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.

The children – 69 boys and 13 girls between the ages of 8 and 17 – had reportedly been recruited during the past six months by elements of Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga, according to a news release issued by the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO).

They were identified and separated through concerted efforts by child protection agencies working together in Kibwela, Moba Territory, and Kayumba, Manono Territory – all in Katanga province. About half of the children were immediately reunited with their families, while the others are receiving interim care pending reunification.

“We are extremely concerned by continued reports of active recruitment by Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga and other armed groups in eastern DRC,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of MONUSCO.

“Children face unacceptable risks when they are recruited for military purposes,” he noted. “The recruitment of children, particularly those under 15 years of age, could constitute a war crime and those responsible must be held to account.”

The mission stated that, since the beginning of the year, 163 children have been separated from Mayi Mayi Bakata Katanga by MONUSCO and child protection partners.

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Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani

Original news release >

The post UNITED NATIONS: UN Mission Welcomes Release of Children Recruited by Armed Group in DR Congo first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Mukoya initially traveled to the area to cover stories related to the proposed disarmament process by the United Nations (which has yet to happen). Instread, he decided to focus his attention, and his lens, on children affected by the instability in the region. His research brought him to the Salesian-run Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma.

Children are extremely vulnerable when it comes to civil war and violence. Many were abandoned during the recent fighting between the Congolese army (known as the FARDC) and the M23 rebels. For many of these abandoned children, Don Bosco Ngangi has become a safe haven.

Established in 1988, Don Bosco Ngangi hosts more than 3,000 abandoned children and HIV/AIDS victims. According to Father Piero Gavioli, the center’s director, young victims with nowhere else to turn continue to arrive at the center.

“Father Gavioli told me that when the rebels took over Goma in December 2012, the center was not affected,” said Mukoya. “Not a single bullet was fired towards the facility that played host to running refugees from the different villages of North Kivu. The work happening at the center is very important.”

Father Gavioli—who Mukoya described as having a “very kind personality”—gave the Reuters photographer a tour of the facility, including the kitchen where dinner was being prepared, the outside space where groups of older kids were playing and laughing and a nursery where young orphans were being cared for by the Salesians.

“Immediately entering the children’s room I was touched by this 18 month old child named Imani,” said Mukoya.

The toddler, whose name translates to “Faith” in English, was “playing in his baby-cot and always smiled to the camera,” he added.

“The children are gorgeous and it was moving to see how much they liked visitors and were interested in my cameras,” Mukoya said. “I was inspired by the way young children lived and played together as a family.”

The photos were initially posted on Trust.org, a site of the Thompson Reuters Foundation.

THOMAS MUKOYA’S PHOTOS ARE BELOW:

(ABOVE) An abandoned child drinks milk at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) Abandoned children play at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) Michelle Sodiki, an abandoned child, rests in his cot at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) A youth jumps through the air as he plays at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) Imani, an abandoned child, plays in his cot at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(ABOVE) A worker prepares food “ugali” at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(LEFT) A medic treats an abandoned child at the Don Bosco Ngangi community center in Goma, North Kivu region. (August 6, 2013) REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

The post DR CONGO: Reuters Photographer Captures Life at Center Where Salesians Care for More than 3,000 Abandoned Children, HIV/AIDS Victims first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Recently, a new socio-sports program was introduced at the Salesian Youth Center in the town of Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro. The program, the third of its kind in Brazil, is made possible through a collaboration between the Salesian Missions office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation and will benefit close to 200 youth from the most disadvantaged areas of the city.

The program’s motto is, “They play, we educate” and participants receive nutritional, family and psychological support, regular health check ups and the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops in activities such as gymnastics, crafts, reading and citizenship. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse will also be provided.

Outside of normal school hours, participants in the program will receive sports training by coaches specifically qualified by the Real Madrid Foundation.

“Sports programs teach youth both on and off the field,” says Father Mark Hyde, the executive director of Salesians Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Learning and playing team sports encourages leadership skills as well as teaches youth to work as part of a team. Students also learn important social skills and have opportunities for growth and maturity.”

At the program’s inauguration, the biggest surprise for the 200 youth in attendance was the participation of Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, a player from Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, who recently won the Confederations Cup.

The collaboration between the Salesians and the Real Madrid Foundation has been very successful, granting more than 2,000 youth and vulnerable children the opportunity to participate in similar programs around the globe. This new socio-sports program in Brazil is operating alongside 13 other socio-sporting schools in nine countries including Togo, Benin, Congo*, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Portugal, Senegal and the Dominican Republic.

Sports programs are a few among many programs helping disadvantaged youth in Brazil.

At the Don Bosco Youth Center in Cabana, youth from the slums take part in socio-educational opportunities to help close educational gaps. At the Salesian-run Community Center in Porto Alegre, street children receive three nutritious meals a day, clean clothing, medical care, schooling and a safe place to get much needed rest. And at a new Salesian-run Center in Abaetetuba, abandoned and at-risk youth take part in a wide variety of healthy and educational activities. The Center includes a recreation facility where children are able to participate on sports teams, make friends and gain a sense of accomplishment. All of the programs work with youth to help them lead productive lives and break the cycle of poverty.

Brazil is one of more than 130 countries around the globe where Salesians work to give hope and provide opportunity to vulnerable youth through education and skills training. Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, working to raise funds and develop programs to aid youth and families in some of the poorest places on earth. Learn more about where the Salesians work and the programs they provide at www.salesianmissions.org.

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Sources:

ANS – Brazil – Niterói socio-sports school inaugurated, with soccer star Marcelo

UNICEF – Brazil Statistics

Real Madrid Foundation – Website

*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.

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The advance of the M23 armed group into Goma and Sake have been accompanied by serious violations committed against children. “Children have been killed and injured in the cross-fire, deliberately targeted and allegedly recruited as soldiers. I call on all parties to immediately halt the violence and spare children from the impact of conflict,” SRSG Zerrougui said.

Over the past four days, 16 children, including a two-year old child, were injured by bullets and explosive devices during clashes between the M23 and the armed force and security services. Yesterday, a boy was reportedly shot dead by M23 combatants in Goma because of his alleged association with Government forces.

“Children, especially those formerly associated with armed groups, are living in constant fear of recruitment or re-recruitment,” the Special Representative warned. Since the creation of the M23 in May 2012, the United Nations documented 44 children recruited into the armed group’s ranks as combatants and as porters, escorts and for sexual purposes.

“The international community cannot tolerate another wave of violence against children with impunity,” the Special Representative said. “External support to the M23 rebels has to stop, and those responsible must be held accountable in national and international courts.”

The Special Representative also welcomes the Security Council’s decision last week to impose targeted measures against the leader of the M23 Sultani Makenga, including for the use of child soldiers. She encourages the Security Council to consider imposing additional sanctions on perpetrators.

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See this news release at its original location >

Related article about Salesian Missions and the conflict in eastern Congo >

The post UNITED NATIONS: Children Affected by Widespread Violence in the Eastern DRC first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The two new schools—the Don Bosco Educational Plaza in Hainamosa and the Dominic Savio School House in Santo Domingo—use football as a tool for social integration, improving the quality of life for boys and girls who are at risk of social exclusion. Alongside the sports, schools provide various support services to children and their families, such as tutoring, classroom space for homework, vocational training, healthcare, nutrition education and cultural and recreational activities.

“We want young people to be integrated and develop healthy activities. They play, we educate,” said Emilio Butragueño, explaining the importance of the initiative.

The partnership between Salesian Missions and the Real Madrid Foundation is well underway and allows more than 2,000 youth and vulnerable children to participate in similar programs today. There are currently 13 operational socio-sporting schools in nine countries: Togo, Benin, Congo*, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Portugal, Senegal and now the Dominican Republic.

“In the Dominican Republic, sports help youth to grow and develop into healthy, caring members of society,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “And they pass on their knowledge for generations to come,” he adds.

ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

Salesian Missions is paving the path toward a better future for young people, where half of youth ages 13 to 18 suffer in poverty and lack needed skills to compete in the job market. The Salesians are using innovative approaches to prevent children from life on the streets and the lure of gangs. And they are instilling knowledge and values that will carry forward in the generations to come.

After finishing his studies, Edward stayed involved in the program – working with youth in the same situation he had been.  He later graduated from the university with a degree in public relations and now is in charge of the graphic design department at the Salesian Technical Institute, where he also teaches.

“There are only three of my childhood friends that are alive since most of them got into gangs.  This project saved my life from the personal perspective to the professional development.  I don’t know what would have happened to me if it wasn’t for this project,” said Edward.  “I still play basketball with the boys & girls in the project.  This is the best way to discover their personalities and different ways I can help them.”

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*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.

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