Salesian schools, services and programs throughout Chile are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many hope for a more positive and productive future. Salesian schools equip students with a foundational education and the skills they need to compete in the local labor market by offering courses in carpentry, farming, electrical and mechanical engineering, computers and more. Salesian schools also build partnerships with local businesses to help youth gain employment after graduation. This further helps the local economy by providing a well-trained labor force.

According to the World Bank, although the economy in Chile is one of the more stable and prosperous in Latin America, a little more than 5 percent of the population live on just $2 a day. The country suffers from high economic inequality which is particularly evident in access to educational opportunities.

“Although the education system in the country is far-reaching, many poor and disadvantaged youth fall through the cracks,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Throughout the country, young people from poor families lack the educational opportunities available to the middle and upper classes.”

Many of the Salesian technical schools in Chile cater to students who have dropped out of school and are seeking a second chance. And for youth who lack the resources to attend Chile’s universities, Salesian schools provide the opportunity to receive job skills training. In many programs, students complete their education while engaging in internships with local employers increasing their hands-on work experience and chance of gaining livable wage employment after their studies are completed.

“Salesian missionaries working in Chile focus their efforts on providing education and social services to poor, at-risk youth,” adds Fr. Hyde. “At Salesian schools, universities and youth centers throughout the country, youth can access an education as well as the skills and resources necessary to break the cycle of poverty. As a result of the vocational and technical education provided by Salesian programs, Chilean youth are more likely to find stable employment and improve their standard of living.”

Operating for more than 15 years in Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, the Don Bosco Foundation has successfully educated and provided social services to more than 15,000 children and adults. Responding to a rise in the homeless population in the city, Salesian missionaries at the foundation created programs in partnership with other local social welfare programs to meet the basic needs of both adults and children living on the street while providing opportunities for education. Participants are provided shelter, nutritious food, clothing, medical care and an education. Educational programming includes vocational and technical training to help those in need find and retain stable employment. Counseling and recovery services are also offered.

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Sources:

ANS – Chile – The Atacama desert, fertile land for Don Bosco

World Bank – Chile

The post CHILE: Salesian Missionaries Open New School and Technical Training Courses for Disadvantaged Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“A new book in the hands of a student opens him or her up to the opportunities that are available through education,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “While this is true whether it takes place down the street or across the globe, it is especially powerful in places like Cambodia.”

Salesian missionaries from the Don Bosco Foundation are eager to support the literacy center since schools in the Ratanakiri province are experiencing many challenges including limited access to qualified teachers, books and necessary school supplies. Often qualified teachers abandon their classrooms once they find a more stable job with a better salary.

The Don Bosco Foundation is currently seeking additional donations for the literacy center including chairs, tables and boards that will help meet their goal of a new computer room for students. Started in 1991, the Don Bosco Foundation provides educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth and orphans. Educational opportunities include basic and secondary schooling and advanced learning through technical skills training.

Currently, the Foundation supports six technical schools for youth between 16 and 22 who have completed at least the 8th grade. The technical schools are located in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Kep, Battambang and Poipet and provide courses in automotive, industrial mechanics, electricity and electronics, social communication, secretarial and office administration, tailoring, hospitality, welding, agriculture, information technology and language and arts communication.

The Foundation supports the Don Bosco Children’s fund, which gives younger students the ability to continue their studies by assisting with costs for school and school supplies. Support services including tutoring for students and workshops for parents, to help them understand the importance of educating their children, are also provided.

“Many parents in Cambodia did not have the same opportunities for education as their children do today so they do not see staying in school as a priority, particularly when many children have been forced to work to bring in extra money for the family,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Youth need the extra support to stay in school and get an education. Salesian missionaries at Don Bosco Children’s Fund provide that much needed support and stability to help youth achieve.”

Cambodia has a long history of violence that has resulted in a quarter of Cambodians living in poverty and surviving on less than $1 per day, according to the World Bank. About 80 percent of the country’s population resides in rural areas and has limited access to education, healthcare and other public services.

Today, close to a quarter of Cambodians over the age of 15 are illiterate. With very little access to education, poor youth find it especially challenging to break the cycle of poverty. To provide youth with greater opportunity, Salesian missionaries in the country operate 45 schools in poor, rural villages through a partnership between Salesian Missions and the Ministry of Education in addition to seven vocational training centers that impart much needed job skills.

Sources

Don Bosco Foundation of Cambodia

World Bank – Cambodia

The post CAMBODIA: Don Bosco Foundation Donates Books Ensuring More Students Have Access to Education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian missionaries living and working in the region are leading a relief campaign through the Don Bosco Foundation in Peru. Volunteers at the campaign are collecting food, clothing, mattresses and other items and then delivering them directly to families in need.

“While Don Bosco Church in Chosica was heavily damaged, we are much more concerned about our parishioners there—all of whom have literally lost everything,” says Father Alejandro Arango Ramos, Rector Major of the Salesian presence in Peru.

To help support the Don Bosco Church in Chosica and provide aid to its parishioners, Salesian Youth Movement groups in Rimac and Brena, both districts within Lima providence, have organized a fundraising campaign and plan to donate the money raised directly to the church.

“Because Salesian missionaries live within the communities they serve, they are perfectly positioned to respond in times of crisis,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions. “Our missionaries know the local landscape and are providing direct relief to those who need it most and they will remain throughout the long recovery process that accompanies disasters like this.”

Salesian missionaries working in Peru have provided life-saving support and education to poor youth and their families through the years as well as helped with rebuilding efforts after the August 2007 earthquake. Salesian programs in the country focus on education and workforce development, helping to ensure that young Peruvians have access to the education and technical skills training that will enable them to find and retain long-term stable employment.

Peru has high levels of income inequality and more than a quarter of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty levels are significantly higher in rural areas but urban areas struggle most with inequality, most notably metropolitan Lima. Poverty in the country is made worse by a shortage of productive farmland and a lack of employable skills, specifically among young people and women entering the workforce. In addition, Peruvians lack access to adequate housing, nutrition and education.

Peru has also been plagued by hunger and disaster. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of children in the country are chronically malnourished. Communities continue to rebuild after the 8.0 earthquake in August 2007 which killed more than 500 people and injured hundreds more in the central coastal cities of Chincha, Pisco and Ica. The quake destroyed close to 60,000 residential and commercial buildings, leveled hundreds of acres of farmland and left countless Peruvians without means of livelihood.

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Sources:

ANS – Peru – Salesians organize a solidarity campaign for the population of Chosica

BBC News – Peru mudslide emergency declared in Chosica near Lima

World Bank – Peru

The post PERU: Salesian Missionaries Provide Aid after Avalanche Levels Homes and Destroys Infrastructure first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, Archbishop of Santiago, and Father Alberto Lorenzelli, Salesian Provincial in Chile, joined in the reopening celebration along with representatives of the more than 600 current beneficiaries of the Foundation’s programs. Teachers, administrators and families were also in attendance.

“Renewing the infrastructure means giving dignity to our work with children, young people and vulnerable adults,” said Carmen Gloria Soto, coordinator of development, during the opening events at the Don Bosco Foundation. “It is a very delicate task because our programs help young people with addictions and those living on the streets as well as their families. For us, the reopening is very important because we are carrying out a mission to serve marginalized youth and the appropriate infrastructure to carry out those programs is critical to our success.”

The Don Bosco Foundation began offering programs for the homeless in Santiago more than 15 years ago. Responding to a rise in the homeless population in the city, Salesian missionaries created programs to meet the basic needs of the homeless while providing opportunities for education. Partnering with other local social welfare programs, the Foundation’s programs serve both adults and children living on the streets. Educational programming includes vocational and technical training to help those in need find and retain stable employment.

Once homeless participants connect with the Foundation, they are provided shelter, nutritious food, clothing, medical care and an education. Counseling and recovery services are also offered. To date, more than 15,000 children and adults have accessed services at the Foundation.

In addition, the Foundation distributes close to 2,000 meals every month for those in need. Specifically targeting street children, the Foundation has the biggest and most comprehensive program in the country providing shelter to close to 120 homeless youth each month.

According to the World Bank, although the economy in Chile is one of the more stable and prosperous in Latin America, a little more than five percent of the population live on just two dollars a day. The country suffers from high economic inequality which is particularly evident in access to educational opportunities.

Salesians working in Chile focus their efforts on providing education and social services to poor, at-risk youth. At Salesian schools, universities and youth centers throughout the country, youth can access an education as well as the skills and resources necessary to break the cycle of poverty. As a result of the vocational and technical education provided by Salesian programs, Chilean youth are more likely to find stable employment and improve their standard of living.

“Although the education system in the country is far-reaching, many poor and disadvantaged youth fall through the cracks,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions – the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Throughout the country, young people from poor families lack the educational opportunities available to the middle and upper classes.”

Sources

ANS – Chile – Cardinal Ezzati reopens the headquarters of the Don Bosco Foundation

CNN – More than 2 million affected by earthquake, Chile’s president says

World Bank – Chile

The post CHILE: Don Bosco Foundation Reopens Building Damaged by 2010 Earthquake first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Peru has also been plagued by hunger and disaster. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of children in the country are chronically malnourished. Communities continue to rebuild after an 8.0 earthquake in August 2007 which killed more than 500 people and injured hundreds more in the central coastal cities of Chincha, Pisco and Ica. The quake destroyed close to 60,000 residential and commercial buildings, leveled hundreds of acres of farmland and left countless Peruvians without means of livelihood.

Salesian missionaries working in Peru have provided life-saving support and education to poor youth and their families through the years as well as helped with rebuilding efforts after the earthquake. Salesian programs in the country focus on education and workforce development, helping to ensure that young Peruvians have access to the education and technical skills training that will enable them to find and retain long-term stable employment.

At a Salesian complex called the Don Bosco Foundation in Breña, a district of Lima, Salesian missionaries produce award winning wine which has been sold to the public since 2000. Profits from sales go to support local Salesian education and job skill training programs for youth.

Founded in 1930, the Salesian winery at the Don Bosco Foundation originally only produced wine for the Salesian church but later expanded to supply wine to other church congregations in Lima. In 2000, Salesian missionaries expanded the production further and began selling wine to the general public. The missionaries do not have farmland to grow their own grapes so they buy from local farmers instead and in this way, invest back into the community.

The Salesian wine production process has modernized through the years from the use of a manual grinder and old wooden barrels to automated equipment that produces and bottles several different types of wines. In 2014, three Salesian wines were awarded medals in a yearly competition held in Argentina that brings together wine brands from all over the world.

In addition to raising funds to support Salesian programs, the winery acts as a technical skills training program at the Don Bosco Foundation for local youth who are interested in winemaking. The Foundation accepts youth from all over Peru into the winemaking program and provides them with training and a place to live.

“Here we give them an opportunity to study and prepare for life,” says Marcos Calderon fundraising manager at the Don Bosco Foundation. “The processing plant for the Salesian wine is small compared to the large national producers but it is suitable for teaching the art of winemaking.”

Outreach workers from the Don Bosco Foundation help connect youth living on the street to the winemaking program. Interested youth are then able to work and study at the foundation. Depending upon their academic level, students can access secondary and remedial education before they advance to technical or vocational skills training. In addition to winemaking, there are a variety of degree programs to choose from such as computing, baking, auto mechanics, administration and others.

“The Salesian winery at the Don Bosco Foundation has received international attention for its great quality wines and winemaking program,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Most importantly, through this project, Salesian missionaries have been able to fund programs that provide shelter, nutrition and education to youth in need, making a difference in the communities in which they live.”

Sources

Don Bosco Foundation Peru

World Bank – Peru

The post PERU: Award-Winning Salesian Winery Teaches Art of Winemaking first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesians in Spain have been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth through residential and technical and vocational training programs.

A Salesian program started in 2012 is working to address the needs of young men who have aged out of residential youth programs, many of whom are left without resources and little support and direction for the future. For these young people, it can be difficult to find stable employment and a place to live and many do not have an existing or adequate social network to offer them the support they need to live life fully as an adult.

In southern Spain, the Don Bosco Foundation in Cordoba provides support for close to 50 young men. The Foundation’s program includes housing, socio-educational services and workforce development.

“The program focuses on 18 year old youth who were once residents within Spain’s centers for minors and who, upon leaving there, did not have any further support to live with dignity,” says Antonio Moriana, director of Don Bosco Foundation Cordoba. “These young people, who are often immigrants, are now provided support that includes education, health, housing and the use of other resources in the city.”

Young men in the program have several options to help them transition out of residential programs for youth, including moving into a shared apartment, a local hostel or a group home managed in collaboration with Caritas, the international network of charitable organizations of the Catholic Church. Included in the program is a range of support services, including assistance preparing and applying for work. The young men are able to hone their business and professional skills in a supportive environment with other young men in similar situations and under the supervision of adult mentors who provide guidance during the transition into adulthood.

Don Bosco Foundation also offers a residential program for younger children aged eight to 17 that provides a group home environment for up to 24 youth. The focus is on building an alternative home environment for each child that is structured and supportive. Youth in this residential program attend school and have the opportunity to engage in social activities that help them transition from their teen years into adulthood. Older youth attending high school are offered pre-employment training, help applying for internships and access to employment placement agencies.

“At the Foundation, we are helping youth both in a group setting but also with their individual needs, including working on personal and educational skills so they are able to move forward with higher levels of school studies, carry out apprenticeships and apply for work,” adds Moriana.

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Sources

ANS – Spain – New opportunities for young people not living in a family

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Program Helps Youth Without Families Who Have Outgrown Available Services first appeared on MissionNewswire.