Young people make up about 19 percent of the country’s population but account for 47 percent of deaths during this conflict. Poverty is rampant, according to UNICEF, and 72 percent of rural households and 59 percent of urban households are poor. Nearly 40 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and most of the population lives with moderate to serious food insecurity. The 2013 Human Development Index ranked the Democratic Republic of the Congo 186th out of 187 countries and territories listed.

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. The Center, located on a ten acre compound, was founded in 1988 and provides shelter, education, medical care and a nutrition program.

“Youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are in great need,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Continuing violence and conflict has left youth unable to meet their most basic needs. They need proper nutrition, shelter, safety and education in order to survive and thrive. Salesian programs at the Don Bosco Ngangi Center are working to ensure the safety of children and refugees and provide them the resources to break the cycle of poverty and lead productive lives.”

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.

Over the last several years, through donations to Project Congo, a US-based charitable organization that works to send food, medical equipment, supplies and medications to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the medical clinic has been able to expand its services to include lifesaving medical equipment and supplies. The addition of several oxygen concentrators allowed the clinic to more adequately provide for patients with tuberculosis and respiratory disease as well as offer suctioning for newborn infants, 30 percent of whom are born premature. The clinic was also able to add X-ray and EKG capabilities.

In the fall of 2010, the nutritional center moved into a new building, allowing the medical center to expand, doubling its square footage and making room for a dedicated surgery and endoscopy suite, dental and ophthalmology areas and expanded patient care areas. Following this expansion, in 2011, World Wide Labs, a non-profit corporation committed to providing affordable and durable laboratory equipment and supplies to Christian mission hospitals and clinics in developing countries, installed a medical laboratory with a wide array of medical testing equipment.

The expansion has allowed the clinic to see more patients and serve a broader array of medical illnesses and injuries. Salesian missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to find ways to expand their services and programs to best fit the needs of those they serve.

“Despite overwhelming obstacles confronting children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—not to mention the challenges of feeding them and providing medical care with limited resources—the results have been encouraging and inspiring,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources

International Rescue Committee – Congo Crisis

Project Congo – Don Bosco Ngangi Center

UNICEF – DR Congo

*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 DR CONGO: Don Bosco Medical Clinic and Nutritional Center Saving the Lives of Youth and Refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Young people make up about 19 percent of the country’s population but account for 47 percent of deaths during this conflict. Poverty is rampant, according to UNICEF, and 72 percent of rural households and 59 percent of urban households are poor. Nearly 40 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and most of the population lives under conditions of moderate to serious food insecurity. The 2013 Human Development Index ranked the Democratic Republic of the Congo 186th out of 187 countries and territories listed.

Salesians have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 100 years, ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten through several educational initiatives. Initiatives much needed in a country where 7 million children do not have access to education because their families cannot afford to pay the required tuition for school.

The newest Salesian initiative is the development of a professional technical institute in Tshikapaon in the district of Kasai, a few miles from the border of Angola. Here, youth will have access to technical training that will allow them to advance their studies in professional fields and learn the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

The Institute will be the first and only technical school in the city and is still under construction, although 10 of the 20 classrooms and two storerooms have been completed and are ready for use. The Salesians have been working within the community to establish the program and develop the necessary resources and networks to make it successful.

“There is a great need for education in the country,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Education provides a path out of poverty and the youth we educate today will be those giving back and rebuilding their communities in the years to come.”

Also in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Salesians operate the Don Bosco Ngangi Center in Goma which serves as a haven for the poor and suffering. Many of the children who attend programs there have nowhere else to turn. Built on the grounds of a school and sports field, the center has grown to provide vocational training, refugee housing, a rehabilitation facility for child soldiers, nutritional center and medical center.

In addition, Don Bosco Ngangi Center provides aid and services to the many surrounding refugees camps. Orphans, abandoned children, victims of disaster and refugees are among the 2,338 students who rely on the center as their only hope for a better future. For most of them, it’s also the only place where they can get a nutritious meal each day.

“Despite overwhelming obstacles confronting these children—not to mention the challenges of teaching and feeding them with limited resources—the results are encouraging and inspiring,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources

ANS – Democratic Republic of Congo – New Salesian Community

International Rescue Committee – Congo Crisis

UN – Thousands displaced by latest fighting in DR Congo – UN agency

UNICEF – DR CONGO

*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 DR CONGO: New Professional Technical Institute Provides Hope to Poor Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has a long and checkered past, torn apart by years of civil war and continued internal security threats. According to the UNHRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo has more than 1.7 million people internally displaced and suffers from poverty and lawlessness. Young people are often recruited by warlords and serious infractions of violence against one another are committed by armed groups as well as civilians. The country ranks last for human development and has the lowest Gross National Product in the world.

The Salesians, with a long standing commitment of working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — having celebrated their 100th year in the county last year — are making sure that many of the country’s most vulnerable children are not forgotten. Close to seven million children do not have access to education because their families cannot afford to pay the required tuition for school. At the Don Bosco Ngangi Center though any child is welcome free of charge. The Center serves as a haven for the poor and suffering and many of the children have nowhere else to turn.

Built from the original school and sports field, the Center has grown to provide vocational training, refugee housing, a rehabilitation facility for child soldiers, nutritional center and medical center. In addition, Don Bosco Ngangi Center provides aid and services to the many surrounding refugees camps. Orphans, abandoned children, victims of disaster and refugees are among the 2,338 students who rely on the Don Bosco Ngangi Center as their only hope for a better future. For most of them, it’s also the only place where they can get a nutritious meal each day.

“Despite overwhelming obstacles confronting these children — not to mention the challenges of teaching and feeding them with limited resources — the results are encouraging and inspiring,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions — the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Students at Don Bosco Ngangi Center consistently boast the highest scored on the national exam for secondary school admission, a hopeful sign that children who need the most can be empowered to succeed.”

Donations are urgently needed to help feed the youth at this organization. Learn how to help at SalesianMissions.org.

*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 CONGO: Food Aid Relief Needed for Salesian School in the Democratic Republic of the Congo first appeared on MissionNewswire.