Salesian programs encourage advanced education, skills training

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11. The day, first held in 2012, was established to promote equal treatment and opportunities for girls. It is an acknowledgment by the world that there is a disparity in the way rights of girls and boys are protected and promoted.

The United Nations has noted that 133 million girls are out of school today and almost 4 in 10 adolescent girls and young women do not finish upper secondary school. Further, adolescent girls aged 15-19 are more likely to not be in education, employment or training compared to their male peers.

Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, said, “Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality through educational programs targeted specifically for girls. Salesian schools and centers foster safe learning environments for girls and encourage them to continue to advanced education and skills training so they can become leaders in their families and communities.”

To mark the International Day of the Girl, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that empower girls through social and educational support.

INDIA

Salesian missionaries had the funding for scholarships for 34 economically disadvantaged girls studying at Don Bosco School, located in Muniguda in the Rayagada District, Odisha, India. The scholarship funds were received from Salesian Missions and were used for school fees, hostel fees, and educational materials. Although the funding was initially intended for 26 girls, the project team extended the support to 34 students who were unable to continue their studies due to financial difficulties.

Pinki Kundika, aged 13, was one of the scholarship recipients. She is from a village where most of the families belong to tribal communities and depend on small-scale agriculture, daily wage labor or forest-based livelihoods for their income. Kundika’s father passed away and her mother is a housewife who struggles to support the family. Before receiving the scholarship support, Kundika studied in a village school where the quality of education was very poor. Teachers rarely attended classes and she had very limited learning opportunities. Because of the financial difficulties faced by her family, continuing her education was uncertain.

The scholarship provided through Don Bosco School in Muniguda enabled her to enroll in school and stay in the hostel, where she now has access to learning facilities and regular academic guidance. Kundika shared that receiving the scholarship brought great relief and happiness to her and her family. She said that without this support she would not have been able to continue her education.

Kundika said, “I was a frightened before, but today I am becoming more confident. Because of this help, I am able to study and dream about my future.” Kundika hopes to become a teacher in the future so that she can help other children from poor villages receive a good education. She is determined to study hard and make the most of the opportunity given to her.

MALAWI

Don Bosco High School, located in Nkhotakota, Malawi, has improved living conditions for 80 young girls thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The project funding was used to purchase five buildings as well as the adjacent land. The new area was also fenced for safety.

Three houses were renovated and adequately equipped. One house and another building were taken down because they were not in good condition. Seven toilets and 14 showers were constructed, as well as a stand for two 5,000-liter (approximately 1,320 gallons) water tanks. Water and electricity were also connected.

A Salesian explained, “The main objective of the project was to create better safety and living conditions for the school girls. This was achieved, and as a result, the girls’ punctuality improved because of the availability of more showers, toilets and available water.”

Jenallah Mkandawire is a teacher at the school. Before the project, she noted that the living conditions were not adequate for the girls. She explained, “Now the girls are on time and have adequate water for washing their clothes and sanitary needs. Since they have more places to wash themselves and to wash their clothes, the general hygiene of school has improved.”

NIGERIA

Salesian missionaries with the Mary Help of Christians community have received the funding to support the Don Bosco Stitches project in Lagos, Nigeria. The donor funding is from Salesian Missions. The project is teaching young women an employable skill that they can utilize in seeking a job or starting their own business.

Donor funding was utilized to buy the necessary equipment for the classroom, which allows for hands-on experience to teach the students the sewing skills they need. Once they are ready to graduate, each student has a portfolio of samples to showcase their work. Each year, up to 45 young women will be prepared for the workforce.

One of the students said, “I’ve been here for four weeks and my experience so far with Don Bosco Stitches has been supportive and educational. Our teachers teach us with love. They are professional with everything they do, and they are calm when they instruct us. What some people learn in one year with other programs, we have learned in a month. We have achieved a lot, and the fear I once had about the future is gone. This is a great opportunity for all of us.”

ZAMBIA

Salesian missionaries in Lusaka, Zambia, are helping girls and young women continue their education. A project helps young women who are forced to miss school periodically due to poverty and taboos surrounding menstrual hygiene. Through a series of targeted activities, the project aims to reduce school dropout rates, increase girls’ self-esteem, and promote lasting cultural change by supporting the production and distribution of reusable sanitary pads, accompanied by education and awareness courses.

Through the work of the Her and His Gift Foundation, set up by a group of girls and young women who attend the Don Bosco Youth Center in Lusaka, around 7,200 reusable sanitary pads have been produced and distributed, thereby also strengthening local skills and micro-entrepreneurship opportunities. The young women then attended courses on practical skills and personal hygiene.

Twenty workshops were also held in the cities of Lusaka, Kabwe, Chingola and Mansa, involving more than 8,000 students. In addition, awareness and community engagement campaigns were designed through school events, community meetings and social media activities to involve as many girls as possible.

A Salesian noted, “Thanks to the support of many benefactors, the project has succeeded in helping to improve school attendance, self-esteem and gender equality, as well as awareness of the impact of disposable products. Parents and teachers openly recognized that menstruation is one of the main causes of absenteeism and welcomed the proposal for reusable sanitary pads.”

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Sources:

INDIA: 34 girls attending Don Bosco Muniguda receive scholarships thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

International Day of the Girl

MALAWI: 80 girls at Don Bosco High School have improved living conditions thanks to donors from Salesian Missions/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

NIGERIA: Donor funding from Salesian Missions supports Don Bosco Stitches project/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

ZAMBIA: Girls and young women continue their education with support of new project/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)