Salesians in Slovakia hold campaign to raise funds for teacher shortage at Kakuma Refugee Camp

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian-run SAVIO in Slovakia launched the 17th annual public fundraising campaign Tehlička (the Brick) to raise funds to help build new accommodations for teachers in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The campaign started at the beginning of Lent in March and will run through October. In addition to raising funds, the campaign is helping to educate the public about the needs of people in the poorest countries around the globe.

SAVIO is working together with Salesians in Kenya to support their efforts among the local population and refugees living in the camp. The local Salesian school offers high-quality education, but there is a growing teacher shortage. Many teachers are afraid to move to this remote region. The goal is to build accommodations that will offer teachers a safe environment so they can focus on teaching young students. The campaign has already raised 42,081 euro.

“Over the past few years, Salesian technical programs in Kakuma have successfully trained thousands of youth in viable trades to earn a living and care for their families,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “For this education to continue, Salesians need qualified teachers. This campaign will ensure that prospective teachers feel safe enough to consider teaching at Kakuma.”

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. Most of the refugees are from East and Central African countries including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Kakuma is operated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (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, health care, clean water, and sanitation.

Salesian missionaries operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are four technical training facilities in the camp. The main center offers all the technical trades as well as a literacy and math program. A technical school offers agriculture education where youth learn advanced farming skills, and another is a technology-focused center that combines community technology access with computer training. The newest facility is offering classes for adults in carpentry, welding, sewing and English.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Slovakia – “The Tehlička”, Slovak fundraising campaign, is improving the education in Kakuma

Kakuma Refugee Camp

Salesian Missions – Kenya