(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Marianówka, a village in Poland, have been able to make repairs to a chapel thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. As part of the project, the structure of the chapel roof, the central section and the floor were reinforced. The reinforcement increases the level of safety and will make it possible to apply for the necessary certificates from the fire brigade for the use of this part of the facility.

A Salesian explained, “This construction project made it possible to achieve the safety standards required by law. This will, in turn, allow us to apply for the necessary state permits to use the building. Obtaining these permits will make it possible to safely host groups of children and youth from our schools and parishes, interested families, and visitors.”

The Salesian added, “The Salesian house and the chapel are used by school-aged youth who come to our house, as well as to nearby recreational centers. Throughout the year, students and young families, various formation groups, as well as emigrants, mostly from Ukraine, also visit us. In the last year, the house was used by approximately 1,200 people, and more than 4,000 people participated in services in the chapel over the course of the year.”

Salesians in this community provide support to those who need extra assistance, like those who cannot afford coal in the winter. Youth utilize the Salesian house to connect with their peers, engage with adult role models and have time for respite through recreational activities. Salesian missionaries in Poland and bordering countries have been providing shelter and support to refugees from Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in March 2022.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries working and living in several locations in Ukraine* have been provided emergency support for the winter thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Salesian centers in Korostiv, Skhidnytsia, Dnipro, Vynnyky, Kyiv and Lviv were impacted by this donation. In addition, the emergency support impacted 650 students at the Salesian schools in Lviv and 20 displaced persons in Vynnyky.

The Salesian centers are experiencing frequent power outages and this is particularly difficult in the winter because of the lack of heat. The project allowed for the purchase and installation of four generators, which have ensured that facilities continue to function, especially the schools, where uninterrupted education was guaranteed. The funding also supported the purchase of diesel fuel for the generators. The generators provide both alternative lighting and heating.

In one of the facilities, an old boiler was repaired and elements of the heating system were replaced. In addition, the hot water system was repaired at the Salesian center in Vynnyky, ensuring proper heating and sanitation.

Father Mykhaylo Chaban, superior of the Salesian Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province of the Greek-Catholic Rite in Ukraine, explained, “The funding gave us hope and support to endure all the challenges we face during wartime, especially in the cold winter. With your help, we have light and warmth for living, uninterrupted training and working processes.”

Since the beginning of the war, Salesian Missions and Salesian missionaries in Ukraine and around the globe have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of people affected by the war.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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(MissionNewswire) The Salesian missionaries in Lviv, Ukraine*, are celebrating the growing success of the Pokrova AMP soccer team made up of youth who have undergone limb amputations during the war. What began two years ago as a small Salesian initiative has become a movement of hope. Today, there are more than 15 AMP soccer centers in the country with 300 youth players. Another Salesian team, the Tytany, was formed in Zhytomyr. A third Salesian team is in the process of forming.

The Ukrainian Soccer Federation organized the first AMP soccer championship with games taking place between August and December 2025. The Salesian Pokrova AMP team won the championship in this inaugural event. The official award ceremony took place in the presence of the minister of youth and sport and the minister for veterans. With the victory, the team will participate in the EAFF AMP Soccer Champions League in June 2026, while the Tytany took third place in its league.

Upon their return to Lviv, the team was officially welcomed by Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who celebrated the historic victory together with the players. The team was also recognized as “Team of the Year of the City of Lviv”.

A Salesian explained, “Beyond sporting victories, the heart of this project is deeply Salesian. Working with these young people is not just a matter of sport, but a mission of human and spiritual rehabilitation. These young former soldiers and war amputees find in the Salesian centers a spirit of welcoming, family, support in difficult times and a new perspective on life. It is touching to see how young people from all corners of Ukraine travel hundreds of kilometers to be part of it and participate regularly in training sessions.”

Salesians thank the Salesian Mission Office in Bonn, Germany, which has supported the annual maintenance of sports activities and the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, which supported the soccer field where players train and practice. Further, Salesians thank the Salesian Mission Office in Beromünster, Switzerland, which has been helpful in the education of the players. Salesians also extend their gratitude to all the Salesian Mission offices and other benefactors who have supported and promoted these inclusive activities.

Salesians are now working on the creation of a large Sports and Rehabilitation Center for youth who have lost limbs in the war and for the children of the existing Salesian sports club.

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

ANS – Ukraine – The History of Salesian AMP Football in Ukraine: a victory of hope and rehabilitation

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians hosted a Christmas luncheon for people in need at the San Domenico Savio Hall in Valdocco, Italy. The December event was the fifth year the luncheon was held. The luncheon is promoted by the Caritas – Maria Ausiliatrice volunteer group of more than 40 volunteers, 20 of whom led the initiative. The luncheon was attended by about 100 people from the city of Turin, many of whom attend the Monday evening canteen that the group organizes in the city center.

One of the volunteers said, “It was a moment of conviviality designed to offer not only a hot meal, but above all an opportunity for meeting, listening and fraternity in view of Christmas.”

As is the case every year, the volunteers and guests sit together and strengthen the relationships built during the year. The meal was served by novices currently in formation at Colle Don Bosco. The 20 young novices were aided by six Salesians to create a festive and family atmosphere in the spirit of Don Bosco.

The lunch was also made possible thanks to the valuable support of various local businesses and various benefactors. The lunch ended with the exchange of greetings among all those present, and all guests were given a small Christmas present.

A Salesian said, “With this festive lunch, the Caritas – Maria Ausiliatrice group renewed its commitment to the poorest, certain that simple gestures of sharing can kindle hope among all and build more solidarity and fraternal communities.”

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

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

Italy – The fifth ‘Christmas Lunch with the poor’ in Valdocco: a feast of sharing and hope

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Mission Don Bosco, the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, was once again the recipient of support from the “Christmas Concert in the Vatican”, now in its 33rd year. Salesians provide the support generated to the education of youth in Côte-Matève, near Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo*.

Côte-Mateve has a high population density, but lacks drinking water, electricity, school facilities, health centers and public transport systems. Youth, who represent the largest segment of the population, see their rights systematically denied. For many, attending school is a inaccessible and the current school network is unable to respond to the growing demand. There are too few buildings, insufficient teachers and inadequate environments.

In Côte-Matève, Salesians want to build a new primary school, capable of accommodating at least 350 students, aged 6-12, who come from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds. The school will provide them with a better learning environment, a safe structure and appropriate teaching materials. The school complex will include 10 classrooms with a capacity of 35 students per classroom, offices, a teachers’ lounge and coordination spaces.

Ngimbi is one of the 350 children who will be housed in the primary school that Don Bosco’s missionaries want to build in Côte-Matève.

Father Daniel Antúnez, president of Mission Don Bosco, said, “Ngimbi is faced with new prospects. He was given promises in the past that were not kept, but now he sees that he can overcome his vulnerable condition. It is up to us to allow him to cross that invisible wall that separates him from hope and to ensure continuity of care. We thank everyone who participated in the Christmas concert and all donors who are showing boys like Ngimbi there is hope for the future.”

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

ANS – Italy – Christmas Concert at the Vatican 2025: with Missioni Don Bosco support for the children of Côte-Matève, in Congo Brazzaville

Salesian Missions – Italy

*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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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco in Rome, one of several Salesian vocational training centers across Italy, is using renewable energy thanks to a large photovoltaic system that was recently installed as a result of collaboration with Banco dell’Energia and Edison. The project, known as “Sustainable Energy for Youth”, was inaugurated with Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, heads of Banco dell’Energia and Edison, and the Salesian community attending.

The Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco sustainability project is a pilot project and the first in a series of environmental interventions for Salesian centers in central Italy. The aim is to transform Salesian centers into hubs of shared sustainability, where the production of clean energy becomes a tool to free up resources that will be reinvested in education and support for the most vulnerable.

The project involved the installation of two separate photovoltaic systems to power the day care center, church, and theater and vocational training center.

Father Emanuele De Maria, rector of Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco, said, “For us, this project is much more than a new state-of-the-art facility. It is a cultural investment in the area. Thanks to the newly established system, we strengthen our commitment as promoters of environmental sustainability and as supporters of social initiatives benefiting the most vulnerable young people.”

For Gualtieri, this project demonstrates how environmental and social objectives can work together, enabling other projects to be launched in the Centocelle and Quarticciolo neighborhoods.

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

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Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Green Alliance

Don Bosco Green Alliance – Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco shifts to Renewable Energy

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social network in Italy is working to ensure that youth at-risk have the possibility to live healthy lives and have access to the education they need to thrive. The Salesian organization supports thousands of youth every year in more than 600 territories across the country. Programs include 97 socio-educational programs, 45 day centers and 33 foster family homes.

In the 33 foster homes, close to 300 youth, aged 12-18, are taken in at the request of the social services and with the provisions of the juvenile court. Father Francesco Preite, national president of Salesians for Social, explained, “Many of these children and adolescents have experiences of abandonment, violence or loneliness behind them. Each carries within them a wound, but also a possibility for a better future. We are inspired by Don Bosco’s Preventive System, which focuses on relationships and the integral growth of the person, also in its spiritual dimension.”

In Italy, there are about 33,000 youth living far from their families of origin, as well as more than 16,000 unaccompanied foreign minors.

Fr. Preite continued, “Our family homes are not merely welfare places, but homes where one can grow and learn to believe in oneself and in others. Our objective is not just to protect, but to give back a future.”

Inside the family homes, youth find a safe and inclusive environment that provides them opportunities for growth including school, sports, professional training, healthy relationships and an educational community that supports them every day. Even after the age of 18, Salesians for Social continues to support youth in finding a home or a job or continuing their studies.

Multidisciplinary teams, made up of educators and psychologists, guarantee a continuous presence, 24 hours a day, offering listening, stability and ongoing support.

Fr. Preite added, “Poverty is not a statistic. It is an open wound in the heart of our country. Every child excluded from opportunities is a collective defeat. In Italy, according to ISTAT, more than 1.3 million children live in poverty. Isolated projects or emergency responses are no longer enough. We need structural policies, stable resources and political courage to guarantee all minors protection, health, safety, well-being, participation and equality. We need a new social pact that restores dignity to the most fragile children and adolescents. They are not ‘problems to be managed’, but lives to be enhanced, citizens of today and tomorrow.”

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

ANS – Italy – Appeal by ‘Salesians for Social’: it is a priority to permanently invest in childhood and adolescence and build a new educational pact

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries at the Salesian Lyceum in Lviv, Ukraine*, are providing new locker rooms for the students using the sports fields. The funding for the project is thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Construction and landscaping for the project started earlier this year. Spaces now include a locker room for girls, a locker room for boys and a module for the separate toilets. The locker rooms were equipped with a shower room with a bench and hangers.

This donation has impacted 431 youth participating in activities at the Salesian Lyceum. Youth include orphans and those who remain internally displaced due to the war. Local teams will also rent the soccer pitch for training and have access to the separate changing rooms.

Father Taras Bayovski, headmaster of the Salesian Lyceum, said, “I am grateful that we now have modular changing rooms near the soccer and volleyball pitches. The premises of the lyceum are very limited, and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports activities without adequate sports infrastructure has always been a challenge for us. We now have a soccer field, a volleyball court and modular locker rooms. These facilities enable us to participate in three student sports leagues including mini soccer, volleyball and rugby.”

Since the beginning of the war, Salesian Missions and Salesian missionaries in Ukraine and around the globe have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of people affected by the war.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Mission Don Bosco in Turin, Italy, have been supporting Salesians in Ukraine during the war. Recently, Father Mykhaylo Chaban, superior of the Salesian Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province of the Greek-Catholic Rite in Ukraine, visited Colle Don Bosco to participate in the first profession of a Ukrainian novice formed in Turin in recent years. He shared his experiences during the war.

Fr. Chaban told Salesians with Mission Don Bosco that daily life is made up of hardship and fear, but above all, of commitment, dedication, tenacity, resilience, dignity and hope. That hope that was further renewed by the profession of the Ukrainian novice.

Fr. Chaban said, “Right now, Salesians are trying to do all we can for education in schools and vocational centers. We have after-school centers, a children’s home and sports activities for children and for people who have suffered amputations due to the ongoing war.”

He continued, “We want to do as much as we can to give these young people moments of joy and happiness, even though the war limits us a lot, but we try to ensure safety for all our guests first and foremost. Russian attacks happen mostly at night, but they also happen during the day. The protection of the spaces where we welcome young people, therefore, is an important element of the service we render to them.”

Families from the eastern regions of Ukraine continue to arrive in Lviv, in the west of the country. Towns and countryside are being attacked by Russian forces and refugees are arriving and looking for safer places.

Fr. Chaban highlighted the work of Father Andry Bodnar, who is in the created community of Mariapolis, where Salesians have created modular homes for those displaced. There, Salesians provide support for 250 children along with many elderly and people with disabilities. Even as some people leave, others arrive.

The Salesians try to offer various activities, continually improving and expanding the service according to need. This year, they provided moments of joy to the elderly on trips to the mountains to give them a brief respite from the war. This is a trip Salesians take often with youth.

Salesians have also continued to provide food for 350 people. Fr. Chaban noted, “If we end this assistance, it will be very difficult for them to go without even one hot meal a day. Since they cannot work, they cannot live solely on the small state economic support. The people want to return to normal life and continue to work even in areas where the land may be mined. They clear the land and production continues. Father Oleh Ladnyuk and Father Gregory Shved continue to bring foodstuffs every month to the border areas where families live who have lost their jobs, have nothing, and can barely survive.”

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Sources

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

ANS – Italy – Where war destroys, hope still builds: the Superior of UKR tells of Ukraine after more than three years of war

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Salesian Lyceum in Lviv, Ukraine* were able to use donor funding to install a volleyball pitch thanks to funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The pitch was set up over the summer and ready for the start of the school semester in Sept. 2025.

More than 400 students were impacted by the donation and have been able to now play volleyball during their physical education classes and afterschool activities. UNICEF reports that since the start of the conflict with Russia, more than 1,600 schools have been impacted by the bombing. Education has been interrupted for many students and they are no longer able to access coursework or have leisure activities with their friends.

The Salesian Lyceum has been meeting these needs for many students, many of whom have been internally displaced in the country. Some of the students are orphaned and in the care of relatives or the Salesians.

Father Taras Bayovskiy, headmaster of the Salesian Lyceum, said, “I am grateful that we now have a volleyball pitch. What we have available for students is limited, and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports activities without adequate sports infrastructure has always been a challenge for us. We now have a football field, a volleyball court, and modular locker rooms. These facilities enable us to participate in three student sports leagues including football, volleyball, and rugby.”

During the more than three years of war, Salesian missionaries in Ukraine and in nearby countries have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation for those who have been affected by the war.

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Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesians with the Padre Aramburu Center have signed an agreement with CNH New Holland Group to join the TechPro2 program, which has trained more than 13,000 professionals since 2008, and is taught in 58 schools around the world. It is a step forward in training professionals specialized in agricultural machinery. The Salesian center is the first vocational training center in Spain to launch TechPro2 project with the agricultural machinery group CNH New Holland.

CNH New Holland has initially provided a tractor for the students. The goal is that various agricultural machinery will rotate through the Padre Aramburu Center workshops.

A Salesian explained, “This is an exciting first step to have a vocational training center in Spain with this project, providing students with the necessary skills in agricultural machinery. We are then able to cultivate a specialized workforce.”

Daniela Ropolo, head of development of CNH’s sustainability initiatives, added, “The main objective is to train young people by offering them the technical skills they need to build a professional future and at the same time enable the CNH Group to have professionals trained in their agricultural machinery specialty.”

Teachers have already been trained at the CNH’s facilities in Madrid so that they can integrate a part of the agricultural machinery into the center’s automotive program. After learning in the classroom, students are immediately able to start assembling and disassembling the machinery learning the hands-on skills for employment.

Javier Marina, general director of Padre Aramburu Center, said, “The collaboration between the center and the company is vital. It is a great opportunity for students to leave the school well trained to enter the agricultural machinery sector. One of the things that the industrial sector and the agricultural sector need is technical personnel.”

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary educational as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the futures. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.

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ANS – Spain – Salesianos Padre Aramburu, pioneers in agricultural mechanics training

Salesian Missions – Spain

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) A group of 15 forklift truck operators arrived in Pordenone, Italy, ready to complete the training course that they started in Ghana. After successfully undergoing advanced technical and language training in the Salesian vocational training centers in Accra and Sunyani, the young professionals went to Italy to strengthen their skills in their chosen field and build a professional future in the logistics sector. This training is part of what’s known as the “Ghana Project 2.”

Michelangelo Agrusti, president of Confindustria Alto Adriatico, an association that helps entrepreneurs, emphasized the effectiveness of a course that combines training, employment and integration. Two companies in Italy are also involved in the project.

Support for the project comes from International Volunteering for Development (VIS), which has taken care of language training certified by the University for Foreigners of Siena and made available psychological support services, cultural mediation, and civic education. These activities have supported the young Ghanaians during their professional and personal growth.

A Salesian said, “This collaborative project, launched in 2024, represents a concrete example of how international cooperation and technical education can open up real opportunities for growth, offering answers to the shortage of skilled labor in Italy and professional prospects for young Ghanaians.”

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

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

ANS – Italy – With the ‘Ghana Project 2’ young people arriving in Italy to be hired by companies in the North East

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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ITALY

Network offers experiential workshops, after-school courses and educational supports for families

(MissionNewswire) September marked the return to school in Italy. With the arrival of the new term, Salesians for Social, a network in the country committed to welcoming, educating and protecting vulnerable youth, launched a survey to investigate Italian students’ opinions of the value of their education. The organization reports that while a healthy percentage of respondents consider school important, a significant percentage do not.

Specifically, 84% of Italian students consider school important for their future and more than half say they would like to go. Conversely, almost 1 in 4 disagree. Nearly 14% think it would be better to interrupt their studies, while a further 15% are not fully convinced they should continue.

The survey also found that 1 in 4 students feel very or fairly strongly that they are excluded from the activities offered at school.

Salesians for Social works to ensure that youth have the supports to remain in school. The organization researches the well-being of youth in school environments in order to be better able to provide support to those who live in difficult situations. Salesians for Social does this through projects specifically designed to improve students’ lives.

The need for such projects is high as Italy and Europe continue to wrestle with significant drop-out rates. While the rate in Italy is decreasing, it is at 10.5% as of 2023 and well above the EU average of 9.5%. Both Italy and the EU have work to do to reach the target of less than 9% set by the EU for 2030.

“At a time marked by growing inequalities and educational poverty, schools must be much more than a place of learning. They must become a garrison of inclusion and social justice,” said Father Francesco Preite, national president of Salesians for Social.

“We strive every day not to leave any child behind, rekindling motivation to study, offering authentic listening, concrete experiences and the constant presence of educators. In synergy with families and schools, we build educational contexts based on trust, acceptance and support. Following Don Bosco’s preventive system, we support the most fragile so that they can develop their potential and build, through education, a dignified future.”

To date, there are about 2,000 youth participating in Salesian projects across the country. These projects involve 160 educators and are distributed in nearly all the diverse regions of Italy. The common thread is the aim to respond effectively and innovatively to the educational needs of youth and their families. One project involves 550 students from 14 at-risk schools in five Italian cities: Rome, Cisternino, Palermo, Turin and Macerata. The project focuses on after-school and leisure activities.

Among the most important projects of Salesians for Social is the “Counter neighbors” project, financed by the Intesa San Paolo Charity Fund to combat educational poverty. This project has involved over 500 youth between the ages of 9 and 14 in five areas of high educational challenges. These areas include La Spezia, Casale Monferrato, Piedimonte Matese, Soverato and Modica. Through experiential workshops, after-school courses, educational supports for families and Community Educational Pacts, the project has forged solid educational alliances between schools, the territory and families.

During this project, 200 youth have improved cognitive, relational and motivational skills and 40 have returned to school after dropping out. In addition, dozens of families have become actively involved in their children’s education.

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

ANS – Italy – One student in four feels excluded at school. Salesians for Social re-launches projects to foster inclusion and combat school dropout

European Commission – Preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET)

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco 2000 Association in Italy are working to develop jobs for refugees through projects across the country. Recently, 15 jobs were made possible through the “My integrity” project that is supported by the AVSI Foundation, run by the Association of Volunteers for International Service, and financed with funds managed by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The project includes a new social enterprise in Piazza Armerina, a commune in Sicily, which is being run at a confiscated property once owned by the mafia. Other projects where refugees are employed include the Museum of Legality and an aquaponics greenhouse in Villarosa, which are both assets confiscated from the mafia. In addition, the association runs Colonia Don Bosco to provide support for refugees.

Don Bosco 2000 Association staff welcomed a visit from the AVSI Foundation, during which the foundation’s representatives were able to see how refugees are being given work opportunities. They also met the diverse staff of the association, many of whom were once refugees themselves. In a statement, they said, “Those who have been welcomed, today are offering welcome.”

Dr. Roberta La Cara, director of the research and development department of Don Bosco 2000 Association, led the visit. He said, “We hope to be able to give continuity to this path even beyond the conclusion of the project, strengthening the collaboration with AVSI and promoting together new initiatives to support the most vulnerable. The ‘My integrity’ project is a concrete step toward a more inclusive future, in which work becomes a tool for dignity and integration.”

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

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

ANS – Italy – 15 refugees find work thanks to AVSI’s ‘Mi integro’ project, in collaboration with the Don Bosco 2000 association

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian schools in Spain resumed their activities to serve thousands of youth through schools and educational centers in September. There are 94 Salesian educational centers in the country where approximately 81,000 students are taught by 6,000 teachers. In addition, 18,000 students attend 56 vocational training centers, where they have the opportunity to learn a trade thanks to the work of around 2,000 teachers.

Salesians have dedicated this year’s pastoral education around the theme “Protagonists of History.” The theme was inspired by Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “Christus Vivit”, with the aim to encourage youth and educators to discover that their personal stories have a broader and universal meaning and are intertwined with God’s plan for each individual. During the first four months of the school year, emphasis will be placed on Salesian history to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition of the Salesians to Argentina, which marked the expansion of the congregation worldwide.

“Salesian work in Spain goes beyond traditional education,” explained a Salesian. “With more than 400 ongoing projects, Salesian social platforms offer opportunities for social and professional advancement to more than 62,000 recipients, supported by some 2,200 educators and collaborators. Around 36,000 young people attend one of the more than 100 Salesian youth centers, where they find a space for growth in faith and recreation. Almost 4,000 staff dedicate their time to supporting youth who attend these centers. Salesians also have 54 parishes where more than 47,000 people attend. These parishes operate with the support of more than 3,000 collaborators.”

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary educational as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the futures. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of youth living in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.

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

ANS – Spain – Nearly 81,000 students will start the school year in Salesian schools with the motto: ‘Protagonists of History’

Salesian Missions – Spain

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(MissionNewswire) For the fourth year in a row, students who returned to class in Ukraine* connected from home, shelters or from other countries where their families have moved in search of safety. The war has forced remote education, in some cases in underground classrooms, said Father Oleh Ladnyuk, a Salesian teacher in Ukraine, in a Vatican news article.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, more than 3,800 schools have been damaged, almost 400 of which have been completely destroyed.

In Ukraine, the Ministry of Education provides general recommendations, while schools choose the teaching methods (face-to-face, distance or blended), depending on the security situation and the availability of shelters. Underground schools, already operational in several large cities close to the front line such as Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv, offer more children the possibility of attending classes in person. By the end of 2025, there are plans to open 150 such facilities in Ukraine.

“The majority of our pupils come to school and attend classes in person,” explained Fr. Ladnyuk, a military chaplain and high school history teacher in Dnipro. His statement comes from a recent interview with Vatican media.

Fr. Ladnyuk explained that many of the high school students have not returned because they have moved away. In the article, he said, “Many parents try to move with the whole family or send their older children to Western Europe or to the western regions of Ukraine. It is a sad trend, but I understand parents who want the best for their children.”

He also explained that teachers serve a dual role and have since the beginning of the war. They try to be an example of behavior and stability for the children, they invent everything to motivate them, go with them to shelters and calm them down during alarms.

Fr. Ladnyuk emphasized that for him teaching at the school is an opportunity to put the Salesian charism into practice as well as a chance to take his mind off the war. He noted, “It was good to see my pupils on their first day of school, I saw the joy in their eyes too. This is a beautiful thing about being a teacher: having the chance to meet the children who love you and whom you also love.”

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ANS – Ukraine – School starts again, and the bell is an air raid warning

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Mission Don Bosco, the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, has built two new wells for people lacking clean water access in two communities thanks to the help of donor funding. The wells are in Korr, a desert territory in Kenya marked by poverty and water shortages, and Mbuji-Mayi, a poor and overcrowded area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo*.

In Korr, the project included the installation of the equipment necessary for the well to function properly including solar pumps, piping and a 20,000-liter cistern. The water is flowing into the reservoirs, treated and drinkable for the local community. The availability of water has already begun to affect the quality of life and health of more than 800 families.

Located approximately 600 kilometers from the capital Nairobi, the Salesian mission provides education, health care and food support to communities in one of Kenya’s most isolated and needy regions. In 2018, a well had been dug in one of the villages, but the water proved too salty to be used. Despite this, Salesians were determined to provide better quality water.

A representative from Mission Don Bosco said, “Imagine a child who can finally attend school regularly because she no longer has to spend hours searching for water. Thanks to our benefactors, we have made a difference, turning a daily struggle for water into a story of change and hope. Let us continue to build together a future in which access to water is no longer a privilege, but a guaranteed right for all.”

In Mbuji-Mayi, a well was built at the Muetu Don Bosco Center. The mission there was founded by the Salesians in 1995 in Makala, and quickly became a point of reference for those living in poverty in the district. When Mission Don Bosco presented the water project, there were 4,900 youth using the services offered by the mission, in addition to the employees and their families, the patients of the attached medical dispensary, parishioners, and vulnerable families in the neighborhood. At that time, there were almost 10,000 women and young girls who faced harrowing journeys to find water.

A Salesian noted, “Now, the center has a water supply system that provides 10,000 liters of drinking water daily. In recent years, water expenses had become unsustainable, as well as the well not guaranteeing the minimum daily needs of the users. By drilling a deep well and installing all the necessary components, Salesians were able to fully cover not only the internal needs and those of the neighborhood, but also to ensure water supply to additional families in the community.”

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Photo courtesy of Missioni Don Bosco

ANS – Italy – Two wells, a thousand faces: water that saves

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

*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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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social in Italy launched the first stages of the SEEDS project over the summer to engage young adults, aged 15-29, through education and inclusion to develop new green employment opportunities. The project takes place in Sicily and Apulia, which are areas marked by high unemployment and impacted by climate change. The project is financed by the Villum Fonden European Vocational Education and Training Initiative 2024.

Salesians will partner with other organization to carry out project activities. These partnerships include the Puglia and Sicily regional offices of CNOS-FAP (National Center for Salesian Works-Formation and Professional Updating), the University of Palermo and the University of Foggia, Centro Orizzonte Lavoro, A Braccia Aperte, and Don Bosco 2000.

In Palermo, together with CNOS-FAP Sicily and the University of Palermo, Salesians for Social has begun designing the first short courses in the fields of sustainable agriculture and ethical catering. With the support of the A Braccia Aperte, it met with local companies ready to host apprenticeships and internships for participants.

In Catania, the Salesian team strengthened the network with the Orizzonte Lavoro Center and the local Salesian Vocational Formation Center, working on educational co-planning.

A project leader said, “Our commitment is to transform the focus on environmental sustainability into real employable skills, following the European ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy, which involves every stage of the food chain, from production to conscious consumption.”

Through workshops, internships, support, and educational alliances, Salesians aim to build a path that can respond to the social, environmental, and economic challenges of the territories of Southern Italy.

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

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ANS – Italy – ‘SEEDS’ takes root in the South: formation, inclusion and the future between Sicily and Apulia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: New Salesian initiative aims to engage young adults in green jobs training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Vocational Education Center, the only Catholic and private vocational training institution in Ukraine*, combines high-quality professional training with spiritual guidance. Despite the ongoing war and all its challenges, the center in Lviv continues to grow and develop.

Over the years, it has become a safe and supportive space for youth who are vulnerable, those who have been internally displaced or are from de-occupied territories, families of military personnel, veterans with disabilities, and all those seeking professional development.

This year, the center introduced a new program in graphic and product design. Existing programs are offered in IT, culinary arts and automotive electronics.

A Salesian noted, “Recognizing the urgent need for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, labor market demands, and the evolving aspirations of young people, the Don Bosco Center is planning to expand its educational programs to renewable energy technologies and automation and manufacturing engineering.”

The Salesian added, “These fields are critical to rebuilding the nation and creating a stable, future-oriented economy. Over 85% of our graduates secured employment in their field or continue their studies at universities. It’s not just for youth. In 2024, more than 200 adults completed short-term training programs. For many, it marked a new beginning and a path toward stability.”

Beyond education, students at Don Bosco Center benefit from university entrance exam preparation, English and German language courses, sports, music, psychological support and mentorship, volunteerism, career counseling, employer networking, and spiritual formation.

The Salesian added, “Sadly, due to limited resources, we are unable to accept all applicants. Many young people were not admitted simply because we lacked the capacity. That is why the project of reconstruction and expansion of the center is our team’s top priority. We are committed to opening more doors for those who are ready to transform their lives.”

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ANS – Ukraine – Education That Changes Lives – Even In Times Of War: The Don Bosco Vocational Education Center

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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 UKRAINE: Youth gain skills, hope with high-quality vocational education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have continued their work in the Salesian community in Odessa, Ukraine*, despite the war. To meet the growing needs for education, including those of students who have been displaced, construction has started on an additional floor to be used for high school classrooms. Re-roofing of the entire school building is also taking place.

A Salesian explained, “The old roof was badly weathered and the school needed new space. Given the growing demand, increased by the presence of those who have been displaced from other areas of the country, we decided to open a high school to be added to the elementary and middle schools, which have been operating for many years.”

The goal is to build a large Salesian school center in the middle of Odessa’s working-class neighborhoods that are populated by youth eager to study. The project is a Salesian-funded project but faces challenges.

The Salesian noted, “There remains the concern of how to continue to fund the project given the constant increase in the cost of construction in Ukraine. We are hoping that donors will help to support this endeavor.”

During the more than three years of war, Salesian missionaries in Ukraine and nearby countries have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of victims andpeople affected by the war.

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ANS – Ukraine – The growth of the Salesian school in Odessa

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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 UKRAINE: School expands to help educate youth who are displaced first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in 23 oratories in the Salesian Province of Southern Italy, in Campania, Basilicata, Puglia and Calabria, are ensuring that youth have access to safe and fun summer programs. A recent survey conducted by Father Giuseppe Russo, provincial delegate for Youth Ministry, found that there were more than 7,000 participants at the Salesian summer camps held in June and July. These youth range from second to eighth grades. Another 1,350 youth, aged 14-25, took part in educational courses.

Aurora, a leader at the oratory in Lecce, said, “Our Summer for the Kids program is not just a way to occupy the summer time, it is a space for play, authentic encounters, values and education. During this experience, youth learn to collaborate, follow common rules, contribute to the group and very often discover new things about themselves, overcoming their small and large limitations. In short, by getting involved, everyone learns something and discovers new potential and abilities that characterize them.”

These activities would not be possible without the 1,733 teen and young adults who help plan and facilitate the activities. More than 500 adults also help to support this network of summer experiences, ensuring and safeguarding the smooth running of each day.

Aurora added, “The leader understands more and more how their educational role is not simply limited to imposing rules, but to being there. They discover a vocation to service, where the beauty of relationships and the shared educational goal stand out. Christian values come to life and take shape in everyday life, not through sermons, but through daily prayer and true witness.”

Fr. Russo noted, “The survey we conducted paints a picture of lively and dynamic oratories and programs that offer spaces where education and evangelization intertwine naturally with the joy and vitality typical of Salesian courtyards.”

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ANS – Italy – Summer programmes offered by the Oratories of the Salesian Province of Southern Italy

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) This summer, 20,000 youth are taking part in summer camps and educational courses at Salesian centers across Spain. Close to 3,500 people, including Salesian missionaries and staff, will be involved in carrying out these activities. The goal is to offer spaces for recreation and fun in an educational environment with supportive adults. Salesians will also offer Faith Education Program camps that will help youth grow in their faith.

During the summer months, young Salesian educators also participate in training experiences, such as courses for leaders and courses to qualify as teachers or recreation coordinators.

Salesians across the globe hold special summer activities. One of the most significant experiences is missionary volunteering. Close 100 youth from Spain are spending their summer volunteering in Salesian centers in countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Brazil, Peru, Uganda, Colombia, Angola or Nigeria. This activity is organized by the Salesian provinces of Spain, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, Salesian Jóvenes y Desarrollo and Bosco Global.

A Salesian explained, “During the summer, Salesian organizations maintain their commitment to youth in vulnerable situations through summer camps, pilgrimages, and other recreational and educational activities. These are facilitated by professionals and the commitment of many volunteers.”

The summer activities in Spain organized by the Salesians can be followed on social networks, through the hashtag #VeranoSalesiano.

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary educational as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the futures. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.

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ANS – Spain – Thousands of children, adolescents and older youth prepare for a new Salesian Summer

Salesian Missions – Spain

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) This summer, 40 youth will engage in a volunteer missionary experience in different parts of the world, thanks to the “Missionary Way 2024-2025 – Bearers of Hope” project, promoted by the Salesian Youth Ministry Center in Milan, Italy, and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. The Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation in Milan is also collaborating.

A Salesian noted, “At a time marked by humanitarian crises, wars, poverty and growing inequalities, it is young people who are giving a concrete sign of hope and commitment.”

Youth will be headed to various missions including Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in El Salvador and Salesian centers in Ethiopia* and Sri Lanka. Some youth will remain in Italy at a reception center for unaccompanied foreign minors in Cammarata, Sicily.

Barbara, one of the participants, explained, “I made the choice to leave this summer for a missionary service experience in Sri Lanka. I choose to give my time to this experience to become aware of others, and to recognize that love is a selfless, necessary and human act.”

This year’s program brought together youth from different backgrounds all united by a common desire to get involved and live an experience that will leave a mark on them and in the communities that will welcome them. Before leaving, they engaged in months of meetings, moments of reflection, workshops and sharing that have enabled them to be prepared for the volunteer experience ahead.

Looking to the future, the Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation intends to continue and strengthen this path in the next pastoral year, involving an increasing number of youth and a growing number of Salesian missions where they can volunteer.

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ANS – Italy – ‘A different summer’: 40 young people on a mission to respond to today’s humanitarian crises

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

*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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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been providing ongoing support services, including educational opportunities, for unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy. In 2024, more than 18,000 unaccompanied foreign minors were received in the country from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. The regions with the highest number of admissions were Sicily, Lombardy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The Salesian San Luigi Community in Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, has welcomed more than 1,000 youth in 10 years as part of the Salesians for Social network. It offers social support and vocational education aimed at reducing the risks linked to marginalization and school drop-out. The community offers a reception service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. for youth identified by the authorities. Community placement provides Salesian residential educational services, dedicated to a path of integration and growth.

“The greatest need of youth arriving in our community is an authentic, concrete and customized welcome,” said Father Vincenzo Salerno, rector of the San Luigi Community. “We want to offer specific paths that guarantee an effective integration into school, work and social community, favoring autonomy and inclusion. Our goal is to support youth toward a growth that makes them autonomous and integrated in Italian society, with a focus on education, vocational training, and job placement by the age of 18.”

Every year, Salesians for Social reaches over 100,000 beneficiaries, offering protection and support through its network in more than 600 territories throughout Italy. There are 97 socio-educational services, including 33 family homes and 45 day centers, which represent a safe and familiar location for youth where they can access services.

The reception network has expanded with facilities dedicated to unaccompanied minors who have arrived in Italy, where they can receive food, clothes, assistance in contacting their families and attend Italian courses. These facilities also take in minors through the juvenile justice system, guaranteeing them a safe environment and educational support that is fundamental for their reintegration and personal development.

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ANS – Italy – Salesians for Social: in 10 years more than 1,000 unaccompanied minors received from the Balkan route in the San Luigi community in Gorizia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Unaccompanied foreign minors access network of support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Tbilisi, Georgia, are working to establish a vocational educational center and residence for youth who are vulnerable thanks in part to funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The center will offer education for 60-100 students older than age 16 who are working to gain employment skills. Up to 30 youth will live at the residence center while they complete their education.

A Salesian explained, “The vocational courses will be short and oriented to students engaging and completing an internship. They will have the opportunity to live in the residence center for up to five years. Our goal is to ensure that poor and vulnerable youth are able to gain the skills for employment so they can become self-sufficient.”

The construction is still underway. With the funding from Salesian Missions, Salesians have installed an elevator to accommodate individuals with disabilities, made several significant improvements in the yard, installed a fire reservoir with a pumping station and piping, and put in place a sewage system and storm drainage system. Once the construction of the vocational education center is completed, the Salesian community will need to secure funds for furniture and equipment.

Georgia borders Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia and gained its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. The country’s transition to a free-market economy allowed for persistent growth between 2010 and 2015 and a considerable reduction in poverty rates.

In 2022, Georgia’s poverty rate was at 15.6%, the lowest in its history, but those in poverty are still suffering. The World Bank reports that there are limited high-quality jobs and a third of the population still relies on low-productivity agriculture for income. Many youth are not able to access secondary education.Only 50% of rural students and 43% for students from poor backgrounds complete their education, leaving them few opportunities for a stable future.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

World Bank – Georgia

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(MissionNewswire) Father Mykhaylo Chaban, superior of the Greek-Catholic Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province of Ukraine*, received a special award during the Football Federation Congress in recognition of the founding of the first Pokrova AMP soccer team for players who are amputees. This team has become a source of hope and an example of how through sports it is possible to restore faith, strength, and new meaning in life for veterans, youth, and people with disabilities.

The award is an important recognition not only for Fr. Chaban but for the Salesian Family in Ukraine. It was thanks to the commitment and initiative of the Salesian Congregation that the team began a year and a half ago. Fr. Chaban received the award from Ukrainian football legend and world football ambassador, Andrij Shevchenko, currently president of the Ukrainian Football Federation, in May.

This initiative, which started in Lviv, quickly developed into a national movement. Today, thanks to the efforts of Salesian missionaries, eight soccer teams for amputees are operating in Ukraine. Salesians explained, “We have organized training courses for coaches, athletes, volunteers and operators, contributing to the launch of these teams in different regions of the country.”

Salesians participated in the recent Spring Cup with two teams, as the Pokrova AMP now has over 50 players, 80% of whom are young veterans. The victory of Pokrova AMP in this tournament was a tangible sign of how the Salesian Family continues to offer hope, a sense of community and new opportunities for growth.

A particularly emotional moment was when the youngest player in Pokrova, an eight-year-old boy, received a special prize of a trip to the final of the UEFA Champions League 2025, which was held in Munich on May 31. He was honored by entering the pitch together with a world soccer star.

Salesians added, “We wish to share this experience with the entire Salesian Family around the world, emphasizing that this recognition is a sign of the strength of Don Bosco’s charism, which continues to be a source of hope, evangelization and social integration for the most vulnerable young people. We are deeply grateful for this recognition and feel called to continue this service that transforms lives, opens new paths and continues to spread throughout Ukraine.”

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

ANS – Ukraine – Recognition of the Salesians for a service that opens new horizons

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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 UKRAINE: Salesians honored for soccer league for players who are amputees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education (CNOS-FAP), a network of technical and vocational institutions in Italy, has launched a professional skills training project. The project is in collaboration with Renner Co. from Bologna, which is a wood, metal and plastic coatings company that faces the shortage of a skilled workforce.

The project for 12 students provides a 32-week training course and a housing placement program for former unaccompanied minors already trained by the Salesians. The training covers all areas of the company, from logistics to production, with a focus on safety and citizenship. The aim is to turn the apprenticeship into a contract.

Lindo Aldrovandi, founder and CEO of Renner, said, “We have renovated a building we own, investing about 300,000 euro to obtain eight lodgings. They are reserved exclusively for young people selected by the Salesians, who sign a housing transition pact lasting three years.”

The first two tenants are Suleyman, from Gambia, and Bassirou, from Guinea. They will soon be joined by a third young man from Nigeria. The monthly rent is paid entirely to the Salesian institute and used to finance scholarships.

At Renner, foreign workers make up about seven percent of the workforce and the housing project is still in its initial phase. “But the impact has been positive,” said Aldrovandi. “The enthusiasm of these young people has brought energy into the departments. And thanks to the experience of the Salesians, we can count on well-structured placements, without improvisation.”

“The educational part is fundamentals,” explained Carlo Caleffi, director of the Salesian Center in Castel de’ Britti. “We are not a temporary agency, and we do not take money for this. Our goal is to give these young people a happy life. That’s why we select them carefully, support them even after they are hired and take care of the living situation.”

The model has already attracted the interest of other companies. A company in Ozzano has rented a flat to be used as guest quarters, and two dioceses, including that of Piacenza, have contacted the Salesian center to set up similar collaborations.

Caleffi concluded, “Our hope is that the project will become part of a system, with collaboration between the private sector and professional training. Companies have a potential that the public does not have, they can make a difference.”

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ANS – Italy – Renner and the Salesian project, home and work for young migrants

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Training collaboration provides education for former unaccompanied minors first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian communities in Ukraine* were able to afford heating and electric bills over the winter thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Those who benefited from the project include children and older youth, people with disabilities and chronic illness, the elderly, and pregnant women living in Salesian communities in Zhytomyr, Peremyshlyany, Korostyshev, Bibrka and Odesa.

In Korostyshev, financial support for heating bills enabled Salesians to continue operating parish facilities and the youth center, providing a welcoming environment for more than 400 people. In Peremyshlyany, the Salesian community was able to pay electricity bills and avoid the risk of power cuts, ensuring pastoral and social support for internally displaced persons and local residents from 120 households. Activities and meetings continued even during blackouts.

Donor funding also supported the Vsesvit Lyceum in Zhytomyr by covering utility expenses, the purchase of diesel fuel for the backup generator and generator maintenance, ensuring that the school could operate without interruption during the winter. Similarly, the Narnia Private Christian School in Odesa was able to continue teaching activities throughout the winter, thanks to support for electricity bills.

Finally, in Bibrka, donor funding provided long-term energy security by funding gas bills and the installation of a solar power plant. This installation ensures uninterrupted power supply to the building housing the oratory and catechetical hall, even during blackouts. The solar power system reduces operating costs, contributing to sustainability.

One of the youth who benefited from the project is Eva, a student at Vsesvit Lyceum. Despite the difficulties of living in a war-affected area, Eva remains involved in her education and spends time volunteering, on creative pursuits, and with her peers. Eva shared that although the city where she lives is relatively calm compared to eastern regions of Ukraine, the constant threat of air raids, electricity cuts and emotional pressure is part of everyday reality.

“We try to live normally, but you always have worry in the back of your mind,” she explained. “The lyceum has become not just a place of study but a second home — a safe and supportive environment where I can learn and grow.”

Eva’s goals for the future include further developing her skills in visual design and photography, and continuing her involvement in youth leadership and volunteering.

Thanks to donor funding, Eva and her classmates can continue their activities thanks to the uninterrupted supply of electricity.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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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(MissionNewswire) The “SAFE-UKR: Support and Assistance for Families in Emergency in Ukraine*” project provides rapid and effective aid to people affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Launched in February 2024, the project is active in the regions of Dnipropetrovska, Donetsk and Zaporizka, which are located near the front lines.

The goal of the project is to deliver humanitarian assistance to more than 31,000 people, including internally displaced persons and local residents. Efforts include providing access to integrated health and education services, as well as the distribution of essential goods.

The project is carried out through a collaborative network including the Salesian International Volunteer Service for Development (VIS), international partners AVSI Foundation and Doctors with Africa CUAMM, and local partners Step In and Genofund for the Future. Funding for the initiative is provided by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.

Over the past few months, the project has provided 4,570 food kits, along with 600 kits of sleeping bags, power banks, thermal clothing, flashlights and more in frontline areas. Special attention was given to families with high vulnerability and little to no access to other support. Salesian VIS assisted more than 3,000 people with mental health and psycho-social support services.

Doctors with Africa CUAMM supplied medicines and health care materials to 11 health facilities in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, reaching over 26,000 people. Step In’s mobile medical teams, each consisting of a doctor, nurse, receptionist, and lab technician, also delivered essential medical supplies and services to pre-identified locations. These teams provided health care to over 7,000 people. Using available diagnostic tools, doctors created personalized treatment plans, educated patients and referred complex cases to higher-level facilities.

In addition, through to the AVSI Foundation and Genofund for the Future, four temporary learning centers were established in the Dnipropetrovsk region, supporting more than 2,000 children through educational materials and psycho-social support activities. The two partners also conducted mine and explosive ordnance risk-awareness events for about 4,000 people in shelters managed by the organizations as well as those served by mobile teams from Step In and VIS.

A Salesian noted, “Even though the project has already met all of its planned goals, all teams continue working on the ground to maintain high-quality service. After three years of war, the commitment to supporting the most impacted regions remains unwavering.”

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ANS – Ukraine – Ongoing Activities of the “SAFE-UKR” Project Supporting War-Affected Populations

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine

*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 UKRAINE: Project provides education, health care and support to families first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Professional Development in collaboration with Salesian International Volunteering for Development in Angola* have joined the “CircuWasteVETAfrica” project. The focus will be vocational training and capacity-building programs for students in Namibia, Ghana, Angola, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Launched at the end of March, this project promotes sustainable waste management and the circular economy, which is designed to minimize waste and pollution by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. The two-year project is part of the ERASMUS+ program, co-funded by the European Commission. The project aligns with the Green and Digital Transition goals outlined in the European Green Deal and the EU-Africa Strategic Partnership.

The initiative supports African cities and regions in leveraging digital tools for a sustainable and zero-impact future. CircuWasteVETAfrica will first assess the skills gap in sustainable waste management and the circular economy before launching a program to equip vocational training instructors with essential competencies in digital innovation, micro-entrepreneurship, and circular business models. The acquired knowledge, tools, and best practices will then be shared with youth through a dedicated training program.

To ensure relevance and replicability, the project will collaborate with public and private sector organizations, aligning training courses with industry needs and enabling their adoption in other vocational training centers. Led by AREA, an Italian small-to-medium enterprise, the project brings together key partners from Europe and Africa. This diverse collaboration is crucial for EU-Africa cooperation.

A Salesian noted, “Ultimately, the project will promote sustainable environmental practices, enhance the quality and responsiveness of vocational training centers, and create new socioeconomic opportunities in Africa’s labor market.”

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ANS – Italy – “CircuWasteVETAfrica”: Promoting Green Skills and Circular Economy Education in Africa

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*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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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries were able to construct a new soccer field for students at Blessed Klymenty and Andrey Sheptytskyi in Lviv, Ukraine*, thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The donation impacted more than 400 students who regularly use the field.

The previous field was in such disrepair that it made it difficult for the students to play at all. It was filled with mud and was uneven. The soccer goals lacked netting, so when a goal was scored youth had to chase the ball.

A Salesian said, “The new field is bringing a new life for the students who are more enthusiastic about playing soccer and using the field. Since the beginning of the school year, Salesian priests and soccer coaches have actively conducted soccer activities on the field next to gymnasium. They organized a class schedule to ensure fair playing time for all. In the morning, students are using the field and after midday, the field is utilized for youth from the Salesian Pokrova Parish.”

Close to the gymnasium is a modular city of Mariapolis, where people who have been internally displaced are living. Among them are youth who are interested in sport activities. The goal is to reach out to these youth so that they can access the new field. Salesians will also rent the field to raise the funding needed to cover maintenance costs.

One of the beneficiaries currently using the field is Lukyan. He says that he really likes spending time playing soccer and taking part in other sports activities. He noted that before the renovation the field was too difficult to play on because it had a lot of holes in the ground. He’s looking forward to having the new field to spend even more time playing soccer after school or during the breaks.

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*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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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are working to help improve the lives of young migrants like Alex, a young man from Ghana who arrived in Italy by boat. Initially struggling on the margins of society, Alex found a path to fulfillment thanks to the support of the Salesian community.

Alex left Ghana at age 15 and made his way to Libya, where he endured harsh conditions of refugee camps to save money for the boat journey to Italy. At age 17, he finally reached Italian shores but was unjustly accused of being one of the traffickers. Confused and unaware of what was happening, Alex was sentenced to four years in a juvenile prison in Bari, Italy, where he struggled emotionally and received mental health support.

Through the help of a prison superintendent who recognized his situation, Alex was transferred to the family community at the Salesian Redentore Institute in Bari. Alex gradually realized that the people around him genuinely wanted to help. Through good behavior, he earned a sentence reduction and began reintegrating into society.

Salesians helped Alex complete training for boat restoration at the Bari port that he had begun in prison and supported his education, enabling him to earn a degree in accounting. They also helped him secure employment, first within the Salesian Institute and later at a construction company collaborating with the Salesians. Offered a permanent job at both, Alex chose to become the caretaker and maintenance manager of the Salesian Institute.

Alex successfully completed his mental health support program, and thanks to the efforts of the prison director, his conviction was annulled. Additionally, an administrative error in his documentation was corrected, allowing him the freedom to travel outside of Italy.

Alex has endured the hardships of forced migration, labor exploitation in Libya, judicial and bureaucratic injustices, and the loneliness of being a foreigner wrongly accused. Yet today, he has a clean record, a stable job and a strong support network. Most importantly, he can now consider reuniting with his family.

Father Pasquale Martino, with the Salesian Redentore Institute, said, “I hope that this story helps people understand the importance of seeing beyond appearances and recognizing the dreams and potential of the young people who arrive in our communities.”

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ANS – Italy – Alex: A Story of Hope and Redemption that comes from afar

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Don Bosco Elk, located in the city of Elk, Poland, have been operating a socio-sports school since 2023, thanks to a partnership with Real Madrid Foundation and the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid. More than 180 youth, most who are refugees aged 5-17 from Ukraine, participate in the socio-sports school. Coaches for the school recently received on-site training under the methodology “For a Real Education: Values and Sport.”

A Real Madrid Foundation article about the training explained, “The soccer, basketball and values training sessions were delivered to 14 participants, including more experienced coaches along with other newcomers. The course focused on enhancing their knowledge of the foundation’s methodology and improving their skills.”

Salesian staff put their new skills into practice with youth, including six girls who had recently joined the basketball team.

The Don Bosco Elk sports school has had a positive impact on the youth. As youth take part in soccer and basketball, they also receive training in topics like healthy habits, healthy eating and civic values. Salesians also offer psychological support, food support and legal assistance.

The socio-sports activities help youth integrate into their school. Both the Real Madrid Foundation and Salesians are aware that sports are important for social integration and the promotion of values like teamwork, communication, respect and team spirit.

The partnership between the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation began in 2010 in a Salesian school in Senegal. Today, the collaboration has 22 projects in 15 countries and serves nearly 4,000 children and youth each season, using educational sport and its values as a catalyst for the social betterment of youth and communities.

As part of the Real Madrid Foundation’s program, participants receive nutrition, family and psychological support, regular health checkups, the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts, reading, and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse are also provided.

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Real Madrid Foundation – Training for coaches at Foundation’s school in Poland

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(MissionNewswire) The war in Ukraine, which started with a Russian invasion three years ago, has left more than 6.9 million refugees and 3.7 million displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Today, 12.7 million people need humanitarian assistance, including nearly 2 million children. Throughout these difficult years, Salesians have remained committed to supporting Ukrainian youth and their families.

A Salesian working in Ukraine said, “It is very important for us to continue supporting children and young people. We actively seek them out, even in occupied areas, and strive to maintain contact with them. Most importantly, we do everything possible to ensure they can continue their education.”

Salesians report that the impact on education has been devastating. Over 4,000 schools — accounting for 13% of the country’s educational infrastructure — have been damaged or completely destroyed. As Ukraine enters its fourth year of war, the nation faces immense uncertainty, with discussions of a possible peace.

Father Luis Manuel Moral, head of the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, said, “We hope for a just and lasting peace. These years of war have brought immense suffering to the people. Our commitment is to peace, and we will continue to support the population — especially children and young people, who remain our true mission.”

The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid is one of many Salesian organizations directly involved in supporting Ukraine’s war-affected population. Projects have included the Mariapolis house, a shelter that houses nearly 1,000 displaced people, a winter survival program that ensures schools remain safe spaces where children can continue their education despite Ukraine’s harsh winters, and bunker construction.

The Pokrova parish bunker in Lviv provides psychological and spiritual assistance to more than 230 people, and psychosocial care helps 67 children cope with trauma. Salesians have also created mobile schools in Vynnyky and Zhytomyr. These schools were created with the support of the Real Madrid Foundation and the European Union and provide 150 children with a place to play, receive educational support, and access psychosocial care.

The Salesian noted, “Our lives were shattered three years ago — broken by the sound of cannons and the whistle of missiles. Normalcy no longer exists: the smell of breakfast in the morning, a goodbye kiss before school, the comfort of a safe night’s sleep. Today, everything is a nightmare. We are surrounded by insecurity and violence. Life itself has been put on hold.”

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ANS – Ukraine – Three Years of War and More Uncertainty Than Ever

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*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Foundation in Spain led the #CorazónSalesiano campaign to promote socio-occupational integration and residential care for youth at risk of exclusion. The campaign, which took place in January, invited people to create a future full of opportunities for those who need it most.

In Spain, thousands of youth face barriers that hinder their access to the labor market. Lack of training, economic constraints and the absence of support networks are all challenges. For over 25 years, the Don Bosco Foundation has been working to provide training, guidance and access to work.

Thanks to donor support, the foundation has already been able to offer important services. There has been resident assistance, providing a family environment house where hundreds of youth are supported. Direct support for youth to help them with job placement plans were designed with consultants and educators to meet the needs and aspirations of each youth.

A Salesian said, “The #CorazónSalesiano campaign seeks to bring together new members who wish to support this work. With the slogan ‘Become a member and write their future’, the initiative underlines the importance of citizens’ commitment to improving the lives of young people in vulnerable situations. Becoming a member involves not only a financial contribution, but also the opportunity to be an active part of a life-changing movement.”

The foundation has also offered training programs that have been adapted to the demands of the labor market in sectors such as hospitality, new technologies, renewable energy and customer service. Internships and work placements are available as the result of agreements with companies that facilitate access to work experiences and real jobs. Finally, there has been emotional support for these youth in the form of safe spaces where they can overcome difficulties and regain confidence in their potential.

Laura, a 19-year-old girl who arrived at the foundation with no future prospects after dropping out of school, is one of the success stories. Through a customer service course and the constant support of her tutor, Laura has not only completed her training, but now works in a telecommunications company.

Laura said, “The Don Bosco Foundation gave me a second chance. Today, I am independent and I am building a future for myself and my family.”

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ANS – Spain – Don Bosco Foundation launches the #CorazónSalesiano campaign

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The San Luigi Community in Gorizia, Italy offers hope for young migrants through a holistic model that combines care, education and vocational training. Since 2015, the community, located in the migratory crossroads of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, has been offering a welcoming environment for youth who have faced difficult journeys from places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Albania and Kosovo.

A Salesian explained, “Each young person is seen as an individual with unique needs, talents and aspirations. The programs are carefully designed to provide personalized relationships and developmental pathways. These relationships are based on trust, respect and the goal of promoting independence, creating a bridge between these young people’s past difficulties and the future they wish to achieve.”

One of the main objectives in the San Luigi Community is to help the youth with integration into their new community. Language education helps students progress from basic literacy to advanced communication skills. Vocational training is also offered in areas such as mechanics, welding and cooking. Salesians form partnerships with local institutions and companies that allow youth to apply their skills, laying the foundation for self-sufficiency and future employment.

The community embraces diversity, creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue that promote mutual respect and understanding. Youth are guided to maintain pride in their heritage while learning to navigate Italian social norms. This dual focus helps them build a cross-cultural identity, preparing them for a life of meaningful contribution in their new environment.

The Salesian noted, “Operating in a region with complex socio-political dynamics, the community faces numerous challenges. These include navigating bureaucratic hurdles, managing cultural differences and supporting young people who have experienced trauma. Despite these difficulties, the community remains steadfast in its mission, continually refining its approach to provide better opportunities for growth and integration. The resilience of educators and students is a testimony to the transformative power of this educational model.”

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesians for Social Association network in Italy has launched a series of educational projects throughout the country, particularly in areas where there are many youth at-risk. The aim is to ensure that youth stay in school and gain the education they need. Italy is among the European countries where educational poverty is strongest, particularly in the south, where the school dropout rate exceeds 14%.

To date, Salesian projects are impacting 2,000 youth and involve 160 educators distributed in the regions of Piedmont, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lazio, Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily.

“Educational poverty is no longer an emergency, but a serious and structural phenomenon in Italian society, which involves over a million children and compromises the growth of the young generations,” said Father Francesco Preite, national president of Salesians for Social Association. “Faced with this reality, it is essential to refinance the national fund to combat educational poverty and adopt systematic policies that strengthen educational and social services to support minors and young people in difficulty.”

Fr. Preite added, “Every day, an army of educators, social workers and psychologists, together with families and schools, works to create an educational environment based on trust, hospitality and personal accompaniment. Following the Don Bosco Preventive System, we promote knowledge and skills, helping children and young people to pursue their aspirations and build a better future through study, creativity and the development of their skills.”

Salesian commitment to education involves concrete actions such as the program “School neighbors: territories and schools together to combat school dropout”, which offers activities developed with a flexible teaching model that is adaptable to the various school contexts and based on the co-design and co-programming of teachers and educators.

There are also numerous projects at the local level. In the Giostra district of Messina, Salesians for Social Association has launched the “An educating Giostra” project aimed at 600 youth between the ages of 6-17. The initiative is aimed at minors, families and the community.

The “Scuola Libera Tutti!” project in Venaria Reale (Turin), Macerata, Rome, Cisternino (Brindisi) and Palermo, prevents school dropout and improves the well-being of students. This project offers study support activities and recreation for children during their free time.

In Pedara and Viagrande, in the province of Catania, the “Scuola Casa Commune” project promotes socio-educational services and recreational and cultural activities. Nearly 300 children between the ages of 5-10 have been impacted. The project helps families through the support of a network of parents, teachers and educational figures.

Salesians in Italy will continue to work toward ensuring that youth have access to the educational supports need to keep them in school to gain the education they need to gain self-sufficiency.

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ANS – Italy – From the Salesians, a hand extended to two thousand children and young people and an appeal to restore the fund against educational poverty

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Colle di Val d’Elsa, Italy are committed giving youth an opportunity for a better life through social and educational programs. Salesians launched a new semi-residential care project at a conference held Jan. 23 focusing on youth in need.

The new facility will be a safe place aimed at supporting the well-being of youth and development of their potential. It will be operated in collaboration with families and the local Salesian network.

The conference announcing the facility was hosted by Father Luigi Ciotti, president of Libera Association, an organization that works against organized crime. The event was promoted by the Salesians Don Bosco in Colle and the archdiocese in collaboration with the Alta Valdelsa Social Territories Foundation and with the patronage of the Municipality of Colle and Italy’s Catholic Scouting and Guiding Association.

A Salesian noted, “The conference was a valuable opportunity to reflect on issues related to the protection, reception and future of minors, through an open dialogue with Don Ciotti, a leading figure in the commitment to social justice and the rights of the most vulnerable.”

The Salesian added, “The project is supported by many lay people and religious who want to once again provide an extra opportunity for the younger generations. It is the very dream of Don Bosco in his educational humanism to make today’s young people the upright citizens of tomorrow. The conference, where the project was launched, was an opportunity for discussion on fundamental issues for the future, to build new synergies and paths of shared responsibility on behalf of the new generations.”

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

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ANS – Italy – A conference and new special facilities for young people in Colle Val D’Elsa

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Naples, Italy support at-risk youth through education and social programs. Services are provided through a parish, oratory, residential services, a community for foreign minors, a reception center, educational services and vocational training.

Luca, age 23, is one young man who found a refuge with the Salesians. His youth in Campania was marked by episodes of violence before he dropped out of school and ended up in a family home. When he returned to Naples, an incident with law enforcement set him on a new path at age 17.

Luca explained, “The police came in the evening and arrested me. They took me at first to one reception center, but the Don Bosco center was also equipped to care for me and I went there.”

He experienced the Don Bosco Center as his home. Many relationships were developed over those months. Luca said, “I visited three communities, but the Salesians had something different. One of the staff members, Cristina, is like a second mother to me.”

Luca had a chance at real connection and to get an education. He noted, “I took a cooking/dining room course. They also offered mechanics and logistics. Thanks to their help with my studies, I gained a certificate as a chemical expert.”

His time at the center ended during the COVID-19 when he returned home. However, he faced depression and had trouble relating to others. While feeling the need to return to Don Bosco, he instead engaged in the Italian civil service, which led him back at to the Salesians to help other youth.

Luca passed the tests and was working with children in the same situation he had been years before. He added, “We helped during the games and after school with the afternoon activities in the oratory. I also coached a soccer team.”

After his civil service time, Luca took what he learned with the Salesians and enrolled in a university in Naples where he studied political science. Luca said, “I’m trying to fit into some student groups to find a new dimension. I want a quiet life, a good salary and a family. When I think back on my time with the Salesians I only have beautiful memories. They gave me joy and hope. In other centers, they stole my time, but Salesians gave me back my life.”

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ANS – Italy – Luca’s story: “At ‘Don Bosco’ they gave me back my life”

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(MissionNewswire) Students from the Salesian Artisan Schools of Łódź, Poland recently participated in the Erasmus Setúbal Project, which is co-funded by the European Union. As part of the project, two groups of 15 students went to Portugal for two-week professional internships for computer technicians and mechatronic technicians. The school collaborated with EDUGEP education services and the Salesian Vocational School in Setúbal, Portugal.

A Salesian explained, “The stay in Portugal was an intense time for students to acquire new professional skills and develop competencies in an international environment. The internships took place at local companies, which allowed participants to improve their qualifications and learn about the realities of working abroad. An important element of the trip was also the opportunity to form their spirituality with the pilgrimage to Fatima. Each group was supported by a Salesian priest and a Salesian collaborator working in the Salesian Artisan Schools.”

Salesian schools and centers educate poor and disadvantaged youth across Portugal. According to the World Bank there are close to 2.6 million people living below the poverty line in Portugal, 487,000 of whom are under the age of 18. The country is one of the most unequal countries in Europe as far as wealth distribution. Wealthy citizens earn five times the rate of income than those living in poverty.

Unemployment and low incomes are two of the factors that contribute to unequal wealth distribution. Portugal has a low hourly rate for workers in comparison to other countries in Europe. Many parents have to work multiple jobs, which leaves less time at home with their families and children.

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ANS – Portugal – Students from the Salesian Artisan Schools of Łódź in apprenticeship to improve their qualifications

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Spain carried out initiatives to support people most in need during the Christmas season with thousands of people in Salesian houses participating. Salesian houses organized food drives, such as Operation Kilo, Bote-kilo, Operation Potito and Chupete, to collect food and health products for children. Parishes also mobilized to promote their food banks.

Operation Kilo is one of the most deeply rooted food donations initiatives in Spain and involves the Salesian Family and Youth Ministry. The initiative takes place simultaneously in locations throughout the country, uniting them in one effort to support those in need.

The food and hygiene products collected were sent to institutions such as food banks, various social projects and ecclesiastical bodies that directly provide items to family in need. In addition, donations collected from the solidarity mailbox, set up to collect cash donations, were provided to the victims of the flooding in Valencia.

In several locations, Salesians hosted “Sowers of Stars” activities that collect food and toys. Youth from schools and youth centers collected and brought items to families. Students in many areas were directly involved in these campaigns. In Granada, students prepared Christmas baskets to be donated to families, and in Ourense, the Salesian youth center collaborated with the Diocesan Caritas to give money, food and games.

Volunteers from many other Salesian houses stood in front of pharmacies and supermarkets, encouraging participation and donations. The Salesians in Barakaldo had the special project of setting up an exhibition of nativity scenes from all over the world to help a local child’s family pay for therapy to treat his lissencephaly, a rare brain disorder.

Finally, the Pinardi Federation carried out a Christmas lottery and a campaign to collect gifts for boys and girls who participate in its programs. A representative said, “We thank all those who bought the Christmas lottery this year. The funds raised benefited Casa Garelli, the reception project of our organization that provides a home for children and adolescents in vulnerable situations. Casa Garelli also supports young refugees and applicants for international protection.”

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ANS – Spain – Salesian solidarity at Christmas time

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Spain continue to respond with support for the people impacted by the Oct. 29 flooding caused by torrents and river overflows that devastated the Valencian community. The flooding caused more than 200 deaths, left thousands of victims impacted, and severely damaged schools and other buildings. Thousands of youth faced the loss of their homes and interruption of their education.

“In tragic situations like these, children are always the most vulnerable. Our goal is to give hope back to hundreds of affected children,” said a Salesian at the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid.

Salesians are working to provide psychological support to help youth process the impact of the crisis and reduce the risk of long-term psychological effects. They are also working to ensure that education remains a priority. While the damaged schools are being rehabilitated to return to the standards necessary for education, Salesians are finding safe spaces for youth to learn.

The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, together with the Salesian organization Jóvenes y Desarrollo, based in Valencia, are providing youth and their families with these safe spaces, shelter and support at this difficult time. They have also collected basic necessities for the families.

In addition, Salesians are offering the damaged centers educational material, carrying out educational workshops to raise awareness of climate change, and providing support for artistic activities that promote resilience and overcoming trauma.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Photo courtesy of Misiones Salesianas

ANS – Spain – ‘Help us rebuild the future and restore hope to hundreds of affected children’. Aid continues for schools affected by DANA

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Salesian Cultural Center in Rome have started the first phase of the education project, “Alice Through the Screen”. The project was started as part of Italy‘s National Plan for Cinema and Images for Schools and is promoted by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Merit. The initiative is aimed at primary school students to guide them in the use of media while promoting principles of inclusion, solidarity and participation.

Fabio Zenadocchio, director of the Salesian Cultural Center, noted, “We are happy to be able to strengthen our relationship with the schools, which have welcomed our project with enthusiasm.”

The first phase offers classroom training introducing young students to the art of cinema using an educational notebook created with the guidance of psychologists and child specialists. The meetings involve nine schools in Lazio, Tuscany and Liguria, and will impact more than 800 students and 90 teachers.

In the second phase of the project, students will participate in film screenings designed for a primary school audience. After watching, the students will be engaged in discussion to explore the issues within the films.

The final phase of the project will allow children to explore the professional dynamics of a real film environment. It is anticipated that teachers will be able to remotely facilitate communication with the involved cinemas to promote screenings and training activities.

The Salesian Cultural Center is a nonprofit association focused on social communication through study, experimentation, promotion, training, organization, and the implementation of projects and initiatives relating to culture and art from many perspectives.

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ANS – Italy – “Alice through the screen”: an educational project of the Salesian Cultural Centre

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(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco International Media Academy in Paris has awarded its first master’s degrees to students. Inaugurated five years ago, the academy offers training in cinematographic and audiovisual arts. Students take courses as well as participate in apprenticeships. The school welcomes all students with the aim of making studies accessible to as many people as possible. The goal is to train talented filmmakers and managers who want to dedicate their talent to the common good.

At the sold-out graduation ceremony at the Les 7 Parnassiens Cinema in Paris, students showcased their films for everyone in attendance. The students’ films each offered their own vision and covered a wide variety of stories and settings. The film “The Holy Family,” for example, followed a family of bank robbers. “Say No!” told the story of a teenage victim of war, and “Le Visage Sous Le Visage” told the story of a beggar who takes care of his sick wife.

“I entered this cinema to see films and came out enriched as a human being,” said Father Daniel Federspiel, superior of the France-Belgium South Province. “There are undoubtedly many film schools in the world, but Don Bosco International Media Academy gives its students a chance to change the world.”

Father John-Paul Swaminathan, director of the school, spoke about the determination of the students. He said, “Five years ago, the academy had five students. Today, there are 50, and they come from 14 different countries.”

Louis Millet, representing the director of Les 7 Parnassiens, congratulated the new graduates and offered words of encouragement. “Never lose sight of the importance of your path,” he told the students at graduation. “Whether you are behind a camera, an assembly table or in front of a blank page, what you bring to the table is your greatest strength. The academy gives you a huge advantage with this high-level training. But this opportunity is also a responsibility: to tell stories with respect, ethics and aesthetic sense. You are the artists of tomorrow and we can’t wait to see what you have to offer.”

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ANS – France – Five years after the opening of the Don Bosco International Media Academy in Paris, the first students of the film school have graduated

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Zhytomyr, Ukraine*, received 12,000 boxes of infant formula for families in need, thanks to the support of the Don Bosco Foundation in Paris. The donation was made possible through a partnership with the Laboratoire Modilac brand, which has been producing and distributing infant formula to pharmacies and supermarkets for 40 years.

The shipment of almost five tons of cargo arrived in mid-October and was received by Father Michel Wocial, who is responsible for the Salesian center in Zhytomyr. Don Bosco Foundation has made other donations to help support the Salesians in Ukraine. In 2022, the Don Bosco Foundation provided support for the Salesian Center Odessa, which housed those displaced due to the war. In 2023, the Don Bosco Foundation supported about 30 projects, worth close to 700,000 euro.

“Salesians have been on the front lines of the war in Ukraine since the beginning,” explained Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “They have been helping those displaced with shelter, food, clothing, medical care and education. Salesians have also been supporting refugees in countries like Poland and Slovakia. While ensuring basic needs and safety has been a priority, Salesians are also focused on the long-term for these families, acclimating to new realities with education and skills training to find and maintain employment.”

During the more than two years of war, Salesian missionaries in Ukraine and nearby countries have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of victims and people affected by the war.

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ANS – France – Fondation Don Bosco in Paris sends 12,000 boxes of infant milk to Ukrainian families

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine Refugee Stats

*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are working to support people affected by the deluge of rains and subsequent flooding that has impacted parts of southeast Spain. More than 220 people have died, although the official figure is still increasing, and dozens are still missing due to the serious floods that have hit the region.

In Valencia, the Salesian facilities of San Antonio Abad Center, located in the northern part of the city, and San Juan Bosco, located in the southern part of the city, were not directly impacted.

Father Fernando Miranda, superior of the Province of Spain’s Mary Help of Christians Province based in Seville, said, “I have been in contact with the rectors of the Salesian centers in Valencia. Structurally, they have not suffered any damage. Both have mobilized volunteers to help loading and unloading trucks with aid. They were also involved in the solidarity that brought thousands of people to the affected areas to help. Salesians are also listening and providing support to families who have lost loved ones or their livelihood. Salesians have stressed the widespread sense of sadness, loss and pain that manifests itself in so many different ways.”

The Salesian centers in Valencia suspended classes to facilitate relief work. They have been in contact with the Caritas Emergency Committee in Valencia to coordinate the different responses according to needs. Rafael Gomar, delegate for communication at the San Juan Bosco Center, explained that they have been collecting food, filling vans and sending them to the affected areas.

The Federation of Youth Centers in the Valencian Community is managing the work of volunteers from Salesian centers, together with the Valencian Youth Council, to act in coordination with the affected municipal administrations.

There have been numerous expressions of solidarity from all over Spain including initiatives to collect of food, cleaning materials, bottled water, sleeping bags, personal hygiene products, pet food and other basic necessities. Initiatives such as the sale of sweets or fundraising during various events have also begun.

Fr. Miranda added, “In the midst of so much pain, the presence of so many people who rush to help in so many different ways shines. Many of these volunteers are young, even entire families who cannot remain impassive and get involved in what is happening. Hope continues to flourish, ever stronger, even in the midst of so much pain. God does not forget his people who suffer and cry.”

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ANS – Spain – Salesian houses throughout the country help people affected by DANA

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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(MissionNewswire) Through the Salesian Slovenia* Oratory Association, the number of summer youth oratories across the country has grown considerably and even surpassed pre-pandemic numbers. In 2020, when almost all youth and pastoral programs were affected by the pandemic, Salesians and oratory leaders were concerned about the future of the summer programs.

This past summer, Salesians held 308 oratories that lasted from one to four weeks. Approximately 7,400 young volunteer leaders supported and facilitated activities for more than 24,600 children and older youth.

“One of the biggest questions we had with the interruption of projects and the decrease in the number of both children and young participants was if we’d have enough volunteers to carry out the summer oratories,” explained Tilen Mlakar, secretary of the Salesian Slovenia Oratory Association. “But the answer was crystal clear: this summer showed that concern about the oratories was fortunately unfounded.”

Every year, the association prepares and assists the summer oratory programs throughout Slovenia, preparing for thousands of youth. The association offers this service not only to Salesian centers, but also to numerous other parishes and Christian programs.

Mlakar said, “We are pleased to observe that the number of summer oratories in the parishes and youth centers in Slovenia in 2024 exceeded the number in 2019, before the pandemic.”

He added, “These are important numbers we can be proud of. But we are even more proud of all the valuable experiences, new skills, deepened friendships, responsibilities accepted, efforts, time invested, and countless smiles that the summer oratory has made possible. No statistics and no photographs can capture it. It is something more, that thousands of young people have experiences and our youth leaders can feel proud of doing something good.”

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ANS – Slovenia – A record of service to young people, families and the Church: 308 summer oratories

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

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian students in Spain took part in European Mobility Week from Sept. 16-22, which focused on the benefits of choosing sustainable means of transportation. Students in Salesian centers across Spain participated in activities in their cities. The unifying theme for the week for the Salesian students was “Combine and move”, with the initiatives developed around this motto.

The week brings together civil society, social organizations, institutions and companies to raise awareness. Several Salesian organizations took part. In Ciudad Real, more than 200 students from the Salesian Hermano Gárate School had the opportunity to learn about making the city center pedestrian friendly during a visit by Miguel Hervás, councilor for Work and Mobility, and Pau Beltrán, councilor for Youth and Children.

Hervás said, “We took advantage of the European Mobility Week to visit this school, located at the center of the pedestrianization works, and explained how these interventions will improve the quality of life and the environment of the school.”

Miguel Ángel Muñoz López, school principal, stressed the usefulness of the meeting. He said, “This presentation of the pedestrian project could even awaken the vocations of the students, interesting them in engineering careers.”

In Huesca, Salesian students in the fourth grade learned about the advantages of traveling by city bus and the basic rules for the safe use of public transport. Students at the Salesian St. Anthony Abad Primary School in Valencia participated in an artistic competition organized by the Metropolitan Transport Company. Students used their drawings to highlight the importance of taking care of the environment using public transport.

In Monzón, Salesians continue to benefit from previous efforts. Six years ago, as part of service-learning projects, students at one Salesian center created a parking area for bicycles and scooters. Two years ago, students expanded it with a canopy to protect it from the elements.

Jorge Alquézar, communication delegate for the center, explained that Monzón is the only city in Spain with European legislation for scooters and has European recognition for its mobility work. The Salesian center has been very committed to promoting the use of bicycles and scooters. Alquézar  noted, “There are many young people who use these ecological means of transport on a daily basis, thanks to the awareness-raising work that has been done at the Salesian center in recent years.”

Spain has been one of the countries with the highest participation in the week, with 219 of the Spanish municipalities also implementing permanent measures last year.

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ANS – Spain – Salesian institutions engaged in European Mobility Week

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) More than 81,000 students resumed their education in Salesian schools in Spain during September. Salesians have 95 schools staffed by close to 6,000 educators who are ensuing the students are getting a high-quality education in the two Salesian provinces in Spain, St. James the Greater and Mary Help of Christians.

In addition to primary and secondary schools, Salesians offer vocational and technical education to ensure youth gain skills for later employment. There are 55 vocational training centers attended by 18,000 students, who thanks to the support of more than 2,000 educators, have the opportunity to learn a profession.

Between the two provinces, there are also 300 ongoing projects, 58 social platforms that offer opportunities for social networking and workforce development support for more than 44,000 youth. This work is supported by about 2,100 educators and collaborators.

In addition, about 45,000 youth attend one of the more than 102 Salesian youth centers. Youth have access to adult support and recreation with their peers to engage in productive activities during their free time. Nearly 4,000 leaders are guiding youth at these centers. Salesians also have 57 church parishes where Salesians provide sacraments and spiritual assistance to more than 46,000 people, supported 3,000 collaborators.

A Salesian explained, “Salesian missionaries are working to ensure youth and their families have the education and support they need to thrive. Salesians provide primary and secondary education as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the future. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.”

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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ANS – Spain – 81,000 students resume the school year in Salesian centres

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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(MissionNewswire) Ewoud Vromant, a Belgian cyclist who won two silver medals in the Paris 2024 Paralympics, is a graduate and past pupil of Don Bosco School in Ghent, Belgium. Vromant had one leg amputated 10 years ago as a result of a tumor. Vromant believes there is a “solution to each problem” and has faced this unexpected obstacle in his life head-on.

While the Don Bosco School was much farther from home than other schools, he chose to attend. Today, Vromant has good memories of his time at the Don Bosco School, especially the mandatory sports hour during the lunch break. He spent considerable time on the soccer fields and athletic track. He loved extracurricular activities including cycling trips.

As a child, he tried all sports including judo, tennis, swimming and soccer. Vromant said, “It’s hard to think of a sport I’ve never tried.”

At the age of 22, Vromant dedicated himself to the triathlon. His dream was to become an Iron Man. During his preparation in 2012, he was diagnosed with leg cancer at the age of 28. His treatment included amputation, chemotherapy and rehabilitation. But even then his passion for sports did not stop.

During rehabilitation, he came into contact with someone who accompanied runners with prostheses and Vromant started running for pleasure. It soon became clear that he wasn’t very good at running with a prosthesis, which led him to resume cycling.

Since then, he has been a Belgian, European and World Paracycling champion. While participating in the Tokyo Paralympics, he was disqualified because the judges didn’t believe he was sufficiently on the bike saddle. Yet, he had shattered his own record. This year, he made a comeback and is happy with his achievements.

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ANS – France – Past pupil Ewoud Vromant shines at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and delivers his message of hope: “There is a solution to each problem”

Salesian Missions

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(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation have collaborated to provide 600 youth and more than 700 adults with psychosocial and socio-sports activities over the next two years in Ukraine*. The project is funded by the European Union.

The war in Ukraine has continued to cause destruction and pain. More than 14 million people need emergency aid to survive. According to the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, 3.7 million people have been displaced in the country while 6.5 million have fled and are living as refugees. More than five million children have stopped going to school.

In response, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation have joined forces to support children and their families. Two new socio-sports schools will be opened in Vynnyky and Zhytomyr, aimed at youth affected by the Russian invasion.

Both schools started the school year with a total of 220 youth between the ages of 5-17.  The goal is to create a safe space for children and their families to learn values, practice sports and receive the psychosocial support they need.

In addition to socio-sports schools, the project will also provide educational and psychosocial support in three centers located in the Lviv region, with workshops and activities aimed at trauma management and strengthening resilience. More than 1,300 people will benefit from this project.

“Soccer is my biggest dream and when I train I feel happy,” explained Kajetan, a 10-year-old boy who had to leave Ukraine after the start of the war and now attends the socio-sports school in Elk, Poland. Through sports, he has rediscovered his childhood.

During the more than two years of war, Salesian missionaries have supported thousands of people with projects and activities aimed at alleviating the situation of victims and people affected by the war.

The collaboration between Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation began in 2010, with the aim of opening schools in the countries where Salesians work with vulnerable and at-risk youth. There are 22 socio-sports schools, located in 15 countries on three continents, where more than 4,500 youth receive assistance.

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ANS – Ukraine – Two new socio-sports schools to support more than 2,000 children affected by the war

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine Refugee Stats

*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Xuvenil Amencer Association at the Salesian center in Ourense, Spain, held its 37th edition of the Ourense Urban Camp in August. The camp brought together 164 youth between the ages of 8-16 and 93 volunteers. The camp is a chance to empower youth to see a brighter future through a mix of activities.

On the welcome day of the camp, participants went to the three bridges in Ourense to perform together as a symbol of the beginning of the camp. An “Urban Culture Day” followed where youth visited different examples of city culture, such as bookstores, libraries, a performing arts center and the city’s cathedral, to learn about the characteristics of each of them.

The second week included a wide range activities focused on sports and nature. Youth engaged in various sporting activities in locations across the city. Youth also learned about the importance of respecting the environment. A Salesian explained, “Youth were involved in what has been called ‘Good People’s Day’. On this occasion they met all the groups that provide services to the city, such as the police, cleaners and public transportation workers. They also met with leaders from different companies to explain how their business works.”

Participants also visited the Samil beach in Vigo and took part in a “Carnival  Day” in a suburb, which included visiting squares in the city where they carried out activities to learn about the characteristic elements of carnival in this area. The third and final week, participants visited a new water park in Monterrei and organized celebrations such as a foam party and a Hawaiian-themed party.

“These weeks have been a great effort,” said Laura Fernández, director of the Urban Camp 2024. “But at the same time, they have been much fun and a way for participants to learn about each other.”

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary educational as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the futures. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.

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ANS – Spain – The 37th edition of the Urban Camp in Ourense: a dream summer!

Salesian Missions – Spain

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(MissionNewswire) The Salesian summer volunteering initiative was held in Calais and Guines, France, in July with a focus on learning about the challenges faced by refugees and migrants. Volunteers with the International Volunteer Women in Education and Development (VIDES) brought together youth and members of the Salesian Family with the Secours Catholique organization to spend time with local refugees and migrants.

Marie, one of the volunteers, said, “This experience gave us the opportunity to meet people exiled from their countries, to know the reality of their lives, listen to them, help them, and feel empathy and compassion toward them.”

The inter-generational team consisted of members of the VIDES steering committee, three Salesian cooperators and a member of the educational team from Saint-Jean-Bosco School complex in Guines. Volunteers included Sister Nathalie, a Congolese missionary who came with a young Syrian woman from the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians community in Bruges, Belgium.

Following Catholic Mass on the first Sunday, volunteers participated in a role-playing game called “The Migrant’s Journey”, led by Pierre-Jean Allard, who introduced participants to the reality of migration.

Days were spent in prayer followed by an educational session and an eco-spiritual walks. Volunteers then worked directly with refugees. To support the volunteers, Father Daniel Federspiel, superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco in France and Southern Belgium, joined them to show his magic tricks and puppet shows, which they then shared with the refugees.

Cendre, a volunteer, explained, “Meeting those at Secours Catholique and being immersed in their work, feeling the sometimes terrible situations they face and at the same time seeing the joy on people’s faces when we staged a puppet show, or admiring the children who danced and played with us holding our hands, was touching, beautiful, and gave us a renewed confidence in humanity. We hope for the best for them, despite the tragedies they risk and we hope that by spending time with them, offering them some joy, we could help them overcome difficult moments for a while.”

Salesians know that a volunteer experience like this can be life-changing for youth. Hélène, another volunteer, noted, “The young people involved can get to know migrants closely and develop greater compassion, solidarity and fraternal spirit. In this way, they can change the mindset and help open, or reopen, hearts. In direct contact with the possibilities and difficulties on the ground, they can grow in their vision and propose initiatives that can help. The number of migrants is very high and will continue to be given the current context. It is urgent to join forces, so that everyone feels involved and can contribute to improving the lives of others.”

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ANS – France – Salesian Volunteering in Calais: to “cross borders” and “awaken humanity within”

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(MissionNewswire) More than a year ago, Salesian missionaries, located in Lviv, Ukraine*, created the first soccer team made up of youth who have limb amputations due to the war. Based on the success, a professional team and a team for younger youth with amputations have also been launched. 

The professional team is participating in the Polish national championship and provides advice to those looking to get started in the field. The Pokrova Salesian team takes its name from the title of the most venerated Madonna in the country, Our Lady of All Protection. 

Father Mykhaylo Chaban, Salesian superior of the Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province in Ukraine, said, “Every day, several of our rehabilitation specialists, coaches and psychologists work together to help young people overcome this difficult time, find a new balance in life and find an activity that they like that gives them hope.”   

Building off the expertise gained, Salesians have also started the first team for younger youth who have had amputations. These activities have been made possible thanks to the support of the Salesian Mission Office in Bonn, Germany. Salesians have also become an information source for those in Ukraine looking to do something similar.  

Mateusz Widlak, president of Central Soccer Association for Amputees in Europe, expressed support for the Salesian initiatives. Salesians are looking to start a whole league for amputees in Ukraine. Following the Salesian example, two other teams were created — Shakhtar Stalevi in Donetsk and Dnipro Cherkasy. 

“This past weekend, we organized our first event for the whole of Ukraine,” explained Fr. Chaban. “We have hosted these teams in our Salesian center to give youth time for play, training and recreation. The purpose was to get to know each other. We have also organized education for people who would like to create soccer teams for amputees in their cities. Several managers participated in the training. They will start the work to develop new teams soon.”   

Fr. Chaban added, “With the new Salesian Sports and Rehabilitation Center that we are planning near Lviv and that we hope we will be able to achieve soon, we want to offer a place of hope for many young people and families.”  

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ANS – Ukraine – A championship for young amputees and a sports and rehabilitation centre: Salesians dream big to heal the wounds of war 

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UNHCR – Ukraine Statistics 

*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Youth from seven European countries took part in an educational course called “Speak Up Europe”, which focused on human rights, fake news and sustainability. The course for European youth workers was held by the Auryn Association in León, Spain, and co-funded by the European Union, through the Erasmus+ Programme. Youth from Italy, Turkey, Georgia, France, Portugal, Germany and Spain participated. 

Four main topics were discussed during the course. The first focused on human rights in Europe. Students learned about the importance of respect for human rights and human rights education for youth, along with the risks encountered in society. Current conflicts and global passivity in the face of humanitarian challenges were studied. Salesians also focused on the diverse and intercultural European society as one of the keys to promoting intercultural education.  

The second topic focused on the rise of fake news. Students looked at an analysis of the risks of fake news in society, as well as how hate speech was promoted. All participants worked to draw up best practices to combat and prevent the negative effects of this kind of media.  

Students then explored the challenges of sustainability practices and how their own daily habits could affect their ecological footprints. They also explored best practices and the impact that lifestyle has on the environment.  

Lastly, students explored the challenges that Europe faces in the present and the future. A Salesian noted, “Students explored an analysis of the current situation of the European Union and the global challenges that we face as a society, reflecting on the possible solutions and educational strategies to be implemented in the youth sector. All this with the aim that whatever is learned can be useful and applied locally by youth workers in their daily work.”  

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ANS – Spain – “Speak Up Europe”: a formation course for young Europeans

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(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Family Home in Lviv, Ukraine*, is planning a summer camp in Pula, Croatia, in August for children. Salesians need help to bring 65 children aged 6 to 19, as well as 10 leaders who will accompany them, to Croatia for this camp. Fifteen of the children are from areas most affected by the war.

The Salesian Family Home takes in children who do not have parents, who lack parental care or who are from low-income families. Some of the children have been orphaned by the war and have fled from the conflict in Odessa, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

The children go to elementary and secondary school with their peers, while the older youth vocational training courses at the local Salesian Center. Youth also participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities including learning English, singing and taking courses at the Salesian soccer school.

During the summer without normal school activities, these children do not have the same opportunities for recreation as many of their peers. The goal of Salesians in Lviv is to allow these children to return to school next school year with enjoyable memories, far from the stress of everyday life marked by war.

The Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, noted, “The Salesians in Ukraine asked us to support this opportunity for Ukrainian youth to have a vacation away from the scenes of war. We hope they will be able to experience a brief period in which they forget the nightmare of sirens and shelters, the anguish of war, and the fear of bombing.”

The Salesian Family Home launched in 2006 to provide social development programs for vulnerable youth. Before the war, Salesians often organized short summer stays at the sea to help children detach from everyday life and regenerate physically and psychologically. Today, due to the war, Salesians can no longer cope with the numerous expenses related to travel, food and accommodation, small excursions, educational materials, and games. It is their goal to find a donor to help support these trips to help the youth in their care.

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ANS – Ukraine – A summer camp for children who have fled the war

Don Bosco Missions Italy

Salesian Missions

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

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(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Music Center in Lisbon recently celebrated its 30th anniversary of enabling anyone with an interest or skill to sing or play an instrument. The school does not require prerequisites to apply.

Luís Carlos Peleira, director, wrote about the school’s founding. He noted, “Thirty years ago, a young music teacher, José Morais, the current pedagogical director of the school, began to invite teachers even younger than him into an old refectory. There the dream of a different kind of music school — a school that did not require prerequisites, where everyone had a place and the right to learn to play and sing, regardless of their skills — was born. The school would meet the expectations of those who are traditionally gifted, those who are gifted in their own way and those who at first might not seem so. The goal was a school that looked at the artistic potential that every student brings with them.”

Today the school continues to invest in the training offered, updating and diversifying the curriculum. The school teaches beginners and those with higher levels of skill. It offers general training and training in the areas of composition, song writing, music history, instrument lessons, ensemble, music production and musical theater. The school is proud of its history and its student body.

Peleira added, “Recognizing a special talent among students is always a unique moment. It has been and always is magical and a privilege. I am sure that our capacity for reinvention has helped us along the way. We continue to showcase our commitment to training students, who will one day become great musicians and excellent people.”

According to the World Bank there are close to 2.6 million people living below the poverty line in Portugal, with 487,000 under the age of 18. The country is one of the most unequal countries in Europe as far as wealth distribution. Wealthy citizens earn five times the rate of income than those living in poverty.

Salesians provide education and social development programs to ensure youth have access to education so they can learn the skills for later employment, helping them lead self-sufficient lives.

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ANS – Portugal – The Salesian music centre in Lisbon turns thirty

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(MissionNewswire) Migrant students from the Salesian Garelli 95 Association, located in Pontoise in the French department of Val-d’Oise, have put their harrowing journey to music in a video called, “This is My Story.” The music video was created for “Festclip”, the Salesian festival of short films hosted by the Salesian Province of France and Southern Belgium.

Students Souleymane, Adama, Baraka and Mabinty, assisted by two educators from the association, put their words to music, with the lyrics showcasing their journey from their homeland. On their way, they saw people killed and other acts of violence. They also lost friends.

The young men had very little. A song lyric says, “I don’t want to remember the word desert. Walking for miles with just a bottle of water, two packs of cookies and a bottle of soda, it’s hard to talk about. If you have not had this experience, you will not believe my story, yet it is a true story.”

They go on to sing, “Be strong, don’t give up, it’s a lifelong struggle, this is my story. The Mediterranean, Mauritania, Spain, since the age of 15 we have crossed difficult roads to survive and reach our destination. The cold, the hunger, the fatigue, the fear, the anguish, the bad surprises, the waves. Since I can remember, my mother tells me get up, my son, life is a struggle, no one will come to save you, get up and be your own hero.”

In their song, the young men tell of arriving in France only to face new obstacles of where to live and how fo find food and jobs to survive. Their message is ultimately one of hope though and encouragement for youth that they too can survive even the most difficult circumstances.

Sonia Maria, member of Garelli 95 Association’s board of directors, said, “I admire these young men who have confided their traumas and their unwavering determination in front of the camera. I make their words my own: pain is temporary, pride eternal. I am proud to be the administrator of an association that allows young people to express themselves and gives them the necessary tools to achieve their goals. Congratulations to the team.”

The Garelli 95 Association protects, supports and integrates unaccompanied minors who have been entrusted to it by the Social Services of the Department of Val-d’Oise. The association is part of the Don Bosco Social Action Network in France and Belgium. It is named after Bartholomew Garelli, the young orphan who John Bosco met on Dec. 8, 1841, and who was the first young man to be welcomed into what would become the Salesian Family of Don Bosco.

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ANS – France – “This is my story”: the young people from Garelli 95 tell what they have experienced

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Students from Salesian Rainerum Institute, located in Bolzano, Italy, recently attended the Genius Olympiad, an international competition of excellence, held in the United States at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, N.Y. The students, part of the Rainerum Robotics Group, created the R.E.I. Robot, which they defined as artificial intelligence with a heart. The students won a bronze medal for their invention.

R.E.I. stands for Robotic Emphatic Intelligence and is a humanoid robot capable of perceiving and communicating emotions through the integration of facial recognition technologies, neural networks and Artificial Intelligence. Students Augusto Martino, Arianna Marrone, Elia Vismara, Elisa Aricó, Maximilian Ilias and Noah Perli were excited to receive an award in the prestigious international competition.

Professor Stefano Monfalcon, dean of Salesian Rainerum Institute, said, “Artificial Intelligence and its use are now the new frontier in the field of innovation and the new real challenge. R.E.I. is an example of artificial intelligence used and mastered by students for a robotics project at the service of man.”

Salesian Rainerum Institute has focused on technologies like artificial intelligence and encouraged students in the field of robotics.

Monfalcon and Father Ivan Ghidina, director of the school, issued a joint statement: “We are really very proud of the fact that our dear students receive awards and confirm the potential and creativity of the South Tyrolean territory in the world. We are also grateful to the students who, with their passion and creativity, show us the way forward to always remain innovative and offer new answers to the needs of the time. Our youngsters, in a sense, are also our teachers.”

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ANS – United States – “Genius Olympiad” in New York: bronze for the Salesian students of Bolzano thanks to “R.E.I.”, Artificial Intelligence with a heart

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World Bank – Italy

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in the St. Francis de Sales Province of France – South Belgium will open a new nursing training institute (IFSI in French) in Lyon in September 2024. This one-of-a-kind Salesian institute in France will start with 15 students.

“Our goal is not to create yet another training institute, but to offer training suitable for young people that meets their needs,” explained Dr. Jean-Michel Mari, general director of the Don Bosco campus in Lyon. “We will propose agile models that respond to the aspirations of learners, professionals and local communities.”

Aware of the dropout rate of students and the shortage of nursing staff, the Don Bosco network of Salesian educational institutions aimed to offer a comprehensive training program. Mari added, “The creation of IFSI is part of a broader process of creating a health and social campus, whose model is unique in France.”

The model is based on de-compartmentalization training, using a system that combines theory and practice combined with a didactic approach based on learning skills, professional position and commitment. Another pillar of the training will be personalized and tailored support for students. All of this will complement the training for health care assistants and paramedics.

The institute will issue eight types of professional qualifications recognized by the state, with agreements with two universities. A Salesian noted, “Working closely with local authorities, professionals, and trainees from the social care and health sectors, this new program aims to address the shortage of doctors and health personnel and to prepare a new generation of health professionals able to respond to the challenges of the professional world.”

Thanks to the collaboration with the Ramsay Pôle – Lyon group, the nursing training institute will have its headquarters and training in six facilities in the regions of Lyon and Beaujolais including Lyon, Écully, Saint-Priest, Villeurbanne, Marcy-l’Étoile and Arnas.

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ANS – France – A training institute for nurses is established on the Don Bosco campus in Lyon

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian students won medals for their athletic ability in the National School Athletics Championships held May 23-26. The event, organized by the School Sports Division of the General Directorate of Education in Portugal, brought together more than 1,500 students and 250 teachers from all over the country to take part in in various sports.

During the competition, three students from the Salesians of Manique won five gold medals and one bronze. Eduardo Carrolo won gold medals in the high jump and long jump. He also qualified for the U18 European Championships in the high jump. Tatiana Pereira won the title of national champion in the long jump and 100 meters, obtaining two gold medals. Madalena Sampaio won the gold medal in the high jump and the bronze medal in the shot put.

A Salesian said, “It was a memorable weekend for athletes, coaches, the educational community and Salesians. We are proud of their accomplishments on the off the field. Salesians know that sports in education is important not just for athletic skills but the other values sports teach including hard work, dedication, team work, communication and responsibility.”

Salesian schools and centers educate poor and disadvantaged youth across Portugal. According to the World Bank there are close to 2.6 million people living below the poverty line in Portugal, 487,000 of whom are under the age of 18. The country is one of the most unequal countries in Europe as far as wealth distribution. Wealthy citizens earn five times the rate of income than those living in poverty.

Unemployment and low incomes are two of the factors that contribute to unequal wealth distribution. Portugal has a low hourly rate for workers in comparison to other countries in Europe. Many parents have to work multiple jobs, which leaves less time at home with their families and children. This leaves children without the proper guidance at home leading to behavior problems and lack of preparedness for school, including getting homework done and eating breakfast before coming to school.

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ANS – Portugal – Three students of the Salesians in Manique win five gold medals and one bronze in the National School Sports Championship

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(MissionNewswire) The Supporting Alliance for African Mobility (SAAM) project, an Erasmus+ pilot project financed by the European Commission, tested educational mobility of students and professionals between Africa and Europe in the field of vocational education and training, specifically in the engineering and manufacturing, hospitality, and agriculture sectors.

The project explored educational mobility and the exchange of knowledge, methodologies, and practices among vocational education and training centers in Africa and Europe with 24 countries involved. The goal was to improve knowledge, technical and pedagogical skills of the centers, staff and students.

The Salesian Family played a key role in showing that international mobilities between Africa and Europe are possible despite the challenges. For many students and teachers, SAAM represented a life-changing experience in which they discovered themselves and came back to their communities empowered and inspired. In vocational education and training centers, organizations and companies, SAAM opened doors to welcoming cultural exchange, different worldviews, international strategies and new collaborations.

Over 40 months, 36 partners took part in almost 400 mobilities, with more than 80 African staff to Europe, more than 70 European staff to Africa, 198 students in European centers and companies and more than 40 experts to Africa.

In February, the SAAM Final Conference took place where partners engaged in debates about enhancing student and staff skills, assessed the impact on general school management, proposed specific guidelines for comprehensive reporting on SAAM’s and dissemination actions. Further, the “How to be a SAAM Leader?” toolkit provided an an international strategy.

As a pilot project, SAAM proved that vocational education and training can create an ecosystem where each area of the society, such as schools, centers, NGOs, international networks, embassies, and European Union agencies, can collaborate to achieve a common goal based on concrete socio-economic demands.

A Salesian said, “Don Bosco International and Don Bosco Tech Africa, together with their partners, will continue to advocate toward policymakers to shape future mobility initiatives that are able to build equal partnerships, highlighting how mobility programs are key tools to promote dialogue and peace beyond borders through humanity and understanding.”

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ANS – Europe-Africa – The SAAM journey has come to a successful end

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Don Bosco Elk, located in the city of Elk, Poland, operate a socio-sports school thanks to a partnership with Real Madrid Foundation and the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid. More than 140 youth ages 5-17 already participate in the socio-sports school. The school caters to at-risk youth and those who are in Poland as refugees from Ukraine.

A Salesian noted, “Sports activities help children integrate into school and the community. Many of the participants in the socio-sports school have improved their school attendance levels and grades. The practice of educational sport is an opportunity not only to have a healthy life, but also to work on values such as discipline, teamwork, solidarity and empathy.”

The Don Bosco Elk sports school has been operating for a year and has had a positive impact on the youth. They practice soccer and basketball, and they receive training in topics like healthy habits, healthy eating and civic values. Salesians also offer psychological support, food support and legal assistance.

The Salesian added, “Working with an entity as noble and recognizable as the Real Madrid Foundation makes it more viable to have a positive impact on the children that attend the school.”

The partnership between the Salesian Mission Office and the Real Madrid Foundation began in 2010 in a Salesian school in Senegal. Today, the collaboration has 22 projects in 15 countries and serves nearly 4,000 children and youth each season, using educational sport and its values as a catalyst for the social betterment of youth and communities.

Both the Real Madrid Foundation and Salesians are aware that sports are important for social integration and the promotion of values like teamwork, communication, respect and team spirit. As part of the Real Madrid Foundation’s “They play, we educate” program, participants receive nutrition, family and psychological support, regular health checkups, the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts, reading, and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse are also provided.

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ANS – Poland – Real Madrid Foundation and Salesian Missions together for refugee children from Ukraine

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Students from the Salesian Evrim School, located in Istanbul, Turkey, took part in the Marco Polo project, which was focused on “Dialogue with the East. Peace and Sustainability.” The art developed by the children for this project was exhibited at Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice, Italy, and at the end of May at the Elgiz Museum in Istanbul.

The Marco Polo project honored the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Venetian explorer and was coordinated by Peace Fish Association’s founder, Nadia De Lazzari. Students from three schools in Istanbul promoted Italian culture.

“Our students explored the theme of the project through art, drawings and stories written about the life of Marco Polo, ambassador of peace and a great traveler,” explained Father Doyen, who has been at the Salesian Evrim School for 15 years. “Students used imagination and creativity and were able to express their understanding and their vision of a more just, more peaceful and open world to dialogue.”

During the first stage of the exhibition, held at the great San Teodoro School in Venice, two professors and historians, Pieralvise Zorzi, from Venice, and İlber Ortaylı, from Istanbul, tried to interpret the artistic works produced by the students, contributing their point of view to highlight the importance of dialogue for peace and sustainability.

In the second stage, held at Palazzo Mocenigo, several local civil and religious authorities honored the exhibition with their message about the importance of education for dialogue, which begins at school with the acceptance of cultural, social and religious differences with respect for others.

Fr. Doyen concluded, “This was an opportunity for our city to discover the contribution of young Salesian students and their education for dialogue and peace.”

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ANS – Italy – “Marco Polo” Project. Salesian students in Istanbul illustrate dialogue, peace and sustainability

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) On May 3, Pope Francis welcomed members of the National Confederation for Upskilling in Technical Skills to the Vatican, marking the commemoration of its 50th anniversary. Among the attendees were representatives from the Salesian community, including delegations from the National Salesian Center for Upskilling in Technical Skills and the Salesian Italian Center for Training Women in Technical Skills. Hundreds of students, educators, trainers, administrative staff and management personnel from various centers came together in celebration.

Pope Francis commended the exceptional quality of methodologies, laboratory experiences and educational opportunities provided. He also underscored other support offered to youth in these programs.

Pope Francis said, “Above all, your training proposal is comprehensive, as it not only focuses on the quality of tools and teaching methods but also extends special care and attention to young people who find themselves on the fringes of social and ecclesial life. Thank you for your tireless dedication; thank you to the trainers who wholeheartedly devote themselves to the well-being of young people.”

In describing youth, Pope Francis said they were “full of talents and potential,” yet also “particularly vulnerable.” He acknowledged the myriad of challenges they encounter, including the necessity of emigration, the struggle to secure stable and adequately compensated employment, and the experience of professional dissatisfaction.

In response to these challenges, the Pope urged a generational shift where the skills of those exiting the workforce are utilized to benefit those entering the job market. He emphasized the importance of adults supporting the dreams and aspirations of youth without judgment.

The Pope also delved into the topic of vocational training within a world characterized by continuous transformations, where the dual risks of “technocracy” and “technophobia” loom large. He advocated for investing resources and energy into training that is continuous, creative, and always evolving. He also stressed the importance of giving recognition and dignity to manual labor, which is often overlooked or undervalued.

In addressing school dropout as an issue, Pope Francis focused on families and businesses as two pillars to support youth. He emphasized the vital role of families in nurturing and supporting the educational journey of youth. He also highlighted the responsibility of businesses to provide opportunities for practical training and apprenticeships, bridging the gap between education and employment.

The Salesians of Don Bosco are considered the largest private provider of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth by providing access to educational opportunities that match the local employment needs. Around the globe, there are nearly 1,000 Salesian vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools — with a focus on serving poor and needy youth.

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ANS – Vatican – “Thank you for what you do”: Pope Francis acknowledges the valuable educational service provided through Industrial Technical Training

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(MissionNewswire) Father Daniel Antúnez, president of Don Bosco Missions in Italy, recently returned from a trip to visit projects in Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine*. Salesians have been providing direct support for those who have fled Ukraine at the start of the war and those displaced inside the country.

He explained, “These missions are the tangible sign — we want to be militants for peace in response to those who generate war and violence. Weapons and bombs cause the loss of human dignity and do not allow people to recognize a brother or sister in the other.”

Since the start of the war, Salesians in Italy have been offering their support. The Motherhouse in Valdocco was used for mothers, children and pregnant women who fled the war. A few men who were unable to fight because of their age or disability also stayed there.

Salesians have also been working with local Ukrainian authorities to aid those internally displaced. Fr. Antúnez said, “Our interventions are tailored to the needs of the communities we serve. For example, a van was purchased that the Salesians in Krakow, Poland, use to bring goods to Ukraine and return with those who wish to escape. In addition, the houses supported by the Salesians in various locations in the country have been converted into centers to operate relief efforts.”

Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) volunteers are also supporting the Salesian centers. They have a wealth of experience in conflict zones. Fr. Antúnez explained, “We have gained a lot of experience in high-risk areas such as Syria* and Tigray*, where equally devastating wars have created death and destruction and the flight of millions of refugees. During my visit, I was struck by the resilience of the people. I was excited to visit the Salesians in Lviv who provide support for many orphans. There is also a soccer team for soldiers who have been wounded in battle. The team provides physical and psychological rehabilitation for those soldiers.”

Fr. Antúnez also visited Mariapolis, a container village set up by Salesians that has provided shelter for more than 950 displaced people, including more than 300 youth. From there, he went to Kyiv where a project supported by Don Bosco Missions is helping to protect residents with a missile shelter. Fr. Antúnez added, “The next project we have is to house and support people with physical and mental disabilities as a result of the war.”

He concluded, “This trip made me understand in depth how important it is to support this community affected by war and to show them our empathy. Our Christian life invites and moves us to be close to those who suffer. It is a priority for Don Bosco Missions. We want to continue to be a seed of hope.”

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ANS – Italy – Fr Antúnez (Don Bosco Missions): “In Ukraine we are militants for peace”

Don Bosco Missions Italy

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UNHCR – Ukraine Statistics

*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Pamplona, Spain, are involved in the INFINITE project, part of the European Executive Agency for Education and Culture Erasmus Cove project. The INFINITE project (intelligent printing, flexible and organic electronics excellence) is supported by the Department of Education of the Government of Navarre and the Smart Cities Institute of the Public University of Navarre. In addition, the project in Spain will have the collaboration of a network of partners in France, Portugal and Greece.

A Salesian explained, “The INFINITE project, which will receive European funding for four years, is to support the rapid progress of printed, flexible and organic electronics, providing a skilled workforce and enhancing specialist knowledge. We are creating new vocational training capable of providing the knowledge and skills necessary for the required jobs. The goal is for the project team to create a network of similar professional excellence centers across Europe to support these efforts.”

Printed electronics, flexible and organic, is an emerging field that encompasses several disciplines including electronics, materials science, chemistry, physics, printing technologies, and production and integration engineering. It is the production of electronic components and devices using printing and thermoforming techniques, which allow the creation of flexible, lightweight and economical electronic products. These products are being used in a wide array of industries including health care, accessibility, construction, automotive and aerospace, consumer electronics, energy efficiency and more.

Spain is currently the second dominant market in the European Union, after Germany. Continuous advances in printed, flexible and organic electronics also continue to drive innovation and open up new possibilities for applications and technologies. With the rapid evolution of the sector, new skills and profiles are increasingly required at different levels of education, from the operator to the engineering specialist.

The Salesian explained, “People hired in companies producing electronic materials and equipment, printing and graphic arts, paper, packaging, industrial screen printing or even companies producing plastic products will therefore have the opportunity to update their existing skills toward new knowledge and technologies. This project and the cross-section of professionals trained in functional printing and printed electronics will have a direct impact on these sectors, which will benefit from training courses for their employees, international training and recruitment of qualified personnel.”

In 2021, skilled workers in these sectors accounted for more than 11% of employment in Navarre and an income of almost 2 billion euro. The specialized training from this project will have an important impact on the demand for new qualified professionals.

The Salesian noted, “In today’s society, there is already a high demand for skilled labor able to design, manufacture and test these devices, but the industry continues to demand workers with knowledge and skills that go beyond the contents. The INFINITE project was created precisely to meet these needs.”

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ANS – Spain – The Salesians in Pamplona participate in the INFINITE project, which will guide and support the rapid progress of printed electronics

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Vocational Training Center in Genoa, Italy, has launched a new mechanics’ motor vehicle repair course. The 500-hour training course, divided equally between classroom education and internships in companies, will help young migrants gain access to the skills for employment.

Thanks to funding from the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the training program will educate 18 migrants who are under age 25 and from Sub-Saharan Africa. They are currently housed in facilities managed by the Genoese White Cross. The goal is for them to learn how to repair motor vehicle thermal engines.

Walter Carrubba, president of the Genoese White Cross, said, “I think it is an excellent experience for these young people, both in terms of training and for their future work. I am sure we will be able to repeat the training course several times. We thank the National Salesian Works Center – Professional Refresher Training, the Genoa Solidale Committee and all those who have committed themselves to getting this project off the ground.”

“Since the time of Don Bosco, the priority and objective of Salesians is to train our young people from an intellectual, professional and human point of view,” said Father Maurizio Lollobrigida, head of the course. “With young people from other countries who must be integrated into the social fabric, the best form is work, which restores dignity and gives them the opportunity to emancipate themselves.”

While addressing the students at a launch event, the prefect of Genoa stressed, “You have to be very careful and committed because what you are given at the end of this course is a great opportunity that can also lead to a job opportunity. I recommend maximum commitment, I wish you my best wishes for a good course and I hope you can put it to good use.”

Luca Bonfiglio, from Genova Solidale, also expressed satisfaction with the project at the launch event. He said, “Today the first mechatronics course starts. It is the first step to try to help young people gain an education. Other courses will follow to ensure that the youth, almost all guests of the Genoese Extraordinary Reception Centers, can take a further step towards training and integration. We are also working directly with OpenJob, to ensure youth are able to work after graduation, provided they are in compliance with the documents.”

This is one project among many in Italy helping to train and integrate young migrants into their new country. In addition, Salesian programs across Italy help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

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ANS – Italy – 18 young migrants in the Salesians course to become mechanics: “A great opportunity”

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ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Italy have launched an “Accompanying when trauma hits” training course at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. The course was organized in collaboration with Don Bosco Mondo and the Don Bosco Network. It aims to provide tools for the management and prevention of trauma for educators, teachers, and members of the Salesian family who are working in armed conflict countries.

Participants include representatives from three Salesian provinces including the Middle East Province, Greek Catholic Vice-province of Ukraine*, and the Poland-Krakow Province, as well as from the diocese of Donetsk, Ukraine.

One of those participating is Father Oleh Ladnyuk, a Ukrainian priest, who is a military chaplain on the front lines working among soldiers and the civilians who have been facing the impacts of war for the past two years. Fr. Ladnyuk delivers humanitarian aid and has helped with the evacuation of more than 500 people.

In talking about the training, Fr. Ladnyuk said, “The course is very interesting because it deals with topics relating to the traumas that war produces including psychological wounds, including grief, that can impact people even a few years after the war. It is a very useful topic because we often deal with people who have lost a child, a husband or a parent in war. They explained to us what we can ask, what to talk about and what not to talk about.”

When talking with people about their trauma, Fr. Ladnyuk has some firsthand insight. He explained, “First of all, you have to let people get used to the new situation. Don’t try to talk right away, but ask how things are. There’s no need to ask too many questions. Better to wait for the person to get used to it and then slowly start talking. Because those who survived the war are feeling so many emotions. And, believe me, the majority, 90% of those who lived through the war, will gradually end up talking about a lot of things.”

The course is particularly relevant for the Salesians who are working in high-conflict areas around the globe. The Peace Research Institute Oslo has shown that in 2022, about 468 million children lived in conflict zones. These children, who are often directly involved in combat, are exposed to violence and a drastic reduction in their security and well-being. Providing support to them through this difficult time and after they have left conflict zones is critical to their well-being.

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ANS – Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: “Being close counts, words come later”

ANS – Italy – “Accompanying when trauma hits 2024”: offering a structured model of education and psychological support in war contexts

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*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Foundation will manage a community kitchen at the La Foggara Community Social Services Center in the Poniente Norte area of Córdoba, Spain. The kitchen will train and feed 30 families from the Las Palmeras neighborhood. The families will attend training three days per week where they will cook menus to feed 120 people.

At an opening event, José María Bellido, mayor of Córdoba, recalled that the project faced years of ups and downs to become reality. The project was financed with European funds for regional development, and its implementation is the result of the sum of many efforts, including those of the residents and administrative institutions.

CaixaBank, a Spanish credit institution, contributed funds to purchase food that will be cooked from now through the end of December. Dr. Gerardo Cuartero, commercial director of CaixaBank for Eastern Andalusia, said that he was pleased to make this project possible. He noted, “We will work with the participants two days a week through various other workshops, so that they can develop their personal skills and abilities and have a future with greater opportunities.”

The opening event for the kitchen featured Chef Ferran Adriá, an ambassador of CaixaBank. He said, “These projects are extremely important, and it is necessary to be pragmatic and objective. I believe that public-private projects are the ones that really work. Cooking, as a sector, is very important in economic terms, health, culture and as a social commitment.” Adriá stressed that cooking is as important as food and raw materials are for feeding the population.

The community kitchen will also involve professionals from the Spanish IMIBIC Research Institute to provide healthy eating workshops and help design the menus.

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary educational as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the futures. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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ANS – Spain – Opening of the Don Bosco Foundation community kitchen in the presence of well-known chef Ferran Adriá

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(MissionNewswire) Since the start of the war in Ukraine,* Salesian missionaries around the globe have been working together to provide support and hope for those displaced in the country and those who have fled as refugees into neighboring countries. Salesian organizations in Italy came together to launch projects. The organizations include Mission Don Bosco, Don Bosco Nel Mondo Foundation, Opera Don Bosco ONLUS Foundation, Opera Don Bosco Nel Mondo Foundation and VIS volunteers.

These organizations coordinated to make the emergency response more impactful in the face of increasing needs arising from the war. Recently, Salesians from Italy were able to visit Ukraine to see firsthand how the projects were unfolding on the ground.

Father Luca Barone, from the executive committee of VIS, just returned from a trip to Ukraine. He said, “In these missions in Ukraine, the first aim is not only the transfer of skills but to show closeness to people who are benefiting from the projects, as well as the local Salesians and the staff carrying out these projects. VIS currently has 17 volunteers there.”

The Salesian delegation entered Ukraine from Poland on April 2 with a first stop in Lviv, where three of the projects are being carried out. The first project is focused on those who have been internally displaced. The Salesian organizations, with the support of the Department of Civil Protection of the Italian Region of Emilia-Romagna and the Government of Poland, have prepared housing containers capable of accommodating families who have arrived in Lviv with the bare minimum.

“Right now, there are 960 people still living in these containers, including 314 children between the ages of 5-17 — and another 12 families living outside these containers,” said Fr. Barone. “For this project, VIS takes care of nutrition, providing daily meals to all these people.”

A second project is supporting people who were left with physical injuries from the war. Salesians provide support for the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center where war-affected adults and children receive comprehensive and qualified medical care, including reconstructive surgery, orthopedics, and robotic prostheses.

A Salesian missionary explained, “There are many young soldiers wounded on the front, people who were victims of the thousands and thousands of mines left by Russian troops in the territories they invaded, especially in the east, or those who were hit by shrapnel during the bombing. For this population, Salesians have also launched sports activities and soccer education for those with disabilities to ensure social inclusion.”

The third project is focused on orphans in Lviv. This project is supported by the Salesians in the city who can offer shelter and support for youth who have lost their family as a result of the war.

Salesians from Italy also traveled to Dnipro, where Salesians load buses with food and necessities for people who did not want to or can’t leave their homes, mostly the elderly who are not able to receive support from government authorities.

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ANS – RMG – A mission to Ukraine to give and organise hope

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UNHCR – Ukraine Statistics

*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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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Zaragoza, Spain, held the 37th gala award ceremony for the Don Bosco National Prize, which highlights the talents of those mastering science and technology. The event, held on March 21, has evolved to also showcase a pool of talent and projects that are sought after by an increasing number of companies and organizations.

Two artificial intelligence (AI) projects stood out — a mathematical tool for the expression of genes based on AI and an autonomous driving system based on AI. Other award-winning projects included the “Pigeon Express” alarms to prevent threats in municipalities, the “Nebula Lite” augmented reality glasses, the “Your well-being in your hands” mental health monitoring application and the “Keeping your pH at bay” research project.

During the two days of exhibition, participants showcased 39 projects for visitors and members of the jury who were industry professionals and representatives of the business world.

Father Merche López, principal of the Salesian School in Zaragoza, said, “This competition embodies the fundamental values of innovation, creativity and commitment that characterize our Salesian institution. We greatly appreciate the participation of these young people and their projects, which reflect their dedication, effort and desire to contribute to a better world. These projects show a high level of excellence and originality and open a path toward a more promising and supportive future.”

During the gala, Salesians also awarded La Caixa banking group a commitment award for its ongoing support of the Don Bosco National Award. On behalf of the institution, Dr. Jorge García received the award and gave the institutional address. The keynote speaker for the night was José Luis Latorre who spoke on the theme “The ingredients of people who will succeed in the 21st century.”

The gala was attended by leaders in economics, education and the Salesian Congregation as well as Luis Mallada, director general of planning, centers and vocational training. Marta Fernández, president of the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Aragon and Father Juan Bosco, director of the Don Bosco National Prize, were also in attendance.

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary education as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the future. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school-to-work transition.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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

ANS – Spain – The Don Bosco National Prize rewards the best technological innovation projects

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Science, technology projects honored first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Center in Naples, Italy, is working to support young migrants who come to Italy looking for safety and better opportunities. Youth come to the country, most without parents, and land in the south before they make their way north in Italy and to the rest of Europe.

The Don Bosco Center is part of the Salesians for Social APS network and is the main point of contact for unaccompanied foreign minors who transit from Campania. The center has a reception community and a project aimed at promoting social and employment inclusion for those who are of age.

In six years, Father Giovanni Vanni, director, has seen nearly 800 youth arrive from as many as 37 different countries. “Many come from Tunisia, but in the last two years, the majority have come from Egypt. They follow a detailed itinerary from the start. They depart from Tobruk, which is the closest Libyan port to the border. While waiting for the boat, they are crammed into a shed. They do not suffer violence, but they are not free to leave. The average age has dropped too. A few days ago, we received a 14-year-old.”

Fr. Vanni continued, “Naples is the first big city coming from the south. Those who disembark only know that they have to go north, otherwise they rely on word of mouth. Naples has become even more famous after the city’s soccer team became champions. These young people immediately try to raise money for the trip. They work for cash, usually in the fields, then get on a train or bus. The problem is that no one seems to see them. They travel at night, rarely does anyone bother to ask them who they are or where they are going.”

Minors arrive at the docks and first look for food. The Caritas canteen feeds them and entrusts them to Fr. Vanni, who hosts them in the La Zattera community. Fr. Vanni explained, “Before coming to us, they loiter for a few days at the point of arrival, no one noticing or carrying about them. That is until maybe some policeman notices them and calls us. Sometimes it is other young people who are already in our community who report them to us.”

Many settle into the center and once they come of age, they enter the integration project. The Don Bosco Center provides a home and supports them at the beginning of their journey as adults. Salesians help with their documentation, connecting with rental apartments and finding a doctor and medical care. Salesians also help them access Italian language lessons, which helps their integration. In addition, Salesians work to find what the youth are good at and encourage them to enter school to build on those skills.

Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS, said, “The migrants we welcome are young people who have struggled in life. Precisely for this reason, they are at the center of our social and educational action that requires the involvement of a community made up of people, associations, institutions and companies. This community collectively is capable of giving dignity to young people and of enhancing the potential present in each of them.”

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

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ANS – Italy – The odyssey of “invisible” minors and Salesian attention to young migrants with a view to really saving lives

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Young migrants receive support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians held the final event of the “Labs to Learn” project in Italy on March 5. The goal was to combat school dropout and prevent educational poverty by increasing the number of at-risk youth who continue on in school and access higher education and/or job placement. The project was selected by the With the Children social enterprise within the framework of the Foundation for the Fight against Child Educational Poverty.

The event, which took place in the neighborhood of Valdocco in Turin, brought together 30 speakers and more than 300 youth from the schools who participated in the project. Father Leonardo Mancini, superior of the Piedmont, Valle d ‘Aosta and Lithuania Circumscription, started the event with an address in which he quoted Don Bosco. “More will be achieved with a word of encouragement that gives confidence to the hearts of the youngsters than with many reproaches which only disturb them. Work is a powerful weapon against the enemies of the soul.”

Father Stefano Mondin, director of the Michael Rua Salesian Oratory, spoke about the origins of the “Labs To Learn” project, noting the four fundamental areas in which it was developed. These include the Maker Lab workshops which focused on a learn by doing; the Didactic workshop study method to reinforce cognitive, behavioral and affective-motivational skills for study; the Work Lab to encourage youth on a pre-professional and flexible path; and finally the Community Lab, which involved localized community activity, educational agreements, and building networks.

“The project connects school and extracurricular activities, aimed more at doing and understanding, so that the youngsters discover their dignity, something which is able to generate something beautiful,” Fr. Mondin explained.

After a visit to the Maker Lab stands where students presented their activities, guests were able to take part in the in-depth roundtable discussion focused on “The educating community: learning and inclusion. What is needed, what is missing.” During this time youth participated in a civic education game.

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

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

ANS – Italy – “Labs To Future”: the final event of the “Labs To Learn” project in Valdocco

Labs to Learn

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Project increases student retention first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Ukraine* are still working to support those who have fled for safety two years after Russia invaded the country. UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, has reported that more than 6.5 million people have fled since the start of the war and there were 3.7 million people displaced within the country. It is estimated that some 14.6 million people need humanitarian assistance in order to survive.

Further, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, there have been more than 10,500 civilian deaths, including nearly 600 children, and approximately 20,000 people injured. These figures do not include the soldiers killed and injured on both sides.

One of the people who sought help from the Salesians is Alina, who fled with her three children in the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022 from Zuivka, in eastern Ukraine. “It took us a day and a half to get to Kyiv and for months we lived with some relatives,” recalled Alina.

Nine months ago they moved and settled in Mariapolis, the Salesian city of prefabricated modules built in Lviv. The city hosts almost a 1,000 people in small homes. The war is also felt in this part of western Ukraine. Alina said, “There are frequent power blackouts to save electricity or due to anti-missile alarms.”

For those living at Mariapolis, Salesians work to instill hope and provide food, fuel for kitchens, appliances, and logistical support. Another project ensures that people are prepared for the cold winter months and that children can still access their education. Salesians have also constructed safe shelters and educational centers.

Salesians will continue to offer help, aid and support to those who have been impacted by the war both inside Ukraine and in neighboring countries where people are living as refugees. Projects include those focused on offering basic necessities, housing, education, health and psychosocial assistance, and the transfer of the elderly to safer areas.

Father Mykhaylo Chaban, Salesian superior of the Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province in Ukraine, said, “We will continue to be at the side of the population, trying to help and accompany them in everything they need. Thanks to the solidarity of the Salesian Family from all over the world, we have been facing the emergency for two years. We only hope that the people who help us do not get tired of doing so or forget about us because we still need help and, above all, we want peace to come.”

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ANS – Ukraine – The appeal of the Ukrainian Salesians after two years of war: “Do not forget about us”

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine Statistics

*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 UKRAINE: Salesians continue to support those displaced by war first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Il Traghetto (the ferry) Day Center in La Spezia, Italy, has been working with youth ages 6-18 for the past 15 years. The center was founded in 2009 by Father Antonio Integlia, who is now a missionary in Patagonia. In 2010, full activities began at the center with the support of Dr. Stefania Branchini, director of the Sociosanitary District, and funding from the Carispezia Foundation. The Municipality of La Spezia has been supporting the center for the last four years and has praised its work with youth.

Luca Vergassola, coordinator at the center, said, “We are in the fourth year of funding because the municipal administration has positively evaluated our activity. There was never such a day center in the city.”

The center has a capacity for 25 youth. It also offers the Safe Harbor project for youth who have spent time at the center, left to be on their own, but need support again down the road.

Like many organizations, the center had to reinvent itself during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic period. Vergassola explained, “We tried to ensure that all youth had a chance to continue their education. We opened in the morning and served breakfast and then those students who could take courses remotely did so. The others we supported in still accessing their lessons at the center.”

The 15th anniversary was celebrated close to the feast of Don Bosco on Jan. 28. Father Giorgio Mocci, director of the center, said, “The extraordinary daily educational work that takes place in the day center is the result of shared effort of the La Spezia Educative, the Salesian pastoral community and the educational passion of the educators, to whom go the best wishes and thanks of all of us.”

The event was attended by Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS. He noted, “The day center is a way of combating educational poverty and fundamental educational prevention in a country like Italy which, unfortunately, has about 1.4 million minors in absolute poverty. Promoting organizations like the center is a guarantee of future growth of a community and the entire country.”

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

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

ANS – Italy – 15 years of service to young people in difficulty: the experience of the Il Traghetto Day Centre at La Spezia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Center celebrates 15 years first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Maria Auxiliadora Salesian School in Villena, Spain, organized a garlic sowing session for primary and grade school students. Students from grades 1-5 took part in the sessions. The school features a vertical garden where the garlic and other vegetation are grown. A vertical garden utilizes a vertical space rather than a horizontal space like typical gardens and is suited for small spaces, both indoors and outdoors.

Students were paired with tutors to work on the project and gain hands-on experience while being guided by someone who knows the process. After the planting, a Salesian said, “The time comes to water with a lot of care and wait patiently to see if our work pays off.”

Salesian projects around the globe have been focused on environmentally conscious initiatives. They have been inspired by Pope Francis’ 2020 Laudato Si’, which had as its theme “Good Christians and Upright Citizens.” Pope Francis underlined the importance of education and training to help youth foster environmental responsibility.

Salesian missionaries in Spain provide primary and secondary educational as well as vocational and technical school to ensure youth acquire employment skills for the futures. Salesians also work to meet the basic needs of those in poverty and offer workforce development opportunities to ensure an easier school to work transition.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Green Alliance

Don Bosco Green Alliance – Garlic Sowing Session organized by Colegio Salesianos Maria Auxiliadora, Villena, Spain

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Students learn to sow garlic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Graphic design students from the Salesian Institute in Pamplona, Spain, and the Don Bosco Center in Marseilles, France, collaborated on the “Printing Smiles” project. Together, they presented the project to the public and highlighted its impact of providing games and recreational material for children at the Navarre Hospital Complex’s pediatric oncology department.

The project is part of the Erasmus+ program, the European Union’s program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. The nine Salesian students and two teachers from France arrived in Pamplona on Jan. 22 to collaborate with the Salesian Institute’s students and staff on the project. The project will be completed in April, and at that time, the students from Spain will visit the Don Bosco Center in France.

The project includes 3D printing of games and play material for young cancer patients. The project also educates and provides hands-on experience for the graphic design students.

The presentation of the project was attended by representatives of the Government of Navarre, the Association for the Support of Children with Tumors in Navarre (ADANO in Spanish), and the oncological-pediatric department of the Navarre Hospital Complex.

A Salesian said, “The Salesian Institute in Pamplona sought the collaboration of ADANO to raise the students’ awareness of the plights of these young children. The project was building bridges between cultures and making a positive contribution to society. The Salesians in Pamplona and the participants at the Don Bosco Center in Marseilles have been enthusiastic about this exchange. It will not only promote the development of their technical skills but will also strengthen the values of empathy and service to the community.”

In addition to the project work, French students were able to fully immerse themselves in the culture of the region, participating in various activities while hosted by local families.

Guadalupe, one of the students, said “Our challenge was clear from the outset — to create educational and recreational material for a good cause. This motivated us a lot, and I have to say that we did not waste any time at all. Indeed, we were pleased to see how the regional media were also interested in our initiative.”

Salesian missionaries have been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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

ANS – Spain – “Printing smiles”: an international Salesian project for children in paediatric oncology in Navarre

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Students design games for children with cancer first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Prato, a city in Tuscany, Italy, are supporting Afghan refugees with the “We are with you” project, thanks to the financial support of Don Bosco Mondo. The project provides reception, integration, education and social support for Afghan families who arrive in Italy seeking safety and a new life.

Mahdi and Tayeba Moshtaq, two married Afghan refugees, received support from the project. After the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, the entire Moshtaq family fled their country. The couple has two children, Narges and Amir, who were young when the family left. They arrived in Italy in January 2022 and were welcomed by the Saint Anna Oratory in Prato.

After completing  procedures to obtain a residence permit, health cards and refugee status, along with the A2 level Italian certification and the eighth grade diploma, Mahdi began working at a cooperative. Tayeba takes care of the children. In March 2023, Mahdi began an internship at a spinning company, which recently turned to an open-ended contract for him.

The family, now more settled, lives in one of the residences of Prato’s Reception and Integration System. Despite the distance from the Don Bosco Center, they continue to attend the oratory. Tayeba has said it is a real home where the family found much comfort and emotional support. Mahdi is grateful for the closeness and kindness of the people they have met.

A Salesian said, “It is not easy to start a new chapter in life when you are forced to run away from your country, taking with you the bare minimum, and having to take care of safeguarding two young children. Salesians do as much as they can to ensure refugees have safe shelter first and foremost. We help with the paperwork, teaching language lessons and helping refugees integrate into their new communities.”

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

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

ANS – Italy – The story of Mahdi and Tayeba, from Kabul to Prato for the dream of a happy life

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Afghan refugees building new life first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Pontifical University’s Institute of Psychology in Rome has organized a course for teachers focusing on strategies to address classroom management challenges and to support students. The goal is to empower teachers to make the learning environment an even safer and more inclusive place.

A Salesian said, “Teaching represents a stimulating and rewarding challenge, but, in the face of difficult class groups and students, it can turn into an experience full of complications if methods and tools aimed at particularly effective management are not adopted.”

Aimed at teachers at all levels, school leaders and school psychologists, the course is directed by Prof. Alessandro Ricci. It will consist of three different modules, including addressing group dynamics in the classroom, dealing with difficult students and conflict management, and rules for students and families.

With both theoretical and practical skills, participants will learn strategies for effective involvement with other teachers, students and parents in the school environment. In addition, strategies for prevention and promotion of socio-relational well-being in school will be addressed.

The Salesian added, “These skills will cover a range of school grades and situations that come up in the classroom. We want teachers to be able to prevent conflicts, but if they can’t, then they need to learn how to effectively put in place rules, handle conflict and improve the school-family collaboration.”

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

Poverty rose sharply in 2020 to its highest level in 15 years as the COVID-19 crisis brought economic challenges for much of the country. With subsequent inflation, 1 in 12 Italians lived in absolute poverty in 2022, causing 5.67 million individuals and 2.18 million families to have an income level that did not support them to meet basic needs of life including food, shelter, education and healthcare. This number includes 1.3 million minors.

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

ANS – Italy – A formation course at the UPS to help teachers in “managing the classroom and difficult pupils”

Salesian Pontifical University

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Teachers empowered for safer schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Vocational Training Center Rebaudengo, located in Turin, Italy, launched a program to provide skills training for 15 young refugees who are living at Camp Fenoglio in Settimo Torinese, a commune in Turin. Run by the Red Cross, the camp houses young refugees and migrants ages 20 to 40.

The center, part of CNOS-FAP – Salesian National Center for Training and Job Placement Network, leads the training for the program. Partners Biella Industrial Union and the Italian Red Cross support the program and the participants. Biella Industrial Union reviews companies for hiring refugees after the training is finished. The Red Cross provides ongoing support for candidates, including monitoring the progress of the students’ activities and attendance as well as ensuring trainees have access to public transport passes to facilitate their travel to and from the course.

The course, which began in December 2023, provided 120 hours of vocational training in the mechanical-textile field. After training finished in January 2024, a supervisor with Biella Industrial Union ensured job placement in the city of Biella along with proper housing.

Agostino Albo, from the Salesian Vocational Training Center, said, “We did not record any absentees on the part of the students. There was a strong level of motivation and the will to complete the course.”

A Salesian added, “This is an important training program beyond how we are helping the young refugees. The training is focused on the mechanical-textile sector, which in recent years has been experiencing a production crisis due to the lack of manpower. This shortage is primarily linked to the excessive choosiness of companies, which require a specific skill-set. This training program aims to meet the needs of this sector while uplifting those who need training and employment.”

Last year, another course for a different employment sector was held for immigrants. All 14 students found employment when the course ended.

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

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

ANS – Italy – A Job Placement Course for Young Refugees at ITI – “Rebaudengo”

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: 15 young refugees finish technical training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) The SolSal-Family Support Service in Lisbon facilitates a yearly Christmas Campaign to collect and distribute items for disadvantaged families. This year, 3,371 packages of basic necessities were collected and distributed. A similar campaign supports families in Évora, Portugal.

The Christmas Campaign brought together students, families and educators. The campaign collected 188 packages of diapers, 239 packages of baby care products, 194 hygiene products such as toothpaste and deodorant, and 2,750 packages of food products. At the Salesian nursery and kindergarten, about half a ton of food was collected. The items will be distributed to families benefiting from Évora’s SolSal Family Assistance Service throughout the year.

SolSal in Lisbon currently supports 84 families, including 184 youth. Youth benefit from programs that help them and their families meet their basic needs in order to minimize the constraints of poverty. This support is possible thanks to the many donors who have contributed to the campaign.

A Salesian said, “Salesian solidarity campaigns were organized throughout the Christmas period to ensure that families have their basic needs met. The school community, including youth and their families, have put all their efforts into helping the most vulnerable. No one was left behind and everyone had the courage to dream big, just as Pope Francis asks.”

According to the World Bank there are close to 2.6 million people living below the poverty line in Portugal, 487,000 of whom are under the age of 18. The country is one of the most unequal countries in Europe as far as wealth distribution. Wealthy citizens earn five times the rate of income than those living in poverty.

Unemployment and low incomes are two of the factors that contribute to unequal wealth distribution. Portugal has a low hourly rate for workers in comparison to other countries in Europe. Many parents have to work multiple jobs, which leaves less time at home with their families and children. This leaves children without the proper guidance at home leading to behavior problems and lack of preparedness for school, including getting homework done and eating breakfast before coming to school.

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

ANS – Portugal – A great success for the Lisbon and Évora Christmas Campaigns

Salesian Missions

World Bank – Portugal

The post PORTUGAL: Campaign provides basic needs for families first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The “nARTure” project aimed to foster the bond between youth and their cultural and natural environment through innovative workshops in Spain, Portugal and Greece. Workshops focused on sustainable cultural practices and the close relationship between body expression and nature. Supported by European Union funds, the project concluded at the end of 2023.

The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid was involved in the project to help facilitate youth activities. Its partners, The High Mountains and Arte M., carried out the same service with youth in Greece and Portugal.

The year ended with nearly 130 youth committing to fight climate change and build a more supportive, just, and inclusive community through art. One of the youth who participated in the project said, “I keep hold of everything I have learned — respect for others and the environment. The Earth belongs to everyone and there is only one Earth. This project brought me joy, knowledge and experience. There is still a lot to do to improve the environment.”

The Salesian Mission Office collaborated with Herbario Comestible, a local cultural association that promotes sustainable practices and a deeper bond with nature. In a day trip to Canencia Park near Madrid, participants were able to have fun, identify plants and learn responsible harvesting practices.

Ángela Denore, project manager for the Salesian Mission Office, explained, “‘nARTure’ is a project in which we tried to focus on cultural and artistic practices that we share and that are sustainable. We want to give youth visibility and encourage the need to transform society and culture to take care of our common home. We are satisfied with the response of young people and their involvement.”

The project supports development education, sustainability and the link with culture. In addition, the project lays the foundation for a future where local communities are rooted in their past, aware of their present and committed to a sustainable future.

Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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

ANS – Europe – The “nARTure” ecological education project has formed more than 100 people in 2023

Salesian Missions Madrid nARTure

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Nearly 130 youth learn about climate change first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian-run Hogar Fundación Institute in Vigo, Spain, celebrated its 75th anniversary with a commemorative day that included dignitaries, past pupils and teachers. Since 1948, the institute has provided vocational training in the city and its surroundings to ensure that youth have an opportunity to access skills for employment.

“These 75 years show that education is really a matter of the heart,” said Father Fernando García Sánchez, superior of the Salesians from St. James the Greater Province, at the celebration.

The institute offers nine training courses, including digital printing, graphic printing, welding, machining, electrical and automatic installations, telecommunications installations, production scheduling in mechanical manufacturing, industrial automation, and robotics and electronic maintenance.

Part of the success of the institute is its focus on employment. The institute has incorporated the dissemination of research and practical training into its business-oriented higher education model. The result is that 80% of students are recruited for work after they finish their studies.

A Salesian missionary noted, “Hogar Fundación Institute is always looking to adapt to not only students’ need but the needs of the community. During the most complicated moments of the COVID-19 pandemic and given the lack of medical safety equipment, the institute, at the request of its faculty and volunteer students, made masks and visors as a first protection barrier. Through a network, more than 14,000 were created.”

The institute continues to demonstrate that education and long-term stable employment are possible when there is collaboration among the social and entrepreneurial fabric of a city.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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

ANS – Spain – Salesians in Vigo: “These 75 years show that education is really a matter of the heart”

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Institute celebrating 75 years of vocational training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation in Milan, Italy, is celebrating 10 years in operation bringing education and basic necessities to the most vulnerable. On its anniversary, the foundation has highlighted projects that have been made possible by its donors. A Salesian noted, “One of the driving forces of the foundation is that we are not content to deal with a problem piecemeal. We focus our attention on how to repair the problem itself.”

Since the start of the war in Ukraine*, the foundation has focused efforts on the plight of the people there. The foundation has provided support in Lviv, where Mariapolis was built to host nearly 1,000 displaced people from the eastern areas of the country. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the necessary funds were collected and sent throughout the year to support the services of the Mariapolis camp.

Facing the earthquake emergency in Syria, the Salesians of Aleppo and Damascus immediately provided assistance and aid to the population affected. After the initial relief operation, donors supported reconstruction and psycho-social support. This project was carried out in collaboration with the Opera Don Bosco Lugano.

Another donor project provided a new oven for the Salesian Bakery in Bethlehem. This historic institution has been in operation for 130 years and plays a crucial role in the life of the local community, providing free bread to those most in need. In addition, students come to learn the bakery trade. The old oven, which was more than 20 years old, required constant maintenance, was inefficient and did not meet occupational safety standards.

Michele Rigamonti, president of the foundation, said, “Thanks to the generosity of those who support our mission, we have been able to address emergencies and promote social development in many communities in need. In the last period, the foundation has responded to humanitarian emergencies in several regions, including Syria*, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar*, Democratic Republic of the Congo* and Venezuela*. We have contributed to growth and education through education and vocational training projects in Brazil, Burundi*, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Myanmar, Peru and Rwanda. In addition, we have promoted agricultural and food projects to contribute to the livelihood of many children and their families, in Brazil, Ethiopia*, Ghana, Senegal andEast Timor.”

Rigamonti added, “Our mission doesn’t stop there. We continue to move the heart of many people, encouraging them to make themselves present in a concrete way to those who need it most, especially children and young people, offering them opportunities for the future.”

Numerous projects are already underway for the coming year. These include the “Let’s all go to school” project in Gambella in Ethiopia and the “Health and well-being for the most needy families in Tegucigalpa” initiative in Honduras, as well as the opportunity to remotely support an entire community of youth for a year in different areas of the world.

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ANS – Italy – Fondazione Opera Don Bosco: a 2023 full of exciting projects

Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

*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 ITALY: Foundation celebrates 10-year anniversary first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Salesian Redentore Amateur Sports Association, located in Bari, Italy, have won the “Sport of All Neighborhoods” competition under the “Sport and Health” category in a plan from the Ministry of the Economy. The “Redentore. The sport that regenerates smiles for life” project was approved and will provide two years of sporting, recreational, educational and free activities for close to 500 children, older youth and the elderly.

The project will take place at the Salesian Redentore Center in the Libertà district of Bari, on the eastern outskirts of the city. The district has a population of 60,000 inhabitants, the largest multi-ethnic population and the highest percentage of minors undergoing criminal proceedings in the region of Apulia.

“Don Bosco said that Salesians must turn wolves into lambs and lambs into shepherds — this educational path often begins with sport,” explained Father Giuseppe Ieva, president of Redentore Amateur Sports Association and leader of the project. “The Salesians have been in the Libertà district for more than 100 years. If you go past the Redentore you see the kids with a ball, then sport becomes an educational tool to produce good Christians and upright citizens.”

The project includes sports courses for youth and specific activities for those over age 65, including people with disabilities. Other activities that aid study, outdoor multi-sport summer centers, food availability, education and film groups will be supported by volunteers of the Universal Civil Service.

Pietro Petruzzelli, councilor for sport for the Municipality of Bari, said, “‘Sport and Health’ encourages sports practice, from basic motor activity to competition. Everyone who goes through the oratory learns to practice a sport, but not only that, they do it through building up a community.”

“We work better together,” said Ruggiero Russo, a planner at PGS Italia, who wrote up the project. “I want to talk about the dream, because we started from here, from the heart that regenerates smiles and life. The Libertà neighborhood is an important neighborhood in the city with a difficult social scene, so it was necessary to play sports there. Through our project, we propose to use sport as a tool to build educational bridges with a very important network of collaborations. Bari is the only city that has won two ‘Sport and Health’ projects because there has been a strong awareness of networking: together we work better.”

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

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ANS – Italy – “Redentore. Sport that re-generates smiles and life”: two years of free sports activities for over 500 young people

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Free sports programming funded in Bari, Italy first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The State Coordination of Salesian Social Platforms in Madrid held the “Comprehensive approach for children, young people and educational teams” workshop for Salesian staff. The workshop provided practical tools to effectively address mental health challenges faced by youth who are being served by Salesian centers across Spain. An emphasis was placed on ensuring that the integration and normalization of mental health support in the educational plans remains a priority.

Father Luis Fernando López Martínez opened the workshop with a presentation about the importance of understanding mental health from a broader perspective. He highlighted the complexity of the issue and stressed the importance of defining strategies that educational teams manage during the year. He also focused on how youth face intensified emotional vulnerabilities due to overexposure and social comparisons in the digital age and through social networks.

The following day, María José Ortega Cabrera addressed mental health problems in childhood and adolescence, classifying them according to their severity. Challenges were examined and she offered guidelines to address them. She also highlighted ways to differentiate typical behaviors from those that could indicate deeper problems. The goal is always to ensure care for youth in Salesian centers.

The workshop included members of the Magone psychological team, which is a resource open to all Salesian centers. A Salesian said, “This part of the workshop focused on the importance of prevention as a fundamental method for mental health care, promoting healthy habits and emotional self-care, both in educational staff and among children, young people, and young adults who flock to Salesian centers. Specific protective actions were presented, reiterating the need to promote safe environments and encourage prevention from an early age.”

The workshop ended with a presentation about applying mental health support in socio-educational, support and volunteering environments. Participants shared their reflections and what they had learned. The cross-sharing of thoughts and experiences served to enrich the overall workshop and allowed time for peer-to-peer support.

Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment.

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ANS – Spain – Being formed to take care of the mental health of children and young people

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Youth mental health focus of Salesian workshop training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rome has been working with migrants and refugees, and it recently started language classes to help these youth acclimate into their new communities in Italy. The class holds 130 people in each quarterly cycle. The demand far exceeds the capacity.

The course is free of charge and is run by volunteers, including youth from the Universal Civil Service and university students from the nearby faculty of educational sciences at Roma Tre University. Salesians, members of the Salesian family and members of other spiritual families also support the efforts.

“There are different levels for the course, based on need,” explained Father Enrico Lupano, a coordinator of the project. “We also have to address that learning a new language may be difficult because some youth are not literate in their home language.”

The youth who attend represent a cross-section of nationalities. In the current course cycle, Tenin is the top student and only girl in the class. Mamadou, age 23 and from Guinea Conakry, learned about these courses by playing soccer with a volunteer. Bernard, age 25 and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been attending the course for a month. He hopes that in a short time he will be able to find a job to support himself.

Suleyman arrived from Gambia three months ago and has a story like many others. When asked how he arrived in Italy, he quickly mentions his crossing in North Africa, the many who remained in Tunisia and the boat trip. He said, “It’s a long story and if I tell it to you, then I’ll end up crying.”

The course is a springboard to help youth gain an education and prepare for the workforce. They receive help in writing a resume, the search for work and a home. They are able to take driving lessons so they have greater mobility. Beyond that, Salesians offer help with navigating bureaucracy, such as challenges with residence permits.

“These young people have a great desire to learn,” explained Cristina, a young woman who grew up at the Salesian oratory in Macerata and is now a volunteer for the project. “They know that it could be their only opportunity and for this reason they all show great attention and kindness.”

Cristina hopes that her volunteer position will lead to employment helping migrants and refugees. She loves the work and learning about their experience. She added, “It is giving me many tools to learn more about their lives, their stories and how we can really make a home for them. It’s not just Italian or the service you do for them. Every day gives you an extra chance to understand their lives and their situation here in Rome and in Italy, amid daily difficulties and challenges.”

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

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ANS – Italy – School of Italian for migrants at Sacred Heart in Rome: a hand extended to help many “invisible” young people

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Young migrants learn new language first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The “You x the children” program run by Salesians for Social APS in Italy reached 54,190 youth in 2022, thanks to an investment of 2.5 million euro. The program is run through 46 Don Bosco Houses, where poor and marginalized youth study, play, grow and have new opportunities through the commitment of educators, volunteers and donors.

Operating through a network of more than 100 local organizations, Salesians for Social APS has been working for more than 30 years to take care of youth who need help. Don Bosco Houses are real homes where vulnerable children can live with foster parents who provide food, protection and love.

This support is important given the status of youth in the country. According to data released by the National Institute of Statistics in 2022, 13.4% of minors in Italy were in absolute poverty, equal to more than 1.2 million children and adolescents under 18. This is an increase of almost one point compared to the previous year of 12.6%. In addition, 23.5% of children are in a condition of relative poverty, which is more than 2.1 million children and adolescents.

The statistics also show regional differences, with disadvantaged children living to a greater extent in the south (15.9%) of the country, while lower numbers of disadvantaged children are living in the north (12.3%) and in the middle of the country (11.5%).

“A third of our children grow up with heavy negative conditioning,” explained Marco Rossi Doria, president of the social enterprise Con i Bambini. “Italy’s sustainable future is at stake. It is time to integrate public and private action in a strategic way, constant over time in support of the educating communities already at work. Child educational poverty is fueled by and fuels economic and social exclusion. It is an intolerable short circuit that harms people’s rights and opportunities at the beginning of life and threatens the future sustainability of Italy’s development.”

Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS, agreed. “We share the concern about the data, which gives us an alarming picture. The economic and social conditions of many families do not allow children and young people to have access to the services, activities and goods necessary for their development. We continue to be committed to supporting minors and young people with their families who live in situations of social vulnerability, material and educational poverty.”

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ANS – Italy – Almost 3.5 million children live in poverty: the Salesians, with “You X the children”, support them in growing up to give them a better future

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Youth in need find new opportunity first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Foundation in Spain has been supporting youth like Alhassane Camara, who left Guinea for Spain to find a better life. Thanks to his dedication and hard work, as well as the support of Salesians, Camara found a new home, a new family, and the prospect of a promising future along the way.

Camara shared his story. “In 2017, my travel companion, Abdul, and I left home to move by bus to Mali, a sister country to Guinea. After two weeks there, we moved to the border with Algeria. We crossed the desert on foot for three days, appreciating the gifts it gave us and also suffering its harshness. It was on the third day that an armed group blocked us and demanded a ransom for our freedom. Luckily, my mother found the money and sent it to allow me to continue my journey.”

Camara arrived in the Algerian town of Blida with no food, money or the strength to continue. He and Abdul found a way to survive working as bricklayers until they saved enough to continue to Morocco. He said, “A friend was waiting for us there, who gave us a place to live for three months, during which we continued to work to get more money to cross the Mediterranean. And we did it. After we raised enough money we managed to pay a person who got us on a zodiac. There were 59 people, 50 men and nine women, but not all of us managed to get to Spain. Many were lost in the vastness of the sea. Among them, Abdul, who had been my travel companion since the moment we left home.”

After waking from the shipwreck, Camara started a solitary journey. He was fortunate enough to meet people along the way who offered him support. Camara first went to the Don Bosco Center in Malaga for skills training school and Spanish language lessons. He began living in an apartment with other people and became self-employed very quickly.

However, shortly after, Camara’s documents expired and he was unable to renew them due to problems with the Guinean consulate. As a result, he lost his job and his bank account was blocked. A former classmate at the Don Bosco Youth Center reminded him that he could always return to the center for help.

Camara explained, “After I got back in touch with the Salesians, I went for an interview and entered the Francisco Míguez House, which has since become my home and family. I have not stopped working for my future. I have achieved many of my goals. I have a passport, I attend secondary school, I am learning a trade that will open the doors to me to get a quality job and I have met new people and new travel companions. I achieved all this also thanks to Abdul. We both had the same goals, but our destiny was different.”

He also credits the Don Bosco Youth Center for his success. He said, “I want to say thank you to all the professionals at Don Bosco who helped me when I was not in the best situation, and to all those who continue to support me still. I will never stop fighting for a better future.”

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ANS – Spain – The story of Alhassane in search of a better future

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Young migrant shares his story first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries understand the importance of music education for youth. Thanks to a qualified teaching staff, Salesian music schools in Portugal are open to all students as well as people of all ages. Lessons on individual instruments, ensemble music lessons, general training, composition and production are just some of the courses offered. The training also includes live performances at school shows, auditions and concerts.

Salesian music schools are found in cities including in Lisbon, Estoril, Évora and Porto, and there is the Dom Bosco Music Center in Manique. Across these schools, there are 1,300 students taught by 100 teachers.

A Salesian said, “The education offered at Salesian music schools is rich and fruitful. Students not only learn the music skills taught but learn life skills in working collaboratively, dedication to a talent and an appreciation of the arts.”

In Estoril students have access to education in a range of instruments as well as singing, collective combo lessons (pop/rock or jazz band), vocal ensemble, history of music, multimedia production and writing lyrics. In Évora, students are exposed to musical initiation and a general course in musical, instrumental or singing training and ensemble music classes. There is also a free course offered. In Porto, students can learn a range of instruments and participate in the children’s choir.

At the Dom Bosco Music Center in Manique, there are classes on different instruments, musical training, chorus and the maintenance of acoustic pianos. In Lisbon, the leader of the Salesian music schools produced the Don Bosco Musical staged during last summer’s World Youth Day. There, lessons range from courses on individual instruments to general training, an improvisation workshop, music production and music technology.

According to the World Bank there are close to 2.6 million people living below the poverty line in Portugal, 487,000 of whom are under the age of 18. The country is one of the most unequal countries in Europe as far as wealth distribution. Wealthy citizens earn five times the rate of income than those living in poverty.

Salesians provide education and social development programs to ensure youth have access to education so they can learn the skills for later employment, helping them lead self-sufficient lives.

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ANS – Portugal – Salesian Music Schools: Music, Body and Soul

Salesian Missions

World Bank – Portugal

The post PORTUGAL: Music schools educate over 1,300 youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) As winter approaches, Salesians are continuing to help those most in need in Ukraine*. The war has been raging since March 2022 when Russian invaded. Because of the length of the continuing war, many women and children have returned to the country and need support with most basic needs. Youth have started a new school year as well.

According to UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, there are more than 17.6 million people in Ukraine who are in need of emergency aid to survive. As of May 2023, 5.1 million people have been internally displaced in Ukraine and as of July 2023, more than 6.2 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded globally.

“Salesians will never turn their backs on the people who suffer because of this war, which unfortunately does not stop and continues to harm innocent victims,” explained Father Mykhaylo Chaban, Salesian superior of the Mary Help of Christians Greek-Catholic Rite Vice-Province of Ukraine. “Alarm sirens and bombs continue each day, impacting millions of people who suffer from this war. But Salesians remain steadfast in our mission. These supports and education for children during emergencies is a real life-saving tool. This is why it is important that Salesian schools in Ukraine remain open.”

The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid has been supporting children at a school and youth center in Zhytomyr and Lviv. Through this support, almost 300 children have the opportunity to continue going to school and access a safe space where they can learn, play, and feel protected.

In addition to education, Salesians continue to offer humanitarian aid to people who have been displaced. Salesians set up the Mariapolis citadel project in Lviv, where more than 1,000 people live and receive care, food and access to health care. Salesians also continue to travel to eastern cities, such as Novohryhorivka, where they are committed to responding to the needs of the civilian population remaining in their homes.

Father Jozef Nuckowski, a Salesian in Ukraine, said, “We want to bring aid as close as possible to the Russian border, where most villages are devastated, houses are destroyed and people live in overcrowded shelters. There is a lot of need, and thanks to the solidarity that comes to us from all over the world, we can go to these areas and offer food, water and other basic necessities.”

Salesians are already working on preparations for the cold to help people stay warm and have winter provisions. The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid has already allocated 100,000 euros of aid to be sent to alleviate these needs including blankets, heating, warm clothes and more. While the needs are still great, Salesian solidarity will continue until peace arrives in Ukraine and even beyond.

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ANS – Ukraine – “We will leave no one behind”: the promise of the Salesians after 19 months of war

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine Statistics

*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 UKRAINE: Salesians prepare aid for winter first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco 2000 in Italy has 15 migrant assistance centers in Sicily and is currently caring for close to 1,000 migrants in those facilities, according to a recent article in Hankyoreh, a newspaper in South Korea. The migrants hail from various countries but most are from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

The centers provide shelter, assistance with document preparation, language study and skills training to help migrants adapt to their new surroundings. Salesians also assist with asylum application procedures, which can take up to two years, according to the article.

Don Bosco 2000 also has a program designed to allow immigrants to acquire various skills at the centers. These skills are later used to start their own businesses whether they remain in Italy or return to their home countries.

As journalist Noh Ji-won, Berlin correspondent for Hankyoreh and author of the article, noted, “It’s a mutually beneficial model that treats immigrants as more than just beneficiaries of charity: it puts their labor capabilities to work toward operating a social enterprise and ultimately assisting with economic development in Africa. Indeed, around a dozen immigrants have returned home and started businesses with skills that they learned here.”

According to the article, Don Bosco 2000 is working with close to 40 migrants in agriculture, clothing production and sales. Its programs include sales of crops harvested on land confiscated from the Mafia by the Italian government. In the clothing production program, migrants design and then create garments on their own sewing machines to sell them at the program’s clothing store. Ten percent of the profits go toward a chicken coop installation project in Africa. Salesians are also helping with job placement. This year, around 40 labor contracts have been signed by migrants in Sicily alone, according to the article.

“Our activities go above and beyond simply ‘welcoming’ people,” said Roberta La Cara in the article. She has worked for the last decade as a project coordinator for Don Bosco 2000. “Since these immigrants have come here to work for money to send to their families, our job is about helping them achieve self-sufficiency.”

Aly Traoré, age 32 and from Mali, was helped by Don Bosco 2000. Leaving Mali after civil war broke out, he traveled through Algeria and Libya before reaching Catania, Sicily in 2014. In addition to his native languages Bambara and Soninke, he spoke English, Arabic and French, so he was able to start working as an interpreter for Don Bosco 2000 after he arrived. Later, he went back to school and now works as the Beteyà Hostel reception manager. According to the article, 10 of the 14 employees working at the hostel are immigrants like Traoré. The hostel’s building served as the primary reception center for immigrants between 2015 to 2018.

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

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Hankyoreh – African migrants cultivate self-sufficiency on land once used by Sicilian Mafia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Migrants gain business skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Erasmus Day was held from Oct. 9-14 to showcase the numerous international experiences within the Erasmus+ program, the European Union’s program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Close to 70 Salesian educational centers in Spain participate in projects that fall under this program.

Erasmus+ has become a model for short- and long-term student mobility, teachers to cross share and learn new teaching methods, participation in seminars, projects with partners in other countries and more.

As part of the “Prep4Pro” (Preparation for ErasmusPro) project, schools in the Salesian Province of Mary Help of Christians have organized a virtual tour and created their own Erasmus Corner. Salesian Monzón and the Salesians Palma del Río have highlighted the educational work taking place at Salesian schools.

As a result of the program, students are gaining diverse experiences. Sergio Castrillo, an electrical and automatic systems student at the Padre Aramburu Center in Burgos, spent time in Poland. He said,  “I learned different qualities, such as how to find ways to understand other people, interact with people who speak a language different from mine, live with people I did not know, and get to know other cultures and customs. In addition, I entered a world of work different from the Spanish one. Something that helped me mature.”

María Juan Navarro, a teacher at the Estrecho Center in Madrid, participated in an international course in Finland. She explained, “From the training and methodologies shared between teachers from different countries and new tools applied in the classroom to improving teaching, the Erasmus teacher training program enriches teachers personally and professionally.”

Salesian educational centers in Spain have committed to participate in this international work. A Salesian in Avilés said, “It is part of the Salesian mission to increase the socio-economic inclusion of our young people and one of the ways we can do this is to offer international opportunities and experiences in our centers.”

Daniel Alonso, responsible for the international work at the Don Bosco Center in León, agreed. He said, “This type of activity is very important to learn new ways of working and to make an effective comparison between the working methods in the different centers and places of work. We encourage the entire educational community to participate in any of these experiences because we know that no one will be disappointed.”

Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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

ANS – Spain – Connected lives thanks to the European “Erasmus+” programme

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Students gain international experience first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education (CNOS-FAP) in Italy, which is a network of technical and vocational institutions, and Confindustria Moda, a federation that brings together companies and associations in the textile, fashion and accessories sector, have signed a three-year partnership to promote vocational training in the fashion and accessories industry in Italy and worldwide.

Salesians noted that according to estimates by the CENSIS Research Institute, 1.9 million workers will retire in Italy by 2030, 6% of whom are in the fashion and accessories industry. It is also estimated that at the same time there will be 1.3 million fewer students.

To address employer challenges in finding qualified staff, this new project will promote youth employment in the sector by providing high-quality vocational training. The goal is to attract youth to the field and develop pathways directly to employment.

The project will also focus on international exchange. The Salesian Don Bosco Tech network will facilitate the employment of youth in the fashion and accessories sector who are trained in Salesian schools in their countries.

“This agreement represents the opening of a new front for our Salesian mission,” said Father Giuliano Giacomazzi, director general of the CNOS-FAP. “With it, a strategic collaboration begins with the world of fashion and accessories, which is part of the process of enhancing the value of made in Italy. The hope is to offer girls and boys training and educational support that promises job opportunities and innovation.”

Ercole Botto Poala, president of Confindustria Moda, echoed these sentiments. “The challenge of training is particularly felt today in the fashion and accessories industry, a key driver of the Italian economy, due to the ever-increasing difficulty in finding professionals with the necessary skills in the market. With this collaboration, we are taking an important step forward to help companies in their daily challenges, while also contributing to the noble mission of the Salesians to promote fair integration.”

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

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ANS – Italy – Collaboration signed between Confindustria Moda and the Salesian CNOS-FAP Federation

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID supports migrant youth

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Youth to gain skills in fashion sector first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Society, located in Warsaw, Poland, has been awarded a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science to implement an Industry Skills Center in carpentry and upholstery for the furniture industry. The Salesian Vocational Special School in Różanystok will facilitate these courses. The grant further funds a center in the field of operation and maintenance of rail transportation at the Salesian Crafts Schools in the city of Łódź.

Salesians have the funding to construct a new educational building in Różanystok dedicated to these new courses. The building will be equipped with innovative machinery for vocational training. Additional equipment will be in the Mobile Education Center, which will make it possible to reach those students who cannot come to the center to learn.

The new center will be the only one in Poland that offers courses in this particular field in the furniture industry. All-Poland Chamber of Commerce of Furniture Manufacturers will be involved in the implementation of the project. The project demonstrates that cooperation between different stakeholders including schools, entrepreneurs, industry organizations, research institutes and universities is important in vocational education and for student success.

“We care for their intellectual and spiritual development of youth, but we also teach them a specific profession to introduce them as mature persons into a specific professional life,” said Father Tadeusz Jarecki, superior of the Salesian Society. “We want to develop students to have a sensitivity to ecological, sociological and ethical problems. In addition to skills training, the activities of the Industry Skill Centers will also include professional conferences and study trips to help students fully understand their newly chosen professions.”

Implementation of both projects will begin as early as 2023. The first courses and training at the Industry Skills Center will start as early as the end of 2024.

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ANS – Poland – The Warsaw Province awarded a grant to establish and operate centres for innovative vocational training

Salesian Missions

The post POLAND: Grant ensures new skills centers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Nearly 91,700 students are returning to classrooms at the 137 schools run by Salesian missionaries and Salesian sisters with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) in Spain. The students will be taught by more than 6,500 teachers.

In addition to primary and secondary schools, Salesians run professional training schools to ensure youth have more advanced education with the goal of finding and retaining employment. This school year, more than 16,100 youth will attend educational programs at 64 Salesian vocational training centers. These schools employ 1,300 teachers.

A Salesian said, “Salesian schools are committed to forming a global, critical, responsible and supportive citizenship. The aim is to encourage the development of students’ intelligence and skills through the adoption of successful educational methodologies such as cooperative learning, service learning, project work, effective thinking, emotional education strategies, and the use of information and communication technologies.”

He added, “Alongside these, there is also an urgent need to respond to the new educational needs of society. The presence of students from other cultures and origins, the new forms of youth poverty, the educational impact of “other schools” (friends, the environment, the media), and the insufficient family educational presence in many cases, create situations that require originality and creativity in educational action based on St. John Bosco’s Preventive System.”

To face all these challenges, Salesian schools continue to focus on ongoing professional education for teachers, who are starting the academic year with the hope of preparing their students for life.

Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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

ANS – Spain – It is time to return to the classroom for the 91,700 students of the Salesian schools

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Youth Center in Lviv, Ukraine*, has started soccer training for young soldiers who have returned from the front lines and were injured fighting in the war. These young men have lost limbs and are rising to the challenges of their new lives. The plan is to develop soccer training so that the team can be involved in national and world competitions.

A Salesian explained, “Unfortunately, the war is bringing pain and suffering to all Ukrainian people. Many of those who went off to defend their homeland have lost their lives. Those who have come home will face disabilities for the rest of their lives. Salesians want to support them and help them deal with a difficult period in their lives, as well as help them reintegrate into society.”

Salesians hope to one day build a youth sports center on a block of land they already own. The field will be used for various sports and would be available for everyone in the city to utilize. The sporting activities will be aimed at young ex-soldiers who have been injured as well as children who have suffered amputations and have disabilities due to the war. The center will be designed to be inclusive and easily accessible to all.

The goal is to find donors who want to help Salesians in these effort to support those injured in war. Once the building is constructed, Salesians will provide courses and activities so that young people can find a place where they always feel welcomed and where they can integrate and rehabilitate.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ukraine – Embracing integration and accompaniment: sport for the strongest of young people

Salesian Missions

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

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(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are continuing their efforts to help those in Ukraine* impacted by the ongoing war with Russia. Bombings have continued in western Ukraine in Lviv and in the east in Novohryhorivka, where Salesian efforts have become fundamental in the protection and support of the people.

In the early hours of July 6, an alarm sounded in Lviv announcing the danger of a Russian attack with missiles and drones. Several loud explosions rang out across the city, in what has been considered one of the heaviest attacks on western Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure since the start of the war. Salesian missionaries, who work here, mobilized to help those impacted and were left without anything.

The attack damaged about 35 buildings and 50 apartments, which were declared uninhabitable. Forty-eight people were injured and more than a dozen died in the attack. Salesians responded immediately with aid for those who had to seek accommodation in other residences and camps for displaced persons. Salesians also distributed hygiene products and organized a canteen where displaced people could go to eat.

“Salesians never back down and continually try to be in solidarity with their people, martyred and suffering because of this war, which unfortunately does not stop and continues to cause many innocent victims,” said Father Mykhaylo Chaban, Salesian superior of the Mary Help of Christians Greek-Catholic Rite Vice-Province of Ukraine.

In Novohryhorivka, a village still in grave danger, Salesian remain close to the people who are in need and are providing supplies and support. It is estimated that some 17.6 million people are in need of humanitarian support across the country, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). As of May 2023, 5.1 million people were internally displaced in the country and 6.2 million had fled as refugees.

“I call everyone who comes to us angels,” said Olena, one of the many residents of Novohryhorivka whose homes have been destroyed. “It’s only with the help of these volunteers that we can survive.”

Father Józef Nuckowski is one of these angels. He has been delivering food aid and supplies to people in Novohryhorivka, even though he lives and works about 13 hours from there. He said, “We want to bring aid as close as possible to the Russian border, where most villages are destroyed, homes have been burned and people live in overcrowded shelters. They are in great need of help and thanks to the solidarity of the Salesians from all over the world we are able to obtain and distribute this aid.”

Efforts are also being made to repair schools ahead of the winter.

In total, 66 Salesian organizations from five continents have supported more than 100 projects throughout Ukraine and others are in the pipeline. Salesians promise aid will continue until peace comes to Ukraine.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ukraine – 18 months after the start of the war, Salesian aid continues

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine Statistics

*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 UKRAINE: Salesians protect, support as war continues first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, Spain, has launched the “Dreaming without chains” campaign to help ensure youth have access to education. One in six children in the world is excluded from education. In the 2022 school year, more than 240 million children did not go to school, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Children are out of school for several reasons including poverty, child labor, early marriage, motherhood, violence and long distances to travel to school. Some of these children are enrolled in school but will not attend classes. Others will stop going because they have to work to contribute to the livelihood of their families. The quality of education available is also a rising concern. Teacher training is essential.

Part of the “Dream without chains” campaign includes the “Canillitas” documentary, which raises awareness about the struggles and dreams of child laborers. Raúl de la Fuente, an award-winning documentarian, filmed in the Dominican Republic. He will travel to five European cities and 12 Spanish cities with three of the youth featured in the film to share how education is a path to eradicating child labor.

In the documentary, six teenagers, Edwin, Cristóbal, Moisés, Achilles, Kioranny and Abril, live in very poor and dangerous neighborhoods and work as shoe-shiners, sell fruit, clean houses, and more just to survive.

Karen Montás, director of the Canillitas program with Don Bosco in the Dominican Republic, said, “From an early age, they were taught that working was not a bad thing because it formed character, helped the family economy, made them responsible and drove away the possibility of them becoming thieves.”

Salesian missionaries around the globe are focused on ensuring children understand their rights and are able to learn in are safe environments. The goal is to offer quality education so children can become agents of change in their lives and put an end to inequalities and injustices, building a better, more just and sustainable world.

One of the biggest challenges Salesians face is eradicating child labor. More than 160 million children work and are deprived of the opportunity to go to school. A Salesian social worker in Peru said, “Many children try to combine school and work to help their poor families, without being aware that their rights are being violated.”

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – This year, too, millions of children will not go to school and education for them will return to being a dream

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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