PERU: Salesians improve learning environment for students thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions
Air conditioning, roof reduce heat issues affecting students
PERU
(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been able improve the learning environment for youth who are vulnerable and are studying 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.
Students and staff previously found it difficult to focus in class due to the heat at the school. With the project, two air conditioning units have been added. Salesians also added a covering around the pool to limit the sun exposure for students.
Luis Angel Bregante Andrade, a 22-year-old student, was impacted by the donation. He lives in a challenging economic situation, and the area where he lives has a high poverty rate as well as high rates of crime and drug addiction. He studies at Cetpro Bosconia in the storage operations course and hopes to find a good job after graduation to help support his family.
Andrade said, “When we came to the auditorium, it was difficult for us to concentrate because the heat was very strong, and when some teachers also opened the windows, the air that entered was hot. We spoke to the director about this and the pool, as many of the students who used it got burned from the sun because there was no covering.”
He added, “Now with the project complete, we are happy with the pool roof and the air conditioning. This has provided us with the cool air we need to concentrate. We will be able to learn and fulfill our dreams. I am very grateful to the project, to the director and to Salesian Missions.”
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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Sources:
Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)
Salesian Missions – Peru
World Bank – Peru
