(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Nazareth, Israel, were able to provide scholarships and psychosocial support for youth thanks in part to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The project was funded through the Don Bosco Network with support given by several Salesian organizations including Salesian Missions.

Through the project, Salesians provide scholarships to 106 students who are enrolled at the Salesian School in Nazareth. They were also able to provide 78 hours of psychosocial support to 50 staff and around 170 young students (grades 1-6) affected by war and unrest in the area.

The scholarships were provided to students, including 39 female students, in the form of school fee deductions. The students are from families severely impacted by the broader socio-economic challenges affecting the Arab community in Israel, many of whom experienced job loss, business closures and reduced income as a result of the conflict.

To most effectively provide the psychosocial support, Salesians utilized a train the trainer model to train the school staff and teachers, focusing on psychosocial awareness and support strategies for students affected by conflict. The training consisted of three sessions, each lasting two hours, and aimed to equip educators with practical tools to recognize and respond to signs of emotional distress, anxiety, and trauma in students.

A Salesian explained, “The sessions covered topics such as the psychological impact of war on children, creating trauma-sensitive classrooms, effective communication techniques and educator self-care. Through interactive activities and group discussions participants enhanced their understanding and developed practical approaches to apply in their classrooms. The training empowered teachers and staff to serve as peer leaders within the school, promoting a supportive and resilient learning environment for all students.”

Two psychologists were also brought in to provide direct psychological support. The psychologists helped students address a range of mental health concerns, with a focus on trauma-related conditions such as anxiety, depression and emotional distress. The sessions enabled students to process their emotions, develop coping mechanisms and regain a sense of normalcy.

The Salesian noted, “Through this multifaceted support, Salesians not only prevented student dropouts during an incredibly difficult time but also fostered a more resilient school community, better equipped to handle future challenges.”

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Salesian Missions

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(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Nazareth are responding to the unique challenges faced by Arab communities in Israel, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict since Oct. 7, 2023, which has led to increasing levels of fear, anxiety and depression among youth. To focus on these urgent needs, the Salesians have launched two key programs.

A Salesian explained, “Although in principle, legal rights are the same for all Israeli citizens, almost all cities and villages inhabited by Arabs offer significantly poorer living conditions. These communities face numerous challenges, including lower levels of formal education and a range of socio-economic problems. The Christian population is mainly concentrated in the northern district and in Haifa and Nazareth where the Salesian community is located, which has a population of almost 30,000 inhabitants.”

The first initiative is a scholarship program designed to assist 105 disadvantaged students, offering tuition deductions. This program directly addresses the economic hardships faced by many families in war-affected Arab communities. By alleviating financial burdens, the initiative aims to reduce dropout rates and ensure that students can continue their education despite the hardships of their families.

The second initiative focuses on improving psycho-social support within educational settings during the conflict. This includes training 50 school staff and teachers on effective strategies to support students during the war, as well as the involvement of 100 children and adolescents in psycho-social activities such as psychological workshops and expert-led sessions on religious and spiritual guidance. This program will provide psychological support for 655 school students, tackling the significant repercussions on mental health in prolonged conflict including anxiety, depression, anger and sadness.

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

ANS – Israel – Nazareth Salesians launch initiatives to support children and young people during the ongoing conflict

Salesian Missions

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“Here in Bethlehem, where Christians make up 33 percent of the population (about 12,000 people), our centers are attended by young Christians and Muslims (in the majority) and people of both religions work there. Coexistence has always been good and relationships of sincere friendship have been born,” said Father Piergiorgio Gianazza, vice-provincial of the Salesian Province of the Middle East in a recent Vatican Insider World News article.

The Salesian Bakery is a historical institution in Bethlehem. The bakery, staffed by both Muslims and Christians working in harmony, produces food for the children in the orphanage, teaches baking as a profession and provides food assistance to those most in need through the free distribution of bread to the poorest families. The bakery employs six people and produces close to 3,000 loaves of bread every day. During the Second Intifada the bakery became very well known to the citizens in need during the crises.

“Our bread oven managed to provide bread to everyone, sometimes even for free. I remember that it would work uninterruptedly day and night,” added Fr. Piergiorgio in the article. “Since then, most of the population buys bread here and about 120 needy families (which we take care of) receive our products at a symbolic monthly price. I am pleased that in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means “bread house”, there is a bakery that feeds the population and helps the most vulnerable people. It nourishes the bonds between Christians and Muslims.”

Salesian missionaries also offer a Salesian Technical School. The school has 150 boys aged 15 to 18 who are working toward three-year technical and professional degrees in subjects including mechanics, electricity, electronics, mechatronics and industrial electronics. After graduates successfully complete a program, they are provided assistance finding meaningful employment.

The Salesian Professional Training Center offers 12 intensive courses each lasting one year. Currently, there are 160 young men aged 18 to 30 years attending the training center. The center’s goal is to meet the training needs of a large number of youth who for various reasons have left school prematurely. For young professionals who need to update their specialization, the center offers continuing education classes. Courses include carpentry, auto mechanics, mechatronics, electricity, industrial electronics and ceramics.

“Faculty and staff at the professional and technical schools are open and sensitive to the variety of religions represented in the area and encourage professional training for even the most disadvantaged populations,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Education has proven to be an effective means to break the cycle of poverty while giving the most vulnerable youth a sense of personal dignity and self-worth.”

The Salesian Artistic Center of Bethlehem is the only school in Palestine that offers formal training in the traditional handicrafts of olive wood, mother of pearl and ceramics. Students are urged to invent new and creative crafts and iconography to be produced with traditional materials and instruments. The art center works to create job opportunities for young craftsmen. To help art center graduates enter the job market, Salesian missionaries help with the donation of tools and machinery and the setting up of small workshops and microcredit facilities. For many students, this support has allowed them to overcome traditional obstacles faced when setting up a small business.

Bethlehem, a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank just south of Jerusalem, has a population close to 25,000 people and an economy that is primarily tourist driven. According to UNICEF, poverty in Palestinian territories including the West Bank, Gaza and Bethlehem varies district to district. Along the Gaza strip, poverty rates have risen as high as 60 percent with residents relying on food assistance from the United Nations. Over half of the population of Palestine is under the age of 18 and children in the region grow up amid frequent outbreaks of street violence sparked by ongoing political turmoil.

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ANS –  Israel – Bethlehem and that bread oven that brings Christians and Muslims together

Salesians in Bethlehem

UNICEF – Bethlehem Poverty

Vatican Insider World News – Bethlehem and that bread oven that brings Christians and Muslims together

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Wine production at the Cremisan Salesian Monastery and Winery provides work for close to 20 families in the area and sustains the education and social development activities of the Salesians in the Holy Land.

The new oil-press was made possible by a collaboration between VIS, Stefano Cimicchi, the former Mayor of Orvieto in Umbria, Italy, Paulo Morbidoni, Vice President of the “Oil City” Association, and the Farchioni family, owners of an important oil-mill in Umbria. Renato Rondina, the owner of a factory by the same name that operates in north Umbria, has been named a benefactor along with the Rapanelli Company Foligno, famous for olive-oil extraction expertise. These resources have provided technical and organizational support in setting up the oil-mill.

The Salesian community in Bethlehem can now rely on the modern mill which can crush the approximately five hundred quintals of olives produced each year at Cremisan. The new mill provides hope that olive culture activities will be at excellent performance levels and produce quality oil.

This initiative is part of the project to revive the Cremisan Winery, a project which began in 2008, thanks to the efforts of VIS together with Dr. Cimicchi and winemaker Riccardo Cotarella.

The proceeds from the sale of the Cremisan wines are used to provide scholarships for disadvantaged youth and to support the Salesian training school which has taken the place of an old orphanage. In Cremisan, the Salesian Sisters manage a kindergarten, a primary school and a youth center. The Salesians have been present in Cremisan, serving the local population since 1891.

“The oil-mill directly benefits the workers in the Cremisan Winery and local farmers, given the increased volume of production and sales,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Mission, the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Revenue from the cellar will cover the cost of training activities and the production of bread, impacting students attending Salesian educational centers and poor families who receive free bread from the oven run by the Salesians in Bethlehem,” adds Fr. Hyde.

A recent YouTube video clip shows the Cremisan oil-mill already in operation.

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ANS – Israel – A Cremisan oil-press

UNICEF – Israel statistics

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