(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring the International Day of the Girl. The day has been celebrated annually on Oct. 11 since its inception in 2012. It was established to promote equal treatment and opportunities for girls and is an acknowledgment by the world that there is a disparity in the way the rights of girls and boys are protected and promoted.

International Day of the Girl was established by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. This year, the theme “Digital generation. Our generation.” focuses on the needs for improvement in digital access for young girls.

UNICEF reported that in 2021, the Generation Equality Forum launched five-year commitments for bolder solutions to gender inequality. Some 2.2 billion people under the age of 25 still do not have internet access at home, something that has complicated a move to digital-based learning during the pandemic. Girls are more at risk of not having access to internet connection.

UNICEF noted, “The gender digital divide is about more than connectivity. Girls are also less likely than boys to use and own devices, and gain access to tech-related skills and jobs. Only by addressing the inequity and exclusion that span geographies and generations can we usher in a digital revolution for all, with all.”

Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality through programs targeted specifically for young women and girls.

“Around the globe Salesian missionaries empower young girls through education and by ensuring that they have equal access to schools, skills training and technology,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential. Salesians around the globe are working to ensure that young girls have equal access to education and the tools needed for learning.”

To mark International Day of the Girl, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that empower girls through education.

INDIA

In India, an initiative provides laptops to girls to help ensure that they aren’t forced to drop out of school during the pandemic.

Graduates from the 1997 class of Don Bosco Egmore have rallied together to launch the Min Siragugal (Digital Wings) initiative to provide laptops to female students to help ensure that they aren’t forced to drop out of school during the pandemic. The goal is to provide 50 laptops to poor students from two Adi Dravidar Welfare Schools on the outskirts of Chennai, India.

One of the graduates, Deepu Antony, noted, “There are multiple reports from India and beyond, including reports prepared by the United Nations about children dropping out of the school system due to economic pressure brought on by the pandemic. In India, the girl child is at a greater disadvantage in this situation.”

After discussion with principals of two schools, 50 students from grade 10 were identified. The group wanted to focus on these students because the government is offering laptops to students in grades 11 and 12. The laptops are being given to the school for them to distribute to the beneficiaries.

NIGERIA

In Nigeria, a program helped girls develop tailoring and business skills to help achieve self-sufficiency.

Salesian missionaries in Nigeria were able to train 15 girls in tailoring and give them self-employment starter kits thanks in part to funding from Salesian Missions. The “Post-COVID Relief through the Provision of Skills in Tailoring for Young Girls in Lagos and Ijebu Ode” project ran from November 2020 to April 2021. A new second phase of the project ran through July 2021.

Guided by the goal of equipping trainees with skills in tailoring and sewing, the training consisted of 90 percent practical work and 10 percent theory, which also involved life skills training, marketing, management, interpersonal communication and other essential aspects of running a business.

The trainees also completed a one-month internship before being provided with starter kits to help with self-employment to improve their livelihood. They remain under the supervision of the project for another two months for business monitoring and performance assessment and to ensure that their start-up kit tools are being used effectively.

PAKISTAN

In Pakistan, a badminton tournament for girls featured 20 participants from five different ethnic groups and four different religions.

Salesian missionaries in Quetta, Pakistan, collaborated with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd to organize a badminton tournament for girls. The first-ever sporting event for girls, called “Mamma Margherita Badminton Tournament,” featured 20 participants from five different ethnic groups and four different religions.

The Salesian center in Quetta provided the girls with a safe space to practice and show off their talents. Despite the pandemic, Salesian missionaries have been able to keep their doors open to youth to provide a meeting place to connect with their peers and stay engaged in sports activities including badminton, soccer and cricket.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Lahore and Quetta for the last 21 years. In Lahore, Salesians have a technical institute, elementary school, boarding school for children, workshops for girls and a youth center open on Saturdays. In Quetta, there is a school and two boarding schools, one for boys and one for girls.

SIERRA LEONE

In Sierra Leone, young women from vulnerable situations receive training in tailoring, tourism, catering and hair care.

Don Bosco Fambul, located in Sierra Leone’s capital city of Freetown and one of the country’s leading child-welfare organizations, provides job starter kits to young women who complete their education. The young women, who have come from situations of vulnerability, receive training in tailoring, tourism, catering and hair care through Salesian education.

Don Bosco Fambul has been on the forefront of efforts to help save young women who have faced abuse and prostitution, as well as to rehabilitate street children and reunite them with their families. The organization is directed by Salesian Father Jorge Mario Crisafulli and has a staff of 120, including Salesian social workers who go out to the streets, slums and marketplaces.

Salesian missionaries, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been victims of sexual assault. Girls that access the shelter services are also able to attend educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network of programs. These educational programs give young women the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

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Sources:

INDIA: Education for girls focus of laptop initiative

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

International Day of the Girl 2021

NIGERIA: Girls develop tailoring and business skills to help achieve self-sufficiency

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions

SIERRA LEONE: Young women receive job starter kits after graduation

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

PAKISTAN: Girls play in first badminton tournament

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

The post INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL: Salesian Missions highlights programs that empower young girls through education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

International Day of the Girl was established by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. This year, under the theme, “My voice, our equal future,” the focus is on “reimagining a better world inspired by adolescent girls—energized and recognized, counted and invested in.”

UNICEF notes that this International Day of the Girl will focus on several demands that girls have made, including to live free from gender-based violence, harmful practices, and HIV and AIDS; to learn new skills toward the futures they choose; and to lead as a generation of activists accelerating social change.

Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality through programs targeted specifically for young women and girls.

“Around the globe Salesian missionaries empower young girls through education and by ensuring that they have equal access to schools and skills training for later employment,” says Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential. Those who are able to access education are more often able to achieve financial independence and make better and healthier choices.”

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

El SALVADOR

The Science Challenge aims to empower women interested in science fields in El Salvador.

Don Bosco University in Soyapango, El Salvador, organized the Science Challenge for the second consecutive year. The event was organized by Don Bosco University’s Women’s Empowerment Program “Promueve” and aims to empower women interested in science fields. At its core, the Science Challenge is a knowledge exchange between high school and university students in various scientific specialties. Workshops and experiences led by specialists are held for students to take part in and engage with each other.

In addition, the Science Challenge featured an exhibition of projects by students who are taking courses under the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Don Bosco University and entrepreneurs from the Avalon company who are engaged with the university. There were 350 people in attendance, all intent on expanding their scientific knowledge to help find job opportunities or further study in the sector.

INDIA

Don Bosco Seva Kendra, in Hyderabad, India, hosted a program which brought together girls and their parents.

Don Bosco Seva Kendra, in Hyderabad, India, hosted a program for girls facilitated by the Kiran Anjali Project, which has a mission to provide guidance and financial support to institutions providing education to disadvantaged children, especially girls, in India. The program brought together girls and their parents, along with Salesian staff and Father Bellamkonda Sudhakar, executive director of the Don Bosco organization.

At the program, Fr. Sudhakar made a presentation on “The Four Candles,” which focuses on peace, faith, hope and love. Later, the girls played games and drew pictures. They also participated in English and IQ tests. Salesian staff took the time to interview all of the girls about their experiences with Don Bosco Seva Kendra, what they have been learning and its impact. Lunch provided a time for girls and their parents to interact informally with each other and the Salesian staff.

The afternoon session included a self-defense class taught by Sonia, a 16-year-old girl with the Kiran Anjali Project. The girls were able to learn and demonstrate some simple techniques in self-defense and learn useful tips in self-protection. Girls were motivated to meet Sonia, who had shared a lot of important information and encouraged them.

MYANMAR

The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Myanmar offers carpentry, welding, electricity, automotive, tailoring, dressmaking and beautician programs.

The Opera Don Bosco Foundation, located in Milan, Italy, has been active in Myanmar for several years supporting youth through education and social development programs. To help aid youth in need, the foundation operates several Salesian centers across the country.

The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in the city of Myitkyina is one such center. It offers carpentry, welding, electricity, automotive, tailoring, dressmaking and beautician programs. Over the last 11 years, more than 500 young men and women, aged 18-25 years, have graduated from its programs. The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center provides room and board to its students and instructors.

Because the school is located in the northernmost part of Myanmar within the Kachin State, which has a long history of armed conflict, some of the graduates are orphans or come from broken families. The school is operated by a small Salesian community with four Salesian priests, four sisters of St. Paul and eight volunteer part-time teachers/instructors. The volunteers come from various religious faiths including Catholicism and Buddhism and work together to educate the students.

SOUTH SUDAN

Scholarships at Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Juba, South Sudan, make it much easier for young women to gain an education.

Students attending the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Juba, South Sudan*, have received scholarships to help afford their education and continue their studies thanks to funding from Salesian Missions donors. The scholarships, which are mainly focused on female students, cover 50 percent of the school’s tuition, making it much easier for young women to gain an education.

One student, Ayany Pamela, said, “This program has given me the courage to return to school after completing my secondary education. I had not been able to continue in school because of financial problems. After noticing that women were given this opportunity, I became much motivated because it is now affordable for me. This program has contributed much in my personal life by allowing me to obtain knowledge and skills. Without it, I cannot imagine how I would have continued my education or found a good job.”

In South Sudan, due to lack of financial support, many families force their girls into early marriages. The program’s goal is to reduce the incidence of early marriage and allow young women to gain an education and independence in the workplace.

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Sources:

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

EL SALVADOR: Don Bosco University organizes Science Challenge to empower women interested in science fields

INDIA: Program held at Don Bosco Seva Kendra teaches girls self-defense and empowered self-confidence

MYANMAR: Opera Don Bosco Foundation supports poor youth in Salesian centers with education and social development programs

Salesian Missions

SOUTH SUDAN: Salesian Missions donors provide funding for scholarships for young women to attend Don Bosco Vocational Training Center

UNICEF – International Day of the Girl 2020

*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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