MALI: Salesian missionaries continue to offer support and education during escalating insecurity
Work focuses on youth who are most vulnerable
MALI
(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are supporting local communities and providing education for thousands of youth in Bamako, Sikasso and Touba, Mali*. With escalating violence and insecurity disrupting lives, particularly in the capital city of Bamako, Salesians continue to offer opportunities for youth who face violence, poverty and an uncertain future.
Mali is experiencing a new offensive by rebel forces who have targeted strategic points across the country, highlighting the fragility of the nation and a crisis that has been dragging on for years. Insecurity, roadblocks, pressure on the capital, and the fear felt by the population are affecting daily life and exacerbating the difficulties faced by thousands of families. This has led to the closure of schools and left children without access to education.
A Salesian said, “Our work focuses on the most vulnerable youth, especially girls, in the belief that education is a concrete response to violence, poverty and a lack of opportunities.”
In Touba, Salesians have literacy courses, workshops for technical skills training, a sports center, a secondary school and a boarding house for students from remote rural villages. St. John Bosco Secondary School welcomes more than 400 youth from 17 villages, many of whom are socially marginalized.
The Salesian noted, “Previously, many students had to travel long distances to continue their education. The center has given many youth the chance to continue their studies and to have a safe place where they can learn and grow.”
In Sikasso, the Salesian center is dedicated to Mary Help of Christians and was established 45 years ago. It offers local youth a vocational school, the Salesian oratory/youth center and a youth shelter.
Finally, in Bamako, the Père Michel Vocational Formation Center provides the opportunity for more than 650 youth to learn skills for future employment. The project is funded by the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation to contribute to the social and labor market integration of young Malians through quality vocational training. This approach aims to reduce gender inequalities and promote peace-building and access to employment.
The Salesian concluded, “Mali is facing a complex situation, but the Salesians are not leaving. They remain alongside the communities, supporting schools and workshops, and are there for families while offering hope, education and opportunities to build peace.”
UNICEF has indicated that more than 2 million children between the ages of 5-17 do not go to school. More than half of children are still not literate. Children in Mali often have to drop out of school to work, enter child marriages or because of school closures. The country also struggles to find enough qualified teachers and textbooks for students. Only 73.8% of girls and 85.5% of boys are enrolled in primary school and only 15% of girls and 21% of boys continue to secondary school, UNICEF reports.
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Sources:
Photo courtesy of Misiones Salesianas
ANS – Mali – “Life goes on, but with understandable concern”
UNICEF – Mali
*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.
