Saidi escaped from the Taliban in Kabul and was welcomed at the Don Bosco program in Hornu. The fear of the Taliban forced him to leave everything behind to embark on a dangerous journey without being accompanied by adults. Like many, he will have to find another program after he turns 16 because he will age out of the Salesian school. Salesian missionaries are working with other Salesian programs and local programs in Belgian communities in the hopes of helping youth make an easier transition once they reach their later teens and need to seek assistance elsewhere.

“I did not know where to go, but I could not continue living in my country,” says Saidi. “I wish I never had to leave my country. But no doubt I am very grateful for the opportunities they are giving me.”  The journey of young refugees is not easy. They have to face different cultures and customs but most young people arrive with the desire to learn and help.

“The boys are attending courses in all subjects including French and English language, mathematics, science, religion, physical education, drawing and music,” says Professor Flore Dubois who conducts a French course for foreign students. “There is a spirit of cooperation among them. If someone does not understand an exercise, another helps. The older ones are motivated by the desire for a job. For most of them, their priority is to be allowed to stay in Belgium when they are of age.”

There are challenges for young refugees settling in to new programs and new routines. The director of the Don Bosco School, Annie Michel, points out the difficulties encountered by these youth and Salesian staff.

“Our two classes are largely composed of Afghans and Syrians, and it’s not easy for these young people to integrate into our rules,” says Michel. “I learned that children in their countries obey school rules, but from the age of 12 to 18, teachers are no longer involved. It is important to work hard on training, to integrate their code and avoid misunderstandings. Despite the difficulties, these young people have an amazing thirst for learning.”

In countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Salesian programs provide refugees much needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care and nutrition.

Since the end of 2014, Europe has been experiencing a maritime refugee crisis of historic proportions, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The ongoing conflict and violence in Syria, Iraq and other parts of the world is causing large-scale displacement and refugees are seeking safety beyond the immediate region. In 2015, and the first months of 2016, almost 1.2 million refugees and migrants reached European shores, most fleeing conflict and persecution. In 2017, more than 118,000 have risked their lives to reach Europe by sea. UNHCR notes that an increasing number of families, women and unaccompanied children undertook perilous journeys across several countries and often faced exploitation on the hands of smugglers.

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Sources:

ANS – Belgium – Saidi, Afghan refugee child: “I am very grateful for the opportunities I am being given”

UNHCR – Europe Emergency

Salesian Missions

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Since the end of 2014, Europe has been experiencing a maritime refugee crisis of historic proportions, according to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. In 2015 alone, more than 300,000 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Europe. At the end of 2014, 59.5 million people worldwide, the highest level on record, were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict and human rights violations. Of those documented, 19.5 million were refugees.

In 2014, European Union countries hosted a relatively small share of refugees. At the end of 2014, the world’s top refugee host was Turkey followed by Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia and Jordan. Lebanon hosted by far the largest number of refugees by population. By the first six months of 2015, 137,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe by sea under profoundly difficult and unsafe conditions as compared to the 75,000 that arrived during the same time period the previous year. The numbers have continued to rise since that time.

In Belgium, like in many countries across Europe, Salesian missionaries have been assisting these refugees with programs and helping them to integrate into their new communities. For more than a year, the Don Bosco Institute of Tournai has been hosting five young boys and providing them education, shelter and ongoing support.

“The boys are attending courses in all subjects including French and English language, mathematics, science, religion, physical education, drawing and music,” says Professor Flore Dubois who conducts a French course for foreign students. “There is a spirit of cooperation among them. If someone does not understand an exercise, another helps. The older ones are motivated by the desire for a job. For most of them, their priority is to be allowed to stay in Belgium when they are of age.”

There are challenges though for young refugees settling in to new programs and new routines. The director of the Don Bosco School, Annie Michel, points out the difficulties encountered by these youth and Salesian staff.

“Our two classes are largely composed of Afghans and Syrians, and it’s not easy for these young people to integrate into our rules,” says Michel. “I learned that children in their countries obey school rules, but from the age of 12 to 18, teachers are no longer involved. It is important to work hard on training, to integrate their code and avoid misunderstandings. Despite the difficulties, these young people have an amazing thirst for learning.”

Saïdi, who is at the Don Bosco School is a 14-year-old Afghan. He escaped from the Taliban in Kabul and was welcomed for six months at the Don Bosco work in Hornu. Initially he had difficulty accepting the rules and schedules and wanted to change the structure. But when he knew it would not be possible, he changed his attitude and now thinks of the program as his home. But for many like Saïdi, he will have to find another program after he turns 16 because he will age out of the Salesian school. Salesian missionaries are working with other Salesian programs and local programs in Belgian communities in the hopes of helping youth make an easier transition once they reach their later teens and need to seek assistance elsewhere.

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Sources:

ANS – Belgium – The Salesian Network Welcomes Migrant Minors

UNHCR – The sea route to Europe: The Mediterranean passage in the age of refugees

The post BELGIUM: Salesian Missionaries Provide Education and Hope to Young Refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The program—which initially received funding for 12 months in February 2012—centers on reinforcing primary education systems at six schools in highly volatile Quetta, Pakistan. A Salesian primary school and five Salesian-supported schools have been receiving support specific to the needs and challenges of educating the Afghan refugee population. UNHCR’s Head of Office in Quetta, Charles Lynch-Staunton, commended Salesian Missions for this work in an official letter of support, stating “Salesian Missions for Don Bosco is a UNHCR Operating Partner and active member of our Afghan Refugee Education Coordinating Network in Baluchistan.”

The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) has extended funding for an additional six months. This extension ensures that the progress made through the program will continue, working toward the goal of having schools become self-sufficient, no longer reliant on international assistance.

In Pakistan, 2,200 boys and girls ages 4 to 13 are benefitting from Salesian Missions’ comprehensive approach to strengthening their education. The program includes everything from teacher training and resource improvements for child learning, to infrastructure improvement and web-ready computer labs.

“The students are among the most passionate of any I have seen in the world,” said Neill Holland, Deputy Director of the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs and the agency’s Country Representative for Pakistan. “They are more bright-eyed, energetic, and outgoing than you would ever imagine considering what these kids have witnessed, fleeing across the border with their families, and for many, a life-long war in their homeland.”

The PRM-funded program administered by Salesian Missions and local partners in Afghanistan has resulted in fully equipped and updated, kid-friendly schools.

“Locally, we have gone from schools without sanitation, and from classroom walls that were in danger of falling over; to schools that are structurally safe, have new bathrooms and hygiene education, books, uniforms and even computers—and a connection to the outside word—for the first time ever,” added Holland, who recently returned from a program monitoring trip where he saw the impact first-hand.

Positive impact includes more than 70 teachers, professionally trained for their work with the refugee youth population and motivated to make a difference in their improved schools. As a result, an estimated 85 percent of students who are age-eligible to graduate are forecasted to pass their examinations. Furthermore, the program administration has ensured through advocacy and policy dialogue with Government and NGO Partners that the education students receive in Pakistan will be recognized by the Government of Afghanistan, should their families return home.

“We are working to reinforce primary education in a way that will continue to assist the Afghan children regardless of whether their parents choose to stay in the host country or to return to Afghanistan.” explained Holland.

The goal of the Quetta program is to mainstream struggling Afghan refugee schools so they may become a part of the Pakistani education community, and benefit from its shared institutional resources, even while they serve Afghani youth. Part of this results-driven strategy involves creating useful partnerships with local organizations and the government that can be leveraged to sustain these refugee schools during the years ahead. In fact, the Salesians had already been working in these communities for some time, and their focus on fostering strong community relationships has made them a pivotal U.S. Government partner. Proven results include reaching established program goals and surpassing all expectations.

“This success was realized expressly through the contribution of Salesian Missions’ local team of dedicated lay staff in Quetta, male and female, who give 100 percent every day despite security concerns for themselves and their families.” says Holland. “Their inspiration comes from an enduring sense of brotherhood – and sisterhood – with the vulnerable Afghan refugee community they serve. To work alongside our team of local staff in Pakistan is to experience the heartbeat of humanity, the bond shared between people regardless of their race, creed, color or gender. ”

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PHOTOS: Neill Holland/Salesian Missions

ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS

Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco—specializing in programs and services for at-risk youth in more than 130 countries. The Salesians are widely considered the world’s largest private provider of vocational and technical education. The Office for International Programs is the global development arm of Salesian Missions which supports programs globally through partnerships with the U.S. government and private-sector organizations, state-of-the-art concepts, and in-kind financial support. Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. For more information, go to www.SalesianMissions.org or www.MissionNewswire.org.

ABOUT THE DOS BUREAU OF POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration provides aid and sustainable solutions for refugees, victims of conflict and stateless people around the world, through repatriation, local integration, and resettlement in the United States. PRM also promotes the United States’ population and migration policies. For more information, go to www.state.gov/j/prm/.

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