KENYA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been working in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana County in northern Kenya for the past 25 years. Established in 1992, Kakuma is one of Africa’s largest refugee settlements, sheltering thousands fleeing conflict. Salesians began their work under the leadership of Father Vincent Donati. Seeing the urgent needs of young refugees, Fr. Donati enlisted former students from Don Bosco Technical School in Embu to bring education to the camp.

The first vocational school welcomed 153 students, supported by the Lutheran World Federation and Italian donors. By 2000, a permanent Salesian community was established. Today, the mission collaborates closely with United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), which funds most of its projects.

A Salesian explained, “Over the years, Don Bosco Kakuma has grown into seven centers, offering technical and vocational training in fields like carpentry, tailoring, welding, agriculture, photovoltaics, and motor mechanics. From humble beginnings, the mission now serves around 2,300 students annually, with over 19,000 graduates since its inception.”

The Silver Jubilee Mass, led by Bishop John Mbinda of the Diocese of Lodwar, was the centerpiece of the anniversary celebration. Attended by 18 priests, students, and members of the host community, the event featured a vibrant liturgy and cultural performances. In his homily, Bishop Mbinda commended the Salesians for their dedicated service to young refugees and emphasized the transformative power of Kenya’s youth, who make up 70% of the population.

After the Mass, they blessed the newly constructed administration block, funded by Slovak Aid. Celebrations continued with cultural displays and speeches from the Rector of Don Bosco Kakuma, a UNHCR representative, the Salesian provincial, and student representatives. Despite the challenges of life in the camp, Salesians remain steadfast in their mission offering hope and opportunity to the refugee youth.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Kenya – Kakuma Refugee Camp: 25 Years of Salesian Service and Dedication

Mission Don Bosco

Salesian Missions – Kenya

World Bank – Kenya

The post KENYA: Salesians celebrate 25-year mission in Kakuma Refugee Camp first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and the international community in honoring World Refugee Day, held each year on June 20 since 2001. The day, which is coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international organizations, honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes.

UNHCR estimates that by the middle of 2024, there were more than 122.6 million people forcibly displaced globally — a record number propelled by the war in Ukraine and other conflicts around the world. This includes 68.3 million people who have been displaced inside their own countries, 37.9 million refugees, 8 million asylum seekers and more than 5.8 million other people in need of international protection.

“Salesian missionaries provide support and services for refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine, and natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes,” said Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions. “In addition to direct support of basic needs, Salesians ensure refugees and those displaced are able to access education and technical skills training so they can find employment in their new communities.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2025, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

More than 9,700 Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic improved their nutrition through a partnership between Rise Against Hunger and Salesian Missions.

More than 9,700 Haitian refugees and their families, who fled their home country due to the ongoing political crises and settled in the community of Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, have received meals to support their nutritional needs. The meals were provided through a partnership between Rise Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization growing a global movement to end hunger, and Salesian Missions. Daughters of Mary Help of Christians distributed the meals to families in need during the first half of 2024.

Most of the recipients work in construction or engage in maintenance work at a Salesian school. Many workers are undocumented and live in isolated places with their families in small, rented houses. They are not always paid fairly and have few labor benefits due to their migration status.

A Salesian explained, “The socio-political situation in Haiti continues to be a major difficulty, as workers are often exposed to unfair treatment, the risk of deportation and living in precarious conditions because they have entered the country illegally. The distribution of food helps to reduce some of these dangers. Some of them are very shy, and they show fear when you first interact with them and can resist help. However, the help they received has made them feel welcomed and has allowed them to integrate better into the life of the community and open up.”

INDIA

Children who are migrants were able to attend study centers through funding from Salesian Missions.

Salesian missionaries with Bosco Vikas Gramin Kendra were able to support children in migrant communities in the Central Maharashtra region of India thanks to funding from Salesian Missions.

The project encouraged children from the migrant communities to attend study centers for various sports activities. This brought youth in the door and allowed them to access the other services being offered, including classes. In six project hamlets, study classes were held on a regular basis. A total of 193 boys and girls were enrolled and studied math and language. At the conclusion of each month, tests were administered to assess progress. The monthly evaluations were then shared with the students. Special additional care and attention were provided to those who needed help.

Nutrition was also provided for 200 youth, who were able to have at least one healthy meal a week thanks to the project funding. Salesians also held programs to inform parents about the importance of healthy nutrition. Parents were able to attend sessions that informed them of other services available to them. Salesians covered 12 programs that parents could access including health insurance, financial aid and nutritional support. More than 2,300 people attended these sessions.

KENYA

Young refugees are gaining job skills in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya through education efforts of Salesian missionaries.

Salesian missionaries working in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya are providing education and social support for people who have been displaced. Kakuma Refugee Camp has more than 225,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan*, Sudan*, Rwanda and Burundi*. It is estimated that more than 50% of refugees are youth and children.

Operated by the UNHCR, in collaboration with Salesian missionaries and other humanitarian organizations, Kakuma Refugee Camp offers refugees safety, security, and life-saving services such as housing, health care, clean water and sanitation. Of the organizations working in the camp, Salesians are the only ones residing in the camp among the people. This has given them an ability to learn firsthand the needs of the refugees and develop bonds with the people.

To help refugees gain skills for employment, Salesians operate the Don Bosco Technical Institute in the camp with the help of UNHCR. The courses offered include masonry, electrical and solar, motor vehicle mechanics, plumbing, dressmaking, welding and fabrication, secretarial, and computer, as well as literacy programs.

To increase access to the training, Salesians run four other centers across the camp that offer the same services. Over the years, Salesians have provided education to more than 3,000 refugees that have enabled them to earn a living in the camp and in their countries of origin.

UKRAINE

Students in Lviv, Ukraine have a new soccer field thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions.

Salesian missionaries were able to construct a new soccer field for students at Blessed Klymenty and Andrey Sheptytskyi in Lviv, Ukraine*, thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The donation impacted more than 400 students who regularly use the field.

The previous field was in such disrepair that it made it difficult for the students to play at all. It was filled with mud and was uneven. The soccer goals lacked netting, so when a goal was scored youth had to chase the ball.

A Salesian said, “The new field is bringing a new life for the students who are more enthusiastic about playing soccer and using the field. Since the beginning of the school year, Salesian priests and soccer coaches have actively conducted soccer activities on the field next to gymnasium. They organized a class schedule to ensure fair playing time for all. In the morning, students are using the field and after midday, the field is utilized for youth from the Salesian Pokrova Parish.”

Close to the gymnasium is a modular city of Mariapolis, where people who have been internally displaced are living. Among them are youth who are interested in sport activities. The goal is to reach out to these youth so that they can access the new field. Salesians will also rent the field to raise the funding needed to cover maintenance costs.

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Sources:

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: More than 9,700 Haitian refugees improve their nutrition through Rise Against Hunger meals/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

INDIA: Salesian Missions funds project to help support migrant children/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

KENYA: Young refugees gain job skills in Kakuma Refugee Camp/Photo courtesy of Mission Don Bosco

Salesian Missions

UKRAINE: Students have new soccer field thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions/Image from video courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

UNHCR World Refugee Day

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries 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.

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions highlights educational and social programs for refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

KENYA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries working in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya are providing education and social support for people who have been displaced. Kakuma Refugee Camp has more than 225,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan*, Sudan*, Rwanda and Burundi*. It is estimated that more than 50% of refugees are youth and children.

Operated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in collaboration with Salesian missionaries and other humanitarian organizations, Kakuma Refugee Camp offers refugees safety, security, and life-saving services such as housing, health care, clean water and sanitation.

Of the organizations working in the camp, Salesians are the only ones residing in the camp among the people. This has given them an ability to learn firsthand the needs of the refugees and develop bonds with the people.

To help refugees gain skills for employment, Salesians operate the Don Bosco Technical Institute in the camp with the help of UNHCR. The courses offered include masonry, electrical and solar, motor vehicle mechanics, plumbing, dressmaking, welding and fabrication, secretarial, and computer, as well as literacy programs.

To increase access to the training, Salesians run four other centers across the camp that offer the same services. Over the years, Salesians have provided education to more than 3,000 refugees that have enabled them to earn a living in the camp and in their countries of origin.

A Salesian explained, “Youth have been given the opportunity to earn a living, both in the refugee camp, which is now structured like a large village, with no shortage of shops, workshops and laboratories, and in their country of origin, should they return.”

Salesians also provide spiritual service to the refugees through the only Catholic parish. The Holy Cross Catholic Parish provides spiritual services at 10 out-stations spread across the camp. Salesians also launched the Savio Club in 2014 to provide character development for children. Today, there are more than 1,000 children involved in club activities.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Mission Don Bosco

ANS – Kenya – A future for young refugees in Kakuma

Mission Don Bosco

Salesian Missions – Kenya

World Bank – Kenya

*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.

The post KENYA: Young refugees gain job skills in Kakuma Refugee Camp first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring World Teachers’ Day celebrated each year on Oct. 5. The day honors the vital role that teachers play in the lives of their students. Since 1994, World Teachers’ Day has been held annually and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has noted that the theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day is “The transformation of education begins with teachers.” The day will address the commitments and calls for action made at the Transforming Education Summit, held in September 2022.

UNESCO will also hold a series of events showcasing how guaranteeing teachers’ decent working conditions, access to professional development opportunities and a recognized professional status is a first step toward more resilient education systems.

Teachers play an important role in the lives of poor youth in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in over 5,500 schools and youth centers and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools in more than 130 countries around the globe.

“Salesian teachers rise to the challenges they face in some of the poorest countries around the globe,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Almost all students in Salesian schools have faced conditions of poverty or are marginalized in some way. Some were previously living and working on the streets, and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war-torn communities. Salesian teachers, who often come from similar backgrounds, meet these challenges head-on, providing education and hope for a brighter future.”

In honor and celebration of World Teachers’ Day 2022, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight the work of Salesian teachers and programs that support them around the globe.

ARGENTINA

Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies in Rio Grande, Argentina, graduates its first music teachers.

The Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies, based in Río Grande, Argentina, has graduated 32 new teachers who have taken courses in initial education, primary education and music education. The music program was first launched in 2017, and these are the first graduates of the program.

During the graduation ceremony, the new teachers each lit a candle to represent their dedication and responsibility to the teaching profession. Father Claudia Simón, rector of the institute, said, “We have dreamed of this program for many years, but now we have the first graduates of the training course for music teachers. As Don Bosco said, ‘A Salesian house without music is like a body without a soul.’”

In closing his remarks, Fr. Simón added, “As a community, we are pleased because the objectives set have largely been achieved, and the result is you the new teachers who leave this Salesian house today with the certainty that it will always be your home. Educators who take on the responsibility and commitment to exercise their ministry and their profession on the basis of an ethics anchored to human and evangelical values, eager to listen, respecting the reality of every boy and girl.”

Salesian Father Miguel Bonuccelli Institute of Higher Studies has issued certifications valid at the national level since 1979. After 42 years of work, it continues to train professionals committed to inclusive education.

CHILE

Teachers from the Salesian Institute of Concepción in Chile take part in continuing education aimed at strengthening their skills.

Teachers from the Salesian Institute of Concepción in Chile recently took part in continuing education to strengthen their skills. With a focus on teamwork, teachers participated in workshops and games centered on achieving common goals. In addition, teachers attended sessions to learn about the importance of protecting mental, physical and emotional health. The training wrapped up with an educational session on Google Drive tools, which will allow teachers to optimize their work and keep up-to-date.

KENYA

Salesians in Slovakia held a campaign to raise funds to help with a teacher shortage at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

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.

NEPAL

Nepal Don Bosco Society provides training for staff who are teaching reconstructed schools.

Nepal Don Bosco Society organized a teacher training program called “Empowering Teachers” in the city of Manthali, Nepal. The three-day program provided training to teachers and administrators from 10 schools in four districts that were rebuilt after the 2015 earthquakes. The training team included Father Stephen Biswakarma, principal of the higher secondary section of Nepal Don Bosco School in Siddhipur-Lubhu, who shared life experiences in providing quality education to students.

There were 31 participants who came to learn how to revamp policies and strategies to provide holistic education to students. Session topics included child-friendly teaching, best practices of the schools, personality of the teacher, media impact on student life and back to nature. The participants and school authorities were appreciative of the ongoing effort of Nepal Don Bosco Society to support schools with such programs.

Twenty Salesian missionaries at nine different centers in the country’s eastern, central and far western regions are working to rebuild the educational foundation in Nepal. A host of relief and recovery programs were undertaken in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes and continue with the goal of providing quality and value-based academic and technical education in the country.

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Sources:

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

ARGENTINA: First music program teachers graduate

CHILE: Teachers strengthen their skills

KENYA: Funds to help with teacher shortage at refugee camp

NEPAL: Teachers, schools supported through training program

Salesian Missions

UNESCO – World Teachers’ Day

The post WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY: Salesian Missions highlights programs that support teachers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins Catholic organizations around the globe in honoring World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The day, celebrated on Sept. 25, will be the 108th celebration of the day, which was started in 1914 as a way to highlight and express concerns for vulnerable populations of people who have left their homes in search of safety and more opportunity.

Each year a theme is chosen for the day. This year, Pope Francis has chosen to entitle his annual message as “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees” as a way to highlight the shared commitment needed to build a future that embraces God’s plan to leave no one behind.

The day focuses on “recognizing and promoting the role that migrants and refugees have to play in this work of construction, because only in this way will it be possible to build a world that ensures the conditions for the integral human development of all.”

“Working in more than 130 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are on the front lines helping migrants and refugees in their new countries to become acclimated and access the resources they need,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian programs help young migrants adapt to their new environment through language and skills training and workforce development programs.”

To mark the Catholic celebration of World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2022, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and social support to refugees and migrants.

HUNGARY

Ukrainian refugees receive support at the Salesian house in Kazincbarcika, a city in northern Hungary near the Ukraine-Hungary border.

Salesian missionaries are housing refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine* at the Salesian house in Kazincbarcika, a city in northern Hungary near the Ukraine-Hungary border. Salesians also have a parish, two schools, a dormitory and several other institutions where they care for poor youth and their families, mostly minority Roma people.

As the mass of refugees started to arrive from Ukraine, Father Béla Ábrahám, director of the Kazincbarcika Salesian House, registered the house as a refugee shelter with the authorities. Shortly after, Salesians started to gather supplies to prepare accommodations for the refugees. Thanks to generous donors, the house includes three washing machines, five refrigerators and four microwave ovens. They began welcoming refugees in early April.

Five families initially stayed with the Salesians. The second group of refugees followed two weeks later, mostly women and children. Salesian students moved to the first floor of the dormitory, leaving the second and third floors reserved for refugees. Many local people and organizations have helped the Salesians by providing provide food, pastries, sweets, clothes and toys. Some offer their time and skills, helping with administration issues or providing medical support.

Most of the refugees welcomed by the Salesians look forward to going back to Ukraine to resume their lives. Some, however, will not be able to go back to their homes as there is nothing left, and they will have to start over in Hungary.

INDIA

In India, the Kerala Interstate Migrants Alliance for Transformation project provides migrant help desks in 11 districts.

The Kerala Interstate Migrants Alliance for Transformation project has been intervening in the lives of the interstate migrants across Kerala, India, by offering migrant help desks in 11 districts. These help desks provide support services and legal assistance to migrant laborers, especially those who have been isolated and marginalized.

To ensure effective execution of the project, Don Bosco institutions across the selected districts have partnered with BREADS – Bangalore Rural Education and Development Society. All the activities are centrally coordinated and replicated across the state through the state office at Don Bosco Veedu, located in Trivandrum.

Coordinators working at the desks have been encouraged to read more journals, articles and books related to migration, which will enhance their knowledge and guide them in their practical work among the migrants.

KENYA

More than 225,000 refugees receive support and education at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

Kakuma Refugee Camp was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan. It was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, Kakuma Refugee Camp has more than 225,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of refugees are youth and children.

Operated by the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in collaboration with Salesian missionaries and several other humanitarian organizations, Kakuma Refugee Camp offers refugees safety, security, and life-saving services such as housing, health care, clean water and sanitation.

Over the years, Salesian missionaries have developed a number of programs and services for the refugees in the camp. The Salesian Holy Cross Catholic Parish provides spiritual services at 10 out-stations spread across the camp. Salesians also launched the Savio Club in 2014 to provide character development for children in the camp. Today, there are more than 1,000 children involved in club activities.

MEXICO

Migrant mothers and children receive services in a new center in Tijuana, Mexico.

The Don Bosco Reception Center, a new space dedicated to giving shelter to women with children, was launched in Tijuana, Mexico. The reception center was set up to help women at risk, especially migrants. Women can receive legal, psychological, medical and spiritual services.

This new reception center is one project among many launched by the Salesian Center in Tijuana, which since 1987 has been providing services to migrants and poor youth living on the border between Mexico and the U.S.

The Salesian Center acts as a hub for migrants who, besides much-needed material help, are also offered a familiar and welcoming environment. They can access haircuts, a change of clothes, a shower, and an opportunity to call and make contact with families. The Salesian Center also has a partnership with the Red Cross and local volunteer doctors who offer psychological and medical help and assistance.

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Sources:

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

HUNGARY: Ukrainian refugees receive support

INDIA: The Kerala Interstate Migrants Alliance for Transformation project provides migrant help desks in 11 districts

KENYA: More than 225,000 refugees receive support and education

MEXICO: Migrant mothers and children receive services in new center

Salesian Missions

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

*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.

The post WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: Salesian Missions highlights life-changing programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and the international community in honoring World Refugee Day, held each year since 2001 on June 20. The day, which is coordinated by the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other international organizations, honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes.

This year the theme for the day is “Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety” and focuses on how people forced to flee should be treated with dignity. UNHCR has noted that safety is a basic human right and that anyone should be able to seek protection, regardless of who they are or what they believe. No matter where people come from, people who have been forced to flee should be welcomed. Further, whenever people are forced to flee — be it war, violence or persecution — everyone deserves protection.

UNHCR has noted that a record of more than 84 million people had been forcibly displaced by mid-2021, not including the more than 6.5 million Ukrainians who have fled the country since March 2022. Not accounting for Ukraine, 68 percent of those displaced come from the five countries of Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. An estimated 35 million of the refugees are children and more than 1 million have been born as refugees.

“Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine, and natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian programs provide refugees much-needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care, and nutrition.”

Fr. Baek added, “For Ukrainian refugees, Salesians have set up special fundraising appeals and shipped material goods, and they are opening their centers and programs to families fleeing. Salesians are also sending supplies to Salesians who have remained in Ukraine and are sheltering those displaced there. Recently, Salesian Missions was able to send medical supplies thanks to our partnership with MedShare.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2022, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need.

UKRAINE

A teacher and psychologist from Ukraine run programs at the Salesian Youth Center in the Czech Republic for children fleeing war.

The Salesian Youth Center, located in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, has been providing services for Ukrainian children who fled when the war erupted. These children and their families are refugees seeking shelter and safety away from their home country. The center employs two Ukrainian women to run programs for Ukrainian children. Masha Shumkova is a teacher and Olena Halushka is a psychologist. Both of them used to work at a children’s center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Halushka said, “I came to the Czech Republic in the second week of March. Our friend told us about the Salesian Youth Center. We were surprised when we came here because, in our city in Ukraine, we don’t have anything like this. Czech children must be so happy because they have this program, and they may come here for free, get attention, and stay at a comfortable, safe place. I decided to be a volunteer in this Salesian Youth Center because I like kids. Really, for me it’s so easy to be with kids. They give me energy.”

The Ukrainian children are making connections with the children already in the program. It has been a fairly smooth transition even for Halushka and Shumkova. They seek out activities the children enjoy and bond with them over sports and other activities. It’s not all games though. Many of the activities are educational to ensure children are still learning.

EGYPT

Refugees finish technical skills training for stable employment through a Salesian Missions project in Cairo.

Salesian missionaries continued offering training to assist refugees in gaining the skills needed for employment or self-employment in Egypt through the Sunrise Project for Cairo’s Urban Refugees and Vulnerable Hosts. The project is possible thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) through a Salesian technical and vocational training center in Cairo.

The project was first funded through Salesian Missions in 2014. To date, the project has improved the livelihoods and quality of life of more than 3,000 Sub-Saharan African, Yemeni and Syrian refugees and vulnerable Egyptians.

The Sunrise Project is popular among refugees with more than 2,000 applicants trying for the limited number of trainee openings. From the over 700 who were accepted and who completed baseline assessments, more than 500 received technical and vocational training. This led to 426 successful graduates from September 2020 to September 2021. In addition, 65 trainees received a seed grant and one-on-one mentoring, and 16 microentrepreneurs and past alumni received small business development grants.

In addition to financial support, the project also rented tables at three local bazaars so that microentrepreneurs could market their wares and services. These bazaars were particularly helpful for female microentrepreneurs who could display their sewing and handicrafts products or offer hairdressing or henna services. Fifteen beneficiaries participated across the three bazaars. Additionally, the markets enabled beneficiaries to distribute their business cards for networking and potential future customer sales.

KENYA

To help refugees gain skills for employment while at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, Salesians operate the Don Bosco Technical Institute in the camp with the help of UNHCR.

Kakuma Refugee Camp was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan. It was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, Kakuma Refugee Camp has more than 225,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of refugees are youth and children.

Operated by the UNHCR in collaboration with Salesian missionaries and several other humanitarian organizations, Kakuma Refugee Camp offers refugees safety, security, and life-saving services such as housing, health care, clean water and sanitation.

Over the years, Salesian missionaries have developed a number of programs and services for the refugees in the camp. The Salesian Holy Cross Catholic Parish provides spiritual services at 10 out-stations spread across the camp. Salesians also launched the Savio Club in 2014 to provide character development for children in the camp. Today, there are more than 1,000 children involved in club activities.

PAKISTAN

Salesians in Quetta and Lahore, Pakistan, offer support to Afghan refugees.

The Salesian community in Quetta, Pakistan has offered shelter and basic necessities to Afghan refugees thanks to support from the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid. More than 100 refugees, mostly children, received tents, blankets, food and medicines. The Christian community of Quetta felt proud to be able to help people of other religions in a spirit of brotherhood.

This initiative was launched because of extremely cold weather in the region. Salesians are also working to provide ongoing support including education for children and medical and psychological assistance.

In the second week of December, Don Bosco Lahore distributed humanitarian aid to 200 Afghan refugee families in Peshawar. This activity was carried out with the collaboration and coordination of local authorities, the police, and the city administration, which facilitated the distribution. This effort was supported by the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid, Salesian Missions, Don Bosco Switzerland and Salesians in Berlin.

UGANDA

More than 600 youth have gained an education at Don Bosco Vocational Center in the Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in Uganda.

Don Bosco Vocational Center, operating inside Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in Uganda, offers education and vocational training to help young refugees prepare for employment. There are courses in mechanics, sewing, construction, agriculture, hairdressing and solar energy. The center provides support for 56,000 refugees and 11,000 Ugandans from the northern region.

Don Bosco Vocational Center has become a place where youth are nurtured, and they can access the skills to achieve self-sustainability. To date, the center has trained more than 600 youth, most of them refugees who have returned to South Sudan to contribute to their country.

The December introduction of upcoming courses brought together many people who are interested in what the center has to offer. Father Ubaldino Andrade, rector of the Salesian community in Palabek, said, “This fact testifies that the young people of the refugee camp are hungry for an education that allows them to offer their families a better quality of life and to contribute to the reconstruction of their country.”

Fr. Andrade added, “At the technical and vocational level, many young refugees want to go out to work, they want to learn a trade, that in most cases, allows them to return to South Sudan.”

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Sources:

UKRAINE: Ukrainian teacher, psychologist run programs for children fleeing war/Photo courtesy of Salesian emergency response coordinator

EGYPT: 426 refugees finish technical skills training for stable employment through a Salesian Missions project in Cairo/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

KENYA: More than 225,000 refugees receive support and education/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

PAKISTAN: Salesians in Quetta and Lahore offer support to Afghan refugees/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

Salesian Missions

UGANDA: Young refugees prepare for employment/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

UNHCR Refugee Statistics

World Refugee Day

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries 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.

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions highlights educational and social programs that aid refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

KENYA

(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

The post KENYA: Funds to help with teacher shortage at refugee camp first appeared on MissionNewswire.

KENYA

(MissionNewswire) Kakuma Refugee Camp was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan. It was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, Kakuma Refugee Camp has more than 225,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of refugees are youth and children.

Operated by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in collaboration with Salesian missionaries as well as several other humanitarian organizations, Kakuma Refugee Camp offers refugees safety, security, and life-saving services such as housing, health care, clean water and sanitation.

Over the years, Salesian missionaries have developed a number of programs and services for the refugees in the camp. The Salesian Holy Cross Catholic Parish provides spiritual services at 10 out-stations spread across the camp. Father Eric Owuor, assistant parish priest and local economer, said, “As part of the pastoral program of the parish, we organize frequent youth seminars and workshops that are very handy in human and Christian formation to our young refugees.”

Salesians also launched the Savio Club in 2014 to provide character development for children in the camp. Mr. Kelvin, a catechist in the parish, noted, “There is an incredible difference between the children who have been through the Savio Club and the rest. They are very active in the church, are well behaved and also perform way better in school.” Today, there are more than 1,000 children involved in club activities.

To help refugees gain skills for employment while at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Salesians operate the Don Bosco Technical Institute in the camp with the help of UNHCR. The courses offered include masonry, electrical and solar, motor vehicle mechanics, plumbing, dressmaking, welding and fabrication, secretarial, computer, and literacy programs.

To increase access to the training, Salesians run four other centers across the camp that offer the same services. Over the years, Salesians have provided education to more than 3,000 refugees that have enabled them to earn a living in the camp and in their countries of origin.

According to the World Bank, more than 7.8 million people in Kenya are living in extreme poverty, the majority in rural areas. Those living on less than $1.90 a day in rural regions added up to some 6.6 million, while 1.1 million extreme poor people live in urban areas. Overall, the poverty incidence declined in recent years, but at a lower rate in urban areas than rural ones.

Youth living in Kenya’s larger cities like Nairobi live in slums and are at risk for exploitation, forced labor and other abuses. Few attend the later stages of school as compared to those living in Kenya’s more rural areas. The few schools serving this disadvantaged community are beyond the financial means of most families.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Kenya – “Don Bosco Mission among the refugees”

Salesians of Don Bosco Province of Eastern Africa

Salesian Missions – Kenya

World Bank – Kenya

The post KENYA: More than 225,000 refugees receive support and education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) When the global COVID-19 pandemic struck and countries began lockdowns, Salesian missionaries around the globe went into action ensuring that those who were impacted in their local communities had the food and hygiene supplies they needed. Missionaries also quickly began to shift how they worked with poor children and their families, including working to provide education online when possible. To aid these efforts, significant funding was needed.

Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, located in New Rochelle, New York, launched a special fundraising appeal to help Salesian programs. Salesian Missions funded 13 projects in the first six months of the pandemic, totaling more than $1,450,000 in support. These projects helped nearly 8,000 families in 11 countries. Additional projects, such as one funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for initiatives in Italy, happened later in the year.

“Most of these projects were stop-gap measures designed to ease the suffering of the most vulnerable members of communities,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “The majority of the funding went to help children, followed by those who were sick. Salesians work in the communities they serve and are well-positioned to not only know the local needs but to also understand what is needed most. As a result, our primary initiatives were food and hygiene supplies to ensure that families had enough to eat and were taking prevention measures to help mitigate the COVID-19 virus.”

Salesian Missions is proud to highlight some of the COVID-19 initiatives that were funded in 2020.

BURUNDI

Salesian Missions funded the “Burundi Oratory Youths Food Aid to Slow Down COVID-19 Outbreak Effect” project in Burundi.

Salesian Missions funded the “Burundi* Oratory Youths Food Aid to Slow Down COVID-19 Outbreak Effect” project. In addition to installing hand-washing stations at the entrances of classrooms, chapels, and dining rooms, volunteers also produced and installed informational posters and held training on proper hand-washing. More than 1,500 beneficiaries also received direct food assistance. The project indirectly benefited 67,000 people through increased sanitization measures at three youth centers and awareness campaigns.

CAMEROON

Salesian Missions provided funding for the “Emergency Assistance for Students in Emergency Situations Due to Coronavirus Pandemic” project, which benefited 1,000 students and 100 staff through the sanitization of Don Bosco College and the Vocational Training Center. These spaces are also utilized by the parish of Mary Help of Christians in Mimboman, which has 4,000 parishioners. It also directly benefited 420 families and 50 students through school scholarships.

ESWATINI

Salesian Missions funded a joint collaborative project with Salesians in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. In Eswatini, the project benefited more than 100 families from the Manzini Youth Care, which included a home for children who had been living on the street. These children and families received essential food aid to help ensure proper nutrition.

INDIA

Salesian Missions funded four projects in India focusing on food aid and sanitization efforts.

In Chennai, the “Restore and Rehabilitate People Affected Due to Corona Pandemic through Required Immediate Basic Relief Measures” project distributed food and necessary sanitization materials to 157 vulnerable families and direct cash vouchers to 100 families.

In Shillong and Assam, the “Solidarity Viral COVID-19 Relief” project provided food and hygienic materials to 780 vulnerable families, directly benefiting 4,497 people. Also in Shillong, the “COVID-19 Response: Food and Nutrition for Children” project benefited the community through a COVID-19 health awareness program which included 1,000 participants, as well as a kitchen garden project, which benefited 50 people. The project also offered scholarships to 30 vulnerable youth to keep them in school despite the economic crisis and distributed 500 provision kits with rice, dal and oil to the most vulnerable families.

In Goa, the “COVID-19 Pandemic: Emergency Relief Response” project provided food and hygienic supplies to 3,700 vulnerable families.

ITALY

With support from the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Salesian Missions launched the “Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19″ project.

With support from the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Salesian Missions launched the “Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19″ project. The project will impact more than 24,000 people including students and other young people, teachers, families, and migrants and refugees. Salesian Missions is working with Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) and local Salesian partners CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education, and SCS-CNOS Federation, Salesians for Social Welfare.

KENYA

Salesian Missions provided funding for the “Rescuing Kakuma Young Refugees from the COVID-19 Menace” project that provided food and personal protective equipment for refugees, as well as sanitization for the Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya. More than 2,000 households were directly or indirectly impacted by the project, including students, parishioners and residents of 10 outstations. More than 72 percent of the funding was used to provide food assistance to the most vulnerable young refugee families.

LESOTHO

A joint collaborative project that Salesian Missions funded with Salesians in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho benefited 200 families at St. Luke’s Mission, which includes the parish community, St. Luke’s and St. Boniface’s schools, the Mazzarello Skills Centre, and the Ferrando Resource Center for Differently Abled Children.

PERU

Salesian Missions funded the “Health Assistance for Our Most Poor and Needy Patients of First Phase of COVID-19 in Peru” project. The funds were originally intended to provide food and hygienic materials to 2,000 vulnerable families in six communities. By the start of the project, however, it was clear there was a greater need in the community due to the breakdown of hospital services. With approval, the project instead supplied 720 patients with lifesaving medication and purchased 20 pulse oximeters to support the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

SOUTH AFRICA

The joint collaborative project that Salesian Missions funded with Salesians in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho benefited 650 families in South Africa in two communities associated with the Salesian schools. The project supported students and their families in Ennerdale/Johannesburg and Cape Town and the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church Parish community in Cape Town.

SOUTH SUDAN

Salesian Missions funded the “Emergency Intervention at IDP Camp – Gumbo during COVID-19 Pandemic” project in South Sudan.

Salesian Missions funded the “Emergency Intervention at IDP Camp – Gumbo during COVID-19 Pandemic” project in South Sudan* that provided food support for 275 families, primarily benefiting the elderly, women and people with disabilities.

Additionally, the project funded sanitization measures in the camp, benefiting more than 10,000 people, primarily women and children.

SRI LANKA

Salesian Missions funded the “Countering COVID-19 by Don Bosco Murunkan” in Sri Lanka. The project directly benefited 60 boys, ages 11-18, and five staff members. In addition to paying salaries for staff to keep the program running, students were provided food and sanitization materials for three months. Many of the students are orphans or only have one parent, usually their mother, and are unable to pay their expenses at Don Bosco Murunkan. The funding ensures they are able to continue to receive their education in a safe and supportive environment while being fed nutritious meals to address the undernourishment many have suffered.

TOGO

Salesian Missions funded the “Sanitization and Assistance of Vulnerable People from COVID-19” in Togo that benefited approximately 500 youth, vulnerable adults and the elderly. The project successfully distributed food and masks to the most vulnerable members of Maria Auxiliadora Parish and established sanitization measures in the community.

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BURUNDI: Salesian Parish in Rukago continues fight against coronavirus with prevention campaign and activities

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

CAMEROON: Funding supports pandemic safety, school fees for students

INDIA: Salesian Missions donor funding provides 780 families dry ration kits through Bosconet

ITALY: Partnership with USAID helps over 24,000 young, vulnerable as part of COVID-19 response

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

SOUTH AFRICA: Salesian Missions funding supports food relief in Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa

SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian missionaries provide relief supplies as vulnerable populations face virus and economic crisis

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

SRI LANKA: 60 boys receive shelter, education, and pathway for a better life

TOGO: Hundreds in Lomé have access to coronavirus prevention materials, food kits 

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries 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.

The post GLOBAL: Funding supports most vulnerable during pandemic with food and prevention measures first appeared on MissionNewswire.

UNHCR has noted that a record 70.8 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of 2018. Among them are nearly 25.9 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Fifty-seven percent of all refugees come from South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan. There are also 3.9 million stateless people, but there are thought to be millions more, who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement. One person is forcibly displaced every 2 seconds as a result of conflict or persecution.

Each year World Refugee Day focuses on a particular theme. This year’s theme is, “Take a step with refugees,” and encourages people around the globe to join together and take big and small steps in solidarity with refugees.

In countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Salesian programs provide refugees much needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, healthcare and nutrition.

To mark World Refugee Day 2019, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., is the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

REFUGEES IN EGYPT

Through the Salesian Missions Sunrise Project for refugees and vulnerable Egyptians, 400 people are receiving support and 80 past graduates were recently invited to participate in comprehensive seed fund grant training. These graduates submitted entrepreneurial projects to the Sunrise team who chose to fund approximately 40 projects.

In 2014, Salesian Missions, with support from external donors, began working with the Instituto Don Bosco in Cairo, Egypt, to fund scholarships as part of the Sunrise Project. The project assists refugees and vulnerable Egyptians in gaining the technical and life skills they need to find employment and support their families in their new country.

Also providing life skills training, health awareness, entrepreneurship literacy workshops, job panels, seed grants and violence prevention training, the Sunrise Project helps refugees develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace and become comfortable in their new urban environments. A great success of the project is the addition of social services for participants including fully funded transportation vouchers for travel to and from courses. Those engaged in training programs are also provided vouchers to purchase groceries and other necessities from a local store, helping to ensure the basic needs of participants are met.

In addition, each participant receives a voucher for a primary care checkup and eye exam with a doctor who comes to the school. Some medicine prescriptions are included and referrals for secondary care are provided as needed.

Including this project year, the Sunrise Project in Cairo has improved the livelihoods and quality of life of more than 1,300 Sub-Saharan African and Syrian refugees and vulnerable Egyptians. Of this total, 46.9 percent were female. Some 62.8 percent were African, 8.3 percent were Syrian and 28.9 percent were vulnerable Egyptians.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

The Kakuma refugee camp 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. Today, the camp has more than 185,000 refugees, well over the 120,000-person capacity for which it was built. 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 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, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. The main center offers all the technical trades as well as a literacy and math program. Another technical school offers agriculture education where youth learn advanced farming skills. Still 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. 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.

REFUGEES IN UGANDA

Salesian missionaries working in the Palabek Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda launched a new center for vocational training on Jan. 31. Uganda hosts close to 1.3 million refugees, the majority coming from South Sudan. Others are fleeing from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Somalia, Burundi and several other countries.

The Palabek Refugee Settlement is currently home to 34,000 people. It was officially set up in April 2016 to reduce congestion in larger refugee camps in the northwestern corner of Uganda. Several agencies are involved in providing food and education within Palabek.

Salesian missionaries at the settlement are offering much-needed psychosocial support and pastoral care for thousands of Christian residents. They also operate four nursery schools that educate more than 1,000 children. In addition, there are over 700 children attending Salesian primary and secondary schools and more than 700 families that are supported by various other initiatives.

Salesian missionaries launched the new vocational training center to offer life skills and other training programs to help young refugees prepare for employment. Thousands of refugees, representatives of non-governmental organizations and a government delegation participated in the opening ceremonies celebrating the center.

At the center, young refugees are able to attend vocational training courses for free. Depending on the discipline, some courses run for 3-6 months while others run as long as a year. Salesian missionaries have also set up a job placement office to help students make contact with companies that are hiring, create resumes and prepare for interviews and find internships and on-site training opportunities.

The vocational training center currently has 450 students enrolled, 400 of whom are refugees and 50 who are host community Ugandans. The majority of students are young women and mothers who are taking courses in tailoring, cosmetology and salon services such as hair dressing. Young men are learning automobile mechanics and motorcycle repair training. Agriculture classes are taught to all students no matter their primary area of study.

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Sources:

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

EGYPT: Sudanese refugee able to launch training center to help other refugees thanks to “Sunrise Project”

KENYA: Salesian missionaries offer vocational skills training to ensure refugees a better life at Kakuma Refugee Camp

UGANDA: Salesian missionaries launch new vocational training center at Palabek Refugee Settlement

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Refugee Statistics

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions highlights technical skills training and social programs for refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Mother Teresa was a nun and missionary who devoted herself to helping the poor. In 1948 she became an Indian citizen and founded the order of Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (Calcutta) in 1950 which was noted for its work with the poor and the dying. For more than 45 years she took care of the poor, sick, orphaned and dying while also guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion. The organization first expanded throughout India and then into other countries and included hospices and homes for the poor and homeless. Mother Teresa’s work has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.

According to the United Nations, “The International Day of Charity was established with the objective of sensitizing and mobilizing people, NGOs and stakeholders all around the world to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities.”

Charity, as defined by the United Nations, includes volunteerism and philanthropy and aims to alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises and supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection. The United Nations also notes that charity promotes the rights of the marginalized and underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity in conflict situations.

Nearly 30,000 Salesian priests, brothers, sisters and novices are working in more than 130 countries around the globe bringing poor youth and their families education, workforce development and social programs. They work in some of the most challenges circumstances and are among the first responders during humanitarian crises or natural disasters.

“Education is always our primary focus, but we know youth are dealing with much more than just needing access to education,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries work to meet basic needs like shelter, food and medical care while also working to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most.”

In honor of the International Day of Charity, Salesian Missions highlights its unique educational and social programs that are helping poor and at-risk youth meet their basic needs, receive an education and find a path out of poverty, bringing them hope for the future.

EL SALVADOR

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America along with Honduras and Guatemala. FUSALMO, a Salesian-run organization, offers traditional and non-traditional educational opportunities for at-risk youth in communities within San Salvador. Through recreational programs, enrichment opportunities in the arts and music, vocational training and more, youth are able to stay off the streets, learn to cooperate and co-exist and gain the skills they need to become productive, contributing members of a more peaceful society. Founded in 2001, the organization has positively impacted the lives of more than 265,000 children and their families.

FUSALMO works to address the root causes of poverty, inequality and violence and give youth a chance for a better life in their own communities. Through the organization’s Don Bosco Youth Integral Program, three sports centers were developed in Soyapango, San Miguel and Santa Ana benefitting more than 55,000 youth. The sports centers offer youth a safe space to connect with their peers, access to supportive adults and various training opportunities on topics such as creating a culture of peace, vocational guidance, adapted physical education, sports, technology, labor, culture and others.

INDIA

The Salesian-run Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO), located in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) and the third most populous city in India, serves child laborers, victims of child abuse and youth who are orphaned, abandoned or live on the streets. Nine BOSCO rehabilitation centers and six outreach hubs are spread throughout the city to assist these children in need.

During its nearly 40-year history, BOSCO has helped improve the lives of more than 125,000 children and rescues and rehabilitates close to 7,000 children each year. Many children living on the streets are runaways who have left home in search of work or to escape violence or other family difficulties. According to UNICEF, more than 40,000 children are reported missing every year in India. Of these, close to 11,000 remain untraced. As many cases go unreported, it is suspected that the actual number of missing children is much higher. Many runaways come to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru in search of work and a better life. The majority of them live on the streets and on the country’s railway platforms where they beg, steal or perform menial jobs to survive. All too often, they fall victim to child traffickers.

Once youth are identified by BOSCO and convinced to come in off the street, their basic needs are provided for including housing, food and clothing. In addition, they receive counseling and, if appropriate, are reunited back with their families. Education is also a primary component of BOSCO and is provided to those in the rehabilitation program while those who are returned to their families have access to Salesian schools throughout India. Youth who continue their education are more likely to find and retain stable employment later in life and break the cycle of poverty.

KENYA

The Kakuma refugee camp 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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 185,000 refugees, well over the 120,000-person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by 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 at the Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are in the process of building a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

SIERRA LEONE

Salesian missionaries have been serving in Sierra Leone since 2001 when they began working to rehabilitate former child soldiers. In the years since, Don Bosco Fambul, located in the country’s capital city of Freetown, has become one of the country’s leading child welfare organizations—offering food, clothing, crisis intervention services, shelter, educational opportunities, long-term counseling and family reunification.

Don Bosco Fambul reaches out to an estimated 2,500 street children in the region each year. Transformation for street youth starts with Salesian rehabilitation and reunification programs operated at Don Bosco Fambul. The success of the street children rehabilitation program is credited to the organization’s holistic approach focusing on meeting basic needs (food, clothing and a safe place to sleep) as well as personalized medical, psychological, pedagogical, social and spiritual care. The gradual rehabilitation process includes formal classes, daily games, sports, music, singing, drama, dancing, counseling and prayer. Parents and extended families are contacted several times by social workers before final reunification.

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Sources:

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

EL SALVADOR: Salesian Organization FUSALMO Positively Impacts Lives of More Than 265,000 Children and Their Families

INDIA: BOSCO Helps to Provide a Second Chance for At-Risk and Marginalized Youth

KENYA: Salesian missionaries offer vocational skills training to ensure refugees a better life at Kakuma Refugee Camp

SIERRA LEONE: Don Bosco Fambul helps youth living on the street access shelter, nutrition and education

UN – International Day of Charity

The post GLOBAL: Salesian Missions highlights educational and social programs for poor youth on International Day of Charity first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp 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 many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

As noted in a recent Anadolu Agency article, refugees are able to take classes at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center to ensure they will have the skills to rebuild their countries if they are able to go back home.

“We are arming ourselves with skills, which we will use to rebuild our countries when we go back home,” said Soieso Fumba, a Congolese refugee in the Anadolu Agency article.

The article noted that Fumba watched as militants killed her family. She fled and never looked back and has been afraid to return home because the area is still too dangerous. During her time at Kakuma, she is making the most of the opportunities at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center.

“When I came here, I was a student. I used to speak French — not even a single word of English. Now I will leave this place a designer, a professional one, if I may say. I design clothes, I make my own patterns, and I am sure that once I leave this place for my home country, I will bring change,” added Fumba in the article.

The article cites another story of 32-year old Kabat Hasafa, who ran away from Ethiopia because he felt his life was in danger.

“I am learning at Don Bosco Technical School. I study carpentry and joinery. I am living at the Kakuma 3 Refugee Camp. I fled from my country because of some political issues. You know in our country there is ethnic federalism. Ethnic federalism is not supported by the majority. I can say that, so I oppose that. Somehow, I have been harmed because of my ideology so that is why I came,” said Hasafa in the article.

He notes that the skills he has acquired at the Don Bosco center will help him provide for his family. In the article, he went on to say, “It is helping a lot because now I am a student. But after I finish this course, I can use what I learn here so I can do my business and survive. So I will start a family and then life will continue as long as the UNHCR is alive.”

Gashane Mulambo, a 23-year-old Congolese plumber who lost his parents and sister to tribal war, said things have changed for refugees in Kenya.

Salesian missionaries operate four technical training facilities in the camp. The main center offers all the technical trades as well as a literacy and math program. Another technical school offers agriculture education where youth learn advanced farming skills. Still 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.

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.

“The refugees usually come here with their skills and experience while many others get their skills from here, so they can easily work in the country of asylum and can contribute to the local economy,” said Danya Kattan, a livelihood officer at UNHCR Kenya responsible for the livelihood of refugees at the Kakuma refugee camp, who was also quoted in the Anadolu Agency article.

He added, “The component of capacity building when it comes to vocational training will help them to be economically inclusive and also get them to work — not only in the country of asylum, but also when they head back home to their country of origin as they participate in the reconstruction of their country.”

Salesian missionaries have had an established presence in the Kakuma refugee camp since 1993 as a UNHCR implementing partner in vocational training in Kakuma. UNHCR notes that the camp was originally established in 1992 to host thousands of Sudanese refugees fleeing from civil war.

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Sources:

Anadolu Agency – Kenya’s Kakuma camp gives refugees hope

KENYA: Salesian Missionaries Provided Technical Training to 3,774 Youth in 2015

The post KENYA: Salesian missionaries offer vocational skills training to ensure refugees a better life at Kakuma Refugee Camp first appeared on MissionNewswire.

UNHCR has noted that a record 68.5 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2017. Among them are nearly 25.4 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Fifty-five percent of all refugees come from the South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan. More than 40 million people are displaced wihtin their own country. Some 28,300 people a day flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.

UNHCR has continued its 2016 #WithRefugees theme. The organization encourages everyone to add their name to the #WithRefugees petition to send a clear message to governments that they must act with solidarity and shared responsibility. To date, more than 1.9 million people have signed the petition that asks governments to: ensure every refugee child gets an education; ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live; and ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

“On World Refugee Day, we must all think about what more we can we do to help. The answer begins with unity and solidarity. I am deeply concerned to see more and more situations where refugees are not receiving the protection they need and to which they are entitled. We need to re-establish the integrity of the international refugee protection regime. In today’s world, no community or country providing safe refuge to people fleeing war or persecution should be alone and unsupported. We stand together, or we fail,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement about the day.

In countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Salesian programs provide refugees much needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care and nutrition.

To mark World Refugee Day 2018, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., is the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

REFUGEES IN EGYPT

Through the Salesian Missions Sunrise Project for refugees and vulnerable Egyptians, 400 people are receiving support and 80 past graduates were recently invited to participate in in-depth seed fund grant training. These graduates submitted entrepreneurial projects to the Sunrise team who chose to fund approximately 40 projects.

In 2014, Salesian Missions, thanks to support of external donors, began working with the Instituto Don Bosco in Cairo to fund scholarships as part of the Sunrise Project. This skills training program assists refugees and vulnerable Egyptians in gaining the technical and life skills they need to find employment and support their families.

This project also provides life skills training, health awareness, entrepreneurship literacy workshops, job panels, seed grants, and violence prevention training to help refugees build the skills needed to succeed in the workplace and adjust in their new urban environments. One of the great successes of the project is the additional social services, including transportation vouchers for travel to and from the courses, funded for participants. Those engaged in the training are also provided vouchers to purchase groceries and other items from a local store. This helps to ensure that basic needs like nutrition are met for these individuals, as they work hard to meet the needs for themselves.

Each participant also receives a voucher for a primary care checkup and eye exam with a doctor who comes to the school. Some medicine prescriptions are included, and they receive referrals for secondary care as needed.

Including this project year, the Sunrise Project in Cairo has improved the livelihoods and quality of life of more than 1,300 Sub-Saharan African and Syrian refugees and vulnerable Egyptians. Of this total, 46.9 percent were female. Some 62.8 percent were African, 8.3 percent were Syrian, and 28.9 percent were vulnerable Egyptians.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000-person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by 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 at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are in the process of building a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

Salesian Missions received funding from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct its New Beginnings program for Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu, India. The program, which is no longer active, provided more than 3,300 refugees vocational training scholarships. Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Launched in 2010, Salesian Missions provided its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who had been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In 2015, 550 women benefited from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs. The New Beginnings program provided market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that resulted in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees entered the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

REFUGEES IN UGANDA

Salesian missionaries recently launched a new Salesian center for South Sudanese refugees in at the Don Bosco Palabek Refugees Resettlement Camp in northern Uganda. The refugee camp is currently hosting 42,000 people with an average of 300 new refugees arriving each week from South Sudan. The camp was officially set up in April 2016 to reduce congestion in larger refugee camps in the northwestern corner of Uganda. Uganda hosts close to 1.3 million refugees.

Salesian missionaries working within the refugee camp report that 86 percent of the refugees there are women and children. The elderly comprises two percent. There are very few men, but a significant number of teenage boys are among the population. After reporting to the security, each household of five people is given a shelter and a few household items. Shelters are made of tarpaulin roofs and walls are held together with sticks and nails. Each household is given 30×30 meters of land, as well as 100 liters of water a day to manage all the home needs.

The archbishop of Gulu recently appointed Salesian Father Lazar Arasu as the chaplain of the refugees in the archdiocese. Salesian missionaries founded five chapels in the camp including St. John Bosco, Mary Help of Christians, Holy Cross, Daniel Comboni and Mother Theresa. The chapels are used for Catholic mass as well as a meeting place for young women and their children. There are games for youth, community meetings on peace issues and agriculture activities. Salesian missionaries are in the process of setting up nursery and primary schools. The goal is additional vocational training will follow.

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Sources:

EGYPT: Salesian Missions continues Sunrise Project to support refugees and vulnerable Egyptians thanks to external donor funding

INDIA: Salesian New Beginnings Program Graduates 840 Sri Lankan Refugees

Salesian Missions

UGANDA: Salesian missionaries building new structures and programs in Palabek Refugee Camp

UNHCR – Refugee Statistics

UN Secretary-General’s Message

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions highlights programs that provide technical skills training and social programs for refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

UNHCR has noted that a record 65 million people worldwide are refugees and thousands flee their homes every day. The record number includes 22.5 million refugees, 40.3 million internally displaced persons and 2.8 million asylum seekers. Just more than 10 million of the world’s displaced fled their homes last year alone, including 3.4 million who crossed international borders to become refugees.

Each year, World Refugee Day focuses on a particular theme that highlights specific circumstances faced by refugees. This year’s theme is a continuation of 2016’s theme “We stand together #WithRefugees,” which encourages everyone to add their name to the #WithRefugees petition to send a clear message to governments that they must act with solidarity and shared responsibility. To date, more than 1.5 million people have signed the petition that asks governments to: ensure every refugee child gets an education; ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live; and ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

“I’ve met so many who have lost so much. But they never lose their dreams for their children or their desire to better our world. They ask for little in return – only our support in their time of greatest need,” said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres in a statement about the day.

In countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Salesian programs provide refugees much needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care and nutrition.

To mark World Refugee Day 2017, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., is the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

REFUGEES IN EGYPT

In 2014, Salesian Missions (thanks to support of external donors) began working with the Instituto Don Bosco in Cairo to fund scholarships as part of the Sunrise Project. This skills training program assists refugees and vulnerable Egyptians in gaining the technical and life skills they need to find employment and support their families in their new country.

This project also provides life skills training, health awareness, entrepreneurship literacy workshops, job panels, seed grants, and violence prevention training to help refugees build the skills needed to succeed in the workplace and adjust in their new urban environments. One of the great successes of the project is the additional social services, including transportation vouchers for travel to and from the courses, funded for participants. Those engaged in the training are also provided vouchers to purchase groceries and other needs from a local store. This helps to ensure that basic needs like nutrition are met for these individuals, as they work hard to meet the needs for themselves.

Each participant also receives a voucher for a primary care checkup and eye exam with a doctor who comes to the school. Some medicine prescriptions are included, and they receive referrals for secondary care as needed.

REFUGEES IN ETHIOPIA

Salesian missionaries working in Pugnido, Ethiopia provide several programs and services to help those living in poverty meet their basic needs, gain an education and learn skills for employment. They also work inside the Pugnido Refugee Camp, the oldest refugee camp in the Gambella region of Western Ethiopia, providing poor youth and their families with education and social development services.

The Salesian mission in Pugnido also includes 10 outreach stations and a few chapels inside the refugee camp that provide assistance, education, pastoral care and social development services. The goal is to ensure that youth have their most basic needs met so they are able to focus on gaining an education and the skills needed to find and retain stable employment. Since 2006, the Salesian Pugnido mission has grown and developed to better meet the needs of the growing refugee population and those living in the surrounding area. The camp is home to some 60,000 refugees, the majority of whom are escaping violence and conflict within South Sudan.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by 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 at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are in the process of building a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

REFUGEES & INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN SOUTH SUDAN

UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, has noted that nearly 2.2 million people are displaced within South Sudan*, and in September 2016, more than a million fled, seeking safety and shelter in neighboring countries. Many of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children. They include survivors of violent attacks and sexual assault, children who have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly, and people in need of urgent medical care. The United Nations estimates that as a result of the conflict, up to 4 million people are currently facing “acute” food and nutrition insecurity.

In 2016, Don Bosco Gumbo, located in the town of Gumbo on the outskirts of Juba, hosted more than 3,000 people who fled the violence and conflict. Father David Tulimelli, parish priest at the Salesian St. Vincent de Paul parish which operates Don Bosco Gumbo, has recently been praised for his efforts to assist those who have been internally displaced by the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. Fr. Tulimelli fed 4,000 people in a year as the country’s refugee crisis intensified.

Salesian missionaries at Don Bosco Gumbo and across South Sudan continue to assess the situation and are working within their networks around the globe to access additional humanitarian aid. Responding to the ongoing civil strife is nothing new to Salesian missionaries in South Sudan. They have been continuing their educational and social development programs in communities across the country while also responding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

REFUGEES IN SPAIN

In several cities, Salesian missionaries are working to address the challenges and needs faced by refugees who sought shelter and safety in Europe, which is experiencing a maritime refugee crisis of historic proportions, according to UNHCR. By the end of 2015, more than 300,000 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Europe. Syrian refugees make up the single largest group followed by refugees from Eritrea and Afghanistan. High numbers of refugees from Somalia, Iraq and Sudan who are in need of international protection are also arriving in Europe.

In Madrid, Spain, Salesian missionaries have developed programs across the country to assist Syrian refugees and young migrants seeking services. Missionaries are working with local governments and other social programs to respond to the crisis. Salesian missionaries who have previous experience working with young migrants have started additional Salesian programs that will address the needs of today’s youth. Many of the new programs focus on meeting the immediate needs of newly-arrived migrants and go on to address the need for education and employment. Missionaries are also working with local schools to help assimilate children from refugee families into classrooms. Salesian missionaries are also providing these programs in cities across Germany and Italy.

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UN World Refugee Day 2017

UNHCR World Refugee Day 2017

*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.

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Provides Education and Workforce Development Programs for Refugees Around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

There is little food available in the market and what is available has risen in price to the point where it’s no longer affordable. The value of livestock has also decreased and many have died or are very weak. Water sources are drying up and significantly impacting the lives of people in the region. Women and children are left vulnerable because many men have left to find water for their families and livestock. In some instances, women must find water themselves, leaving them vulnerable to sexual assault.

In early March, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco, launched an emergency fundraising effort to support missionaries assisting people affected by severe drought in Kenya. The government of Kenya has declared the country’s devastating drought a national disaster.

Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco Mission in Korr, located in the north central region of Kenya, have already begun providing food relief with the limited means available. Salesian missionaries are also providing access to clean, safe water from boreholes that have been dug. With food and water supplies running out, Salesian missionaries are relying on donations and financial support to assist with this crisis.

Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian missionaries’ work at Korr, has reported that the situation of the local people is becoming more and more critical. Fr. Mulayinkal has noted that other humanitarian organizations are reluctant to come into the country to provide aid because Kenya is considered to be a developing nation. It is therefore felt that the government has the resources to deal with the drought. Salesian missionaries are already there, living and working among the people they serve and are perfectly positioned to provide aid to those most in need.

“Although not far into 2017, we are already seeing the effects of the continued drought in our community,” says Fr. Mulayinkal. “There has been no rain at Korr and many areas of Kenya are in need of food and water. At Korr, many children are suffering from vomiting and diarrhea due to the heat, and our medical clinic is working day and night serving the sick and the needy. International aid is critical at this time to help alleviate the suffering of the people here.”

The Don Bosco Mission Korr provides services to nomadic populations in the surrounding community and within Kakuma refugee camp. The camp was established in 1992 near the border with South Sudan as a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing civil war. Operated by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with assistance from Salesian missionaries and several other humanitarian organizations, the camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

Within the surrounding community of Korr, Salesian missionaries provide five outreach locations, a medical clinic, a nursery and primary school, boarding for boys and girls, a youth center and a Catholic parish. They continue to provide these services even as they are challenged by severe food and water insecurity brought on by the drought.

Salesian Missions has launched an emergency fund, the African Drought Crisis, to assist Salesian missionaries who are working to help poor youth and their families affected by this drought and food insecurity in Kenya. To raise money for the fund, the Catholic nonprofit aid organization is issuing an urgent appeal for donations. Donations can be made by going to SalesianMissions.org/African-Drought.

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Salesian Missions – Kenya

Washington Post – People are walking miles for clean water in drought-struck Kenya — and finding none

The post KENYA: Salesian Missionaries Providing Food Aid to Those Affected by Ongoing Drought first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco Mission in Korr—located in the north central region of Kenya— have already begun providing food relief with the limited means available. Right now, missionaries are providing milk, maize flour, wheat flour, oil and salt, which must be brought in from the community of Isiolo more than 142 miles away from Korr. Salesian missionaries are also providing access to clean, safe water from boreholes that have been dug. With food and water supplies running out, Salesian missionaries must rely on donations and financial support to assist with this crisis.

Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian missionaries’ work at Korr, has reported that as the days go by and the heat intensifies, people are becoming sick and smaller animals have begun to die. The value of farm animals has dropped so much that selling them for money to buy food is no longer a viable option. The situation of the local people is becoming more and more critical. Fr. Mulayinkal has noted that other humanitarian organizations are reluctant to come into the country to provide aid because Kenya is considered to be a developing nation and it is therefore felt that the government has the resources to deal with the drought. As Fr. Mulayinkal notes, it is the poorest of people who are suffering the most.

“Although not far into 2017, we are already seeing the effects of the continued drought in our community,” says Fr. Mulayinkal. “There has been no rain at Korr and many areas of Kenya are in need of food and water. At Korr, many children are suffering from vomiting and diarrhea due to the heat, and our medical clinic is working day and night serving the sick and the needy.”

The Don Bosco Mission Korr in Kenya provides services to nomadic populations in the surrounding community and within Kakuma refugee camp. The camp was established in 1992 near the border with South Sudan as a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing civil war. Operated by UNHCR, with assistance from Salesian missionaries and several other humanitarian organizations, the camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

Within the surrounding community of Korr, Salesian missionaries provide five outreach locations, a medical clinic, a nursery and primary school, boarding for boys and girls, a youth center and a Catholic parish. They continue to provide these services even as they are challenged by severe food and water insecurity brought on by the drought.

Kenya’s longest watercourse, the 1,000-kilometre-long Tana River, provides the capital city of Nairobi with 80 percent of its drinking water and supplies the country with 60 percent of its electricity. Today the river is merely a fifth of what it was 50 years ago and it is being drained by population growth and the government’s ambitious development plans.

The drought, particularly in Kenya’s Rift Valley, has continued to affect vegetation, agriculture production and even livestock. The situation began in 2014 and has worsened with time. Humanitarian organizations estimate that food insecurity has more than doubled—from 600,000 people from August 2015 to March 2016 to 1.3 million people from August 2016 to February 2017.

Salesian Missions has launched an emergency fund, the African Drought Crisis, to assist Salesian missionaries who are working to help poor youth and their families affected by this drought and food insecurity in Kenya. To raise money for the fund, the Catholic nonprofit aid organization is issuing an urgent appeal for donations. Donations can be made by going to SalesianMissions.org/African-Drought.

ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS:

Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, New York, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in some of the poorest places on the planet. The nearly 30,000 Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters—all dedicated to caring for poor children around the globe in more than 130 countries. The Salesians are widely considered the world’s largest private provider of vocational and technical training. Additionally, more than 1 million children attend Salesian primary schools, many of which are UNICEF-supported. Millions of vulnerable youth have received services specifically funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. Funds are also raised to assist with humanitarian emergencies created by events such as natural disasters, wars and violence. For more information, visit SalesianMissions.org.

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IRIN – The hidden threat behind Kenya’s worsening drought

Salesian Missions – Kenya

The post KENYA: Salesian Missions Launches Fundraising Appeal to Assist Families Suffering from Drought first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Today, Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. Within Kakuma, Salesian missionaries provide eight outreach locations and a Catholic parish, and operate four technical training facilities in the camp. The main center offers technical trades as well as a literacy and math program. Another technical school offers agriculture education where 320 youth each year learn advanced farming skills. In addition, a technology-focused center provides community technology access with computer training. A new facility, opened in Jan. 2016, offers classes for adults in carpentry, welding, sewing and the English language. The technical programs in Kakuma have successfully trained thousands of youth in viable trades in order for them to earn a living and care for their families.

Within the surrounding community of Korr, Salesian missionaries provide five outreach locations, a medical clinic, a nursery and primary school, boarding for both boys and girls, and a youth center as well as a Catholic parish. Salesian missionaries provide these services as they continue to be challenged by the ongoing drought affecting regions in Kenya causing severe food and water insecurity.

A recent report from UNICEF notes that in January 2014, the government of Kenya declared an impending drought with an estimated 1.6 million people affected. The drought has continued to affect vegetation, agriculture production and even livestock. The situation continued to worsen through 2015 and 2016 and now into 2017 due to a lack of access to food and water and an increase in food prices of what is available. UNICEF notes that food insecurity has more than doubled—from 600,000 people from August 2015 to March 2016 to 1.3 million people from August 2016 to February 2017.

Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian missionaries’ work at Kakuma, has reported that as the days go by and the heat intensifies there is worry that even animals will begin to die and the situation of the local people will become even more critical. Salesian missionaries have already begun providing food relief with the limited means available. Right now, missionaries are providing milk, maize flour, wheat flour, oil and salt, which must be brought in from the community of Isiolo more than 230 kilometers (142 miles) away from Korr. Salesian missionaries are also providing access to clean, safe water from boreholes that have been dug.

“Although not far into 2017, we are already seeing the effects of the continued drought in our community,” says Fr. Mulayinkal. “There has been little to no rain at Korr and Kakuma, and many areas of Kenya are in need of food and water. At Korr, many children are suffering from vomiting and diarrhea due to the heat, and our medical clinic is working day and night serving the sick and the needy.”

Salesian missionaries will continue to assess the ongoing drought and food insecurity while meeting basic needs and providing education and social development services for youth and their families both in Korr and Kakuma refugee camp.

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Sources:

UNICEF – Humanitarian Action for Children Kenya

Salesian Missions – Kenya

The post KENYA: Salesian Missionaries Provide Food and Water as Drought and Food Insecurity Affect Kenyan Communities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian missionaries now operate four technical training facilities in the camp. The main center offers all the technical trades as well as a literacy and math program. Another technical school offers agriculture education where 320 youth each year learn advanced farming skills. In addition, a technology focused center provides community technology access with computer training. The new facility is offering classes for adults in carpentry, welding, sewing and the English language.

Over the past few years, Salesian technical programs in Kakuma have successfully trained thousands of youth in viable trade to earn a living and care for their families. In all of the Salesian technical school in 2015, 3,774 people were enrolled with 2,843 graduating by the end of the year. At the end of their studies, Salesian technical students are able to take a Kenyan government examination (NITA) where students are given their official Grade III certificates, an important certification for finding employment in the country. By 2017, Salesian missionaries are hoping to advance some of the programs to offer the higher Grade II certification training.

“Salesian missionaries provide the only formal technical training in the Kakuma refugee camp,” says Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian work at Kakuma. “There are so many who are being prepared for a livelihood and for nation building in their home countries or in the countries in which they will be settled. At the end of their year-long studies, the students receive a Kenya Government Certificate which holds much value for the refugees.”

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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence. According to UNHCR, for the third year in a row, Kakuma continues to receive record numbers of refugees from South Sudan. By late December 2014, there were more than 42,000 new arrivals in Kakuma. Without a lasting ceasefire and peace and reconciliation in South Sudan, UNHCR predicts the steady influx into Kenya is likely to continue.

“Since the influx of refugees, Salesian missionaries have many needs here,” adds Fr. Mulayinkal. “We need to constantly expand our services to meet the growing demand for shelter, nutrition, education, social support and infrastructure to run our programs. Right now we do what we can for as many as we can but the demand continues to grow.”

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma also operate the Holy Cross Parish and Savio Club, which provides additional education resources for primary school students who are struggling to keep up in their classes. More than 600 students between the ages of six and 11 are currently engaged in this program accessing education in Swahili and English language, mathematics, hygiene, good manners, and catechism. Classes are typically held for about three hours each day.

Looking to expand their programs, Salesian missionaries are in the process of developing a youth center on a plot of land they have been provided. Once completed, the youth center will provide safe space for youth to study, play sports and engage with their peers.

See all articles on Kakuma >

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Sources:

(ANS PHOTO)

ANS – Kenya – Don Bosco Kakuma: the city of mercy

UNHCR – Kakuma Refugee Camp 2015

The post KENYA: Salesian Missionaries Provided Technical Training to 3,774 Youth in 2015 first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Established in 2001, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, which is coordinated by UNHCR, and honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes. Each year, the day focuses on a particular theme that highlights specific circumstances faced by refugees. This year’s theme, “We stand together #WithRefugees” encourages everyone to add their name to the #WithRefugees petition to send a clear message to governments that they must act with solidarity and shared responsibility.

“We are in a period of deepening conflict and turmoil in the world, which is causing many more people to flee their homes than before,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees in an article about the initiative. “It affects and involves us all, and what it needs is understanding, compassion and political will to come together and find real answers for the refugee plight. This has become a defining challenge of our times.”

The #WithRefugees petition will be delivered to UN headquarters in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting on September 19. The petition asks governments to ensure every refugee child has access to education, ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live, and ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

To mark World Refugee Day 2016, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

REFUGEES IN EUROPE 

Europe is experiencing a maritime refugee crisis of historic proportions, according to UNHCR. By the end of 2015, more than 300,000 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Europe. Syrian refugees make up the single largest group followed by refugees from Eritrea and Afghanistan. High numbers of refugees from Somalia, Iraq and Sudan who are in need of international protection are also arriving in Europe.

In Madrid, Spain, Salesian missionaries have developed programs across the country to assist Syrian refugees seeking services. Missionaries are working with local governments and other social programs to respond to the refugee crisis. Salesian missionaries who have previous experience working with young refugees and their families have started additional Salesian programs that will address the needs of today’s refugee youth. Many of the new programs focus on meeting the immediate needs of newly-arrived refugees and go on to address the need for education and employment. Missionaries are also working with local schools to help assimilate children from refugee families into classrooms.

Salesian Sisters with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are working with the local government and diocese in Madrid to determine the most appropriate course of action to respond to and assist refugees from Syria. Currently, the Salesian Sisters operate six socio-educational projects that offer services for children at risk of social exclusion (many of them immigrants) and a social work project that was created to provide education and workforce development services to help decrease youth unemployment and educational inequality for those in poverty, especially girls.

The German Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco has been strengthening its commitment to young refugees. To meet the large and growing need in Germany, Salesian missionaries have been continually increasing the number of houses where they give assistance to youth in need.

In addition to new houses, missionaries are now offering temporary housing. Today, 11 Salesian programs across Germany are caring for 448 refugee youth and more accommodations are being prepared to accept additional refugees as the need increases. Most of the refugees are young males between 16 and 18 years of age who have come to Germany from African countries, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The boys are provided shelter in Salesian houses that can accommodate up to 12 people with four social workers available 24 hours a day.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

Salesian Missions receives funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct its New Beginnings program for Sri Lankan Refugees in Tamil Nadu, India. To date, more than 3,300 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program. Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In 2015, 840 refugees graduated from the New Beginnings program. In addition, 550 women benefited from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs. The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative. More >

REFUGEES IN KENYA

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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by 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, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are are in the process of building a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

More articles about the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya >

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PHOTO: Photo: Massimo Sestini / The Italian Coastguard (courtesy of the United Nations)

Sources:

UN – Ahead of World Refugee Day, UN agency launches ‘Stand #WithRefugees’ initiative

World Refugee Day 2016

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Education and Social Development Programs for Refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Led by young adults from the St. Vincent de Paul parish, pre-novices from the Salesian community and volunteers, the camp program encouraged a holistic, balanced lifestyle designed to help campers develop a strong foundation of mind, body and spirit. It also provided local youth the opportunity to spend their vacation time in a positive, healthy environment.

The camp opened by registering campers and assigning them to one of four teams. During the course of the 10 days, the teams competed in recreational activities and sports with an emphasis on developing a healthy sense of competition and camaraderie. Each day began with a morning assembly that included positive messages of hope, joy, peace and love followed by morning classes in English and Arabic. After a mid-morning breakfast, campers engaged in sports and recreational activities including games and art, speech, singing and dance competitions.

“Youth living in poverty in South Sudanese communities have difficulty excelling and remaining in school,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian youth programs, like summer camps, provide positive role models, structured activities, a safe place to get off the streets and a nonviolent, supportive environment in which to engage with peers.”

Don Bosco Gumbo includes a church parish, secondary school and youth center and provides education and social development services for poor youth and their families. For some students, the secondary school at Don Bosco Gumbo is their only option for continued studies.

Don Bosco Gumbo is one of the host sites for the Salesian Lay Missionaries program which provides lay volunteers to work alongside Salesian priests and sisters on various projects throughout the world. Since the program started in 1981, more than 350 lay missioners have served in 20 countries on projects that range from youth ministry to agriculture to nursing.

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with 55 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. The country celebrated its third year of independence last July but is facing an ongoing civil war that started in December 2013 and has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis.

The civil war has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Close to 80,000 people have sought refuge at several UN compounds across the country. In the capital of Juba, 80 percent of those displaced are women and children. More than 350,000 people have fled to neighboring countries risking their lives and leaving everything behind.

Salesian missionaries assist those internally displaced through programs across South Sudan and in neighboring Kenya at the Kakuma refugee camp. More than 44 percent of refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after escaping conflict and violence.

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Sources:

ANS – South Sudan – Don Bosco Gumbo Summer Camp 2015

World Bank – South Sudan 

The post SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian Summer Camp Provides Activities for 270 Marginalized Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

As a result of the violence and struggle to gain independence, much of South Sudan had been reduced to rubble. Infrastructure including hospitals, churches, schools and social program buildings were almost totally destroyed. Given the inability of the government to solve the problem, Fr. Donati and Bro. Comino decided that the best way to help the fledgling nation was through education. At the time of independence, more than 70 percent of the country’s children did not attend school.

The missionaries, with support from the Salesian Missions South Korea office, build small schools with assistance from the local community which also provides the school furnishings. Local experts help the missionaries decide where a new school should be built and then local labor is used in the construction with materials including iron, wood and concrete provided by neighboring Uganda. Each school takes up to four months to build. Fr. Donati and Bro. Comino carry out inspections of the construction and the schools’ operations.

“There were many difficulties at the beginning of the project,” says Bro. Comino. “Many people were skeptical, but the then Rector Major, Father Pascual Chávez, gave us the green light to start construction. In the summer of 2015, we had the pleasure of informing him personally that 60 schools had been opened.”

On average, each school accommodates 300 to 350 students in first through eighth grade. All classes are operated in partnership with seven area Catholic dioceses which also provide many of the teachers. In order to further encourage the development of dedicated, qualified teachers, especially among young women who can most directly benefit from the economic opportunity afforded by the profession, the project also established a teachers’ training institute in the village of Yambio. Here, theoretical concepts augment the practical experience that teachers gain in the classroom.

The next project Fr. Donati and Bro. Comino are undertaking is the development of an agricultural school to help teach local communities how to cultivate their own land. One of the biggest needs in South Sudan is more and better agriculture production. Nearly 80 percent of vegetables, fruit and cereals are imported from Uganda where the same type of land is available as in South Sudan.

The goal is to train youth in agricultural production to decrease the amount of imports needed in the country while engaging them in stable employment. The government of South Sudan has given the missionaries ​​2,500 hectares of land to start the agricultural school. The hope is for the school to become a model that demonstrates the land’s richness and ability to provide food. A recent warning from the United Nations noted that South Sudan has close to 4 million people at-risk of hunger.

“It is a question of creating a mindset to entice people to cultivate the land,” adds Bro. Comino. “It could also be a great response to those who are driven by hunger to emigrate, by making them independent and aware that they can cultivate the land and meet their food needs without having to look elsewhere. The food is there, under their feet.”

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with 55 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. The country celebrated its third year of independence last July but is facing an ongoing civil war that started in December 2013 and has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis.

The civil war has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Close to 80,000 people have sought refuge at several UN compounds across the country. In the capital of Juba, 80 percent of those displaced are women and children. More than 350,000 people have fled to neighboring countries risking their lives and leaving everything behind.

Salesian missionaries assist those internally displaced through programs across South Sudan and in neighboring Kenya at the Kakuma refugee camp. More than 44 percent of refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after escaping conflict and violence.

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Sources:

ANS – RMG – South Sudan: education and culture

World Bank- South Sudan

Salesian Missions – Emergency in Sudan

The post South Sudan: Salesian Missionaries Have Built 60 Primary Schools Educating 13,500 Students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The graduation ceremony in Thanjavur brought together family members, Salesian staff and dignitaries to celebrate the accomplishments of the Sri Lankan graduates while offering cultural activities facilitated by refugees from local refugee camps. Women currently enrolled in a garment making training program at the school displayed their handmade garments and crafts at the event. During the ceremony, graduates were awarded course completion certificates and given trade-related tools to help prepare them for the workforce.

The New Beginnings program, coordinated by Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. To date, more than 3,300 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been offering its New Beginnings program to young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. The program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment while allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

The training provides New Beginnings’ graduates with at least one market-demand technical skill as well as workplace readiness training to enhance positive attitudes, hygiene, personal presentation and teamwork. Results-oriented job placement assistance helps graduates transition from the classroom to employment in the local labor market. In addition, all trainees receive counseling to help them overcome traumas related to their displacement as well as recreation opportunities that promote non-violent conflict resolution and a healthy inclusive community.

“Young men who once worked as painters or unskilled construction hands for just a dollar each day have gone on to technical positions in established local and regional businesses,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Some have leveraged their training to travel beyond local areas toward the Indian state’s technology companies and auto manufacturers in the Chennai industrial hub.”

Serving no less than 40 percent women and young girls, the New Beginnings program promotes gender equality and generates opportunities for women whether they prefer to seek work at a local company or join a women’s company collective that allows them to remain home with young children while still engaging in meaningful employment.

Often women with young children are unable to leave the camps to attend school. In response, Salesian Missions created a program to bring training inside the refugee camps. Women can receive training in skills such as jewelry-making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. The program also helps women create a business cooperative while a micro-credit program helps them buy new equipment such as sewing machines. As a group, the women are able to provide their services and merchandise to local businesses, taking advantage of their new skills while continuing to care for their families.

“Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Girls that are empowered though education are more often able to achieve financial independence, marry at an older age and make better and healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

Salesian missionaries are also providing the New Beginnings program for refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp and refugees living in Colombia.

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Sources:

ANS – India – Sri Lankan Refugee Skill Training Graduation Day

UNHCR – Sri Lanka

Salesian Missions Office for International Programs

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

The post INDIA: Salesian New Beginnings Program Graduates 840 Sri Lankan Refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a day that honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people around the globe. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, noted that at the end of 2014, more than 50 million people had been forced from their homes worldwide. Almost 80 percent of those displaced are women and children.

Established in 2001, World Refugee Day is coordinated by UNHRC and focuses on honoring the courage, strength and determination of men, women and children forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Each year, the day focuses on a particular theme that highlights specific circumstances faced by refugees. This year’s theme, “Get to know a refugee – Ordinary people living through extraordinary times,” aims to bring the public closer to the human side of the refugee story.

“All around the world we are seeing families fleeing violence,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a recent statement about World Refugee Day. “The numbers are massive – but we must not forget that these are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. People who led ordinary lives before war forced them to flee. On this World Refugee Day, everyone should remember the things that connect all of us – our common humanity.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2015, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need that were developed by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. Development Arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

COLOMBIAN REFUGEES

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled the violence of Colombia to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ New Beginnings initiative, which started in 2011, has provided more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries vocational and human development training as well as job placement services.

Many of the Colombian refugees began the program with no marketable skills. Without the prospect of a job, it was hard for them to create stability for their families and build new lives. The New Beginnings program grants each refugee 260 hours of technical training as well as 40 hours of human development workshops. The training programs, coupled with the job placement services, allowed these victims of violence and chaos to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves, their families and their new communities.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

For the fifth year, Salesian Missions has received funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct its New Beginnings program for Sri Lankan Refugees in Tamil Nadu, India. To date, close to 2,500 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program. Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In 2015, Salesian missionaries are serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India. In addition, 550 women are benefiting from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs. The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by 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, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are currently seeking funding to build a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

Salesian missionaries at the camp also operate the Helping Children to be Children program which gathers refugee children and leads them in games, songs and classes held outdoors on the camp grounds. As part of the program, children are offered the opportunity to draw and learn to speak English. Close to 3,000 children benefit from this Salesian program which currently has no steady funding and is run primarily by refugee volunteers.

SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TURKEY

Sharing a 500-mile-long border with Syria, Southeastern Turkey has more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees, as reported by the United Nations. Salesian missionaries are providing services at three sites within Syria while also providing for Syrian refugees in Turkey. While many Syrian refugees stay in towns on the Turkey-Syrian border, many find their way to big cities like Istanbul where Salesian missionaries operate a program that currently serves close to 400 Syrian refugees.

At the Don Bosco Center in Istanbul, Salesian Father Andres Calleja Ruiz leads special programs for refugee children and youth from Syria as well as for a growing number of families fleeing ISIS persecution in Iraq. Because most refugees do not speak the local language it is difficult for children to attend school and adults to find work. At the Center, Salesian missionaries provide a school for more than 350 refugee children where they learn English language skills and traditional school subjects such as mathematics, geography and music. Students have access to sports and dance programs intended to help them connect with their peers and find enjoyment and comfort in their new surroundings. In addition, the program provides counseling both for youth and their families to help them overcome the challenges and traumas they have faced.

Technical skills training is a critical component of Salesian work in Istanbul. Many refugees leave the country’s border towns and refugee camps and make their way to Istanbul hoping to find employment and a more stable life. If they fail to find work, refugees are often left in dire circumstances. The Don Bosco Center’s technical skills training program is a critical safety net for those in need.

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Sources:

World Refugee Day 2015

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Educational Programs Assisting Refugees around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, 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, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. According to UNHCR, for the third year in a row, Kakuma continues to receive record numbers of refugees from South Sudan. By late December 2014, there were more than 42,000 new arrivals in Kakuma. Without a lasting ceasefire and peace and reconciliation in South Sudan, UNHCR predicts the steady influx into Kenya is likely to continue throughout 2015.

The World Food Programme distributes 9,300 metric tons of food for 500,000 refugees in northern Kenya each month at a cost of $9.6 million. Unless more than $12 million is raised, there will be a critical food gap during August and September of this year.

“We are very worried about how this cut may affect the people who rely on our assistance,” says Thomas Hansson, World Food Progammes’s acting country director for Kenya, in a statement in the Thomas Reuters Foundation article. “But our food stocks are running out, and reducing the size of rations is the only way to stretch our supplies to last longer. We hope that this is only a temporary measure and we continue to appeal to the international community to assist.”

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are being trained in critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available at the training center and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

“Don Bosco Vocational Training Center is the only formal technical training center in the Kakuma refugee camp,” says Father Luke Mulayinkal who oversees the Salesian work at Kakuma. “There are so many who are being prepared for a livelihood and for nation building in their home countries or in the countries in which they will be settled. At the end of their year studies, the students receive a Kenya Government Certificate which holds much value for the refugees.”

In addition to the critical food shortfalls, Kakuma is running out of space. By the end of August 2014, the camp was unable to accommodate new arrivals and UNHCR sought to secure new land for its expanded operations. With the influx of refugees into the camp and a need for technical education, Salesian missionaries at Kakuma are struggling to meet the demands of students seeking training. While land has been provided to build a new facility, funding still needs to be raised to complete the project.

“Since the influx of refugees and the critical food shortages, Salesian missionaries have many needs here,” adds Fr. Mulayinkal. “We need to expand our services to meet the growing demand for shelter, nutrition, education, social support and infrastructure to run our programs. Right now we do what we can for as many as we can but the demand continues to grow.”

Headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has launched a donation appeal to aid Salesian missionaries at Kakuma in building a new training facility as well as funding ongoing humanitarian assistance for those displaced. As Salesian missionaries in Kenya continue to provide safety and shelter for displaced families, they are reaching out for support so they may continue to help those in need.

To give to relief efforts helping those in need throughout Africa, go to SalesianMissions.org and select “African Crisis Emergency Fund” on the donate page.

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SOURCES:

Photo: Matija Kovac/Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Reuters Foundation – Funding shortfall forces U.N. to cut refugee food rations in Kenyan camps

UNHCR – Kakuma Refugee Camp 2015

The post KENYA: World Food Program Cuts will Affect Nearly 1,000 Participating in Salesian Programs at Kakuma Refugee Camp first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Don Bosco Gumbo is one of the host sites for the Salesian Lay Missionaries program which provides lay volunteers to work alongside Salesian priests and sisters on various projects throughout the world. Since the program started in 1981, more than 350 lay missioners have served in 20 countries on projects that range from youth ministry to agriculture to nursing.

In August 2013, Salesian lay missioners Michael Gotta and Patrick Sabol began work at the Salesian secondary school, parish and youth center in Gumbo. The two men had a range of responsibilities while in Gumbo including administrative duties at the school and interviewing prospective students.

“The most rewarding part of my work at the Salesian center was learning about the people,” says Gotta. “They came from many different places and brought a great cultural diversity which we got to experience. We also shared some of our own culture with them.”

During their time in South Sudan, Gotta and Sabol taught in the secondary school which serves youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 30. Classes are offered to students beyond typical secondary school age because of the unavailability of schooling in much of South Sudan and the years of interruption by war. Students who were forced to leave school due to war are able to return and continue their education even into adulthood.

When Gotta and Sabol started teaching at the school there were 65 students. After fighting broke out in the country in December 2013, those internally displaced by war flowed into the city increasing school enrollment to 180 students. When fighting escalated, Salesian lay missionaries, including Gotta and Sabol, were moved to Kenya temporarily for their safety.

“Seeing the suffering, particularly when the fighting began, was one of the most challenging things we faced while we were there,” explains Sabol. “We had many of those who were internally displaced at the Salesian compound. When we arrived in August, the South Sudanese were still experiencing the joy of their newly won independence and then in December it all began to fall apart.”

South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with 55 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. The country celebrated its third year of independence last July but is facing an ongoing civil war that started in December 2013 and has resulted in a dire humanitarian crisis.

The civil war has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Close to 80,000 people have sought refuge at several UN compounds across the country. In the capital of Juba, 80 percent of those displaced are women and children. More than 350,000 people have fled to neighboring countries risking their lives and leaving everything behind.

Salesian missionaries assist those internally displaced through programs across South Sudan and in neighboring Kenya at the Kakuma refugee camp. More than 44 percent of refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after escaping conflict and violence.

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Sources:

ANS – United States – Returned SLMs Reflect on their experience in South Sudan

Salesian Lay Missioners

World Bank – South Sudan 

*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.

The post SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian Lay Missionaries Assist Students at Don Bosco Gumbo first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are  being trained in critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available at the training center and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

“Don Bosco Vocational Training Center is the only formal technical training center in the Kakuma refugee camp,” says Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian work at Kakuma. “There are so many who are being prepared for a livelihood and for nation building in their home countries or in the countries in which they will be settled. At the end of their year studies, the students receive a Kenya Government Certificate which holds much value for the refugees.”

Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built, with more refugees arriving every day. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence. According to UNHCR, for the third year in a row, Kakuma continues to receive record numbers of refugees from South Sudan. By late August 2014 there were more than 42,000 new arrivals in Kakuma. Without a lasting ceasefire and peace and reconciliation in South Sudan, UNHCR predicts the steady influx into Kenya is likely to continue into 2015.

Kakuma is running out of space. By the end of August 2014, the camp was unable to accommodate new arrivals and UNHCR sought to secure new land for its expanded operations. With the influx of refugees into the camp and a need for technical education, Salesian missionaries at Kakuma are struggling to meet the demands of students seeking training.

Recently, A plot of land was provided for the Salesian missionaries to develop an additional vocational school to accommodate the growing numbers. While the land has been secured, it still has to be fenced off, new buildings constructed and machines and equipment purchased for the classrooms. Once the school is completed, it will offer classes for adults in carpentry, welding, sewing and the English language. Salesian missionaries are currently seeking funding to build the new vocational center and equip its workshops and classrooms.

“Since the influx of refugees, the Salesians have many needs here,” adds Fr. Mulayinkal. “We need to expand our services to meet the growing demand for shelter, nutrition, education, social support and infrastructure to run our programs. Right now we do what we can for as many as we can but the demand continues to grow.”

Headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, Salesian Missions—the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco—has launched a donation appeal to aid this project as well as ongoing humanitarian assistance for those displaced. As the Salesians in Kenya continue to provide safety and shelter for displaced families, they are reaching out for support so they may continue to help those in need.

To give to relief efforts helping those in need throughout Africa, go to SalesianMissions.org and select “African Crisis Emergency Fund” on the donate page.

Sources

ANS – Kenya – The war in South Sudan continues and the Kakuma refugee camp is overcrowded

UNHCR – Kakuma Refugee Camp 2015

The post KENYA: Salesian Missionaries are Building New Vocational School for Growing Refugee Population first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian job placement officers’ primary responsibility is to create and enhance relationships between employers and Don Bosco training institutions in Kenya in order to act as a bridge between graduates and employment opportunities. Job placement officers develop relationships with employers throughout the country, in both rural and urban areas, and work to place Salesian graduates in a wide variety of positions.

“One of the key challenges facing Kenyan youth is the lack of education and the skills required to find and retain stable employment in the labor market,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries provide youth access to education and training opportunities they would not have otherwise and part of the training is preparing students for the workforce. Salesian programs offer a seamless transition from the classroom into employment.”

In Kenya, even successful graduates often find it challenging to find employment. Many industries are located in urban areas and due to increased urban migration and a rise in the cost of living, many of the newly employed have been forced to seek housing in city slums. Employers also often insist upon past work experience, which many Salesian graduates do not have. In addition, despite their having the skills and qualifications for employment, many refugees in the Kakuma Refugee camp have been unable to work because of the permit required for employment.

Salesian job placement officers work to address all of these challenges. While their primary goal is to connect graduates with the best employment opportunities available, they also assist them in finding affordable housing, applying for and retaining work permits and creating resumes and cover letters that highlight the most applicable skills for specific work opportunities. Job placement officers also assist students in finding internships and apprenticeships to give them valuable work experience.

Once a graduate is placed in a job, the job placement officer provides frequent follow-up visits to assess the graduate’s progress and to help solve any problems that arise. This works to instill confidence in the employee and helps to further develop the relationship between the company and the Salesian network.

More than 75 percent of Salesian graduates accessing job placement and career center services connect with meaningful work within six months of graduation. Many graduates who do not immediately find work decide to continue their education and pursue an advanced degree or choose to start their own small business. To meet the growing demand, the center is expanding partnerships with international recruitment agencies that have already connected more than ten Salesian graduates with international employment.

According to UNICEF, despite the steady growth of Kenya’s economy, more than half of the country’s population lives below the poverty line on less than one US dollar a day. UNICEF also notes that Nairobi is home to 3 million residents, most of whom endure lives of extreme poverty in the city’s slums. The most vulnerable are families and children living in these urban slums and in areas of the country most affected by HIV/AIDS. Many do not have access to health care, nutrition, sanitation and education.

Few youth residing in Nairobi’s slums attend the later stages of school as compared to those living in Kenya’s more rural areas. The few schools serving this disadvantaged community are beyond the financial means of most families. UNICEF noted that while Kenya has free and compulsory education, youth in poverty still cannot afford to attend school resulting in close to 90 percent of children from poor households failing to complete their basic education.

Sources

ANS – Kenya – The DBDON: assisting young people to find jobs

UNICEF – Kenya

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Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. This year, Salesians are serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India. In addition, 550 women are benefiting from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs.

The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

The training provides New Beginnings’ graduates with at least one market-demand technical skill as well as workplace readiness training to enhance positive attitudes, hygiene, personal presentation and teamwork. Results-oriented job placement assistance helps graduates transition from the classroom to employment in the local labor market. In addition, all trainees receive counseling to help them overcome traumas related to their displacement and hardship as well as recreation opportunities that promote non-violent conflict resolution and a healthy inclusive community.

“Young men, who once worked as painters or unskilled construction hands for just a dollar each day, have gone on to technical positions in established local and regional businesses,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Some have leveraged their training to travel beyond local areas toward the Indian state’s technology companies and auto manufacturers in the Chennai industrial hub.”

Serving no less than 40 percent women and young girls, the New Beginnings program promotes gender equality and generates opportunities for women whether they prefer to seek work at a local company or join a women’s company collective that allows them to remain home with young children while still engaging in meaningful employment.

Often women with young children are unable to leave the camps to attend school. In response, Salesian Missions created a program to bring training inside the refugee camps. Women can receive training in skills such as jewelry-making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. The program also helps women create a business cooperative while a micro-credit program helps them buy new equipment such as sewing machines. As a group, the women are able to provide their services and merchandise to local businesses, taking advantage of their new skills while continuing to care for their families.

“For female participants, the New Beginnings program has given young women pursuing financial independence, as well as stay-at-home mothers and willing seniors, a chance to access Tamil Nadu’s burgeoning clothing manufacturing market,” adds Holland. “Numerous female graduates have gone on to assist employers with tailoring work while others have utilized new computer skills to support the local business sector.”

The New Beginnings program has been so effective in part due to the mutual trust that exists between the Salesians and the communities they serve. After having made multiple connections with employers to understand the most valuable and in-demand marketable skills, Salesians in Tamil Nadu are very knowledgeable about local needs and create training programs that are structured to best meet these needs.

Also effective is the New Beginnings program’s integration of counselors, trainers and job placement specialists under one roof as well as its robust engagement with the Indian Government, US Department of State advisors and peer agencies that make up the larger community of practice for regional refugee assistance.

Through the New Beginnings program, Salesian Missions was able to partner with Fordham University’s International Political Economy and Development program for the assessment of training activities and program impact. This partnership created a platform for information sharing between Fordham researchers and Salesian administrators, leading to improved self-assessment and program planning.

Salesian missionaries are also providing the New Beginnings program for refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp and refugees living in Colombia.

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PHOTO: Neill Holland with New Beginnings program beneficiaries in Tamil Nadu, India.

Sources:

UNHCR – Sri Lanka

Salesian Missions Office for International Programs

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

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Each year, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a day that honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people around the globe. The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, noted that at the end of 2013, 51.2 million people had been forced from their homes worldwide, the highest figure of displacement since the World War II era. Almost 80 percent of those displaced are women and children.

The day, first established in 2001, is held annually and is coordinated by the UNHRC. The focus of World Refugee Day is to honor the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.

Each year, World Refugee Day reflects on specific struggles faced by refugees. UNHCR noted that 2013 was an unprecedented year with conflicts in Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, amongst others, that have pushed their organization and their partners to their limits. To honor those families torn apart by conflict, UNHCR is continuing their 2013 campaign theme, “1 family torn apart by war is too many.”

“We are seeing here the immense costs of not ending wars, of failing to resolve or prevent conflict,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a recent statement about World Refugee Day. “Peace is today dangerously in deficit. Humanitarians can help as a palliative, but political solutions are vitally needed. Without this, the alarming levels of conflict and the mass suffering that is reflected in these figures will continue.”

Globally, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to the 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons who lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Below are highlights of programs for refugees developed by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. Development Arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

AFGHAN REFUGEE SCHOOL CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN:

In Pakistan, a Salesian Missions program served Afghan refugee school children and their families in Quetta, the capital of the Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. The program, which began in 2012, centered on reinforcing primary education systems at six schools in highly volatile Quetta, Pakistan. The focus of the program included everything from teacher training and resource improvements for child learning, to infrastructure improvement and web-ready computer labs.

The goal of the Quetta program was to mainstream struggling Afghan refugee schools so they could become a part of the Pakistani education community and benefit from its shared institutional resources. Close to 2,200 students ages 4 to 13 benefited from Salesian Missions’ comprehensive approach to strengthening their education.

COLOMBIAN REFUGEES:

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled the violence of Colombia* to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ New Beginnings initiative, which started in 2011, worked with more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries and provided vocational and human development training as well as job placement services.

Many of the Colombian refugees that came to the program had no marketable skills. They couldn’t find jobs and the lack of training made it difficult to start their own business or join with others to form cooperatives. Without jobs, it was hard for them to find stability for their families and build new lives. The New Beginnings program allowed these victims of violence and chaos to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves and their families.

Through the program, each refugee student received 260 hours of technical training as well as 40 hours of human development workshops. These training programs coupled with the job placement services worked to assist Colombian refugees to start over and build successful lives in their new communities.

DR CONGO REFUGEES

The Democratic Republic of the Congo* has been plagued by intense civil war and internal conflict since the outbreak of fighting in 1998. Close to 1.5 million people have been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring countries after having fled the country to escape the continued violence. Salesian missionaries have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 100 years, ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten. At the Don Bosco Ngangi Center in Goma, located in the eastern part of the country on the Rwanda border, the missionaries run programs for more than 3,500 children and 1,500 refugees.

In addition to offering educational programs, the Don Bosco Ngangi Center has a medical clinic that consists of outpatient services and separate medical wards for general medical cases, pediatric care and cholera treatment. With two doctors and four nurses on staff, the clinic is able to treat a complex array of life threatening illnesses and injuries, although often with limited medical supplies and equipment.

The medical clinic also has a nutritional center for severe cases of pediatric starvation. Currently, this center provides intensive nutritional support to 150 severely malnourished infants, toddlers and children in the Goma area.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

As of the end of May, Kakuma refugee camp, located in northern Kenya near the Uganda and South Sudan borders, is caring for 155,477 refugees from 20 different countries, according to UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency. The majority of refugees at the camp, more than 44 percent, are from South Sudan and arrived after escaping conflict and violence.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

Salesian missionaries at the camp also operate the Helping Children to be Children program, which gathers refugee children and leads them in games, songs and classes held outdoors on the camp grounds. Children are also offered the opportunity to draw and learn to speak English. Close to 3,000 children benefit from this Salesian program, which currently has no steady funding and is run primarily by refugee volunteers.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are close 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing their New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. The program, created by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, has served more than 2,500 Sri Lankan refugees.

The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment with the goal that trainees are better able to support themselves and their families. After training, New Beginnings graduates have at least one market-demand technical skill, as well as have received workplace readiness training to enhance positive attitudes, hygiene and personal presentation as well as the importance of team work. Results-oriented job placement assistance helps graduates transition from the classroom to work in the local labor market.

Training provided through the New Beginnings program also serves no fewer than 40 percent women and young girls in order to promote gender equality and generate opportunities for women whether they prefer to seek work at a local company or join a women’s company collective that allows them to remain home with young children while still engaged in meaningful employment.

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Sources:

UNHCR – 2013 Global Trends Report

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries 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.

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Educational Programs Assisting Refugees around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Kakuma is operated by 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. As some of the world’s most vulnerable youth, young refugees often survive devastating violence and a struggle to find food and shelter only to find themselves in refugee camps with little opportunity for education. Many arrive with few means of supporting themselves and no sustainable livelihood.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

“Don Bosco Vocational Training Center is the only formal technical training center in the Kakuma refugee camp,” says Father Luke Mulayinkal, who oversees the Salesian work at Kakuma. “There are so many who are being prepared for a livelihood and for nation building in their home countries or in the countries in which they will be settled. At the end of their year studies, the students receive a Kenya Government Certificate which holds much value for the refugees.”

With a recent influx of refugees into the camp and a need for technical education, the Salesian missionaries at Kakuma are struggling to meet the demands of students seeking training. The goal, if funding can be secured, is to reopen a second technical training center which had closed in 2008 when the camp population shrunk to 20,000 as a result of many refugees being able to return to their homes. The camp started growing again in 2011, and has increased in population each year, putting a strain on programming and creating a need to reopen previously offered services. Today, students must wake very early in the morning and walk a few miles to get to the Don Bosco Center. Many others must wait until there is room in the training programs to accommodate them.

Salesian missionaries at the camp also operate the Helping Children to be Children program, which gathers refugee children and leads them in games, songs and classes held outdoors on the camp grounds. Children are also offered the opportunity to draw and learn to speak English. Close to 3,000 children benefit from this Salesian program, which currently has no steady funding and is run primarily by refugee volunteers.

At Kakuma, refugees often do not have the money to buy nutritious food or milk and many children go without milk for a very long time. On the occasions the Helping Children to be Children program gains access to funding, it purchases balls for the children’s games as well as biscuits, sweets and milk for the refugees. Recent funding allowed the Salesian programs to provide milk to the children at the camp as well as a cabbage each to 225 families.

“Since the influx of refugees, the Salesians have many needs here,” adds Fr. Mulayinkal. “We need to expand our services to meet the growing demand for shelter, nutrition, education, social support and infrastructure to run our programs. Right now we do what we can for as many as we can but the demand continues to grow.”

Recently, Salesians at Kakuma began building a new chapel for the refugees. Once completed, it will be the sixth Salesian chapel at the camp and will be used as place of prayer and social support. An additional $10,000 is need to complete the project.

Headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, Salesian Missions—the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco—has launched a donation appeal to aid this project as well as ongoing humanitarian assistance for those displaced. As the Salesians in Kenya continue to provide safety and shelter for displaced families, they are reaching out for support so they may continue to help those in need.

To give to the relief efforts helping those in need throughout Africa, go to SalesianMissions.org and select “African Crisis Emergency Fund” on the donate page.

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Sources:

UNHCR – UNHCR – 2014 Country Operations Profile – Kenya

Salesian Missions – Kenya

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As of yesterday, 23,546 South Sudanese refugees had arrived in Uganda since the conflict erupted a month ago in the world’s youngest country, which only gained independence in 2011 after seceding from Sudan, when President Salva Kiir said soldiers loyal to former deputy president Riek Machar, dismissed last July, reportedly launched an attempted coup.

“They are now crossing at a rate of up to 2,500 people a day,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva.

These new arrivals come at a time when UNHCR’s Uganda office is trying to cope with a continuing influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “We still have 8,000 new Congolese arrivals at three reception centers in western Uganda, so our staff and our supplies are stretched,” Ms. Fleming said.

Smaller but growing numbers of South Sudanese refugees are also fleeing to other neighboring countries. More than 5,300 refugees have been registered in Ethiopia – though the number is likely higher as the remote border area is hard to access. In north-west Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, where as many as 300 South Sudanese are now arriving daily, UNHCR staff registered 3,173 new arrivals by Sunday evening.

The situation in Sudan remains less clear. At least several hundred South Sudanese have crossed the border, and perhaps several thousand. But with many groups, including nomads and rebels, active in the area, it is difficult to know exactly how many are refugees, Ms. Fleming said.

Representatives of Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar are meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in talks mediated by the East African regional organization, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), with an immediate ceasefire at the top of the agenda.

Inside South Sudan, UNHCR is operating with a reduced staff of 200 people because of fighting and insecurity throughout much of the country, but it continues to supply services to some 230,000 existing refugees at 10 camps in South Sudan.

“We have also been taking on increased responsibilities for the 57,000 civilians taking refuge in 10 UN compounds throughout the country,” Ms. Fleming stressed. “We are helping lead efforts to protect especially vulnerable people like women and children. And we have brought in experts in areas such as site planning and camp management.”

Yesterday a chartered flight arrived in Juba, the capital, carrying essential relief items from UNHCR’s stockpiles in Nairobi, including 12,500 blankets, 2,500 sets of cooking pots and other kitchen equipment, and 4,000 plastic sheets to shelter 20,000 displaced people in and around the capital.

In Maban, north-eastern South Sudan, just four UNHCR international staff and 11 national staff have been working with partners and refugees to serve 120,000 refugees in four camps, making sure that health services remain available and water pumps are still working.

UNHCR and the UN World Food Program (WFP) together have distributed food rations to the refugees for 45 days instead of the normal 30 days, so that they will be able to eat if services are disrupted.

“We are also in the process of distributing soap in all four camps. Given the dangerous and fast-changing nature of operating in South Sudan, we are stretching resources and working to fill any gaps in service,” Ms. Fleming said.

The agency is also preparing to return personnel to Yida in Unity state, where three national staff and partners have been continuing to serve the 77,000 refugees in Yida and Ajuong Thok camps close to the border with Sudan. But that plan is contingent on the deployment of additional UN peace-keepers.

Operating in Unity state remains dangerous and unpredictable and last week UNHCR lost six pick-up trucks to looters, who also helped themselves to barrels of fuel and spare parts for vehicles and water pumps in Yida.

The South Sudan Government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei states. With opposition forces now controlling Bor, the Jonglei capital, a large government military contingent has moved north to Pariang, close to Yida and Ajuong Thok camps.

“As a result, we are greatly worried about any effects of the fighting on the refugees and on our ability to serve them. We remind all parties to the conflict that refugee camps must remain civilian in character,” Ms. Fleming said.

On other fronts, the UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, continues to protect approximately 62,000 civilians at its bases, with humanitarian actors providing relief and support. This includes nearly 30,000 at its two Juba bases, a UN spokesperson said today.

The Mission also reports that the situation in Juba continues to be tense. In addition to protecting civilians in its bases, Mission troops are conducting day and night patrols in the capital. UNMISS notes continued instability and fighting in a number of locations, including around Bor and in areas in Unity State.

In Jonglei State, the Mission reports fighting south of Bor and sporadic gunfire in the vicinity of its compound. It also says that a number of explosions have been heard this morning southeast of the city.

In Unity State, the Mission undertook a patrol to Pariyang and observed that most villages along the road from Mayom Junction to Pariyang appeared burnt or looted. Severe food, water and shelter shortages were also reported to the Mission by local officials.

The spokesperson said that UNMISS chief Hilde Johnson, continues to meet with senior Government officials as well, as with opposition leaders, to ensure full cooperation with the Mission to enable it to implement its mandate to protect civilians.

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See this United Nations article at its original location >

Photo: A family of South Sudanese civilians shelter at a UN base in Juba. UNHCR has been taking on increased responsibilities for the 57,000 civilians taking refuge in 10 UN compounds throughout the country. UNHCR/K. McKinsey

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Celebrated each year on August 12, the day was established by the United Nations to raise awareness of issues affecting young people around the world. This year’s theme –“Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward” – is in response to the challenges and opportunities raised by the estimated 27 million youth migrants around the world. According to the United Nations, young people aged 15 to 24 make up more than 10 percent of the 240 million international migrants.

Many of these young migrants are forced to flee from poverty or war. Nearly all of them are searching for better opportunities and safer environments.

Upon arrival in new surroundings, migrants often lack the education and skills needed to survive, and many are homeless. Sometimes young people are left behind by migrating parents and face psychological and social challenges as well as greater vulnerability.

Salesians working around the globe focus on meeting the specific needs of youth facing these challenges. From homeless shelters and youth centers for street children to education and vocational training designed specifically for refugees – the Salesians provide not only a safety net but successful solutions to end the cycle of poverty.

Widely regarded as the largest private provider of vocational and technical training—and working in more than 130 countries around the globe—the Salesians are positioned to make a big impact in the area of youth migration. Already embedded in their local communities, Salesians are able to help refugees who are often seen as “outsiders.”

RURAL COMMUNITIES, AGRICULTURE & YOUTH MIGRATION

To fight the patterns of migration that decimate rural villages in some of the poorest places on the planet, Salesian Missions works to develop programs focused on sustainable agriculture while also improving local economic opportunities. By improving conditions in villages, the local youth there are less likely to migrate to urban areas where they too often join other youth in homelessness and a cycle of poverty and violence.

In Kenya, agricultural training has made a significant difference at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. There, a demonstration farm enables training in agriculture skills while producing fresh fruit and vegetables to feed the refugees and inhabitants of the camp. Agricultural skills are also an important component at the Bosco Boys Kuwinda facility. There, students receive training in the raising and care of livestock including poultry, cows and pigs, as well as in the growing and tending of vegetable gardens. Eggs and meat are sold from the farm to help support the project and all of the milk produced is consumed by the community.

In Ecuador, through a Salesian Missions’ microfinance credit program, indigenous and rural populations have access to funds for agricultural and microbusiness activities. Currently, 12,000 people are taking advantage of this opportunity in 85 different communities.

In Cambodia, the Salesian-run Pascual Gentilini Agricultural School recently celebrated its 85th year teaching agricultural skills to poor youth. The school’s curriculum includes lessons in community service, vegetable gardening, cooking, maintenance, music, annual crops, cultivation of tea, fruit farming, zootechnics, bee-keeping, cattle-raising, leadership training and social work. Agricultural technical training encompasses one to six years of study. The school’s students are enthusiastic and eager to learn modern methods of farming together with business management.

WAR, VIOLENCE & YOUTH  MIGRATION

Salesian Missions has developed programs to empower youth migrants with funding support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. Since 2010, Salesian Missions has provided a vocational and entrepreneurial program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In June 2013, 860 refugees graduated from this program. Half of these students attended a Salesian technical and vocational training center, learning job skills in electrical work, woodworking, computer technology and other similar trades.

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled from violence in Colombia to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ “New Beginnings” initiative, which started in 2011, has worked with more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries to provide vocational and human development training as well as job placement services. Many of the Colombian refugees had few marketable skills but the “New Beginnings” program allowed them the opportunity to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves and their families. Through the program, each refugee student received 260 hours of technical training as well as job placement services.

“The United States takes great pride in our commitment to the rights of migrants to realize educational and professional opportunities in their new homes,” the State Department said in an official statement.

RESHAPING THE FUTURE

“It is important to emphasize the positive contribution young migrants make to societies of origin, transit and destination – economically and by enriching the social and cultural fabric. Most work hard to earn a living and improve their circumstances,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day.

Young people have the potential to change negative societal patterns of behavior and break cycles of violence and discrimination that pass from one generation to the next. Salesian Missions remains committed to providing education, opportunities and hope to the world’s most vulnerable youth to help end the cycle of poverty which builds better lives and stronger communities.

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Sources:

UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/programme/youth_day/partner.htm

United Nations
http://www.unworldyouthreport.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=180

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/08/213041.htm

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Every year since 1993, the international community celebrates World Water Day on March 22, which focuses attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The Theme for World Water Day 2013 (coordinated by UNESCO in collaboration with UNECE and UNDESA on behalf of UN-Water) is ‘Water, water everywhere, only if we share.’

“Water holds the key to sustainable development,” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in an address highlighting World Water Day 2013. “We must work together to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource.”

In honor and celebration of World Water Day 2013, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight Salesian programs around the globe that provide safe water and much-needed agricultural training to those most in need.

BOLIVIA

In Bolivia, families now have access to safe drinking water in their homes through community water distribution projects. In the town of “19 de Agosto” in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the new distribution brings water directly to 106 families who previously had to carry potable water from the town well to their own homes. In addition, the distribution system greatly improves the sanitary conditions of the drinking water. In the town of “Las Parabas,” 50 families now have water distribution directly into their homes.

In another project, water helps power electricity that brings hope to the people of Kami, a village high in the Bolivian Andes. Through Salesian Missions, an abandoned hydro-electrical power station has been restarted to provide the only source of electricity to the local school, hospital, sawmill and new businesses. Refurbished turbines can be fully used even with a small supply of water in the dry season. Excess power can be sold to the Bolivian Electricity Board to defray costs. Now the community has access to technology in its school, better basic medical care, job opportunities and a brighter future for all.

EAST TIMOR

The Salesians are helping East Timor recover and rebuild in the wake of a devastating civil war that claimed countless lives, decimated entire communities and resulted in living conditions that are among the worst in the world. One-third of the population faces food shortages and many of the schools have been destroyed.

At the Salesian agricultural school there, students learn theoretical agricultural methods and work on the college farm. Agricultural skills are also being taught in parish centers and schools. In Baucau, young people have set up a cooperative to plant rice on land owned by parishioners. When they started, they had no tools or machinery, just their bare hands. With assistance from Salesian Missions and AusAid, they were able to purchase hand plows, threshing and milling machines. A portion of the crop belongs to the workers, a portion goes to the landowners as rent and the rest is sold for profit.

INDIA

Child survival depends on safe drinking water. In India, progress has been made toward making access to safe drinking water more readily available with 84.5 percent of rural and 95 percent of urban populations having sustainable access to safe drinking water, according to the World Bank.

At the Don Bosco Center for Learning in Kurla, course work focuses on job training in developing technologies concerning water – ranging from plumbing and sanitation to developing efficient methods for utilization and analyzing existing systems for efficient transportation of water. The courses are designed for youth who have previously left school in order to help them enter the job market.

KENYA

In Kenya, agricultural training has made a significant difference at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. There, food security is enhanced by the demonstration farm which offers training in agriculture skills. It also produces fresh fruit and vegetables adding to the amount of food available to the refugees and inhabitants of the camp.

Agricultural skills are also an important component at the Bosco Boys Kuwinda facility. There, students receive training in the care of livestock including poultry, cows and pigs, as well as training in the vegetable gardens. Eggs and meat are sold from the farm to help support the project.

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Sources:

UN Water – World Water Day 2013

Salesian Missions

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The Day of the Girl was established by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. One of the issues that drew focus was that of child marriage. For the first time, UN member states recognized that child marriage is a human rights violation and is a serious health risk for young girls whose bodies are not fully developed for motherhood.

“This puts them and their babies at risk,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Early marriage also prevents young girls from continuing their education and contributes to many of them remaining in poverty throughout their lives,” he adds, noting that the achievement of their full potential is hindered when girls are forced to assume all of the domestic duties and raise children while they are still children themselves.

A special exhibit on child marriage has been installed at UN Headquarters in New York to help raise awareness and encourage advocacy and action both on the part of member states and those who visit the UN daily.

In spite of many advances in changing the status and perception of women and girls, much more needs to be done to address the serious issues the girl child faces, according to Fr. Hyde. Among these are: limited educational opportunities, illiteracy and school dropout, physical and sexual violence, lack of role models, forced labor and limited work opportunities, trafficking, negative media images and most importantly, inequality.

“Girls are asking to be seen as and treated as equals,” says Fr. Hyde. “They want to participate more fully in decision making, especially in decisions that affect their lives in their families and communities.”

Salesian Missions cares about the growth and development of women in the communities they serve. Women are the backbone of the family structure and by providing women necessary education, training skills and support, families are made stronger. Social outreach programs, child care support, and job training allow for women to work at every level of production and management jobs supporting and keeping their families intact.

To mark the first-ever International Day of the Girl Child, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight some of its programs around the globe that empower girls through education:

CAMBODIA: In Cambodia, education for girls opens doors to opportunities. With basic education, girls are better equipped to face the daily dangers of human trafficking, child prostitution and substance abuse. Today, more than 2,000 girls who live in poverty have access to basic education through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund. In addition, with vocational and technical education, they see possibilities for jobs and independence. Hundreds of students at four specialized schools for girls/young women will open new doors with skills in printing, electronics, secretarial skills and sewing.

COLOMBIA: The “Right to Dream” program is providing aid to many poverty-stricken children in Medellin, Colombia. One such child is Alejandra – who now has access to social support and educational programs previously unimaginable to her and her siblings as they worked on the streets to help their family survive. One hundred students ages 7-18 receive vocational training and hot meals.

GUATEMALA: Extreme poverty is often associated with rural life in Guatemala. Rural Q’echi (Mayans) are among the rural populations looking to improve their lives. Through Salesian Missions programs, they are focusing on increasing the capacity of their communities. With the assistance of the Q’echi promoters, community groups are educated in self management for projects benefiting family and community. Salesians also work through the Foundation for Advancement of Indigenous Women in Guatemala (Talita Kumi) to raise the status of women and empower them to become household and community decision-makers.

KENYA: At the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, girls and women receive training opportunities and learn about the important role they play in society and the community. The microfinance program funded by UNHCR and Caritas Italiana offers graduates, women and other refugees an opportunity to establish small business ventures using skills learned.

MEXICO: In Mexico City, girls and mothers face severe dangers living on the streets. Through the “Yolia” program, girls and women become regulars at the day center. There, they have meals, receive tutoring, obtain therapy, and learn job skills such as jewelry making and hair styling. Some girls may also choose to live in the residential area, where they receive additional education and services, while building a sense of dignity and self worth.

PERU: Since 1982, Salesian Missions has offered training for girls at a vocational school in Yanama, Peru. Currently, there are more than 300 students enrolled in these schools, which are now located in parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador, as well as Peru. Girls are trained in using alpaca and sheep wool to make sweaters, rugs, gloves and other articles, which are marketed locally and abroad. Upon graduating, they receive a weaving machine as the first step in a new career.

SRI LANKA: Mary Help of Christians in Sri Lanka is home to 173 girls who were soldiers during the country’s civil war. They are the innocent victims of a 25-year civil war that ended in 2009 and generated more than 200,000 young refugees. Today, these girls are safe but have a long recovery process ahead of them. Few people realize that 40 percent of the children kidnapped by guerrilla fighters and forced to fight in the war were girls. The youngest were enslaved as maids to cook and clean for the soldiers. As they got older, the girls were forced to act as spies and informers. By the time they reached puberty, many of the girls were trapped into abusive and humiliating marriages with guerrilla leaders.

Learn more about Salesian Missions at the United Nations >

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SOURCES:

Salesian Missions

ANS (Salesian Info Agency)

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By the end of July the population of the camp established in northern Kenya in 1992 had reached 100,009 following a steady influx of new arrivals over the past two years.

“The threat of conflict in neighboring countries, particularly Sudan and South Sudan, is expected to continue to drive asylum seekers toward Kenya for the remainder of the year and into 2013,” said Guy Avognon, UNHCR’s Head of Sub-Office in Kakuma.

Through the first seven months of this year 12,123 individuals were registered in the camp, the majority having fled violence and conflict in South Sudan’s Jonglei State and Sudan’s South Kordofan. Significant numbers from Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also sought asylum in Kakuma this year.

Avognon expressed concern about possible tension between camp residents and members of the local community due to the limited water and other resources in the area. The provision of life-saving assistance and important services is becoming increasingly difficult due to limited funding to cater for the growing population, particularly in the shelter, sanitation, education, and healthcare sectors.

“The sustained rate of new arrivals to the camp has already depleted all available land in the new settlement areas, and despite serious overcrowding in many parts of the camp, UNHCR and its partners are working to identify available space to settle new arrivals within existing settlements,” the head of the UNHCR sub-office said.

The increasing population is creating serious concerns for the operation as the boundaries of the camp cannot be extended further unless new sources of water are identified. Since the beginning of the year efforts to supply sufficient quantities of clean, safe drinking water have become a critical challenge, with refugees now receiving less than the standard 20 liters of water per person per day.

UNHCR’s discussions with the Kenyan government to establish a second camp have been ongoing for the past year, but as yet no agreement has been reached, though a potential site has been identified some 35 kilometers from Kakuma. UNHCR is optimistic the discussions will be successful and additional land will be made available before the end of the year.

However, an estimated US$16.7 million would be required to set up a second camp and UNHCR’s current financial constraints mean this would likely also pose significant challenges.

(By Emmanuel Nyabera, reporting from inside the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Photo: UNHCR/R.Gangale)

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Related MissionNewswire article: Refugee Youth at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya Find “New Beginnings” with Job Training

See this article at its original location at UNHCR >

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(MissionNewswire) International Women’s Day—created by the United Nations and celebrated by organizations and countries around the globe—is observed each year on March 8.

According to the United Nations, “it is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.”

It is also a day for celebrating organizations and people who work year round to empower women and girls in an effort to make the world a better place. It is work that too often goes uncelebrated.

Salesian programs empower girls in impoverished countries around the globe by helping them build a sense of dignity and self worth, says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

“Education builds self esteem and opens the door to opportunity,” he says. “By providing girls with the opportunity to learn life skills and a trade, they become self sufficient and are able to care for their families. When girls have access to education, families are made stronger and have more opportunities to remain together—breaking the cycle of poverty and improving entire communities.”

Salesian Missions has programs helping the poor in more than 130 countries around the globe, including programs to empower women and girls. Here are some examples of that work:

BOLIVIA

In Bolivia, women face more difficulties finding good education and productive jobs, according to the 2003 Human Development Report on Gender. In addition, education of women and girls impacts the health and education of their children.

Through the innovative “Girls in the Vanguard” initiative of Salesian Missions and USAID, more than 1,000 girls in five key countries – including Bolivia – were given the opportunity to receive training and obtain jobs in the private sector. Training focused on jobs with advancement potential, in areas that were often male-dominated. Special business advisory councils and past pupil associations were formed at each site to provide additional assistance. The program took place from 2001-2006, giving girls and young women in Bolivia the skills needed for a better future for them, their families and their communities.

CAMBODIA

In Cambodia, education for girls opens doors to opportunities. With basic education, girls are better equipped to face the daily dangers of human trafficking, child prostitution and substance abuse. Today, more than 2,000 girls who live in poverty have access to basic education through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund. In addition, with vocational and technical education, they see possibilities for jobs and independence. Hundreds of students at four specialized schools for girls/young women will open new doors with skills in printing, electronics, secretarial skills and sewing.

COLOMBIA

The “Right to Dream” program for many poverty-stricken children in Medellin, Colombia. One such child is Alejandra – who now has access to social support and educational program previously unimaginable to her and her siblings as they worked on the streets to help their family survive. One hundred students ages 7-18 receive vocational training and hot meals.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In the Dominican Republic, women striving for a better life find support with the “Madres Project” in Santo Domingo.  The project addresses the root causes of street children by working with mothers. By learning skills to earn a living wage in the workforce, women in charge of families can improve their living conditions and keep their children off the streets.  Women complete courses in literacy, post-literacy, health care and various modules of computer studies.  All training modules include lessons in human rights. The program is a partnership with Salesian Missions and the International Volunteer Movement for Development.  In addition, they run a training program for youth in the poorest areas of the city called “Boys and Girls with Don Bosco.”

GHANA

Girls in Ghana find less opportunity than boys to improve their lives through education. In many cases, girls are expected to contribute to the family’s income – which takes priority over attending classes.

Through a boarding school for girls in Odumase, girls have the opportunity to continue their studies while learning job skills that will also help their family.

GUATEMALA

More than 21% of Guatemalans had an income of less than $1 a day in 2004 – no improvement since 1989 according to the Pan-American Health Organization. Extreme poverty is often associated with rural life.

Rural Q’echi (Mayans) are among the rural populations looking to improve their lives.  Through Salesian Missions programs, they are focusing on increasing the capacity of their communities. With the assistance of the Q’echi promoters, community groups are educated in self management for projects benefiting family and community. Salesians also work through the Foundation for Advancement of Indigenous Women in Guatemala (Talita Kumi) to raise the status of women and empower them to become house hold and community decision-makers.

INDIA

In India, education can help overcome inequities in jobs and income that are related to gender. Nisha’s story is an example of how one woman’s achievement helps contribute to the community as a whole:

Nisha, strong and confident, works in her beauty salon doing manicures, styling hair and doing facials in Pune, an Indian town with more than a million inhabitants. “Finally I am able to work for my own living and to offer my children a good education,” Nisha says. But it was not always so. Married as a young girl, Nisha worked as a maid and had to take care of her husband after a severe accident. Her life took a new direction after she became acquainted with the self-help groups founded by the Salesians of Don Bosco and now supported by Jugend Dritte Welt, an NGO affiliated with the Salesians. “Suddenly I wasn’t alone and found a new perspective for my life,” says Nisha. After completing a cosmetics course, Nisha opened her own beauty salon. Today she is able to repay her microcredit loans that she owed to the support group. More than 900 women participate in the microfinancing and skills training groups.

KENYA

At the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, girls and women receive training opportunities and learn about the important role they play in society and the community. The microfinance program funded by UNHCR and Caritas Italiana offers graduates, women and other refugees an opportunity to establish small business ventures using skills learned.

MEXICO

The Salesians in Mexico are directing their efforts toward the country’s at-risk population, including girls and young mothers who face severe dangers on the streets. Innovative programs are preventing poor children from dropping out of school and are providing important opportunities to keep their lives on the right track.

In Mexico City, girls and mothers face severe dangers living on the streets. Through the “Yolia” program, girls and women become regulars at the day center. There, they have meals, receive tutoring, obtain therapy, and learn job skills such as jewelry making and hair styling.  Some girls may also choose to live in the residential area, where they receive additional education and services, while building a sense of dignity and self worth.

PERU

The number of women in the Peruvian workforce is increasing, according to the Pan-American Health Organization.  So, too, is the need for job training for marketable skills that will help women support themselves and their families.

Since 1982, Salesian Missions has offered training for girls at a vocational school in Yanama. Currently, more than 300 students enrolled in these schools, which are now located in parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador, as well as Peru.  Girls are trained in using alpaca and sheep wool to make sweaters, rugs, gloves and other articles, which are marketed locally and abroad.  On graduating, they receive a weaving machine as the first step in the new career.

PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school, according to UNICEF, and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth.

Salesian Missions’ Tuloy Foundation provides another chance for at-risk youth to succeed in school.  Street children are able to take part in an alternative learning module with five levels of instruction in six subjects.  Children progress from first grade through high school. Older youth pursue vocational training in a variety of technologies, including automotive, electrical, welding and woodworking.  The school developed specialized classes focused on female students, including bag making courses.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa has one of the world’s highest crime rates, according to UNICEF. While violence impacts everyone, gender-based violence is a significant problem.  Girls who live on the street face violence, drug addiction, abuse and other dangers. The “Unwind Your Mind” camps are specifically-designed to encourage girls to talk about what brought them to the street and consider their goals for the future.  They also looked at the importance that young women play in society.

TANZANIA

When a Salesian Missions secondary school opened in Didia, Tanzania, it was the first secondary school within a 40 mile radius. Just as important, girls had the opportunity to take part in classes at the co-educational facility.

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The campaign includes television, radio and internet ads featuring well-known actors and public figures, and will direct audiences to visit www.usaid.gov/FWD to find more information about the crisis and a listing of U.S.-funded humanitarian organizations—including Salesian Missions—working in the Horn of Africa that are accepting donations to aid in disaster relief.

The FWD campaign was developed in response to the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. The campaign encourages Americans to do more than just donate by providing tools to spread awareness of the crisis, support the humanitarian organizations conducting the relief operations, and learn more about the solutions through President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative.

Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 13 million people—a number greater than the populations of Los Angeles and New York City combined—are now in need of emergency assistance to survive. The crisis is the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today, and the worst that East Africa has seen in six decades. Crops have failed, livestock have died, and high prices in local markets prevent many people from buying what is needed to feed their families. Millions of people are affected in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and in Somalia where tens of thousands of people have died as a result of the crisis.

Through the Feed the Future initiative, the United States Government is addressing the root causes of chronic hunger by helping foster better farming, stronger markets, and greater resilience to climate shocks.

“We know that these types of crises don’t need to happen. Through Feed the Future, we are working to end hunger around the world,” says Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator. “By partnering with governments, the private sector and smallholder farmers, we can help nations build resilient agricultural sectors and break the devastating cycle of food riots, famine and failed states.”

Despite the magnitude of the crisis, according to a national survey released today by the Ad Council, conducted online by Harris Interactive among 2,226 U.S. adults aged 18 and older in September 2011, more than half (52 percent) of the general public say that they have not seen, heard, or read anything about the drought and famine occurring in the Horn of Africa.

The campaign aims to change those numbers with television and web ads featuring Dr. Jill Biden and actors Uma Thurman, Josh Hartnett, Geena Davis and Chanel Iman. The campaign will also be engaging high-profile athletes such as Lance Armstrong and writer and television host Anthony Bourdain. In addition to the traditional ads, the campaign includes an extensive social media program via USAID’s Facebook and Twitter channels, as well as blogs and other sites.

“We are extremely proud to be among the humanitarian organizations partnering with USAID,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions headquartered in New Rochelle, NY. “We are very thankful for the Ad Council’s work on the FWD campaign and are hopeful more people will become aware of the crisis and take action to help save lives.”

Salesian Missions supports programs in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya which have all been affected by the crisis in the region. In refugee camps served by Salesians in the area, more than 80,000 people are in need of assistance, according to Brother Cesare Bullo, executive director of the Salesian Planning and Development Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“They arrive after having walked more than 600 kilometers,” says Br. Bullo, emphasizing the urgent nature of the refugees’ needs. “We are working to distribute food outside the refugee camps while they are waiting to be registered,” he says, referring to the area of Dolo Ado in the Southern part of Somalia. “We estimate we can provide 2,000 daily rations which means 1,000 people will benefit from the daily distribution for at least three or four days before entering the camps.”

The Salesians specialize in assessing specific needs and identifying best possible emergency interventions to aid as many people as possible. Since they are already established in the communities working to help those in need, they are in a unique position to assess situations and respond. Amid the growing numbers of refugees and declining food and water supply at the Kakuma camp, the seemingly impossible is happening. Young people are receiving job training and children are attending school.

Salesian Missions calls on the public to make donations, as they are urgently needed to fulfill these essential life-saving projects. To make a donation, go to www.SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

Salesian Missions is the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which operates in more than 130 countries around the globe with a focus on providing education and opportunity to youth. Since registering with USAID as a private voluntary organization, the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs has implemented 70 projects totaling more than $50 million in financial support.

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Source: USAID | Salesian Missions

The post HORN OF AFRICA: Salesian Missions Among USAID Partners, Ad Council Launches New “FWD” Campaign first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The three-year program will focus on Colombian refugees living Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Panama due to ongoing internal conflict in Colombia, which has resulted in the displacement of more than four million Colombians in the last two decades.

According to 2011 data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) more than 90% of the 454,088 known Colombian refugees and asylum seekers now live in the neighboring countries of Ecuador (167,189), Venezuela (215,685), Panama (17,714), and Costa Rica (19,703).

“Many of the Colombian refugees have no marketable skills. They can’t find jobs and the lack of training makes it difficult to start their own business or join with others to form cooperatives. Without jobs, it is hard to find stability for their families and build new lives. For example, younger children may not attend school and the cycle of poverty continues,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Through the “New Beginnings” program, Colombian refugees will receive training and technical skills that will enable them to find gainful employment. In addition, the recipients will receive human development workshops developed through a grant with the WK Kellogg Foundation, as well as job placement services.

According to Fr. Hyde, job placement specialists in each target country will consult with local employers and existing ministry of labor contacts to ensure the job training programs meet the needs of the marketplace.

In addition to the estimated 5,100 students who will receive job training, Salesian Missions expects the program to indirectly benefit 26,520 family members. The program will reach refugees in 18 different regions throughout Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, and Costa Rica.

“Many of these refugees live in rural villages where access to technical training is often difficult to attain,” explains Edson Timana, a program officer with the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. Timana is currently traveling to all program sites throughout the four countries to prepare them to implement the programs prior to the arrival of the refugees.

The program will also ensure that the Colombian refugees are formalizing their status as registered refugees. It is estimated that only around 22% of Colombian refugees are registered and accounted for.

“If a refugee is not counted – or is considered ‘vanished’ – it makes it that much more difficult to provide long-term solutions for them,” says Fr. Hyde. “For example, in the four countries we’ve targeted, only registered refugees can legally work, making the registration component critically important. Our goal is to have one hundred percent of students enrolled in the program formalizing their status as registered refugees and then they can begin to build a new life in their new country.”

Fr. Hyde adds that cultural understanding is another aspect of ensuring refugees long-term achievement in their new country.

“We’ve seen that Colombian refugees face high levels of discrimination because of harmful stereotypes. Discrimination affects the refugees’ ability to find jobs, housing and even basic services. The stereotypes also affect the refugees’ sense of self. That’s why we’re including spaces for positive exchanges, as well as conflict mitigation, between Colombian refugees and members of the local host community in the program,” says Fr. Hyde. This includes integrating refugee students with host country students in courses and workshops, vocational training fairs and sports and cultural activities to promote social interaction.

The “New Beginnings” program is designed to meet the goals of the UNHCR/International Organization for Migration/Ministers Foreign Affairs; Colombia, Ecuador Assistance Plan for Colombian Refugees (December 2010), which seeks to support priorities and pilot programs which will advance the sustainable reintegration of Colombians who decide to return home while improving the living conditions of those Colombians who continue to stay abroad by, “promoting their socio-economic inclusion in society with proper access to employment, basic health services, education and housing.”

The most recent Salesian Missions’ “New Beginnings” commenced at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The first program was launched in 2005 in Colombia, with a focus on providing vocational training, job placement, and healthcare assistance to persons displaced by the country’s ongoing civil conflict. Last year an additional New Beginnings project commenced in Tamil Nadu, India, providing vocational skills, human development, and job placement assistance to Sri Lankan refugees. In both India and Colombia, students received and continue to receive training in skill areas ranging from video production to carpentry to wind turbine repair and maintenance.

The Salesians are widely considered the world’s largest provider of technical and vocational training. Salesians around the world operate an extensive network of schools: more than 1,316 elementary; 1,400 intermediary and secondary; 32 colleges and universities; 300 industrial skills trade/vocational; 90 agricultural; 860 nurseries; 220 clinics and hospitals; and 1,670 social assistance centers and programs for orphans and street children.

The post CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: “New Beginnings” Program Expands to Assist Colombian Refugees in Four Countries first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“Entire communities have nothing to eat and people, many of them children, are dying,” explained Salesian missionaries serving in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya. More than 20,000 Somali refugees sought refuge at the camp after fleeing the political instability, hunger and overcrowding of other camps. This brings the total refugees at Kakuma to more than 50,000 with an estimated 1,000 additional Somali refugees arriving daily.

In refugee camps served by Salesians in the area, more than 80,000 people are in need of assistance, according to Brother Cesare Bullo, executive director of the Salesian Planning and Development Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Authorities fear that this crisis could become worse than the famine of 1984-85 when more than one million people died. In response, the Salesians have organized an international fundraising initiative aimed to raise at least $850,000 to provide necessary aid for 6 months.

Projects to address the urgent needs of the drought and famine victims include the repair and maintenance of existing wells, drilling of new wells, water distribution and emergency food aid.

The repair and maintenance of four wells will provide a long-term water supply for 8,000 people. In additional, four new wells will be constructed. In total, it is estimated that at least 14,000 people will benefit from these new water sources.

“We have located four water points that need to be rehabilitated and strengthened through the purchase of new pumps and additional excavations to find more water,” says Br. Bullo. “The new wells will be built in four areas for local communities very much in need of water at the moment. The wells need to be capable of providing a sufficient quantity of water during the droughts.”

The Salesians also have a plan in the works to provide a water tracking service for water distribution in the area around Jijiga, to aid the pastoralist communities. The goal is to distribute 10-12,000 liters of water twice daily.

With 1,000 new refugees arriving daily in Ethiopia from Somalia, Br. Bullo says it takes three to four days for them to register with UNHCR and enter the camp to receive aid.

“They arrive after having walked more than 600 kilometers,” says Br. Bullo, emphasizing the urgent nature of the refugees’ needs.

“We are working to distribute food outside the refugee camps while they are waiting to be registered,” he says, referring to the area of Dolo Ado in the Southern part of Somalia. “We estimate we can provide 2,000 daily rations which means 1,000 people will benefit from the daily distribution for at least three or four days before entering the camps.”

Br. Bullo estimates they will help at least 10,000 people outside the camps in the first month.

Salesian Missions calls on the public to make donations, as they are urgently needed to fulfill these essential life-saving projects.

“So far, we have raised about a third of the needed funds and are hopeful that the remaining amount will follow as caring friends and donors learn of the crisis,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, NY.

To make a donation, go to www.SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

The Salesians specialize in assessing specific needs and identifying best possible emergency interventions to aid as many people as possible. Since they are already established in the communities working to help those in need, they are in a unique position to assess situations and respond.

For example, in Ethiopia the Salesians operate in 14 towns, providing schools, feeding programs, housing for orphans, and HIV/AIDS intervention programs. In Kenya, the Salesians bring classrooms to refugee camps, protect youth from disease, teach agriculture skills, feed hungry children and families, and much more.

PHOTO: ROBERTO SCHMIDT (AFP/Getty)

The post HORN OF AFRICA: Salesian Missions Responds to Crisis first appeared on MissionNewswire.

An innovative vocational education program targets refugee youth for job skills training to enhance their livelihoods and achieve self-sustainability. The Salesian Missions program, “New Beginnings,” is financed by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

“Refugee youth are some of the world’s most vulnerable youth,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions. “They often have survived incredible violence, struggled to find food and shelter in the refugee camps, and then find that there is little opportunity for education.  We are working to change that.”

This month, the “New Beginnings” program begins in Kenya, focusing on youth at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Kenya is home to 340,000 refugees, and hosts the largest refugee population in eastern Africa. Kakuma Refugee Camp currently houses approximately 70,000 refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and several other countries in East Africa. Refugees continue to arrive without a sustainable income. The program will target 900 youth ages 15-30 with an emphasis on those who are the primary wage earners for their families. A particular goal is to recruit women, and empower them with the skills and confidence to enter the workforce.

“It is critical that students receive training where there is a demand for workers,” explains Fr. Hyde. He adds that training will include three month and 12-month certificate programs which will be offered in market-driven courses such as carpentry, computers, dress-making, electrical installation, auto mechanics and agriculture. English will be taught, as well as classes in gender-based violence awareness and prevention.

The program will assist students interested in starting small businesses or cooperatives after completing their courses. It will include support for business management questions, additional training if needed to keep up with the market, and assistance in the job placement process.

“We’ll provide micro-grants, or capital such as tools or equipment, to students who develop effective business plans,” says Fr. Hyde. “We believe that once a student, always a student.”

Salesian Missions’ first U.S. Department of State funded “New Beginnings” program was launched in 2005 in Colombia, with a focus on providing vocational training, job placement, and healthcare assistance to persons displaced by the country’s ongoing civil conflict. Last year an additional New Beginnings project commenced in Tamil Nadu, India, providing vocational skills, human development, and job placement assistance to Sri Lankan refugees. In both India and Colombia, students received and continue to receive training in skill areas ranging from video production to carpentry to wind turbine repair and maintenance.

Salesians around the world operate an extensive network of schools: more than 1,316 elementary; 1,400 intermediary and secondary; 32 colleges and universities; 300 industrial skills trade/vocational; 90 agricultural; 860 nurseries; 220 clinics and hospitals; and 1,670 social assistance centers and programs for orphans and street children.

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Photo: Matija Kovac/Wikimedia Commons

Sources: International Labour Organization , UN International Year of the Youth

The post KENYA: Refugee Youth Find “New Beginnings” with Job Training first appeared on MissionNewswire.