Started by Father Francisco Oreglia, a Salesian priest, the Don Bosco School was the first institution of its kind in Latin America and has since become a leader in agro-industrial development both regionally and nationally. Salesian missionaries teaching at the school have witnessed tremendous growth in the winemaking industry throughout the years and today the main Argentinean wineries and agro-industrial establishments rely on the school for its production facilities. Declared “A Provincial Heritage of Tourist Interest”, the Don Bosco School is recognized as the birthplace of winemaking in Argentina.

Originally, the Don Bosco School was developed out of necessity to meet the needs of the local winemakers and fruit growers of the time who required fuller and more mature fruits and winemaking expertise. Farming and winemaking was the backbone of the economy of the Cuyo region and the increasing expansion both in terms of volume and quality required trained technical staff who could receive continuing education to enhance their expertise. Students at the school were often poor local youth who might not otherwise have access to education.

“Salesian missionaries have been working in Argentina to provide educational opportunities to poor youth for many years,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian technical and agricultural programs and other services educate youth and help them learn skills to gain stable employment.”

“Investing in agriculture education in developing countries is also vital to a community’s livelihood and essential not only to overcoming hunger and poverty, but also to ensuring overall economic growth for surrounding villages and cities,” adds Fr. Hyde.

Salesian missionaries operate more than 90 agricultural schools world-wide and 10 agricultural programs in Argentina alone. In addition to agricultural programs in the country, missionaries run primary and secondary schools as well as technical and vocational programs.

“Salesian missionaries are working hard to educate youth in Argentina and provide them a path out of poverty,” says Fr. Hyde. “The academic and technical programs offered show how education and training not only benefit the individual student, but also entire communities as graduates return home and share the skills they have acquired or start up local businesses.”

Although viewed as a relatively wealthy country, Argentina has a poverty rate of just over 26 percent, according to the World Bank. Close to 4.4 million people live below the poverty line and the country’s high school dropout rate is close to 20 percent. Youth account for one in three of those unemployed.

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Sources:

ANS – Argentina – 50 years of wine-making

World Bank – Argentina

The post ARGENTINA: Don Bosco School Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence in Winemaking and Viticulture first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Access to education is a critical component to overcoming poverty. In the Philippines, drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth, according to UNICEF. Almost a quarter of the country’s population, including a large percentage of children, live in poverty.

The Tuloy Foundation goes beyond providing a home for at-risk youth. Once off the streets, foundation participants are removed from a life exposed to begging, theft, drugs and prostitution, among other negative influences. Children must be at least 9 years old to enter the foundation’s school program which begins in first grade and continues through technical training. Those who are just coming in off the streets receive food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, recreation, education and skills training. Older youth pursue technical training in a variety of technologies including automotive, electrical, welding and woodworking in addition to other studies. Participants also have the ability to access on-the-job training in sponsor companies.

“It is up to each individual youth to make the most of the programs being offered,” says Fr. Evangelista. “Youth decide if they want to stay living at the foundation until they are 18, and if so, spend the last 18 months with us taking technical and vocational training to prepare for employment after graduation.”

Father Evangelista was able to expand the program in 1999 through a partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development which leased 4.5 hectares of land in Alabang, the third largest district in Muntinlupa. In addition to residential and educational facilities, youth can take classes at the Tuloy Nature Therapy Center, a retreat that introduces these former street children to the beauty of nature. Offering classes in farming and agriculture, the center features sustainable organic aquaponics and a composting farm that provides food for the students and generates income for the center from the community.

In 2014, Capital One Philippines Support Service Corp. (COPSSC), the global business processing services arm of the United States based Capital One Financial Corp., opened a new learning facility at Tuloy’s Don Bosco School in Alabang. The facility houses Tuloy’s Call Center Readiness Program, a 13-month training program designed by Capital One Philippines to teach students key competencies required for entry-level positions in business processing outsourcing and other service industries.

The Call Center Readiness program expanded the current academic and vocational training offerings at the Don Bosco School. In the first seven months of the program, students receive intensive classroom training in the English language and computer basics as well as the fundamentals of customer service. In the final six months of the program, students receive interactive hands-on training at the new learning facility and upon successful completion, are given the opportunity to gain permanent job placement at Capital One Philippines.

The students at Tuloy are given many opportunities they would otherwise not have both inside and outside the classroom. Thanks to the generosity of private donors and sponsors, students can choose extra-curricular activities such as gardening, dancing and rugby. The importance of team sports, such as rugby, helps student learn teamwork, respect for others and discipline, all skills that can be applied to other aspects of life.

“The Tuloy Foundation provides education and a wide variety of opportunities to poor youth, helping them break the cycle of poverty,” adds Fr. Evangelista. “With programs like those offered at Tuloy, Salesian missionaries in the Philippines work to meet the ever growing needs of street children to ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach his or her potential.”

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Sources:

Tuloy Foundation

UNICEF – Philippines

The post PHILIPPINES: Salesian-run Tuloy Foundation Provides Education and Social Support to More than 800 Street Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The situation further escalated on May 13 following an attempted coup as President Nkurunziza left for the Summit of the East African Community which was intended to try to resolve the crisis. As a result, the country faces growing tension, and since April, close to 100,000 Burundians have fled the country seeking shelter and sparking a humanitarian crisis in the neighboring countries of Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the same time, refugees along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania are dealing with a cholera epidemic making a challenging situation all the more difficult.

Within Burundi, Salesian missionaries operate several schools and vocational training programs. A Salesian vocational training center in Buterere, a suburb of the capital Bujumbura, is no longer holding classes due to protests and ongoing chaos that has paralyzed normal daily activities. Many residents have left the capital in search of shelter with family and friends in other parts of the country and others have left for neighboring countries. While classes are suspended, youth are still welcome at the vocational school for afternoon activities and relief from the chaos and violence.

“The difficult situation in Burundi has been going on for a month,” reported Salesian missionaries on the ground in a recent Salesian ANS article. “At first it was just a political problem. Now, to everyone’s surprise, the situation is getting worse day-by-day. It is difficult to know what will happen tomorrow let alone the next day. The tensions will not be without consequences for the social and economic life of all the people.”

In northern areas of the country, classes continue to operate as usual in institutions like the Don Bosco School in Ngozi, a large Salesian boarding school. Also fully operational is the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center Gatenga, located in the city of Ruyigi in eastern Burundi, where students are learning the craft of wood making. The wood making program is part of local Salesian missionaries’ efforts to provide training in trade skills as well as valuable work experience in an effort to increase future employment opportunities for youth in the area.

Even students living and studying in Salesian programs far from the capital are struggling to concentrate on their studies for fear of the chaos and violence reaching them. Many families have had to take in relatives who fled from Bujumbura resulting in additional people straining accommodations, available food and supplies. Salesian missionaries are currently monitoring and assessing the situation day by day.

Burundi, located in the heart of the African Great Lakes region, has experienced more than a decade of violence and conflict which has contributed to widespread poverty, according to UNICEF. Burundi ranks 180 out 187 countries on the 2014 UN Human Development Index and close to 70 percent of its residents live below the poverty line.

Children are some of the most severely affected by the country’s rampant poverty. Fifty-three percent of children under the age of five suffer from growth stunting caused by inadequate food, low-quality diet, poor infant feeding practices, poor household management of childhood diseases and the general decline of the country’s health system.

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Sources:

ANS – Burundi – “It is hard to know what will happen tomorrow, never mind the day after”

UN – Burundi: UN urges return to political dialogue amid ongoing tensions, humanitarian crisis

UNICEF – Burundi

*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 BURUNDI: Salesian Missionaries Continue Programs in Wake of Ongoing Political Tension and Humanitarian Crisis first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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 as well as other 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.

“Salesian missionary work in Istanbul serves a critical purpose providing refugees links to service providers and comprehensive assistance as they transition, for an unknown period of time, into local society,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Without a doubt, the biggest Salesian success is the safe space created for youth who have experienced trauma in their home countries. At the Don Bosco School and community center, refugee youth take part in recreation activities with Turkish youth which allows them to move beyond their hardships while giving them a chance to forget their worries and be children once again.”

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.

The skills training program trains refugee families in local trades and technical skills and assists them in finding stable employment in their new host country. As a result of evacuation and host country labor laws as well as a lack of established social and professional networks, many refugees urgently rely on the training program to locate long-term employment. In addition to skills training, Salesian missionaries provide needy refugees with emergency relief in the form of shelter, safety and medical assistance.

“Refugees, like those fleeing Syria and other areas, are particularly vulnerable to economic insecurity, subject to long-term unemployment and high costs for basic necessities like shelter and food,” adds Holland. “Refugees seeking local employment out of the need to support dependent family members are significantly at risk of exploitation and compromising situations.”

More than 200,000 people have been killed and millions more have fled their homes in search of safety since the outbreak of civil war in Syria in March 2011, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The conflict has taken its toll on young Syrians with U.N records indicating 2,165 recorded deaths of children under nine years old and 6,638 deaths of children aged 10 to 18 years. With often poor reporting, the numbers are suspected to be much higher.

Close to 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Syria. More than 2.5 million have fled to the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and just under 100,000 have declared asylum in Europe. Others have taken refuge in Northern Africa. Refugee camps in these bordering countries are overflowing with families in need of basic supplies, adequate shelter and safety as well as technical skills training so they can begin to earn a living in their new host countries.

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Sources:

PBS – Syrian Refugees in Turkey

UNHCR – Syria Refugees

Wall Street Journal – U.N. Says Syria Deaths Near 200,000

The post TURKEY: Salesian Missionaries Aid Close to 400 Syrian Refugees in Turkey first appeared on MissionNewswire.