ROMANIA: New primary school planned
Don Bosco Primary School in Bacău will launch in September
(MissionNewswire) The new Don Bosco Primary School, in Bacău, Romania, will launch in September. The new school will be in addition to the Salesian oratory, a day center for minors, and a vocational guidance center that are already in operation within the city. Salesians also operate an important summer camp that brings together many youth during school breaks.
The school building had already been in use for afterschool programming for about 110 youth who gather on weekday afternoons to play sports and share their free time. The building offers five classrooms, a multifunctional room, room for festivities, laboratories, workshops, a library, a sports field and a games room.
“We built this several years ago, thanks to funding received through a European project, and we inaugurated them in 2013,” said Father Iosif Ilieș, rector of the Salesian community in Bacău. “The school is a project that people have been waiting for, and we’ve been working on for two years, setting up the rooms and obtaining all the necessary documentation. We want to offer something different, based on Christian values and Don Bosco’s preventive system. But it will still be a school open to all, regardless of religious or social affiliation, with a family environment.”
While working on this new project, Salesian missionaries are also welcoming Ukrainian refugees who are coming through Bacău. Fr. Ilies explained, “Bacău is a city of passage. Few stop here and the city’s facilities so far manage to cover the needs. But we help with the service of volunteers where there is a need and through collections of materials for refugees. And we’ve already said we’re willing to welcome and involve Ukrainian children in the summer activities, which are about to begin.”
Romania has the highest poverty rate of all European Union member states. More than 23.5 percent of the total resident population is at risk of poverty, according to the World Bank. Inequality of opportunities remains one of the main challenges for Romania. There is unequal access to education, health care and other services, along with intergenerational poverty, which prevents children or families from disadvantaged areas from reaching their full potential.
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Sources:
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ANS – Romania – Salesian Primary School “Don Bosco” in Bacău soon to open
World Bank – Romania