for country’s future

Casa Don Bosco

Casa Don Bosco Facebook

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesians warn of situation as they continue aid first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) As people in Venezuela continue to suffer from the country’s economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, Salesian missionaries remain living and working in the country. Missionaries are helping distribute food, water and hygiene products in the communities they serve to help those impacted by COVID-19. They have helped returning migrants, organized community kitchens, supported people in parishes and aided indigenous communities in the Amazon. They are also focused on the youth served in their programs.

The economic, political and social crisis in Venezuela has driven many people into extreme poverty. Inflation has galloped to record highs and to get food, fuel and medicine, people have to stand in endless lines. Children and youth are among the most vulnerable. A recent study revealed that the nutritional status of children in Venezuela is more similar to that of African countries, such as Nigeria or Zambia, than that of any other neighboring country. The average daily income of a Venezuelan is the equivalent of 0.55 euros. Nearly everyone in the country is poor today.

“The coronavirus emergency has aggravated the humanitarian crisis that began in 2016 and from which there is no way out. At the moment the coronavirus is the least of our concerns, even if infections and deaths are on the rise, without the real figures being known,” said a Salesian missionary in the country.

As school resumes, Salesian missionaries have focused their attention on youth who participate in one of the seven programs operated by Casa Don Bosco, located in Caracas. Every day, Salesian missionaries provide more than 700 breakfasts and lunches to children in vulnerable situations thanks to the support of the Salesian Missions office in Madrid, Spain. Salesians are also providing hygiene kits to help prevent spread of the virus.

“If it were not for this support, youth would have nothing to eat, and we have more and more cases of malnutrition,” said Leonardo Rodriguez, director of Casa Don Bosco.

Education in the country is challenged. In many places, there are no teachers because they have not been paid. In most schools, it is impossible to implement sanitation measures due to structural deficiencies. In response, Casa Don Bosco has implemented an emergency education initiative and enrolled 4,184 children and adolescents within its seven programs.

According to data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 4.5 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in other countries. Colombia has hosted close to 1.3 million while Peru currently has more than 768,000. In Venezuela, products that at one time cost the equivalent of $1 in the United States now cost the equivalent of $10 million. Many Venezuelans’ monthly salaries cannot cover the cost of a single gallon of milk.

Venezuelan unemployment will likely hit the 50 percent mark in 2020. The state, however, has not released an official unemployment figure since 2016, when it noted a 7.3 percent unemployment rate.

For those who remain in the country and are in need, Salesian missionaries have continued their work providing education, workforce development, and social development services to poor youth and their families despite volatile conditions.

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

ANS – Venezuela – A “back to school” marked by hunger and fear of Covid-19

Casa Don Bosco

Casa Don Bosco Facebook

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation

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

The post VENEZUELA: Casa Don Bosco enrolls more than 4,000 children in need of education, feeds more than 700 each day in its 7 programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries living and working in Venezuela continue to provide social support despite the ongoing political, social and economic challenges in the country. Their support is needed now more than ever. The World Food Program has warned that Venezuela is one of the areas most at risk of famine due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Father Carlos Méndez noted the situation is made even worse by the return of people who had fled the country over the last few years. Many Venezuelans are returning due to the unexpected closure of aid and assistance that they may have received from other organizations in other countries.

Many had walked for weeks to try to find a place of refuge and support only to reach other countries and have to return because of the pandemic.

Fr. Méndez said, “We Salesians in Venezuela know that this is an important moment to reach out to those in need, and we continue to open the doors to the marginalized. Opening our Salesian houses and giving food to the poor is the answer to the emergencies that our most needy brothers are experiencing.”

The national government has asked Salesian missionaries in Venezuela to open two of their centers. The Don Bosco Agricultural Center in Carrasquero, in the state of Zulia, near the border with Colombia, is supporting a group of 290 people who are living under compulsory isolation. They are being supervised by military personnel and doctors appointed by the national government. Salesians are helping these people with shelter and providing them with food. A Salesian center in Duaca is dedicated to the care of young people from all over the country and is now hosting 200 people who are in need.

According to data from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), there are more than 4.5 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in other countries. Colombia has hosted close to 1.3 million while Peru currently has more than 768,000. In Venezuela, products that at one time cost the equivalent of $1 in the United States now cost the equivalent of $10 million. Many Venezuelans’ monthly salaries cannot cover the cost of a single gallon of milk.

Venezuelan unemployment will likely hit the 50 percent mark in 2020. The state, however, has not released an official unemployment figure since 2016, when it noted a 7.3 percent unemployment rate.

For those who remain in the country and are in need, Salesian missionaries have continued their work providing education, workforce development, and social development services to poor youth and their families despite volatile conditions.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – Return of migrants: “Opening our Salesian houses and giving food are our answers”

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian centers offering shelter and nutrition to migrants returning to the country because of the coronavirus pandemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Despite the ongoing political, social and economic challenges in Venezuela, Salesian missionaries continue providing education and social supports across the country. On March 7, Salesian missionaries held a health day at the Domenic Savio Youth Center in Duaca.

Twelve doctors from different specialties saw more than 600 people, providing check-ups, analysis and diagnosis. The Salesian Portugal Foundation sent a donation of medicine for the event. Thanks to this contribution, many patients received medications for their illnesses, along with evaluation and diagnosis. However, much remains to be done in assisting patients with chronic diseases.

Salesians missionaries hope that with the support of many others, they can continue to provide support to all those in need in the country.

“Education is always our primary focus, but we know people in Venezuela are dealing with much more than just needing access to education,” says Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries also meet basic needs like shelter, food and medical care. This helps to ensure that youth are healthy and are able to more fully participate in the education that’s provided.”

According to data from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), there are more than 4.5 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in other countries. Colombia has hosted close to 1.3 million while Peru currently has more than 768,000. Products that at one time cost the equivalent of $1 in the United States now cost the equivalent of $10 million. Many Venezuelans’ monthly salaries cannot cover the cost of a single gallon of milk.

Venezuelan unemployment is estimated to surpass 44 percent this year and will likely hit the 50 percent mark in 2020. The state, however, has not released an official unemployment figure since 2016, when it noted a 7.3 percent unemployment rate.

For those who remain in the country and are in need, Salesian missionaries have continued their work providing education, workforce development, and social development services to poor youth and their families despite volatile conditions.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – About 600 people benefit from Health Day

UNHCR – Venezuela situation

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries hold health day with 12 doctors assisting more than 600 people first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Despite the ongoing political, social and economic challenges in Venezuela, Salesian missionaries continue providing education at 18 educational centers across the country so that students are able to prepare for the future. The schools also help support teachers who remain in a vulnerable situation in the country.

The population in Venezuela faces daily despair due to food scarcity. The currency is so devalued that a month’s salary is just enough to buy a chicken. The educational sector has been abandoned and schools have lost many teachers. In the last school year, the Maduro government left schools without teachers, students and resources.

Levels of malnutrition in Venezuela have tripled in the past two years with nearly 80 percent of families living in a state of nutritional insecurity. Food consumption has halved. The operation of the health system and of the school system has decreased by 60 and 70 percent respectively.

Salesian missionaries have called for nutritional assistance to help ensure that students, as well as teachers and staff at Salesian schools, have access to at least one meal a day. This helps ensure that these teachers and staff remain in Venezuela to continue their important work and students are fed so they can focus on their studies. Salesian missionaries are working to secure the funding and support to feed 1,650 students and 750 employees at 11 Salesian schools in the country.

Msgr. Jhonny Reyes, Salesian and apostolic vicar of Puerto Ayacucho, pointed out that in many rural schools in the Venezuelan Amazon teachers are heroes. He said, “With the difficulties that exist, they refuse the job offers and salaries that come to them from the other side of the border, from Colombia, and decide to continue to take care of children and young people. That’s why we must continue to help them and do our part for the future generations of the country.”

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

More than 3 million Venezuelans have fled the country since the crisis began, many of them on foot. Products that at one time cost the equivalent of $1 will cost the equivalent of $10 million with expected inflation. Many Venezuelans’ monthly salaries cannot cover the cost of a single gallon of milk.

Venezuelan unemployment will likely hit the 50 percent mark by 2020. The state, however, has not released an official unemployment figure since 2016, when it noted a 7.3 percent unemployment rate.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – Nutritional emergency

Markets Insider – 9 mind-blowing facts about Venezuela’s economy

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries asking for nutritional support and help for students and teachers in 11 Salesian schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

VENEZUELA

(MissionNewswire) Despite the ongoing political, social and economic challenges in Venezuela, Salesian missionaries continue providing education at 18 educational centers across the country so that students are able to prepare for the future. The schools also help support teachers who remain in a vulnerable situation in the country.

The population in Venezuela faces daily despair due to food scarcity. The currency is so devalued that a month’s salary is just enough to buy a chicken. The educational sector has been abandoned and schools have lost many teachers. In the last school year, the Maduro government left schools without teachers, students and resources.

Salesian missionaries in Venezuela believe that education is the first resource for the country’s moral revival. Salesian education is aimed primarily at poor children and older youth, as well as those who might need a second chance at education in a less formal setting.

People in Venezuela also receive the support of the entire Salesian congregation led by Rector Major Father Ángel Fernández Artime. To the people of Venezuela, he has said, “You are not alone. From the different parts of the Salesian world, we are attentive to what you experience and we are aware of everything that happens.”

Msgr. Jhonny Reyes, Salesian and apostolic vicar of Puerto Ayacucho, points out that in many rural schools in the Venezuelan Amazon teachers are heroes. He said, “With the difficulties that exist, they refuse the job offers and salaries that come to them from the other side of the border, from Colombia, and decide to continue to take care of children and young people. That’s why we must continue to help them and do our part for the future generations of the country.”

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

More than 3 million Venezuelans have fled the country since the crisis began, many of them on foot. International Monetary Fund (IMF) experts estimate that inflation in Venezuela will reach 10 million percent in 2019. Products that at one time cost the equivalent of $1 will now cost the equivalent of $10 million. Many Venezuelans’ monthly salaries cannot cover the cost of a single gallon of milk.

Venezuelan unemployment is estimated to surpass 44 percent this year and will likely hit the 50 percent mark by 2020. The state, however, has not released an official unemployment figure since 2016, when it noted a 7.3 percent unemployment rate.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – Even amidst an emergency, Salesians focus on education

Markets Insider – 9 mind-blowing facts about Venezuela’s economy

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries continue educational services at 18 centers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

One of the children noted, “It is important to share what we have with our mates. It is urgent to be in solidarity with one another and be joyful, take advantage of time with friends and companions, and be able to forgive.”

The Salesian center in the Guajira peninsula in northwestern Venezuela also launched the “Oratory on Vacation,” which had young volunteers visiting several homes to connect with indigenous families in rural areas who face extreme poverty and widespread violence. The goal was to bring hope to the Venezuelan people who are cut off from other populations and assistance.

Despite economic and political instability in Venezuela, Salesian missionaries continue to take care of poor youth and their families. Salesian missionaries are committed to helping those who remain in the country.

In Caracas, 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 providing education. For many, living on the street and trying to make a meager living has become a way of life. Some street children would like access to programming while others prefer to remain on the street. Salesian missionaries work to provide the services they can and meet youth where they are.

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

In the city of Barinas, located in west central Venezuela, Salesian missionaries operate an agriculture school that includes a large plot of land for cultivation and pastures for animal breeding. Nearly 200 students, aged 15 to 18, attend the school and board there.

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

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – A people that has not lost its dreams because: “With Christ we are hope”

VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries continue providing social programs for poor youth and their families despite economic and political instability

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries hold summer camps for children and visits to indigenous populations in rural communities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Another journalist, Federica Bello, for La Voce e il Tempo, recently interviewed Salesian Father Rafael Andrés Borges at the Don Bosco Mission in Caracas. He noted, “Venezuela is going through a very painful phase. Weighing upon it are 20 years of social defeat caused by both a serious political confusion with a very fragile practice of democracy and from a serious moral weakening. These elements constitute fertile ground, negative, due to the increase of some viruses in Venezuelan social life.”

Father Borges continued, “In this difficult social, political and economic context, the Salesian Family of Venezuela has faced the challenge of celebrating well the holiness of Don Bosco, despite the limitations of economic and social security: a sign that all the Salesian works of this Venezuela continues to bet on arriving at justice and peace in democracy.”

Salesian missionaries continue to focus on helping those who remain in the country. In Caracas, 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 providing education. For many, living on the street and trying to make a meager living has become a way of life. Some street children would like access to programming while others prefer to remain on the street. Salesian missionaries work to provide the services they can and meet youth where they are.

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

In the city of Barinas, located in west central Venezuela, Salesian missionaries operate an agriculture school that includes a large plot of land for cultivation and pastures for animal breeding. Nearly 200 students, aged 15 to 18, attend the school, all of whom board there.

Recently, Salesian missionaries at the agriculture school have started three small agro-zootechnical projects including rearranging and repopulating an existing chicken coop, providing for the repair of hives to restart the production of honey and starting a rice crop on two hectares of land. The yield from these projects will ensure food for teachers and students and will also be sold to bring in revenue for the school.

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

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – “Today, the Venezuelan does not live, he survives”: Salesian works of Venezuela continue to bet on justice and peace

VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries launch new agriculture projects at agriculture school in Barinas

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries continue providing social programs for poor youth and their families despite economic and political instability first appeared on MissionNewswire.

An increase in corruption and prices and a scarcity of goods is resulting in widespread insecurity and violence. CNN Money released an article noting that 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.

A recent Latin American Herald Tribune article indicated that shelters for abandoned or orphaned children are overcrowded, but requests from relatives and others housing homeless children continue.

Salesian missionaries continue to focus on helping those who remain in the country. In the city of Barinas, located in west central Venezuela, Salesian missionaries operate an agriculture school that includes a large plot of land for cultivation and pastures for animal breeding. Nearly 200 students, aged 15 to 18, attend the school, all of whom board there.

“There is an air of confidence and great respect for the Salesians of the community by the boys. They are simple young people who love nature and the work of the fields,” says Brother Gianpietro Pettenon, president of the Don Bosco Mission in Turin, Italy, after returning from a recent trip to the country.

Recently, Salesian missionaries at the agriculture school have started three small agro-zootechnical projects to rearrange and repopulate an existing chicken coop; provide for the repair of hives to restart the production of honey; and start a rice crop on two hectares of land. The yield from these projects will ensure food for teachers and students and will also be sold to bring in revenue for the school.

Salesian missionaries in the country are also hard at work in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital city. 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 providing education. For many, living on the street and trying to make a meager living has become a way of life. Some street children would like access to programming while others prefer to remain on the street. Salesian missionaries work to provide the services they can and meet youth where they are.

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

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

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Sources:

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

ANS – Venezuela – In a country in extreme difficulty, Salesians start from the land

CNN – Half the Venezuelan economy has disappeared

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

VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries continue to care for homeless, abandoned youth despite overcrowding

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries launch new agriculture projects at agriculture school in Barinas first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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.

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries continue to care for homeless, abandoned youth despite overcrowding first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The CNN article notes that Venezuela is deep into an economic, political and humanitarian crisis, largely inflicted by the government’s own policies. Food and medical shortages are widespread and people have been scavenging for food in dumpsters. CNN notes that the country’s citizens are fleeing by the thousands. Venezuela’s currency, the bolivar, is nearly worthless.

Even in these challenging times, Salesian missionaries continue to take care of children living on the streets and to recover those who belong to criminal gangs. Both 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, 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. Leonardo Rodríguez, a lawyer and president of Red de Casas Don Bosco, is concerned about the country’s instability. He says, “Every day adults come in search of their children who have fled their homes and other parents ask us to welcome their children in one of the Don Bosco houses because they have no way to feed their children.”

“For almost a year, we have asked the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents to draw up a national plan for the protection of the rights of children at risk, given that it does not exist,” adds Rodríguez.

In more than 20 years working with the Salesian program, Rodríguez, has also met minors who had been criminal gang members. He says, “The hardest thing is when you make every effort to bring these kids together and maybe in less than a year they end up killed or in jail.”

Since 2013, Salesian missionaries have started new initiatives in the poorest neighborhoods to prevent children and adolescents from joining criminal groups. Among these cases, there is one of two brothers, aged 11 and 13 that Rodríguez will never forget.

“They were taken in by an uncle after having received from our institution for two years, but the result was sad and terrifying,” says Rodríguez. “The youngest child was killed in a gang battle and the older boy was hit in the head and became deaf. It was pitiful to see him that way, but he continued to come to the Don Bosco house until the following year, when the gang found him and killed him.”

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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ANS – Venezuela – Street children and criminal gangs: Salesians in their midst

CNN – Half the Venezuelan economy has disappeared

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

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries continue programs for poor and homeless youth despite instability in the country first appeared on MissionNewswire.

One youth says, “I’m not one who stays home. My place is the streets. I work there and that’s where I’m staying.”

There are many reasons why so many children and older youth in Caracas live this way, but the one main factor for most is the conditions of their family life. At home, many are faced with domestic violence, a lack of food and a lack of a supportive environment. Many youth have felt they might fare better on their own then they will at home. Others are simply escaping a bad family life however they can.

Leonardo Rodríguez, president of Red de Casas Don Bosco, notes that the problem lies  in the absence of public policies that guarantee the exercise of rights of minors. He also says that there are a number of volunteer organizations and volunteers who deliver food to these children, which has been increasing in recent months. Rodríguez notes that while a plate of food is certainly needed, what these youth really need goes far beyond this. He says that despite the food being a good act, it allows youth to become accustomed to having their needs met by others with no work or school involved. He says that further social integration is needed.

At the Patio Abierto Don Bosco Center, Alexander García, one of the center’s educators, says the work with children is broad-based. Youth are welcomed every day starting at 9:00 a.m. They can rest, play sports, shower, wash their clothes and watch television. They are also shown the path of social reintegration at school and at work.

The educators at Patio Abierto Don Bosco, and those of the similar Ámbar Association—which deals with socially vulnerable and/or sexually exploited girls—go out in the streets four times a week to invite the minors to their center. This is a first contact toward starting a journey that truly protects their rights and improves the quality of their lives.

Programs like this are critical at this time because Venezuela is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history, with an inflation rate of more than 400 percent and a volatile exchange rate. The World Bank, as well as the latest data provided by the Venezuela Living Conditions Survey in 2016, found around 81 percent of Venezuelan households are now living in income poverty, up from 75.6 percent in 2015. This has led to political and social unrest in the country.

It’s been reported that both food and medicine in the country are also scarce. The oil price crash in 2014 and resulting policies by President Nicolas Maduro have led to mass shortages of food and other products. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts inflation will reach 1,642 percent by the end of 2017. As many as 85 of every 100 medicines are missing in the country. Shortages are so extreme that patients sometimes take medicines ill-suited for their conditions.

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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ANS – Venezuela – Rescuing Street Kids

World Bank – Venezuela

The post VENEZUELA: Two Salesian programs provide support and education for street youth in Caracas first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Caritas Venezuela, another Catholic organization operating in Venezuela, has issues a warning that some 280,000 children could die of malnutrition due to food shortages amidst the country’s grave economic crisis. In a new report, Caritas notes that both the quantity and quality of food has dropped across Venezuela, due to the chronic shortage of products available and high inflation rates.

Salesian feeding campaigns started to address the number of families already suffering from increased food shortages and the low incomes that limited their purchasing power as prices began to rise in the country. This hunger has caused the elderly and children to be sick and unable to engage in their normal activities. They were physically weak and unable to mentally focus. Providing these feeding programs brought those most at risk back into the social fold of these Salesian programs as well, allowing people to engage with their neighbors, friends and other community members.

“We started this work in the sectors of Chorrito and Limoncito,” says Father Ignacio Espinoza, a Salesian priest living in the La Dolorita neighborhood, one of the marginalized areas of the capital city, in an article for Revista Vida Nueva Colombia. “People encouraged by Salesian missionaries began coming together and sharing what they could for the communal cooking pot. Each member would offer what they could. People brought potatoes, celery, carrots, yucca, onions, various dressings, which was added to the soup along with chicken or other meat that was available. This was then shared with those who needed it most in the community.”

Other Salesian communities then began doing the same. When the Laureate Sisters of the Vicariate of St. Catherine of Siena were told that children were not able to take part in their religious lessons because they were not eating properly, they mobilized the community to offer a Saturday breakfast. Sixty children benefit from this weekend program that helps ensure children have a good meal when not in school. Children have responded better and are more alert and engaged.

Programs like this are critical at this time because Venezuela is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history, with an inflation rate of more than 400 percent and a volatile exchange rate. The World Bank, as well as the latest data provided by the Venezuela Living Conditions Survey in 2016, found around 81 percent of Venezuelan households are now living in income poverty, up from 75.6 percent in 2015. This has led to political and social unrest in the country.

It’s been reported that both food and medicine in the country are also scarce. The oil price crash in 2014 and resulting policies by President Nicolas Maduro have led to mass shortages of food and other products. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts inflation will reach 1,642 percent by the end of 2017. As many as 85 of every 100 medicines are missing in the country. Shortages are so extreme that patients sometimes take medicines ill-suited for their conditions.

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:

CRUX – Caritas Venezuela warns that 280,000 children could die of malnutrition

World Bank – Venezuela

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian missionaries launch communal feeding programs for the elderly and at-risk youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The center offers its students an opportunity to combine theory with practice. The young students learn through a hands-on approach and learning in a classroom. They are able to take their classroom skills and put them directly to work on the farm fields that are a part of the center. Students are taught theoretical and practical courses in greenhouses, growing vegetables, cereal crops, gardening, animal husbandry and veterinary sciences, breeding, and about milk, cheese and dairy products.

“The Salesian school was specifically opened to provide technical education mainly to poor young children with scarce resources, and instruct them on technical and practical knowledge that would allow them to earn a living and give back to their communities,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries provide education and workforce development paired with other social services to help poor youth break the cycle of poverty and have hope for the future.”

The mission of the school is to provide young farmers with a basic education as well as advanced studies in the latest agricultural practices and modern technologies while moving towards efficiency in farming by exploring and testing new techniques in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandry. Salesian missionaries hope the agriculture degree program will entice more local youth to choose agriculture as their long-term livelihood. With a long history of providing agricultural education, missionaries currently operate more than 90 agriculture schools around the world.

Venezuela is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history, with an inflation rate of more than 400 percent and a volatile exchange rate. The World Bank, as well as the latest data provided by the Venezuela Living Conditions Survey in 2016, found around 81 percent of Venezuelan households are now living in income poverty, up from 75.6 percent in 2015. This has led to political and social unrest in the country.

It’s been reported that both food and medicine in the country is also scarce. The oil price crash in 2014 and resulting policies byPresident Nicolas Maduro have led to mass shortages of food and other products. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts inflation will reach 1,642 percent by the end of 2017. As many as 85 of every 100 medicines are missing in the country. Shortages are so extreme that patients sometimes take medicines ill-suited for their conditions.

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:

ANS – Venezuela – Don Bosco lives sowing joy and harvesting the future at the Salesian Agricultural School

World Bank – Venezuela

The post VENEZUELA: Salesian Missionaries Provide Long History of Agriculture Education to Poor Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Carlos José Moreno Barón, 19, was not taking part in the protest march but was on his way to a football field at Chuao. He did not reach his destination. At about 10:15am, Carlos José’s was killed by a group linked to the collective supporting the government when they opened fire against opponents. Doctors did all they could but Carlos José had been struck by a bullet in the head and nothing could be done. He had been a student at the St Francis de Sales Institute in the Sarría district and was a member of the Salesian Youth Movement.

On the same day, in San Cristóbal in the State of Táchira, a motorcycle group allegedly linked to local government support groups fired on Paola Ramírez Gómez, 23, as she was passing in front of Piazza San Carlos, returning from a job interview. She also was not participating in the protests. Paola was a Salesian past pupil from the Institute of Táriba. Her death was instantaneous, as shown by a video taken on a security camera on a nearby building.

Venezuelan Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Díaz has asked the security authorities to guarantee freedom of expression. She said in a statement, “I appeal to the political agents who convene the demonstrations. It is a constitutional right to convene peaceful demonstrations and these should not endanger the physical safety of the demonstrators.”

Aware of the delicate situation in the country, Salesian Rector Major Father Ángel Fernández Artime expressed his support for Salesian missionaries in Venezuela and the Venezuelan people in statement he released while on a trip to Kenya visiting refugees. He said, “You are not alone. We, in the different parts of the Salesian world, are worried about you. We are attentive to what you are experiencing and well aware of everything that happens to you.”

As the BBC reports, triple-digit inflation, a high crime rate and clashes between protesters and security forces have affected the lives of many in the country including schoolchildren, many of whom are being kept out of school for their safety.

The BBC article also reports that the La Salle Education Centre, a private school run by the Christian Brothers Catholic religious order in the western town of Mérida, was recently vandalized by group of men on motorcycles who broke through the school’s main gate. They smashed windows of cars and pulled out radios before breaking into the main house where the Christian Brothers live. It was suspected they were searching for protestors who had taken refuge there earlier and when none were found went on a rampage. While no one was hurt, there was much destruction left in their wake. BBC is reporting that while the school reopened, nearly 40 percent of the students have not returned for fear it could happen again with students present. Parents are becoming too afraid to send their children to school.

The deaths of the Salesian students are not the first deaths for Salesian missionaries in Venezuela. In Feb 2014, during a suspected robbery at Don Bosco College in the Venezuelan city of Valencia two Salesian missionaries were stabbed to death and another was wounded. Father Jesus Plaza, 80, and Brother Luis Sanchez, 84 were both murdered; and Brother David Marin, 64, was stabbed in the leg multiple times and treated at a local hospital.

Salesian missionaries in Venezuela continue their schools and social development programs despite the protests and ongoing violence from pro-government groups. Missionaries provide education and workforce development paired with other social services to help poor youth break the cycle of poverty and have hope for the future.

Sources

ANS – Message of the Rector Major on the situation in Venezuela

ANS – Venezuela – Two Salesian past pupils victims of violence

BBC – Why Venezuelan parents are keeping their children at home

Catholic News Agency – Two Salesian religious murdered during robbery in Venezuela

The post VENEZUELA: Two Salesian Past Pupils Killed During Ongoing Political and Social Unrest first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a day that honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people around the globe. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, noted that at the end of 2014, more than 50 million people had been forced from their homes worldwide. Almost 80 percent of those displaced are women and children.

Established in 2001, World Refugee Day is coordinated by UNHRC and focuses on honoring the courage, strength and determination of men, women and children forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Each year, the day focuses on a particular theme that highlights specific circumstances faced by refugees. This year’s theme, “Get to know a refugee – Ordinary people living through extraordinary times,” aims to bring the public closer to the human side of the refugee story.

“All around the world we are seeing families fleeing violence,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a recent statement about World Refugee Day. “The numbers are massive – but we must not forget that these are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. People who led ordinary lives before war forced them to flee. On this World Refugee Day, everyone should remember the things that connect all of us – our common humanity.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2015, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need that were developed by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. Development Arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

COLOMBIAN REFUGEES

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled the violence of Colombia to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ New Beginnings initiative, which started in 2011, has provided more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries vocational and human development training as well as job placement services.

Many of the Colombian refugees began the program with no marketable skills. Without the prospect of a job, it was hard for them to create stability for their families and build new lives. The New Beginnings program grants each refugee 260 hours of technical training as well as 40 hours of human development workshops. The training programs, coupled with the job placement services, allowed these victims of violence and chaos to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves, their families and their new communities.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

For the fifth year, Salesian Missions has received funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct its New Beginnings program for Sri Lankan Refugees in Tamil Nadu, India. To date, close to 2,500 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program. Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In 2015, Salesian missionaries are serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India. In addition, 550 women are benefiting from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs. The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

Kakuma was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan and was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by UNHCR in collaboration with Salesian missionaries in the country as well as several other humanitarian organizations. The camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are currently seeking funding to build a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

Salesian missionaries at the camp also operate the Helping Children to be Children program which gathers refugee children and leads them in games, songs and classes held outdoors on the camp grounds. As part of the program, children are offered the opportunity to draw and learn to speak English. Close to 3,000 children benefit from this Salesian program which currently has no steady funding and is run primarily by refugee volunteers.

SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TURKEY

Sharing a 500-mile-long border with Syria, Southeastern Turkey has more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees, as reported by the United Nations. Salesian missionaries are providing services at three sites within Syria while also providing for Syrian refugees in Turkey. While many Syrian refugees stay in towns on the Turkey-Syrian border, many find their way to big cities like Istanbul where Salesian missionaries operate a program that currently serves close to 400 Syrian refugees.

At the Don Bosco Center in Istanbul, Salesian Father Andres Calleja Ruiz leads special programs for refugee children and youth from Syria as well as for a growing number of families fleeing ISIS persecution in Iraq. Because most refugees do not speak the local language it is difficult for children to attend school and adults to find work. At the Center, Salesian missionaries provide a school for more than 350 refugee children where they learn English language skills and traditional school subjects such as mathematics, geography and music. Students have access to sports and dance programs intended to help them connect with their peers and find enjoyment and comfort in their new surroundings. In addition, the program provides counseling both for youth and their families to help them overcome the challenges and traumas they have faced.

Technical skills training is a critical component of Salesian work in Istanbul. Many refugees leave the country’s border towns and refugee camps and make their way to Istanbul hoping to find employment and a more stable life. If they fail to find work, refugees are often left in dire circumstances. The Don Bosco Center’s technical skills training program is a critical safety net for those in need.

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Sources:

World Refugee Day 2015

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