SYRIA

New center is Salesians’ second in the city

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have opened a new Don Bosco Center in Jaramana, a multicultural neighborhood in the capital city of Damascus, Syria*. This is the second center that Salesians have opened in the city, highlighting their commitment to serving vulnerable youth.

The opening ceremony was attended by numerous families and friends of the Salesian community. Father Simon Zakarian, provincial, and Father Edwar Gibran, director of the community, welcomed the guests and emphasized the importance of this new center as “a new light for the youth of the area.”

The new Don Bosco Center offers a variety of spaces designed for the different ages and needs. There is a study area for university students to have a peaceful and stimulating environment that encourages study, academic preparation and sharing. There are rooms for after school programs for younger youth that will promote the development of academic skills and human values.

There are also classrooms equipped for vocational training, with courses for English language, accounting and electricity. Youth will be able to develop skills that will lead to jobs in the current marketplace. Once completed, they will have access to concrete tools to explore those job prospects.

A Salesian noted, “With so many young people in Jaramana, this center is not simply a building, but a concrete response to the daily needs of young people and families. Our mission remains to serve youth through educational, pastoral and formative paths that sow hope and build the future.”

The Salesian added, “While the region is marked by the tensions and difficulties, for many young people, often tested by the uncertainties of the present, this Salesian center will be a place where they can experience closeness and rediscover that they are not alone on their journey towards the future.”

Salesian centers in Syria are providing youth a safe haven and a place where they can continue to cultivate their dreams and their faith through education and support. Salesian centers are located in Aleppo, Damascus and Kafroun.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

ANS – Syria – Second Don Bosco Centre inaugurated in Damascus

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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesians are continuing their work with youth in Syria* in the face of the challenging security situation in the country. Salesian projects for youth provide a ray of hope in the midst of continuing insecurity and violence. In Damascus, Aleppo and Kafroun, joint summer activities were offered to 2,200 youth.

“In times of great uncertainty, our centers are places of hope for children and young people. It is our task to offer them a future perspective in spite of all dangers, because every young person deserves to grow up in peace and security,” explained Father Simon Zakerian, superior of the Salesians in the Middle East, in a statement released by the Austrian Salesian Mission Office, Don Bosco Mission Austria.

This summer, Salesians continually assessed the security and sometimes had to amend or cancel programs for the safety of all. After the attack on the Mar Elias church in Damascus in June, in which more than 25 people were killed, the summer programs in Damascus were suspended. Programs resumed in mid-July with strict security measures. Summer activities continued after a brief interruption in Aleppo and Kafroun, but large-scale group activities such as summer camps were replaced by smaller, safer activities nationwide.

The Salesian Mission Office in Vienna has been supporting the educational and development programs of the Salesians in Syria for many years. Salesian Brother Günter Mayer, director general of Don Bosco Mission Austria, added, “In the face of a situation in Syria that remains dramatic, the commitment of our confreres and local staff is even more impressive. Education, a sense of community and trust are key to rebuilding a peaceful society.”

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

ANS – Syria – Help and hope from the Salesians in the midst of the crisis. Also ‘Don Bosco Mission Austria’ in support of young Syrians

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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesians were able to help support children at two orphanages in Aleppo, Syria*, thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Both an Armenian orphanage housing 30 children and a Muslim orphanage hosting 50 children, aged 6-18, were supported through the ongoing project.

Volunteers engaged the children in activities such as sports and games, cultural and educational sessions, psychological workshops, interactive theater performances, and a carnival day. Children also had access to individual counseling sessions to begin or continue therapeutic support in a safe, confidential setting. Each child was also taken to choose a new pair of shoes.

Orphanages in Aleppo are critically under-resourced and face overwhelming challenges including overcapacity, staffing shortages, and limited funding to meet even the most basic needs of the children.

A Salesian noted, “The Orphan Project represented a powerful humanitarian initiative that delivered essential care and emotional support to orphaned children in Aleppo — regardless of their religion, background or community. Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis and socioeconomic instability in the region, this project has served as a beacon of hope, offering these children not only essential resources but also dignity, love and belonging.”

The program was led by Salesian Cooperators, who spent time engaging with the children. A dedicated team of approximately 50 volunteers handled planning, preparation, implementation and follow-up.

Maria Keshishian, aged 10, has been living in the Armenian orphanage in Aleppo since she was 5. She said, “Living in the orphanage sometimes feels like we live far from the rest of the world — where not many people remember us or know what our lives are like. But something changed when the Salesian Cooperators came to visit us. They didn’t come just to entertain us. They came with open hearts and warm smiles. From the moment they arrived, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. I felt seen, heard and truly cared for.”

Mohammad Al-Ahmad, aged 11, has lived in the orphanage for six years. He explained what he liked best about the Salesian visit. “One of the coolest things was when they taught us fun dances that we all did together. It wasn’t just about the steps, it was about feeling connected and being part of something joyful.”

Salesian centers in Syria are providing youth a safe haven and a place where they can continue to cultivate their dreams and their faith through education and support. Salesian centers are located in Aleppo, Damascus and Kafroun.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian center in Aleppo, Syria* continues to provide education and social development programs for youth even during the most challenging of times. The center provides an array of services year-round for youth who are poor and at risk so that they can learn and engage with others.

In the winter, youth come to the center on Fridays to play, learn and have fun together while meeting new friends and educators. Salesians offer sports education including basketball, soccer and volleyball for different groups. The sports are held two days a week and provide youth with a chance to spend time playing and building confidence. Christian education is held for children and youth aged 7-18.

Salesians also hold special meetings for families offering educational workshops and entertainment. Undergraduate students come together every Thursday to discuss important topics like university life. In addition, Salesians offer an after-school program for youth in second to the ninth grade. The students are taught and supervised by university youth who are prepared to teach, so children who need help are supported academically.

In the summer, Salesians offer education for volunteers who run the summer camps. High school youth are selected and go through volunteer training. They connect with older volunteers and learn the skills needed to support younger youth in summer camp activities.

A Salesian explained, “Every day of the week during the summer, there are activities for youth. The goal is to keep them engaged and give them a respite from the challenges they face in their communities. There are times for playing, learning crafts, trips, activities, and special days to swim. With all its rich and varied offerings all year round, the Salesian center remains an oasis of education, peace, reconciliation and development for thousands of youth.”

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

ANS – RMG – Social works that bring Don Bosco to life today: the Salesian house in Aleppo

Salesian Missions

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

The post SYRIA: Salesians continue programs for youth in challenging times first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Don Bosco Network and the Middle East Planning and Development office report that the Salesian emergency response to the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria* resulted in 30 projects supported by 27 Salesian organizations. The 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria on Feb. 8, 2023. In its wake, 14 million people were affected and 1.5 million people were left homeless, according to the United Nations. The earthquake killed close to 55,000 people in the two countries.

Salesians quickly responded to the devastation. Father Simon Zakerian, Middle East provincial, explained, “One of the most beautiful things that happened was the correspondence that involved the whole congregation including all the Salesian centers and mission offices. They all came together to support the emergency response. This provided a sense of family, trust and joy despite the suffering for all those impacted, especially the youth. They felt supported by so many brothers and sisters who were thinking of them in prayer and who offered material and psychological support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Father Alejandro León, the provincial at the time, was making the canonical visit in Syria and coordinated the emergency efforts directly, which allowed Salesians to mobilize funds immediately. In his message in February 2023, Fr. León shared, “It’s been three very difficult days. The first night 300 people were here to sleep, the second night it was 420 and now, as of nine o’clock in the evening, more than 500 people are seeking asylum. We are welcoming everyone.”

In addition to the quick mobilization of funds, there were many in-kind donations from the Syrian people in Damascus, who despite having almost nothing, shared their goods with their brothers and sisters in Aleppo and Kafroun. This meant that international funds lasted even longer and that joint efforts had a bigger impact in reaching more victims.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Syria – A crisis within a crisis: Salesian Emergency Response after the Earthquake in Syria

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Salesian emergency response to 2023 earthquake included 30 projects first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian centers in Syria* are providing youth a safe haven and a place where they can continue to cultivate their dreams and their faith through education and support. Salesian centers are located in Aleppo, Damascus and Kafroun.

A Salesian said, “In a country devastated by years of war, young Syrians stand as symbols of resilience and hope. Despite the countless difficulties that surround them, they show a surprising skill and intelligence and an ability to face daily challenges with determination and a spirit of sacrifice. Syria, with its destroyed political and social landscape, may seem a place where the future is uncertain and prospects are scarce, but young people, despite living in physical and emotional ruins, manage to build spaces of hope and give value to the present.”

The path for these youth has been fraught with challenges. The war, which began in 2011, was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The earthquake in February 2023 left behind a long trail of destruction. It collapsed houses and left areas with no infrastructure and an economic crisis. Economic difficulties are one of the most serious challenges for young Syrians, who often have to choose between working to contribute to family sustenance or continuing to study. High costs, a lack of job opportunities and an unstable political context make it almost impossible to plan for a peaceful future.

The Salesian noted, “Young Syrians show a great capacity for adaptation and an extraordinary desire to get involved. Several of them excel in their studies, despite the precarious conditions in which they find themselves living. Others try to find a way to earn a living. They are finding creative solutions to complex problems, from managing daily life to surviving in extremely difficult conditions. Many of these boys and girls see education as a way to build a better future, and, despite the economic difficulties, they invest every resource to continue their education.”

The Salesian added, “Despite the ambiguity of the future and the uncertainty that surrounds them, young Syrians try to give quality to today’s experience. They know that while they have no control over what happens tomorrow, they can positively influence the present. Through small daily actions — mutual help, study, commitment to work and community — they seek to build a better today for themselves and for others.”

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

ANS – Syria – Young Syrians: talent, difficulties and hope in a war-torn land

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Youth focus on education as path toward future first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian centers in Aleppo, Damascus and Kafroun, Syria*, are offering summer camp for more than 3,400 youth, aged 9-17. The camps run for a month and a half with the theme “Don Bosco World.” The camps are a much-needed respite for youth during the midst of the difficult economic and social situation in the country, due to war and the devastating earthquake that occurred last year.

During the camps, youth will participate in recreation, sports, excursions, theater and educational lessons. The camps are led by young university students who have been involved in Salesian youth centers, as well as parents. These volunteers have spent months preparing the activities for this year’s camps.

“Children and young people have the opportunity to have fun, learn and even overcome their traumas. It is a great source of hope for all of them,” said Rania, one of the students responsible for summer activities in Aleppo.

Due to the high temperatures, the camps begin in the later afternoon and continue until the evening. The recreational activities take place every week, including trips to the pool and excursions in the mountains.

“These summer camps provide hope that goes straight to the heart and is reflected on their faces, which is needed because their family situations are unsustainable with very low salaries and inflation that does not allow you to buy much,” explained Joseph, one of the head of activities in Damascus.

The biggest expenses for these camps are those related to transport. Salesians have five buses in Aleppo, three buses in Damascus and eight minibuses in Kafroun that pick up most of the participants every day from the areas farthest from the city.

Mateo, a volunteer, said, “If we did not offer the transportation, they would not come. The distances are too great and the costs too high, but that is why we do everything so that they do not lack anything and are able to enjoy the oasis of peace in the summer.”

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

ANS – Syria – A carefree summer for Syrian children, thanks to the Don Bosco World Salesian camp

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Summer camps provide hope, normalcy to youth facing adversity first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Close to 220 people in Aleppo, Syria,* were provided critical cardiovascular medical care thanks to support provided by Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. These patients were impacted by the February 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

The patients who were supported needed life-saving surgeries and medical care. This project enabled 20 patients to access the surgery they needed. Other patients were able to access follow-up medical appointments, testing and medications.

Edwar Nakouz, the father of two children, received surgery and necessary medical care. He was in desperate need of surgery and was dealing with pain and illness every day, which impacted his quality of life. The financial cost of those surgeries was prohibitive. He said, “Since the onset of the illness I dealt with immense physical and psychological pain. I found myself trapped between the walls of the disease and a constant state of disability. I drew strength from within to face challenges and move forward steadfastly, I always lived in pain and hardship, but I never lost hope.”

Before the earthquake, Syria’s health care system was already overwhelmed due to the prolonged conflict in the country, which caused more than 230,000 civilian deaths, including 30,007 children between March 2011-2023. After the earthquake, it risked a complete collapse in some impacted areas. The World Health Organization’s 2022 Health Emergency Appeal reported that Syria recorded close to 45% of all deaths as being related to non-communicable diseases, which include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease. Cardiovascular disease alone accounts for 25% of all deaths.

Widad Zalkaba was another beneficiary of the project. She faced significant physical challenges with pain in her eyes. She had to continuously take medication and undergo regular surgical procedures to preserve her vision.

Zalkaba described the situation for many families in Aleppo. “Today, we are facing significant challenges in bearing the costs of living in these difficult conditions. Many people find it difficult to secure food and provide basic health care and medications. Families also struggle to afford necessities such as clothing and housing. The cost of medical care, in particular, can be extremely difficult, even impossible, to bear. Unfortunately, there are families in Aleppo who cannot even afford the consultation fees to see a doctor, despite their pain, as they need to save every bit of money for food.”

Zalkaba’s family faced similar financial difficulties. She added, “My family has been struggling with difficult financial circumstances like many families in Aleppo, making it impossible for us to afford the expenses of these surgical procedures and the purchase of necessary medication. However, with the presence of the Salesian fathers, everything changed. They are second family for us and did not hesitate to assist us in any possible way.”

Salesians have been in Syria since 1948. They work in Damascus, Aleppo, and Kafroun and have remained through the war. Since the outbreak of the war, Salesian centers have played an important role in providing monthly assistance and emergency financial assistance to about 300 families, of which about half were displaced. At the same time, the three centers have continued and gradually expanded socio-recreational, spiritual, and educational activities. Their centers have seen a rise of about 500 children to over 1,200 currently attending the centers.

While the Salesians in the country do not manage any formal schools or training centers, they offer a structured remedial education and school support program for youth in need through scholarships, after-school activities, tutoring classes and related activities. To offer youth livelihood opportunities going beyond financial assistance, an employment and youth entrepreneurship support program was launched in 2019.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) More than 3,500 youth are being supported by Salesians in Aleppo, Damascus and Kafroun, Syria*. Almost 13 years after the start of the war and 11 months after the earthquake that hit Aleppo, the devaluation of the currency, poverty, unemployment and despair has increased among adults and children.

“In October 2023, we started the new pastoral year and winter activities, and in Aleppo alone we have more than 1,500 children. They participate in oratory, formation and catechesis activities,” explained Mateo Colmenares, a volunteer in Aleppo. “We are also providing economic aid to families in need, including vouchers for solar panels, food and help with reconstruction after the earthquake.”

Syria is undergoing a severe economic devaluation. The Syrian lira has devalued by more than 100% in the last year, salaries are not enough to buy the basics to live and houses do not have electricity.

Colmenares said, “We’re bringing light in times of darkness and difficulty. Salesians never stop supporting young people despite very complicated situations, and together we try to open up new perspectives to reach more and more people.”

However, youth are still facing the realities of war with the conflict in Gaza seen in everyday life. In the early days of the war, those attending the Salesian oratory could see bursts of gunfire streak across the sky toward Gaza.

“Younger children were crying and scared. The older ones, aged 16 to 17, who remember the worst part of the war in Syria, went about their normal lives and didn’t notice anything. When these things happen, we began saying the rosary in the courtyard,” said Colmenares.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

Colmenares added, “So much has been destroyed by the war and the earthquake. Children are still recovering but many see little hope for the future. As we start a new year, Salesians are asking for an end to the violence and for help from all over the world to continue supporting the victims.”

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

ANS – Syria – Salesians in the country: hope in the midst of difficulties for the little ones and their families

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: 3,500 youth supported by Salesian centers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Aleppo, Syria,* continue to support local youth after the country’s 12 years of civil war and in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023.

In the immediate aftermath, Salesians opened the doors to Don Bosco House, and hundreds of people found security, companionship and relief. Five months after the earthquake, Father Alejandro León, superior of the Salesian Adolescent Jesus Province of the Middle East, reflected on what he experienced and what the country continues to need, as well as extended his gratitude for all those who have provided support.

Fr. León said, “One sentence I heard made me think. I entered a formation meeting with a group of teenagers aged 15-16. I don’t know what topic they were discussing, but one girl said, ‘Here we were taught to see the glass half full, rather than half empty, but the problem is that our glass is not only empty, it’s really broken.’ The sentence may seem to be exaggerated, or an outburst after the experience of the earthquake. However, I  do not share this, but there is something in it that makes me reflect and empathize with the existential situation of these young people.”

Fr. León noted everything these youth have been through in their young lives. “They are young people who have no recollection of life without war. They have lived for years without electricity, without water, with scarcity of food and fuel. They have lived in a besieged city and have feared attacks with chemical weapons or missiles. They all mourn a family member who died during the war and live in constant economic depression. They have experienced cholera epidemics and the COVID-19 epidemic. What now? A large earthquake and other earthquakes, at least four, that exceeded 6 on the Richter scale.”

It was 4:17 a.m. on Feb. 6 when the earth shook. Immediately, the courtyard of Don Boco House filled with people seeking safety. There was anxiety and uncertainty. Father Mario Murru, rector, assured them from the outset that the Salesian house would be open for all those who needed it. At lunchtime, there were already 50 people in the house, and by dinner, there were 300. This number grew steadily in the following days to reach 500 people. On Feb. 21 another strong earthquake renewed fear, and 800 people found shelter at Don Bosco House.

Youth in the region had been attending programs at Don Bosco House for years. They were involved in youth camps and were familiar with the Salesians. Through their own training, they were natural leaders in the emergency, helping their families and neighbors. Fr. Murru said, “It was moving to see the respect that the adults paid to young people. Not because they were designated authorities, but because of the moral authority acquired through their generous service.”

He added, “Love has made us overcome barriers that none of us could have imagined. For the love of children, for the love of parents, for the love of friends, for the love of God. At a time when there was no reason to hope for anything, they found people to fight for with hope and everyone, rich and poor, became needy and shared what they had.”

Almost 2.4 million euro was raised by Salesians around the globe for emergency projects in the aftermath of the earthquake. In June, most of those emergency projects concluded to make room for reconstruction, educational projects, and summer camps for children and older youth affected by the earthquake.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

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

ANS – Syria – Ongoing humanitarian emergency five months after the earthquake

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Youth find support through war, earthquakes first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco House in Aleppo opened their doors to those in need after the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria* four months ago. Today, thousands of people are still living on the streets. Buildings that once might have been strong enough to withstand the quake had previously suffered decay due to 12 years of civil war in the country.

Funding of almost 2.4 million euro was raised by Salesians around the globe for emergency projects in the aftermath of the earthquake. In June, most of those emergency projects concluded to make room for reconstruction, educational projects, and summer camps for children and older youth affected by the earthquake.

One Salesian missionary in Aleppo said, “The situation is calmer now. The need is still great, but in these months we have helped many people. Emergency projects will end this month to make room for reconstruction and other educational and care projects for children and young people. We continue to work on providing psychological assistance and helping them overcome trauma.”

People’s suffering has been compounded by the earthquake and the devastating consequences of the war. Mateo Colmenares, a young Salesian volunteer stationed in Aleppo, explained, “In Syria we find ourselves in a situation of critical poverty due to the war and the earthquake. The basic salary in the country is 150,000 lira (55 euro), but two hours of light a day for a week costs 100,000 Syrian lira.”

The emergency aid projects included hosting nearly 800 people at the Salesian Center in Aleppo and the distribution of daily food in remote villages during Ramadan.

Salesian funding also repaired damaged houses and provided academic assistance to youth, as well as supported people with vouchers for food, electricity and basic necessities. More than 220 families received a monthly economic voucher, 116 families received a single voucher for electricity and another 220 families received vouchers for other purchases. Engineers and laborers helped 40 families with reconstruction of their homes.

Colmenares detailed additional health and education support,“We helped 300 families with the purchase of medicines and another 100 people with health advice from cardiologists and ophthalmologists. We have also provided school assistance to children between 10 and 16 years of age thanks to our youth centers, helped 900 children and university students to pay school fees, and supported 600 children in obtaining school supplies.”

Thanks to an agreement with a shoe factory, Salesians also distributed 800 pairs of shoes through a voucher for people in need. The aid extended beyond Aleppo. Salesians provided food to 300 people in Kafroun and are currently distributing 450 vouchers for the local market.

In the coming months, Salesians will be facilitating summer camps for more than 1,000 children. The camps are designed to help youth overcome psychological trauma, and Salesians will provide free transport, food, snacks and teaching materials.

Even after all these efforts, Salesians have no intention of slowing down. They reported, “We will continue with educational projects and give priority to teaching languages, because 90% of young people leave the country — boys, to avoid military service, which can be indefinite and take them to war and girls because they do not have professional opportunities in Syria.”

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

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

ANS – Syria – Salesian aid in Syria since the earthquake last February has reached thousands of families

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Salesians highlight emergency aid after earthquake first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Damascus are preparing summer activities to help nearly 2,000 youth overcome the trauma caused by the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake that impacted Turkey and Syria. More than three months later, the situation has not improved significantly. The war’s aftermath, along with the economic and social crisis the country is experiencing, has greatly impacted all. Many children see no hope for the future.

The earthquake worsened the health situation in the country, which was already dire due to the war. Cases of cholera, scabies, diarrhea, hepatitis and measles have been detected. Due to a shortage of doctors and infrastructure, the only solution is care at private hospitals, which is inaccessible to most. According to the United Nations, more than 9,000 buildings collapsed in Syria, and as many are uninhabitable. It has been estimated that 8.8 million people need emergency assistance.

On the front lines in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Salesians provided shelter, food and emergency aid. Salesian solidarity worldwide has raised more than 2 million euros for the emergency. All the projects for which these funds were raised are currently running successfully and benefiting hundreds of youth and their families.

Now, Salesians are turning their efforts to more long-term recovery, including helping youth overcome stress and trauma through sports and recreational activities. One of these activities is holding summer camps for youth between the ages of 8 and 18. The camps will take place at Salesian centers in Damascus and Kafroun and include transportation, food and all materials.

A study by Mariam Ghosn, a psychologist working with the Salesians in Aleppo, shows that 85% of youth need psychological support and that by participating in group activities and therapy, they can heal the trauma caused by the earthquake.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Their work continues now even in the face of additional tragedy.

Sources:

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

ANS – Syria – To overcome earthquake trauma, Salesians take action with summer camps

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Camps help youth impacted by earthquake first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been working in Aleppo, Syria*, long before the war started 12 years ago. They have continued their support even in the face of difficulties, challenged even more by the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey.

Salesians have resumed activities for 1,100 youth at the Salesian youth center and stepped up to help those impacted by the earthquake. One Salesian said, “We are trying to return to normalcy, but we are still in waiting mode. People fear another big earthquake and there are thousands of people who still cannot return to their homes.” Salesians are dealing with the emergency, distributing food and fuel vouchers, and offering free technical assistance to monitor structural damage to buildings.

Jamil was sleeping on the 11th floor of his building with his parents and siblings when the earthquake struck. He recounted, “I don’t know how we made it down all the floors, but we made it to safety. It took weeks before we could return home and we stayed with the Salesians. Now, even though we have returned, my father cannot sleep. He had trouble breathing and his heart was pounding, so now he sleeps in a small store where he works.”

The earthquake worsened the health situation in the country, which was already dire due to the war. Cases of cholera, scabies, diarrhea, hepatitis and measles have been detected. Due to a shortage of doctors and infrastructure, the only solution is care at private hospitals, which is inaccessible to most. According to the United Nations, more than 9,000 buildings have collapsed in Syria, and as many are uninhabitable. It has been estimated that 8.8 million people need emergency assistance.

To cope with the trauma, Salesians in Damascus have provided psychosocial support and training for young Salesian volunteers. Mateo Colmenares, a Salesian volunteer in Aleppo, explained, “The initiative has been wonderful for the young people. This was the first time we were all well rested and had slept well after the earthquake. It was also a time for us to recharge our batteries to continue helping those in need during the Holy Week.”

Colmenares noted even though people have left the Salesian center and returned home, Salesians are still supporting them. “In the first weeks of March, all the people hosted by us returned to their homes or to temporary rented housing. Every 20 days, we continue to help by distributing vouchers for food, hygiene products and fuel to 200 families. For those who fear their homes are still unsafe, we have offered qualified engineers to assess the damage so they can receive financial assistance for rehabilitation.”

Salesians also installed solar panels at the Don Bosco House in Aleppo so that they are not dependent on fuel and generators during the 22 hours a day when there is no power. Salesians will initiate another project to provide medical care and support to more than 200 people whose cardiovascular health has deteriorated due to the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

These initiatives are being supported by Salesian organizations around the globe. So far, 1.8 million euros have been donated. The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid has provided 400,000 euros earmarked for emergency aid and education in Aleppo, shelter at the Salesian house in Kafroun, installation of solar panels, and reconstruction projects to be implemented in the coming months.

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ANS – Syria – Two months after earthquake, thousands of people in Aleppo are living Holy Week unable to re-enter their homes

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) March 15 marked 12 years since the war in Syria* began. The conflict has killed at least 580,000 people with 13 million Syrians displaced and 6.7 million refugees forced to flee the country, according to UNHCR – the United Nations Refugee Agency. More than 11 million people in the country urgently need humanitarian assistance to survive, including 6.5 million minors.

“There is no work, no electricity, fuel is very expensive and money is worthless,” said Father Alejandro León, provincial superior of the Salesians of the Middle East. “The population is discouraged. There is a generation of minors who know only war, and many young people who have lived most of their lives amid violence are thinking of leaving the country.”

Fr. León added, “Adolescents in our Salesian centers have been educated in the culture of peace and hope, to always see the glass half full. However, many of them openly say that the problem now is that the glass is broken and they do not see a future for themselves and their families.”

In Syria today, every family has a loved one to mourn because of the war. Fr. León explained, “Even in our oratories and youth centers we have suffered from the deaths of minors, youth leaders, and their families due to the bombs on Damascus and Aleppo. Youth are left with a decision — to leave the country in search of a future away from Syria or to stay with their parents and wait for peace to contribute to reconstruction.”

Moreover, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 has complicated an already dangerous situation for people. Buildings had been weakened from the bombings and more than 100,000 collapsed. There are 1.5 million people homeless and 5.4 million individuals dependent on emergency aid. More than 6,000 Syrians died in the quake.

The Salesian center in Kafroun took in more than 370 people during the worst years of the war and is now also welcoming those displaced by the earthquake. In Aleppo, the city hardest hit by the war and now the earthquake, Salesians are running an educational project. In recent weeks, nearly 800 people have been housed at the city’s Don Bosco House after the earthquake.

In Damascus, close to 1,200 youth are benefiting from Salesian work. In the Jaramana neighborhood, apartments have been rented to give lessons to children so that they do not have to move too far to pursue their studies. Salesians are also planning a large youth center in the area.

Through the years, Salesians have kept their doors open to meet the needs of youth in their local communities. From 2012 to 2018, 250 families in Aleppo, 120 in Damascus and 30 in Kafroun received monthly financial assistance. From 2012 to 2014, Salesian housed 70 people from Aleppo who were displaced by the war in Kafroun. In addition, from 2019 to 2022, close to 200 youth received business promotion courses and some of them were helped with the initial investment of their businesses. Youth were also provided with refresher and remedial courses.

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ANS – Syria – The country experiences another sad anniversary of the outbreak of war, with added devastation from the earthquake

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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 SYRIA: Salesians highlight ongoing efforts first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Two weeks after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria*, killing more than 47,000 people, another powerful 6.4 magnitude quake triggered panic in the impacted areas. Thousands of people took to the streets, seeking shelter. More than 750 sought shelter at the Don Bosco Center in Aleppo.

“In Aleppo, we felt the earthquake very strongly. All the people took to the streets with so many nightmares still in their heads and so much fear,” said Father Pier Jabloyan, delegate of social communication of the Salesian Middle East Adolescent Jesus Province.

Many people have nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep in Aleppo. Salesian missionaries, who have been serving those in Syria since the beginning of the war, are doing their best to help earthquake victims with shelter, food, warm clothes, blankets and more. Focused first on providing shelter and immediate support, the goal was to turn their attention to long-term need. With this new quake, it’s like starting over again.

Fr. Jabloyan added, “The difficulty is that now the Salesian center is overloaded with people. We have difficulty getting mattresses, blankets and food. We were not prepared for so many and we were only equipped for 400 people.”

Father Alejandro León, provincial superior of the province, explained that people felt added trauma with this new quake. “When the first earthquake happened, the one in the early morning hours, the families were together and sleeping, but with this aftershock, the fear and uncertainty were compounded by not knowing the location of children, parents, or the rest of the family.”

The goal is to help people not only with immediate needs but also support the psychological trauma people have faced. Fr. Jabloyan explained, “We see great fear in the eyes of children, youth and their families. It is felt even more strongly now with the aftershock.”

Even though supplies are stretched thin, Salesian will continue to serve people in Aleppo. Fr. León said, “Amid pain, panic and uncertainty, everyone wants to help those who are worse off, everyone asks what they can do. They have incredible patience and faith, and many recognize that they come to us because they feel safer in church.”

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Their work continues now even in the face of additional tragedy.

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ANS – Syria – A new earthquake tremor, a fresh start. Salesian house in Aleppo is struggling

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has launched an emergency appeal to provide disaster relief for those impacted by the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck in Kahramanmaraş province in southern Turkey, very close to Syria’s* northwestern border, on Feb. 6. The earthquake was felt in 14 countries, including Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus and Jordan.

The Turkey/Syria Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund will bring critical medical supplies, food, water and support to survivors, helping them to heal and rebuild their lives. Salesian missionaries living and working in Turkey and Syria were among those first at the scene of the impact. The Salesian center in Aleppo sustained some minor damage and people rushed to the center for support.

“The earthquake was very strongly felt and for a long time,” explained Father Alejandro León, superior of the Salesian Province of the Middle East, from Kafroun, near Homs and the Lebanese border. “Initial information received from Aleppo is that our center there suffered some minor damage due to cracks and some broken glass, but Salesians and the people we assist nearby are fine despite the earthquake.”

Fr. León added, “Some families took refuge in our house in Aleppo. They arrived with only the clothes they had on. Their homes are not in good condition because of the war and they feel safer with us. We know that there are many dead and that many buildings have collapsed, so we will offer shelter, food and emergency aid with all the basic necessities we can offer in these first moments.”

More than 37,000 people have been reported dead and tens of thousands have been injured. Many more are still missing. Thousands of homes and buildings have collapsed, burying people who were asleep at the time the earthquake happened. Aid relief to impacted rebel-held areas of northwest Syria has been complicated amid a long-running civil war. While the Syrian government approved sending aid to those territories, they provided no timeline or plan for delivering the aid.

In Aleppo and other areas where Salesians serve, people have nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep. Salesian missionaries who have been serving those in Syria since the beginning of the war are doing their best to help those victims reaching out to them and providing shelter, food, warm clothes, blankets and more.

Father Pier Jabloyan, provincial delegate for social communication, said, “More than 300 people have been welcomed and helped by the Salesians, collaborators, and the entire Salesian family in Aleppo. We are trying to do what we can, despite the challenges and difficulties. It is snowing in Syria and there is a lack of power and a lack of fuel. The population is really having a difficult time.”

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

Salesians around the globe are working to provide the financial and material resources needed to help those who have been impacted by the earthquake. To provide support, donate to the Salesian Missions Turkey/Syria Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund.

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ANS – Syria – Salesians’ testimonies on terrible earthquake

ANS – Syria – Aleppo Salesians, at front, open doors to support earthquake victims

Salesian Missions – Syria

*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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) With 10 years of war, an ongoing pandemic, inflation and unemployment, Syria is faced with many challenges and difficulties, but Salesian missionaries recently saw a ray of hope when the community came together to support a young woman from the Salesian oratory in Aleppo.

Pamela is a fifth-year student attending the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Aleppo. Over the last two months, she had alarming medical challenges and underwent tests. Her health condition required a large supply of blood plasma—an average of 13 bags per session. This required a considerable number of donors to come forward.

News and phone calls for donations spread first in Aleppo and then throughout Syria. Through social networks and shared messages, there was an urgent call for Type O donors to help out. On March 21, the doors to the blood bank overflowed with people—old and young, men and women, Muslims and Christians all came together to help a young girl none of them had ever met. The blood bank remained open for every donor.

Father Pier Jabloyan, a Salesian from Aleppo, said, “People didn’t leave until the blood bank closed. We want to share this to show that there is always hope despite the brutality of the war and the heavy economic hardship that Syria is experiencing. Faced with a request for help, we found solidarity and closeness among Syrian citizens, and today we are witnessing a sincere love and an unparalleled response for Pamela.”

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Throughout the ongoing war and struggles in the country, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Salesian missionaries are even launching new educational initiatives to help support poor and at-risk youth.

The population in Syria has shrunk from 21 million to 17 million as a result of many leaving the country as refugees and the more than a quarter million deaths from the war. Today, more than 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian support, including the more than 6 million internally displaced people—28 percent of whom are living in the capital city of Damascus. More than 3 million live in hard-to-reach areas.

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ANS – Syria – When love lights up in the form of a 0+

Salesian Missions – Syria

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The post SYRIA: Blood drive for young woman is ray of hope first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Syria. The centers are located in Kafroun and in the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon.

The war has left a wake of destruction and death. More than 1.5 million people have been wounded and 5.7 million Syrians are refugees. Another 6.7 million people are displaced within the country, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries continue their work with youth.

“In Syria, we all cry for a family member or a friend killed by bombs,” said Father Pier Jabloyan, director of the Salesian Center in Aleppo. “However, hope has always been stronger than war, and the culture of peace has transformed the Salesian environments.”

There are many children under the age of 10 who do not know life other than the war. Salesian missionaries are committed to continuing education and nutritional, psychological and economic support to them and their families. Currently, Salesian missionaries in Damascus provide support and education to 1,200 youth. In Aleppo, there are close to 1,000 youth of different Christian backgrounds who have come together in need of services.

To address the new challenges brought about by the pandemic, Salesian missionaries have set up two support programs for those in academic difficulty. One will benefit 200 children and another will support 180 students in their last years of high school and university. Along with school support projects, economic support will be provided to 200 vulnerable families.

Fr. Jabloyan said in a recent statement, “It is important that we remain supporting people in dire need in Syria. Even in the face of the global pandemic, we will remain focused on our mission of helping poor youth and their families.”

Thanks to the economic support of many Salesian organizations, Salesians in Aleppo, Damascus and Kafroun continue to help poor and at-risk youth and their families.

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ANS – Syria – 10 years of war: a decade of pain and suffering, but also of “Salesian” hope and peace

Salesian Missions – Syria

UNHCR – Syria

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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Syria are launching new initiatives to help support families in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Already working to address the humanitarian crisis brought about by Syria’s civil war, Salesian missionaries have remained steadfast in their support of people living in the country.

The population in Syria has shrunk from 21 million to 17 million as a result of many leaving the country as refugees and the more than a quarter million deaths from the war. Today, more than 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian support, including the more than 6 million internally displaced people—28 percent of whom are living in the capital city of Damascus. More than 3 million live in hard-to-reach areas.

Activities across the country have been impacted by curfews, movement restrictions, market closures and commercial freezes. The costs of primary goods continue to exceed purchasing power, and Syrian families are experiencing unimaginable economic stress.

Children are also facing challenges with school, many which have opened and closed and opened again during the pandemic. From primary school children to university students, students are not equipped to follow lessons from home and are falling further behind in their studies.

Reaching Syria and navigating around the country is not easy. As in the case of most pandemics, many international organizations and non-government organizations left the country a long time ago. However, Salesian missionaries have remained and continue to stand alongside the population.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

To address the new challenges brought about by the pandemic, Salesian missionaries have set up two support programs for those in academic difficulty. One will benefit 200 children and another will support 180 students in their last years of high school and university. Along with these school support projects, economic support will be provided to 200 vulnerable families.

Father Pier Jabloyan, director of the Salesian Center in Aleppo, said in a recent statement, “It is important that we remain supporting the people in dire need in Syria. Even in the face of the global pandemic, we will remain focused on our mission of helping poor youth and their families.”

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ANS –  Syria – Country increasingly in difficulty. New initiatives to support young people and families

Salesian Missions – Syria

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 SYRIA: New initiatives support students, vulnerable families first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) There are have been 372 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed and 14 people have died to date in Syria, but as in other countries the data is not completely transparent, and the virus has been increasing in recent weeks. According to the World Health Organization, a large-scale outbreak could be catastrophic for the population because half of the hospitals were destroyed by the war, and more than 50 percent of medical personnel were killed during the conflict or have left the country.

If the virus were to spread to refugee camps, it would be impossible to contain it because physical distancing is unattainable. For this reason, more than 200,000 people are leaving the camps to look for other temporary shelters or to return to their old houses, almost all completely destroyed by the bombings. The drastic economic deterioration is increasing. The main concern for the whole population is economic instability and the lack of basic necessities.

Samar is a 51-year-old woman who lives in the Alidan area in Aleppo with three children aged 20, 18 and 15 years. Her husband passed away in 2016. She doesn’t work, and the family’s only source of income is money her sons earn. All three were working in a restaurant, but lost their jobs when the restaurant closed at the beginning of the pandemic.

At the beginning of June, the government allowed activities to resume, but the country is now collapsing. The devaluation of the currency has caused a rise in the prices of all goods. This impacts all families—but especially families like Samar’s who have almost no income to survive.

Rashad, who owns a small dairy products distribution shop, is a beneficiary of the youth entrepreneurship support project created by the Salesians in Aleppo and Damascus. He was a student at the Don Bosco Center in Damascus. Rashad is married and has two children. Thanks to the entrepreneurial support project, he had managed to start his small business, which yielded fair earnings until all shops were forced to close.

The closure of his business was a serious challenge and recovery has not been easy. The drastic change in prices has become a huge problem because it means that customers ultimately have low purchasing power. Rashad cannot keep prices constant because with a day’s earnings he cannot buy products from suppliers for the next day.

Lockdown restrictions have brought vulnerable Syrian households closer to the brink of financial ruin. Tens of thousands of jobs have been eliminated. Meanwhile, the foreign support that sustained many Syrian households is drying up. Significant wage loss, currency devaluation, rising unemployment and a permissive environment for cross-border smuggling are all likely to amplify needs and place Syrian households under greater economic stress, especially as costs of goods continue to outstrip purchasing power.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling, but there have been some interruptions as a result of the pandemic and lockdown. Salesians are resuming work as they are allowed in the country.

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ANS – Syria – The lives of Samar, Rashad … And millions of Syrians are still in danger

Salesian Missions – Syria

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 SYRIA: Families face economic hardships and a lack of resources during coronavirus pandemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Damascus, Syria, are working to help vulnerable populations as much as they can during the lockdown from the coronavirus pandemic. Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Syria was announced on March 22, major military operations in the country have stopped, local clashes have mostly ceased, and large-scale population movements, including returns and transfers, have halted. Syria’s economic deterioration has continued.

Lockdown restrictions have brought vulnerable Syrian households closer to the brink of financial ruin. Tens of thousands of jobs have been eliminated. Meanwhile, the foreign support that sustained many Syrian households is drying up. Alongside significant wage loss, currency devaluation, rising unemployment, and a permissive environment for cross-border smuggling, these conditions are likely to amplify needs and place Syrian households under greater economic stress, especially as costs of goods continue to outstrip purchasing power.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling, but there have been some interruptions as a result of the pandemic and lockdown. Salesians hope to resume this work as soon as they can.

Johnny Azar, from the Salesian Oratory in Aleppo, is 28 years old, loves theater and dance, and has always dreamed of having an art space of his own. He applied for and won a Don Bosco of Syria project grant to support youth entrepreneurship. He had already identified the right space to cultivate his dream and developed the initiative’s marketing plan, but then COVID-19 arrived.

Azar said, “The financing of the project by the Salesians was the light at the end of the tunnel for me, and I followed it with passion. Unfortunately, we had to pause everything for two months and wait until the situation improves.”

With the help of some friends, Azar has started some small jobs such as repainting the premises. But considering that his dream is focused on putting on shows for the public, Azar knows that the restart is not around the corner.

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Syria – Country needs help enormously. “Waiting for good news to start over again”

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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SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) After nine years of the ongoing civil war in Syria, more than 5.6 million Syrians are refugees and another 6.2 million people are displaced within the country, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries continue their work with youth in Syria.

Since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and in the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon.

Maher Al Saloom, now 24 years old and living in Damascus, is one young man who was impacted by the Salesians. He is the second of three brothers and was supposed to perform military service, but a heart problem exonerated him.

His life changed on April 17, 2013. Al Saloom said, “I was getting ready for the final high school exam, which was a few days away, and my father said I wouldn’t pass it. At seven in the morning, I was going over physics when the phone rang. They told me that my father had had an accident, but when I arrived at my uncles’ house, I knew the truth, that he was dead.”

That day Al Saloom did not have the strength to return home and instead went to the Salesian Youth Center. He recalled, “When I entered the church all the Salesians were there and, from that moment on, I found another father in them because they have always helped me to continue to study and overcome the difficulties that have arisen.”

After the burial of his father, Al Saloom continued to study as a gift to his father. Thinking about his past exams, Al Saloom noted, “I even obtained a good mark, even if the difficulties at home arrived all the same because we no longer had an income. It was then that the internal war began for me, which is stronger than the bombing. There was a fee to pay for the funeral and for the university. The Salesians helped us a lot as well as many other families. All that I am, I owe to them.”

The most difficult episode for Al Saloom was when he was handed the bullet that killed his father. Looking at it in his hand, he said, “This bullet costs 15 Lire. I’ll give you all the money you want if you give me back my father alive.” From that moment on, Al Saloom has never stopped studying.

Al Saloom added, “The Salesian Youth Center is my home. It gave me everything when I lost what I wanted most. It helped me overcome the difficulties.”

Salesian centers in Syria continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

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ANS – Syria – Maher Al Saloom: “Internal war is stronger than bombs”

Salesian Missions – Syria

UNHCR – Syria

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 SYRIA: Youth in Syria helped by Salesian social development programs during 9 years of ongoing civil war first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SYRIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries working in Syria are starting construction projects to open programs for youth and their families in the remote district of Jaramana, which is located an hour away from the current Salesian youth center in Damascus. Many families, even during the most dangerous heights of the war, traveled by bus to attend programs in Damascus. Now, Salesian missionaries are launching new programs locally.

Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries and nuns have continued their work with youth in Syria. Since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Opened well before the start of the war, the centers have been providing educational classes, meeting space, and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. They also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

For years, bullets and the blast of bombs have marred Jaramana. The war destroyed this part of the city and its traces are visible. Most of the youth who participate in the activities at the Salesian Youth Center in Damascus come from this area. Now that the war seems to have calmed down, Salesian missionaries are constructing a new youth center, a church and a vocational training center.

The Salesians are working to hold activities for youth as close as possible to these remote and needy populations. At the height of the war, families with young children and older youth alone would get on the buses, in the middle of the bombings, and run a terrible risk to get to Salesian programs.

“On many occasions, we had to suspend the bus lines. We had to communicate with the educators and then to inform the families,” said Father Alejandro León, superior of the Salesian Province of the Middle East. “The objective of the Salesians is to move to this area, which has a Muslim majority, so that youth have programs in these difficult times.”

Fr León also noted a great lesson he received from some of the children in this district. He recalled, “One day when, due to the bombing, we suspended the route of the buses that took the kids to the youth center. I saw that at two o’clock in the afternoon an educator and several children from that neighborhood showed up at Mass. They had walked in the middle of the bombardments for more than two hours. At the end of the Mass, I told them that I was very angry because they had disobeyed and had put their lives in jeopardy. The educator, very serene, gave me a lesson in theology and faith at the same time when he asked me who I was to forbid them from going to Mass on Sunday.”

Now, with the help of many benefactors, the new Salesian youth center, church and vocational training center will be established to educate and support thousands of young Syrians affected by the war.

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ANS – Syria – Syria transformation continues: from Damascus battlefield to new Salesian youth center

Salesian Missions – Syria

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Given the number of refugees fleeing to European cities, youth in Salesian programs are working to help those who have remained in Syria and need assistance. The goal of the Suriya Project is to promote awareness and collect material aid for those still in conflict regions. From the start, youth involved in the project have held various awareness-raising, support and fundraising activities.

They have also organized the potential needs of youth in Syria into several categories: basic necessities; materials for education and psychological training for Salesian teams; and materials for recreational activities at the Syrian Salesian youth center. The project is carried out in collaboration with the National Commission of the Youth Centers of Spain, the Delegates for Youth Ministry of the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Syria.

The Suriya Project also focuses on exchange experiences for youth. Participants from Aleppo and Damascus in Syria are engaging in a number of summer activities at Salesian youth centers in Spain. The aim for this exchange experience is to help youth in Syria and Spain share experiences in a tangible way. Syrian youth will visit Salesian youth centers in Seville, La Rioja, Madrid and Santiago de Compostela.

Benjamín Morales, one of the youth working with the Salesian Francisco Míguez Youth Center in Malaga, Spain, will take a trip to Damascus in August. There, he will meet with friends he befriended during a gathering of Salesian volunteers from Europe and the Middle East. Benjamin explains, “The impatient desire to go there and see things directly with my eyes was born in me.”

“This project, which started three years ago with a vigil for peace, is more than a solidarity initiative because it seeks to unite children and young people from both countries,” explains Father Santiago Domínguez, the project’s promoter. “Through festivals, street markets and solidarity parties, the Spanish youth centers have collected around 20,000 euros in three years which have been earmarked for the needs of young people in Syria – money with which the Syrian Salesians have been able to buy school supplies and organize various activities.”

In the coming months, the Don Bosco Confederation of Spain intends to expand the project. Father Domínguez notes, “We want to reorganize the project to support a youth business plan developed by the local Salesians. In this way, every center in Spain would commit itself to financing the business plan of a young person in Syria and with this procedure we could have a direct contact between the centers and the young people we will help.”

Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries have continued their work with youth in Syria. Over the course of the last eight years since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – “Suriya Project” unites children and young people from Aleppo and Spain

Salesian Missions – Syria

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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In operation since well before the start of the war, the centers have been providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. They also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“At the beginning of the war they did not understand that we would remain,” recalls Father Alejandro León, Salesian provincial in the Middle East. “But the answer was always the same. ‘If the community to which God has sent me is my family, how can I abandon it when it needs me most?’”

Many people in Syria have lost what they had and most people have been forced to change residence or leave the country. Reaching Syria and navigating around the country is not easy. As in the case of most pandemics, many international organizations and non-government organizations left the country a long time ago. However, Salesian missionaries have remained and continue to stand alongside the population.

The war has ended in the big cities, but there are still small pockets of conflict. The countless military checkpoints on roads and highways and the roar of aircraft and distant explosions continue to coexist with the thousands of cartridges and war relics that populate the fields and buildings in ruins.

During these years of war, every young person can narrate dozens of anecdotes of situations of risk, tension and uncertainty. Biso Aghas, a young woman from Aleppo, says, “When we would say goodbye to our parents in the morning, they tried to memorize how we were dressed in case of recognition or they write their cell phone numbers on their children’s arms in case something happened and we had to warn them.”

Majdoleen Alzukimi is 23 years old and has been attending the Salesian Youth Center in Damascus since she was 7 years old. Her story is yet another example of those that contain the pain and trauma of war, but also the hope for peace in the future. Her father, like many others, was recruited for compulsory military service and sent to the war front. She says, “We saw him one day a week. In theory, he was in a safe and close area, but the fear and concern for him always accompanied us.”

Neither she nor her family can forget March 21, 2018 which was Mother’s Day in Syria. A bomb that fell on Damascus killed her father. Majdoleen says, “I wish the war in Damascus would never had ended because its end meant that my father is dead. If the war had continued, today my father would still be alive.”

Salesian centers in Syria continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Syria – Syrian girl who “wanted” the war to continue

Salesian Missions – Syria

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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Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries continue their work with youth in Syria. Over the course of the last eight years since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon.

In operation since well before the start of the war, the centers have been providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. They also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

During a recent meeting with the participating Italian youth, Father Pier Jabloyan, director of the Salesian Center in Aleppo, described the situation in Syria. He then asked, “How many things do we take for granted, for the simple fact of always having them there, at our disposal? When we press a switch or open the tap, have we ever wondered if there is electricity or if water will come out?”

The Salesian Center in Aleppo is a point of reference and hope for many youth who remain in the city. Those that engage in after-school activities, catechism, children’s summer camp, sports teams and social groups are able to experience moments of normality. Among the many activities still happening at the center is an after-school program for 70 children coordinated by a dozen university students.

“There are enormous educational needs here in Syria, especially because many of the schools have been destroyed or transformed into shelters,” says Fr. Jabloyan. “Moreover, if one has no water in the house, no electricity and has difficulty feeding himself, it is hard to tell anybody to study. But Don Bosco teaches us that education means the future. This is why we have continued offering children what we have available.”

He adds, “In everyone, the war has created psychological problems. The threshold of sensitivity has risen a lot. The news of one or two dead is in danger of not having any more effect. Often boys express themselves harshly and sometimes a football match can become a pretext for aggression to explode. Here, too, we try to help them remember that they are better than what surrounds them.”

Salesian centers in Syria also continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Youth from CNOS-FAP of Valdocco start twinning with Aleppo

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 SYRIA: Youth from the Salesian Vocational Training Center in Valdocco are providing support to Salesian Center in Aleppo first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries have continued their work with youth in Syria. Over the course of the last eight years since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon.

The centers have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space, and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“Living in a state of war is something that is not learned during initial formation. You learn it by living in these areas, day after day,” says Father Mounir Hanachi, director of the Salesian Damascus community, which is operated by four Salesian priests from different backgrounds.

Nearly 1,300 boys attend the Salesian oratory in Damascus. Most of the boys have faced painful and difficult situations. They come together at the oratory to share a journey of faith, but also to be together and share moments of leisure.

In addition, the Salesian oratory in Aleppo has remained open even when the war raged on. Thousands of young Christians and youth from other religious backgrounds gather together for catechism, sports, summer activities and after-school activities. “When we realized that this war would last a long time, we felt it was our duty to look even more closely after the young children of Aleppo,” says Father Pier Jabloyan, director of the Salesian oratory.

In Kafroun, where the rebels have never arrived, the climate is decidedly quieter than in cities like Damascus or Aleppo. Here Salesian missionaries have been providing programs since 2009. The work is carried out by volunteers, mostly parents of the children, who have been welcoming in families displaced by war.

The situation in Lebanon, where Salesian missionaries have been providing poor youth education and programs for 65 years, is more calm. The Al Fidar Vocational Training Center ensures that youth have the skills training they need to find and retain stable work.

In El Hessoun, there is a Catholic church, a reception center and the oratory, where young people are involved in games and educational activities. Educator Hanan Kandalaft explains, “The main mission is not just to let the children play, but to bring them to safety. As Don Bosco used to say, ‘the salvation of souls is the most important thing.’”

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

Syria ‒ “When we realized that the war would last a long time, we felt the duty to look after the young”

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 SYRIA: Salesian missionaries create two video documentaries highlighting their work in Syria and Lebanon first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Over the course of the last eight years since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Opened well before the start of the war, the centers have been providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. They also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

Salesian nuns have been in Syria for over a century and have remained in the country during even the most violent phases of conflict, according to the article. Many have moved to safer areas, including the hospital in Damascus which is one of the top healthcare institutions that has remained open. Run by Salesian Sisters, it has 55 beds and employs 26 physicians and 54 nurses.

“When traveling through Syria you see more trucks full of weapons than food along dusty roads,” said Sister Vilma Tallone in the ANSA Med article.

In describing the current situation in Syria, Sr. Tallone noted in the article, “Aleppo has gone from 4 million inhabitants to 800. The Catholic presence has also gone from 150,000 worshippers to 40,000. But we have reopened a nursery school in Aleppo for 50 children in a structure of the Order of Malta with a courtyard that belongs to a Jewish settlement and where everybody is welcome.”

She added, “After this huge tragedy, we must rebuild and this is why we are raising funds to support the three structures already functioning in the country and to build two new schools in Aleppo and Damascus for children and pre-teens.”

In order to support initiatives in Syria and offer refugees in hosting centers the possibility of going back to their country, the nuns have organized an inter-cultural initiative on Mar. 14 in Rome at the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.

Salesian centers in Syria continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries, which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANSA Med – Syria: Salesian nuns launch reconstruction projects

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

Crux – Extending aid to persecuted Christians, Hungary funds Syrian hospitals

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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The “Open Hospitals” project provides medical care for those living in poverty and is currently supporting the activities of three Catholic nonprofit hospitals in Syria. The hospital, run by the Salesian Sisters, has 55 beds and employs 26 physicians and 54 nurses. According to the article, the St. Louis Hospital in Aleppo, managed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, and a French hospital in Damascus, managed by the Company of Daughters of St Vincent de Paul, are also supported. The three Catholic hospitals offer free medical care to the poor no matter their religious affiliation, allowing some 400 impoverished people a week to receive care.

The Crux article notes that the project, which will run from 2017-2020, aims to “offer the poorest populations in Aleppo and Damascus with quality medical care, to establish a social office dedicated to evaluating patients’ financial needs, to upgrade hospitals with modern, up-to-date equipment and to offer training to medical, administrative and managerial staff.”

Since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, more than 13.5 million people, including 6 million children, have suffered from a dire humanitarian crisis, with the bulk of the population lacking basic food and supplies, according to the Crux article. Further, the U.N has indicated some 11.5 million people, 40 percent of whom are children, lack proper medical care, as hospitals have been a consistent target in the war. This has prompted close to two-thirds of Syria’s medical staff to flee the country.

According to Crux, many healthcare institutions still in operation in Syria are forced to operate beyond their means. They lack supplies, infrastructure and trained medical staff, making it difficult to provide proper patient care.

To date, three offices have been established to evaluate treatment requests and identify those most in need, according to Crux. The article indicates more than 15,700 patients have been accepted and treated free of charge. Hospitals have received updated equipment and a new IT system has been installed for future training. Crux notes that as of December 2018, 5,457 patients have been cared for at the French hospital in Damascus, 7,065 at the Italian hospital in Damascus and 3,236 at the Aleppo hospital, most of whom are between the ages of 50 and 70.

Recently, the Hungarian government has announced that it will provide nearly $1.7 million to the project, according to the Crux article. Hungarian Ambassador to the Holy See, Eduard Habsburg, told Crux he’s happy with the initiative because it, “finally makes much more visible what Hungary has been doing for years behind the scenes. Hungary has been doing this all the time.”

Hungary is the first public donor to support the project through its “Hungary Helps” humanitarian assistance program. According to Crux, Habsburg said the Hungarian government “took this call with lots of joy.” He also noted that for him, one of the most important aspects of the project is that while the bulk of hospital staff are Christian, Muslims will be the primary beneficiaries of their support, “so it is a project that will help peace in the region between different religions.”

Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries have continued their work with youth in Syria. Over the course of the last eight years since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon.

The centers have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

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Sources:

Crux – Extending aid to persecuted Christians, Hungary funds Syrian hospitals

Photo: iStock/Getty Images

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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The plot of land is located near Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus where the majority of the population is Christian. It is also just one kilometer from Imbleha, a small satellite city totally destroyed by the recent war. The announcement of the purchase of the land was made at the end of the Catholic Mass celebrated Sunday, Feb. 3 at the church of the Salesian house in Damascus. Father Munir Hanachi, director of the house, read an official statement sent by the Provincial of the Middle East, Father Alejandro León.

Part of the statement read, “After much dreaming of how to develop the Salesian work in Damascus, with the great effort of the current community, the Rector Major decided to buy a piece of land between Imbleha and Jaramana to slowly build a Don Bosco Center that is larger and closer to many children and young people living in Jaramana. We have already bought this land. Now a few years will pass and slowly the new center will be built, but the important thing is to feel from now on that this new structure is home to everyone. And we must all help ourselves so that the realization of this dream takes place in the best possible way.”

Despite ongoing conflict and instability, Salesian missionaries have continued their work with youth in Syria. Over the course of the last eight years since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon.

The centers have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“At the beginning of the war, we were forced to close the center in Aleppo for six months,” says Father Pier Jabloyan, director of the Salesian center in Aleppo. “When we realized that the conflict would last a long time, we decided to reopen. There was no other way. Staying closed up in their houses, it would have been incredibly difficult for the children.”

Salesian centers in Syria also continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries, which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Syria – New ground for new “Don Bosco Center”: Salesian work in Damascus is growing

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

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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The centers have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space, and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“At the beginning of the war, we were forced to close the center in Aleppo for six months,” says Father Pier Jabloyan, director of the Salesian center in Aleppo. “When we realized that the conflict would last a long time, we decided to reopen. There was no other way. Staying closed up in their houses, it would have been incredibly difficult for the children.”

Among the many activities still happening at the center, the after-school program is popular and 70 children still attend. The activities are coordinated by a dozen university students.

“There are enormous educational needs here in Syria, especially because many of the schools have been destroyed or transformed into shelters,” says Fr. Jabloyan. “Moreover, if one has no water in the house, no electricity and has difficulty feeding himself, it is hard to tell anybody to study. But Don Bosco teaches us that education means the future. This is why we have continued offering children what we have available.”

The war has also caused numerous injuries for those who have survived the violence. Fr Jabloyan adds, “In everyone, the war has created psychological problems. The threshold of sensitivity has risen a lot. The news of one or two dead is in danger of not having any more effect. Often boys express themselves harshly and sometimes a football match can become a pretext for aggression to explode. Here, too, we try to help them remember that they are better than what surrounds them.”

Salesian centers in Syria also continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling.

Since the outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and more than 5.6 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, with a recent flood of refugees now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Refugee camps in bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety, as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries, which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANS – Syria – The commitment of Salesians during the war: to remind the young that they are better than what they have around them

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

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 SYRIA: Salesian center in Aleppo continues to provide after-school and social programs to help youth in need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salouji’s family has faced much hardship in the city. Her husband was held captive for two months by an extremist group who specialized in abductions for ransom. “He went out to buy something but never came back,” she said. To find out what happened, she tried every channel, even traveling to Damascus.

“I do not know what it means to sit and wait. When my husband was abducted, I felt I had to move, act, work, do something. I did not want to show my children fear and anxiety about his fate. I felt I had to be strong for them,” explained Salouji.

She also faced great difficulty when a child who was attending catechism class was killed when a rocket landed a short distance from a group of young people who had just finished their lesson. “Sometimes when I look at the ground in front of the center, I still see the kid playing without a care in the world,” said Salouji.

Salouji is responsible for a group of catechists at the Salesian Center in Aleppo, which has recently resumed its activities after a long interruption due to the war. The Salesian Center has close to 900 children in its programs.

“When we reopened, I felt a strong emotion, mixed with fear,” said Salouji “There was concern for the health and safety of children, especially when they came to the center by car or when they went home after the activities. It was nice seeing them play together. Their life is full of stress, difficulties and in their homes, they certainly have no chance of playing freely.”

After years as a main battleground, Aleppo was liberated last December. Faced with the city’s tragedy, the Salesian church in Aleppo has launched a number of projects in the past few months, many of which successfully continue today. Salesian missionaries have been cleaning the city and helping young couples, providing food and money for electrical supplies as well as hosting summer camps for hundreds of children. Missionaries are also providing financial help for healthcare expenses and medicines, visits, exams and treatment. All these steps are for poor families in the region who might otherwise go without such assistance.

Since the outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and more than 5.2 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq with a recent flood of refugees now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety, as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence. They are also subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

Salesian missionaries operate three centers in Syria. They are located in Kafroun and in the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon. The centers have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space, and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

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Sources

ANS – Syria – “Faith gets stronger when faced with difficulties.” Testimony of Rania

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

The post SYRIA: Salesian teacher faces own hardship as she helps Salesian community rebuild in Aleppo first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ANS – Belgium – The Salesian Network Welcomes Migrant Minors

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

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

“Most families try to survive despite thousands of economic difficulties. They maneuver in the black market to find the daily necessities. The aqueducts of the city are blocked because of the war and a lack of water is causing many problems,” says Fr. Jabloyan. “At the Don Bosco Oratory, activities continue with great joy and less fatigue than before, but there are still a few problems, which Salesian missionaries and youth in the program face with a smile and with greater hope for the future.”

Over the course of the last six years since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon. The centers have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“Salesian missionaries are trying to help youth and their families focus on normal life amid situations that are very challenging,” says Fr. Jabloyan. “In such a situation, youth have even greater need for socialization, entertainment and fraternity. They need a quiet place where they can play and talk with their peers and supportive adults. We try to provide that safe space where youth feel safe so they can learn, process their feelings and relax with their friends.”

Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Salesian missionaries have noted the absence of youth in the area as many have fled to safety in other areas of Syria and in neighboring countries.

Since the outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and more than 4.9 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq with a recent flood of refugees now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety, as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012, assisting between 400 and 800 refugees each day, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries, which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANS – Italy – Aleppo: Is the emergency about to end?

Interview with Father Pier Jabloyan

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

The post SYRIA: Salesian Missionaries Provide Programs and a Safe Space for Youth in Aleppo first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“Despite the war and the darkness deriving from it, we try to light a small lamp of hope in the hearts of the youth of Aleppo,” says Father Pier Jabloyan, assistant pastor at the Salesian center in Aleppo. “With great prudence and care we try to bring the children by bus to the oratory so that they may spend a few hours in joy and serenity.”

Since the outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and 4.8 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq with a recent flood of refugees now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

Over the last five years since the outbreak of civil war began in March 2011, Salesian missionaries have operated three centers in Kafroun and the particularly high-conflict areas of Aleppo and Damascus. Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon and have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“Salesian missionaries are trying to help youth and their families focus on normal life amid situations that are very challenging,” adds Fr. Jabloyan, “In such a situation youth have even greater need for socialization, entertainment and fraternity. They need a quiet place where they can play and talk with their peers and supportive adults. We try to provide that safe space where youth feel safe so they can learn, process their feelings and relax with their friends.”

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012 assisting between 400 and 800 refugees each day, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANS – Syria – The War continues, but the Salesian Summer Activities are back

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

The post SYRIA: Summer Programs Offer Safe Space and Play for 800 Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each of the centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon and have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities for youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

“Salesian missionaries are trying to help youth and their families focus on normal life amid situations that are very challenging,” says Father Pier Jabloyan, Assistant Pastor at the Salesian center in Aleppo. “In such a situation youth have even greater need for socialization, entertainment and fraternity. They need a quiet place where they can play and talk with their peers and supportive adults. We try to provide that safe space where youth feel safe so they can learn, process their feelings and relax with their friends.”

Despite the ongoing violence, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Salesian missionaries have noted the absence of youth in the area as many have fled to safety in other areas of Syria and in neighboring countries.

“The country is increasingly exhausted and impoverished by the war and the consequences on the living conditions of the population have been devastating,” says Father Munir El Rai, Provincial of the Middle East who visited his home city of Aleppo in July 2015. “People are getting tired and exhausted at the moral, spiritual and material level. As well as the tragedy of death and destruction, every family is now faced with the drama of emigration, with people fleeing the country in search of a better life outside Syria. I have seen the suffering of the people who remain and the loneliness they feel for those who are gone.”

Since the outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and 4.7 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq with a recent flood of refugees now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012 assisting between 400 and 800 refugees each day, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANS – Syria – In Aleppo something terrible is happening, but many people either ignore or do not want to see it

ANS – Syria – “We try to do the normal things, in times that are not normal”

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

The post SYRIA: Salesian Programs Continue Providing Shelter and Education for Youth Despite Ongoing Violence first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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

Syrian refugees make up the single largest group followed by refugees from Eritrea and Afghanistan. High numbers of refugees from Somalia, Iraq and Sudan who are in need of international protection are also arriving in Europe. According to UNHCR, the majority of those arriving in Europe in the first six months of 2015 were men searching for a safe place to live and work before attempting to reunite later with their families. However, this total also included large numbers of women and children, including thousands of unaccompanied and separated children.

Often the lack of legal routes to safety leaves no choice for many men, women and children other than to turn to smugglers at enormous cost and danger to their lives. Before arriving in Europe, many have suffered high levels of abuse, exploitation and human rights violations.

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

Salesian missionaries are working across Europe helping to provide needed services for the new wave of refugees arriving in these countries.

ITALY

In Sicily, Salesian missionaries have revamped a reception center for children who come to Italy looking for a better life. The reception center provides the first emergency point of contact for unaccompanied migrant and refugee minors. By creating two new sections within the existing center, missionaries have been able to add an extra bedroom and bathroom as well as a new bathroom for staff. The center also includes a living room and balcony that serves as a communal area to encourage sharing and relaxation.

All the fittings and interior doors of the premises have been replaced and new furniture has been acquired including a television set, DVD player, computer, cookware and plates. Currently, the house can accommodate up to 12 youth. The center offers an immediate welcome and safe space and is prepared to offer accommodation for as long as necessary until youth find a suitable, more permanent solution. The new structure also offers educational initiatives including language skills training and legal assistance to help youth begin a new life in Italy.

In addition to the center in Sicily, the Salesians of the Special Circumscription of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta are active in welcoming refugees to their new reception center at the Don Bosco Institute in Alessandria, a city in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. And in Turin, Italy, Salesian missionaries are working with the local government to actively plan a new center for refugees while assessing what assistance might be needed to help unaccompanied youth long-term.

GERMANY

The German Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco has been strengthening its commitment to young refugees. To meet the large and growing need in Germany in recent weeks, Salesian missionaries have been continually increasing the number of houses where they give assistance to youth in need.

In addition to new houses, missionaries are now offering temporary housing. Today, 11 Salesian programs across Germany are caring for 448 refugee youth and more accommodations are being prepared to accept additional refugees as the need increases. Most of the refugees are young males between 16 and 18 years of age who have come to Germany from African countries, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The boys are provided shelter in Salesian houses that can accommodate up to 12 people with four social workers available 24 hours a day.

SPAIN

In Madrid, Salesian missionaries are developing programs across the country in preparation for additional refugees seeking services. Missionaries are working with local governments and other social programs to respond to the refugee crisis.

Salesian missionaries who have previous experience working with young refugees and their families are helping to start additional Salesian programs that will address the needs of today’s refugee youth. Many of the new programs focus on meeting the immediate needs of newly-arrived refugees and go on to address the need for education and employment. Missionaries are also working with local schools to help assimilate children from refugee families into classrooms.

Salesian Sisters with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are working with the local government and diocese in Madrid to determine the most appropriate course of action to respond to and assist refugees from Syria. Currently, the Salesian Sisters operate six socio-educational projects that offer services for children at risk of social exclusion (many of them immigrants) and a social work project that was created to provide education and workforce development services to help decrease youth unemployment and educational inequality for those in poverty, especially girls.

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Sources:

ANS – Italy Reception Centre for unaccompanied minors

ANS – Germany Welcoming Refugees: Salesians of Don Bosco in Germany give increased aid

ANS – Spain Welcoming Refugees: the Salesians in Spain are ready

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

The post EUROPE: Salesian Missionaries Providing Shelter and Education to Refugees Arriving in Europe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

For the first time in four years, Salesian missionaries held five-day summer camps to give young Syrians the opportunity to leave Aleppo and take refuge in the mountains near the Salesian center in Kafroun. More than 180 junior high school students and 140 senior high school students, accompanied by several Salesian staff and youth leaders, enjoyed the retreat from the violence and war in their home communities. For many, it was the first time in years they were able to sleep soundly without hearing sounds of war on the streets outside their homes.

“Every time I visit Aleppo, I see a city increasingly destroyed, and until a few years ago this great city, one of the oldest in the world, had about 3 million inhabitants. Now it is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world,” says Father Munir El Rai, Provincial of the Middle East who visited his home city of Aleppo in July. “The number of young people connecting with Salesian centers is increasing. One of the reasons is our youth centers have been relatively safe so far compared to other parish youth centers.”

During his visit to Aleppo, Fr. El Rai was able to take part in some of the summer camp activities at the Salesian center in Kafroun. He was impressed with the organization and management of the center. Through the use of a shuttle service, the center is able to provide programs and social activities in a peaceful, family-like atmosphere to more than 700 young people from various parts of the city.

Father El Rai also visited other areas of Syria and found much devastation and destruction. The lack of running water has forced people to survive on reduced amounts of water, especially drinking water, with serious health consequences while a shortage of electricity makes the most basic daily activities difficult.

“The country is increasingly exhausted and impoverished by the war and the consequences on the living conditions of the population have been devastating,” says Fr. El Rai. “People are getting tired and exhausted at the moral, spiritual and material level. As well as the tragedy of death and destruction, every family is now faced with the drama of emigration, with people fleeing the country in search of a better life outside Syria. I have seen the suffering of the people who remain and the loneliness they feel for those who are gone.”

Despite the ongoing violence, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Salesian missionaries have noted the absence of youth in the area as many have fled to safety in other areas of Syria and in neighboring countries.

Since the March 2011 outbreak of civil war, 7.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country and 4.1 million registered Syrian refugees are in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and a recent flood of refugees are now seeking asylum in Europe, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries. More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012 assisting between 400 and 800 refugees each day, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Sources:

ANS – Syria – “Ghèr ‘alam”: “Another World” for the Youth of Aleppo

UNHCR – Syrian Refugee Response

*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 SYRIA: Salesian Missionaries in War-Torn Syria Provide Shelter, Youth Programs and Education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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

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

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

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

COLOMBIAN REFUGEES

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

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

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

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

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

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

REFUGEES IN KENYA

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

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

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

SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TURKEY

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

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

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

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Sources:

World Refugee Day 2015

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Educational Programs Assisting Refugees around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“At a time of such change and turmoil, this region simply cannot afford to let 21 million children fall by the wayside,” said Maria Calivis, regional director for UNICEF MENA (Middle East and North Africa), said in a statement from Beirut.

“These children must be given the opportunity to acquire the skills they need through education in order to play their part in the region’s transformation,” she added. According to a joint report released by UNICEF and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a 40 per cent reduction in the number of out-of-school children in the MENA region over the past decade provided hope and opportunities for millions.

According to the report, 12.3 million children and young adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa are out of school. In addition, according to recent calculations, more six million children and young adolescents are at risk of dropping out.

An additional three million children are out of school in Syria and Iraq, where conflict has destroyed large parts of the education system. As the violence expands, millions more are at risk of becoming a ‘lost generation’ deprived of the knowledge and skills needed to be successful adults.

Working to provide a safety net for youth in situations like this is the focus of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which operates schools, youth centers and humanitarian aid programs in some of the countries outlined in the report (as part of the more than 130 countries they serve).

“All youth deserve a chance at a better life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian schools help youth overcome barriers to success while teaching them how to take responsibility for their own lives. By providing youth an education and the necessary skills to find and retain employment, they are able to support themselves and help their communities.”

SYRIA

In Syria, Salesian missionaries continue to provide for Syrian youth and families in need at three centers. Each of the three centers is staffed by three Salesian priests and a deacon and have been in operation since well before the start of the war providing educational classes, meeting space and social development and sporting activities to youth and their families. The centers also offer trauma counseling, emergency shelter, nutritious meals and medical referrals to those in need.

Several other countries around the region are experiencing armed conflicts or political turmoil that prevents children from learning, according to the join report.

Full regional recommendations and country-specific recommendations outlined in the report can be found at www.oosci-mena.org.

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PHOTO CREDITS:

Main photo: Getty Images © austinmann – child in a Unicef tent in Sudan

Other photos courtesy of the Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre – El Obeid

SOURCES:

Original press release on the release of the report from the UN Press Centre

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI)

UNESCO: Education for All Global Monitoring Report (PDF of full report, available here

MissionNewswire: SYRIA: Salesian Missionaries Continue to Provide for Syrian Youth and Families in Need at Three Centers within Syria

MissionNewswire: SUDAN: More than 1,200 Youth Receive Education, Employment Opportunities at Salesian Technical School

MissionNewswire: SUDAN: Degree Training Programs Help Youth Find Stable Employment

The post MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA: Protecting Education for Children in Conflict first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“We are carrying on with our regular activities and every Friday, close to 300 boys and girls from elementary school through high school attend catechism classes,” says Father Munir El Rai, Provincial of the Middle East. “The number of young people connecting with Salesian centers in Syria is increasing. One of the reasons is our youth center has been relatively safe so far compared to other parish youth centers.”

“However, in February our area was hit by five mortars, three of which fell within fifty meters of the school,” adds Fr. El Rai. “Nine civilians were killed, including four young people, and more than thirty-five people were injured. All citizens of Aleppo are at risk and no area is completely safe or far from war.”

Despite the ongoing violence, Salesian centers continue to meet the needs of their communities through the distribution of food, economic aid and scholarships to help young people continue with their schooling. Salesian missionaries have noted the absence of youth in the area due to many fleeing to safety in other areas of Syria and in neighboring countries.

“Emigration continues to increase, and the absence of young people between 20 and 30 years is noticeable,” explains Fr. El Rai. “Young people leave the country to look for work, for safety and a life of dignity. It is a very sad, because a country cannot grow without the presence of its young people.”

Since the March 2011 outbreak of civil war, close to 9 million Syrians have fled their homes in search of safety, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). More than 6 million of those affected are children who have been put at risk of violence and are subject to a lack of essential supplies and destroyed infrastructure that has closed schools and hospitals.

Close to 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Syria. More than 2.5 million have fled to the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and just under 100,000 have declared asylum in Europe. Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries.

“With all these difficulties it might seem that we are losing hope, but not so,” adds Fr. El Rai. “The young people who are still here in Syria continue to live their lives with great strength, courage and will to live. They continue to go to college, to study and to come to the youth center, helping out in the various activities. Their presence gives us courage and strength to carry on.”

In addition to Salesian centers within Syria, Salesian missionaries have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012 assisting between 400 and 800 refugees each day, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, missionaries provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Missionaries also offer technical skills training to assist refugees in the task of finding stable employment in their new host countries which for many is particularly challenging due to labor laws and a lack of established social and professional networks.

“Salesians are particularly focused on providing care and support services to urban refugees,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Urban refugees, like those fleeing Syria and other areas, are particularly vulnerable to economic insecurity, subject to long-term unemployment and high costs for basic necessities like shelter and food. What’s more, urban refugees intent on joining host country commerce out of the need to support dependent family members, often despite host country labor laws, are significantly at risk of exploitation and compromising situations.”

Salesian missionaries seek to assist the most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and children. Offering skills training, advocacy and counseling programs, Salesian centers provide safe spaces for vulnerable refugee families to find a sense of community and peace.

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Photo: (Getty Images © AhmadSabra) Beqaa, Lebanon – May 03, 2013: Syrian Refugee children in one of the tented camps in Beqaa Lebanon. One of the children showing signs of Leishmania.

Sources:

ANS –  Syria – “The young people gives us courage and strength”

UNHCR – Syria Regional Refugee Response

*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 SYRIA: Salesian Missionaries Continue to Provide for Syrian Youth and Families in Need at Three Centers within Syria first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Hundreds of thousands fleeing war find humanitarian aid—and suffering—across the border.

At the Roman Catholic Holy Spirit Cathedral, Spanish-born Salesian Father Andres Calleja Ruiz leads special programs for refugee children and youth from Syria, as well as a growing number whose families are fleeing ISIS persecution in Iraq. Because the children don’t speak Turkish, it’s difficult for them to attend local schools.

“We teach them English, of course, but also mathematics, geography and sports, music, dancing. To make them to feel that they are children like any other children. And to liberate themselves a little bit from their traumas. And above all to open their eyes and their heart to a future.” – Father Andres Calleja Ruiz, Salesians of Don Bosco

See the full transcript at PBS.org >

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The post PBS STORY: Syrian Refugees in Turkey (VIDEO) first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Close to 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Syria. More than 2.5 million have fled to the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and just under a 100,000 have declared asylum in Europe. Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries.

Salesian missionaries were well established at three sites in Syria well before the civil war started and they continue to provide for those in need. Two of the sites are in Aleppo and Damascus, particularly high conflict areas, and the third is in Kafroun. Salesians still working within Syria assist with trauma counseling and emergency shelter as well as nutrition and medical referrals.

Salesians have been helping Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt since early 2012, where each day they assist between 400 and 800 refugees, many of whom are women and children. At these refugee sites, Salesians provide emergency relief by meeting basic needs and providing shelter, safety and medical assistance. Salesians also offer technical skills training to assist refugee families with finding stable employment in their new host countries. This is urgently needed as individuals find it challenging to locate long-term formal employment, or draw on established social and professional networks, as a result of evacuation and host country labor laws.

“Salesians are particularly focused on providing care and support services to urban refugees,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Urban refugees, like those fleeing Syria and other areas, are particularly vulnerable to economic insecurity, subject to long-term unemployment and high costs for basic necessities like shelter and food. What’s more, urban refugees intent on joining host country commerce out of the need to support dependent family members, often despite host country labor laws, are significantly at risk of exploitation and compromising situations.”

Salesians seek to assist these most disadvantaged and vulnerable refugees, particularly those living outside of protected camps who take risks in order to support elderly parents, wives and their children. Salesian programs offer support though skills training, advocacy and counseling as well as by providing safe spaces where refugee families have a place to play and commune peacefully.

One of the biggest challenges Salesians face when providing assistance for Syrian refugees is managing the relationship between the refugees and the local community. Salesians work with community residents and refugees to provide support and empower the communities to care for their most vulnerable members.

“Although many refugee hosting situations are known to be fraught with discontent over competition for basic needs items such as housing, food, education and earnings, which increases in scarcity for both local residents and refugees during displacement, the Salesians are well positioned to counsel the host and refugee community alike,” says Holland.

“Salesians work to promote non-violent conflict resolution and mutual understanding through inter-community sports and learning exchanges,” adds Holland. “This central effort, to promote peace while improving quality of education and health, livelihood and life in general, is the reason that Salesian programming for refugees is so successful.”

Through this work, Salesians have had the opportunity to build capacity and strategic partnerships by collaborating with partners from the Egyptian government, Caritas, groups of private industry CEOs and others, all with the goal of improving quality of life, protection and livelihood opportunities for vulnerable refugees.

Due to their ongoing work and infrastructure supports, Salesians have been able to connect Syrian refugees in their programs with additional assistance provided by host governments and international organizations like UNHCR. The visibility and networking afforded by Salesians is critical to the design of a comprehensive response to the Syrian Refugee crisis by the global development community.

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PHOTO SHOWS SIMILAR PROGRAM IN EGYPT, A COUNTRY WHERE PROGRAMS WILL ALSO BE ASSISTING SYRIAN REFUGEES.

Sources:

UNHCR – Syrian Regional Refugee Response

*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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