Project impacts 400 youth who participate in programs

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been able to complete comprehensive maintenance on a swimming pool at the Bosconia Center in Piura, Peru. The project was made possible thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Completion of the required maintenance and repairing the pool will impact the 400 youth, aged 8-21, who participate in the Sol Bosco programs and those who are there for holidays and festive oratories. These youth come from families who face precarious social and economic conditions.

The project included the implementation of the maintenance of the semi-Olympic swimming pool and the children’s boat. The recirculation and filtration systems were repaired, and electric pumps, sand filters, valves, grilles, flowmeters, and pressure indicators were replaced. There was maintenance done to the electrical system, including the review and optimization of the control panel, guaranteeing safe operating conditions.

Cristian Peña Rivero, aged 16, is one of the youth who benefits from the donation. He said, “I live in the Nueva Esperanza Human Settlement with my mother and my siblings. The situation where we live is complicated by the risk of crime, drug addiction and cases of family violence. I currently study operations and warehouses in the morning at Bosconia and in the afternoon I attend the fourth year of secondary school. I am doing well in my studies and my dream is to become a professional in accounting.”

He added, “We are very grateful to Salesian Missions who have provided the funding for the pool repair. We are happy to be able to have the pool because it allows us to de-stress and engage in sports.”

Peru faces high levels of income inequality and has more than a quarter of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty levels are significantly higher in rural areas but urban areas struggle most with inequality, most notably metropolitan Lima. Poverty in the country is made worse by a shortage of productive farmland and a lack of job skills among women entering the workforce, as well as a lack of adequate housing, nutrition and education.

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Peru

World Bank – Peru