ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Farm in Ambato, Ecuador, provides a safe space for youth who have experienced traumatic violent situations. Most of the youth have suffered domestic violence, lived on the streets and did not attend school. At the farm, they live in a family-like atmosphere while they recover, exercise their rights, learn to live together and respect each other, and discover their skills through trade workshops. The ultimate goal for these youth is family reintegration or adoption. Salesian missionaries also work with families to create a loving and protective environment.

Álex Guache, age 17, has been living at the Don Bosco Farm for three years and described his former home life. He said, “I’m the youngest of four siblings. My mother lived outside the house. I never knew my father, although I know who he is, and my grandmother was the one with us, but she beat us a lot. We’re poor. Our house is made of dirt, bricks and tiles.”

The situation led to Guache living on the streets. “I spent three weeks on the streets. I never stole. I was begging. When the police found me, they took me to Don Bosco Farm in Ambato. My grandmother died and now I only have my mother because my brothers are all out of town.”

At the farm, youth recover part of their lost childhood. They receive the support of caring adults, medical and psychological care. They are also able to catch up in school and learn a trade for the future. Guache has a small plot of land on the farm that he tends to every day. “I grow beets and cilantro and take care of the animals we have, including the guinea pigs. My mother comes to help me, and thanks to what I harvest and sell, I also have my savings.”

Guache’s life has changed thanks to the Salesians. “On the street, I was cold and here I have things I never knew at home including a bed, food, clothes and shoes. I like to help others and participate in sewing workshops, help in the kitchen, be an altar boy. I want to be like Don Bosco to help people who have less.”

During the vacations, Guache leaves the farm and returns home. “My mother’s there, whom I love very much because right now I’m her only child in town. Thanks to the support I receive and my work, I pay for my studies and with the accelerated courses, I hope to pass the exams to enter the bachelor’s degree program this year.”

Now that he is gaining an education and living in a stable and supportive environment, Guache has hope for the future. He explained, “My dream is to be the first college graduate in my family. I will go to college and become an agricultural engineer. I want to work and take care of animals and go to the United States, where some of my aunts are, to help my family.”

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Salesians provide social development and educational programs across Ecuador to help poor youth gain an education and the skills for later employment. The skills they learn ensure they are able to care for themselves and their families while being contributing members of their communities.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Álex, a young dreamer among many minors of “Don Bosco Farm” in Ambato

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Youth shares his story of hope first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco alumni associations in Ecuador collaborated to bring joy to vulnerable people in cities across the country during the Christmas holiday. In Cuenca, 500 families were helped with baskets containing food, clothes and basic medicines, while more than 1,500 children were given toys and candies. Don Bosco alumni in Quito and Riobamba delivered baskets to more than 300 low-income families.

Many alumni helped the Salesians by offering and collecting donations. The Don Bosco alumni associations included Healing Wounds, Salesians of San Francisco, Centro San José de Manta, the Don Bosco Alumni Center and the Carlos Crespi educational community. On Saturdays during the year, a solidarity breakfast is also held in these locations.

A Salesian missionary noted, “These Christmas events provided a great opportunity for Don Bosco alumni to pay it forward and give back to their communities. So many families are faced with poverty, even more so now given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic crisis. This was a chance for them to receive much-needed food and other necessary items and for children to receive gifts to brighten their Christmas.”

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of Indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and Indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Alumni of Don Bosco reach out to the poor and vulnerable people for Christmastime

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Families receive essential items first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Technical Education School in Cuenca, Ecuador, hosted Don Bosco Skill, a Salesian artistic fair organized by the National Council of Salesian Education to celebrate the school’s 25th anniversary. The fair was attended by close to 150 students who are members of dance and music groups from 15 Salesian schools and centers.

Ten groups presented folk dance choreography from Ecuador and Bolivia as well as urban dances and ballroom dances. Five musical groups shared a repertoire of national, pop, rock and cumbia music. Youth were able to highlight their skills and talents during their performances.

“The fair was a great opportunity for youth to highlight their talents while also sharing the achievements of the Salesian school over the past 25 years,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The fair also provided a chance for youth from different Salesian schools to meet, network and connect with their peers.”

The event was attended by Father Francisco Sánchez, provincial of the Salesian Province of Ecuador; Father Wladimir Acosta, president of the National Council of Salesian Education; Father Juan Flores, rector of the Sacred Heart Community of Cuenca; Salesian leadership and staff, delegations from invited institutions, teachers, students, and parents.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of Indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and Indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – At Salesian Artistic Fair, youth share their talents in dance and music

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Youth highlight artistic skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) The El Girón campus of Salesian Polytechnic University in Quito, Ecuador, provided humanitarian aid for Indigenous people from the highlands who have moved to the capital due to the national strike. The aid event focused primarily on women, children and the elderly. More than 700 emergencies have been addressed, 5,000 people a day have been fed, and close to 50 children have been helped.

“In the spirit of our commitment to the social sectors, we reiterate that Salesian Polytechnic University, in its humanistic and Christian-inspired character, is at the service of the common good, seeking to make dialogue prevail as the main mechanism for resolving conflicts, in order to avoid actions that exacerbate violence and repression,” said Father Juan Cárdenas, Salesian Polytechnic University rector.

For the event, 200 volunteers, including faculty, students and administrative staff, organized themselves into relief groups. A medical aid station was set up in the campus cafeteria, made possible by the collaboration of the Ecuadorian Red Cross, UTE University, the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, the Universidad Central del Ecuador, Medial CAZBA Foundation and Salesian Polytechnic University personnel.

Kitchens and tables for food distribution were set up nearby. The university’s pastoral area was transformed into a welcoming space for children and older youth thanks to student volunteers and teachers from the psychology and early childhood education courses. Classrooms have been adapted to receive donations, and students are in charge of organizing them.

Fr. Cárdenas said, “The university opened its campus to provide health care, food and shelter to the most vulnerable groups in Quito’s communities. The academy is a space for the construction of knowledge, but also for the search for peace. As social actors, we have expressed our concern about this crisis in different media and platforms, and we continue to seek dialogue as the best way to reach agreements for the common good.”

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of Indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and Indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Salesian Polytechnic University of Quito assists indigenous communities

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

Salesian Polytechnic University

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Indigenous people receive aid during strike first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Polytechnic University, located in Quito, Ecuador, has launched an innovative fishing project that will benefit more than 8,000 families in the districts of San Vicente and Pedernales within the Salesian province of Manabí. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation invested $2 million in this project to help mitigate the ecological impact of fishing in an ecologically sensitive natural environment.

The project is a collaborative effort of the University of Ferrara, Salesian Polytechnic University, and the municipal authorities of Manabí, Pedernales, and San Benedetto del Tronto, as well as Terra Di Siena Lab Blu Marine Service Cooperative and COSPE, a nonprofit organization.

An event was held in the Cojimíes fish ponds to kick off the first phase of the project, which will involve the fishing communities located along the estuary of the Cojimíes river, La Chorrera and Canoa. In addition, at the University of Ferrara and Salesian Polytechnic University, plans will be developed and implemented to reduce the environmental impact of the fishing and aquaculture sector. Salesians will introduce technological innovation and promote scientific and business knowledge within the traditional fishing sector.

In his speech at the event, Father Juan Cárdenas, rector of the Salesian Polytechnic University, underlined the collaborative and innovative nature of the project. “Our task, as a university, is not only to provide professional technical training, but also to truly educate and to help people build their life’s mission, so that we will have individuals who are capable of fulfilling their societal responsibility.”

Caterina Bertoloni, the Italian ambassador to Ecuador, highlighted the social and environmental impact of the project, which will also contribute to reducing the effects of climate change and promote employment of women and young people in the fishing sector utilizing traditional methods in Manabí.

Jéssica Quiñonez, representative of the beneficiary communities, said, “One of the qualities of us fisherfolk is patience since no one could fish in anger. We are strong and courageous. This project opens up a horizon of hope and motivates us to continue in the struggle with hope. We are fisherfolk since birth. We go out to sea in good and bad weather for the love of our family. I know this project will be a success and will cross borders.”

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of Indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and Indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – An innovation and sustainability project is underway in Manabí which will benefit over 2,000 fishermen

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: More than 8,000 families will benefit from new fishing project first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Polytechnic University, located in Quito, Ecuador, has been included in the rankings in the “World University Rankings 2022” by the Times Higher Education, a British periodical specializing in educational news and famous for its ranking of the best universities in the world.  The prestigious ranking evaluates the global performance of universities, their contribution to the dissemination of knowledge, their social influence through research, links with society and their ability to respond to the needs of the university community.

The Salesian Polytechnic University is the first Salesian university to be included in this international ranking. Within Ecuador, the university ranks second place and falls to the 1,201 position worldwide. The Salesian Polytechnic University is the largest of all Salesian universities with more than 24,500 students.

In 2019, for the first time, the university ranked within the top 100 universities in Latin America competing with 4,000 in the region. Across its three campuses, the university offers 27 degree programs and 10 doctorate programs, 62 research groups, 10 educational innovation groups and 98 Salesian Association of Universities groups.

“The Salesian Polytechnic University has been at the forefront of providing advanced education to youth in Ecuador who are seeking advanced degrees,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The Salesian Polytechnic University also focuses on providing a college-level education to Indigenous students. A residence hall built by Salesian missionaries specifically for Indigenous students allows them to live and work together, sharing customs and knowledge. The university provides opportunities for these students to share their Indigenous traditions with teachers and peers.”

On Oct. 30, 2019, the Salesian Polytechnic University received an award from the Permanent Commission for Education, Culture, and Science and Technology of the National Assembly for its humanitarian actions and dialogue undertaken during the national strike and protest. Father Javier Herrán, rector of the university, and a group of students at the university’s headquarters in Quito received the recognition from the president of the Commission, Honorable Jimmy Candell Soto.

During the national protest, the Salesian Polytechnic University campus in Quito opened its doors to welcome and assist more than 3,000 Indigenous people from all over the country. The economic and social crisis that intensified in Ecuador triggered a wave of protests and repression by government forces. Thousands of Indigenous people came to Quito to defend the rights of those most in need.

People arrived at the Salesian center tired from their long marches. Many were injured by tear gas, which the police used in response to their protests. Initially, the gymnasium at the university was utilized for the protesters, but the massive arrival of people made it necessary to furnish the courtyards, gardens and any place available to offer rest and shelter to those who wanted to peacefully claim their own rights and defend their country.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of Indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and Indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Salesian Polytechnic University, the first Salesian institution to enter the “World University Rankings”

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

Salesian Polytechnic University Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: First Salesian university included in international ranking first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Social America Network, a network of Salesian centers and services for children, adolescents and young people at risk of social exclusion in the Americas, is working in 18 Salesian provinces and 22 countries in the region. With operational headquarters in Quito, Ecuador, it responds with assistance programs for migrant youth and families, benefiting 3,310 migrants every day.

Violence, insecurity, poverty and family reunification are the main drivers of migration in the Americas. According to the World Migration Data Portal, 3.6 percent of the total world population, or 280.6 million people, make up the international migrant population. Salesian missionaries are working one-on-one with migrant youth and families who often face even greater difficulties once they arrive in their destination countries. Many have no idea when, or if, they will be able to return home.

“I’m afraid that they will take us away from here because we are undocumented. I’m afraid that the situation in my country will not be solved, that we will not be able to return to our families,” said Brangely, a Venezuelan migrant living in Colombia. She, like hundreds of thousands of other migrants, left her native country in search of better opportunities, putting her life and that of her family at risk.

Salesian missionaries care for and provide educational services to young migrants in countries around the globe. Unaccompanied migrant youth often face rejection, homelessness, exploitation and delinquency as they make their journey to find a new way of life. They are also at risk of human trafficking and exploitation.

“Salesian programs help young migrants adapt to their new environment through language and skills training and workforce development programs,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “A lack of employment is one of the root causes of migration in countries that see high rates of youth migrating to seek a better life elsewhere. In addition to helping young migrants, Salesian missionaries are working to create new educational and employment opportunities in countries youth leave as an incentive for them to remain at home.”

The Salesian Social America Network has several projects that are helping youth just like Brangely. In Guadalajara, Mexico, between 800 and 1,000 people are assisted daily with food, medical care, shelter and legal assistance. In Bogota, Colombia, there are comprehensive assistance programs helping more than 700 members of migrant families. In Peru, there is a shelter and a training program for 60 young Venezuelans. In Ecuador, canteens were opened every day during the pandemic to serve 80 Venezuelan families living on the street. In addition, work is being done to restore the violated rights of 30 immigrant families in Chile.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – “Towards an ever greater ‘we'”: Salesian America Social Network and migrations in America

Salesian Missions

The post ECUADOR: Migrant youth receive assistance across the region first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have remained active and engaged with the Achuar, an Indigenous population in the Ecuadorian Amazon, throughout the pandemic. In 1988, the Achuar asked Salesian missionaries to start a mission in Wasakentsa. Salesians launched a school and a boarding school to educate Achuar youth.

Today, there are 110 students and 80 interns. There are also 50 Achuar university students who come to study from far away locations. In addition, Salesians have a church that supports 49 Achuar communities in the surrounding area. Nearly 40 percent of the Achuar population is youth who dream of studying and having a better life.

When COVID-19 first struck, parents called their children home from Salesian schools.  Educating youth at home proved too difficult for the parents, however, and jeopardized students’ academic performance. At the request of the parents with the support of the Salesian schools and the Wasakentsa mission, all students returned to class, receiving lessons from Monday to Friday, with priority given to the most important subjects.

Even as remote as their communities are, the Achuar received information about COVID-19. Father Agustín Togo, a Salesian working among the Achuar, explained that the NAE (Achuar Nationality of Ecuador) sent people to hold workshops on the preparation of natural medicines. He said, “For the inhabitants of these communities, it’s very important to take advantage of the benefits of plants because they do not have access to Western medicine.”

While supporting the Achuar community, Fr. Togo also focused on sports during the pandemic to keep busy and healthy. He is now writing a booklet on soccer. The booklet highlights the human values found in sports, which are often linked to cultural and Christian values. The booklet will be used to help educate students on the importance of sports education. The brochure will be written in Spanish, but may be translated and adapted for the Achuar language to make it easier to be understood in Amazonian communities.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in Indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of Indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and Indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

ANS – Ecuador – Salesian missionary work continues even in midst of pandemic

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Achuar youth return to classes first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are providing food and support to migrants, particularly those from Venezuela, at the Salesian Solidarity Canteen in Quito, Ecuador. Since November 2020, more than 80 families have benefited from the support, which is provided in compliance with all health and safety measures. This initiative has received support from the Salesian Mission Office in Ecuador.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Don Bosco Mission in Quito has helped families in need. Early on, Salesians distributed $60 vouchers to dozens of Ecuadorian families living in poverty and extreme poverty in various parts of the country. The vouchers were granted three times, enabling families to purchase basic necessities from supermarkets close to where they live.

In areas where there are no such supply centers, Salesian missionaries created an alliance with neighborhood stores so that people could buy fresh food at affordable prices and, at the same time, avoid the risk of contracting the coronavirus. When the project started, the goal was to support close to 1,000 families. However, given the number of people in need, the Salesian initiative extended to 1,800 families.

“Whether it’s providing for the basic needs of families in local communities or migrants settling into their new communities for the first time, Salesian missionaries are in the forefront of helping families in need,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Salesian missionaries in Ecuador focus on providing education, social programming and workforce development to help the country’s most vulnerable citizens. Technical and vocational education is also provided to help youth gain the skills needed to find and retain long-term stable employment.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Over 80 migrant families benefit from “Mi Caleta” Salesian Solidarity Canteen

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Migrant families receive food and support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been working with the Achuar, an indigenous population in the Ecuadorian Amazon, for the last 50 years. The Italian missionary Luigi Bolla was the first to live among the Achuar, sharing his life. Half a century later, Salesian work continues to focus on spiritual development, education, and human, social and cultural promotion.

The Achuar people accepted Salesian missionaries from the very start. Salesian work has succeeded in ending wars between tribes and families, and it has also provided an opportunity to help new generations through education.

In 1988, the Achuar asked Salesian missionaries to start a mission in Wasakentsa. Salesians launched a school and a boarding school to educate Achuar youth. Today, there are 110 students and 80 interns. There are also 50 Achuar university students who come to study from far away locations. In addition, Salesians have a church that supports 49 Achuar communities in the surrounding area. Nearly 40 percent of the Achuar population is youth who dream of studying and having a better life.

“This is a remote area that can only be reached on foot because there are no roads, but Salesians remain working among the people,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesians provide education, and they also provide basic needs and support youth in finding employment to help them become self-sufficient and in turn help their community.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown, everything has been more difficult. There have been infections and deaths among the Achuar community, but Salesian missionaries have remained, supporting the Achuar.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Half a century of presence among the Achuar

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesians provide education in Achuar communities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Yaupi, Ecuador, are finding innovative ways to make sure youth can continue their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yaupi and the surrounding areas are remote, and there is no internet access and no television broadcasting signal. Missionaries have provided families in 20 communities kits that include solar panels, batteries and radios to ensure that youth can access their lessons and continue their education from home.

According to UNICEF, only 37 percent of families in Ecuador have internet connection. In rural areas, only 16 percent of households have network connectivity. This means that many children cannot study at home, which is critical since many areas are focused on remote learning during the pandemic.

“Because of how remote these regions in the Amazon are and how little access families have to technology, Salesian missionaries have to come up with alternative means to ensure that youth do not miss school lessons,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This isn’t just happening in Ecuador but around the globe. From reducing classroom size and teaching outdoors to providing online learning, Salesian missionaries are customizing new plans for education to adapt to circumstances in their local communities. Education has always been a primary focus for Salesians and will continue to be.”

Earlier in the fall, the Salesian Province of Ecuador, in collaboration with Don Bosco Mission and Salesian Polytechnic University, launched the campaign “Donate your computer” to provide technology tools to vulnerable populations in 12 cities across the country. This campaign provided a broad range of technology including tablets, laptops, PCs, keyboards, mice, screens, speakers and electrical cables.

The initial goal of the campaign was to provide 500 technological tools so that children and older youth can attend virtual lessons, continue to digitally meet their classmates, do their homework and maintain hope for a better world through education.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Solar panels, batteries, radios to allow indigenous youths continue their studies

ECUADOR: New Salesian initiative brings technology tools to children and older youth for remote learning access

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

Salesian Polytechnic University

Salesian Polytechnic University Facebook

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Solar panels, batteries and radios ensure remote education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Province of Ecuador, in collaboration with Don Bosco Mission and Salesian Polytechnic University, launched the campaign “Donate your computer” to provide technology tools to vulnerable populations in 12 cities across the country. This campaign is looking for a broad range of technology including tablets, laptops, PCs, keyboards, mice, screens, speakers and electrical cables.

According to UNICEF, only 37 percent of families in Ecuador have internet connection. In rural areas, only 16 percent of households have network connectivity. This means that these children cannot study at home, which has been critical since many areas are focused on remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

The initial goal of the campaign is to provide 500 technological tools so that children and older youth can attend virtual lessons, continue to digitally meet their classmates, do their homework and maintain hope for a better world through education.

Father Francisco Sánchez, Salesian provincial of Ecuador, said, “Today, we want to take a step forward and present this new campaign, a solidarity initiative under the slogan ‘No one excluded,’ to ensure that vulnerable children, adolescents and young people can study under the same conditions as those that have a connection.”

This initiative was launched by 30 students taking computer science courses at the Salesian Polytechnic University campus in Quito, who have repaired more than 100 electronic devices sent to the Salesian house in Esmeraldas since July. One of the students taking part in the initiative said, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to demonstrate what it means to be good Christians and upright citizens.”

Salesian University offices on the campuses in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca are donation collection centers. An IT application was also developed that allows donors to know the status and destination of what they have donated, providing transparency. The evaluation and repair of the equipment are handled by students in the system’s engineering and computer science courses.

María Rosa Chasiluisa, who lives south of Quito and has six children, was one of the recipients of the donation. She said, “Thank you very much for giving this help to my children. I’m very happy because with this computer, they can make a career for themselves. I felt bad because my children, many times, were unable to connect to lessons or send their homework on time.”

Early in the pandemic, Salesian missionaries launched the “For daily bread” campaign, which is still underway and has provided more than 4,000 families a monthly card of $60 for the purchase of basic necessities.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – “Donate your computer” – Salesians launch national campaign

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

Salesian Polytechnic University

Salesian Polytechnic University Facebook

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: New Salesian initiative brings technology tools to children and older youth for remote learning access first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Father Rubinsky Sánchez has been living and working in the Salesian community of Machala, Ecuador, and has played a pivotal role in helping the community during the coronavirus pandemic. In March, he likened the early days of the virus to a horror movie because of the nervousness and panic, along with scarcity of food and some medicine. People living in poverty were pushed further into extreme poverty because of the required quarantine.

Faced with this situation, Fr. Sánchez began reaching out to families served in the Salesian community. Many were without work, as they had been in the informal employment sector and that work was no longer available. At the end of March, he received a call, which helped tremendously. A donor said, “Father, I want to help your parish because you (the Salesians) are doing wonderful work with the people.” It was a great emotional moment because this donor committed to donating 500 food kits.

“I’m one of those who get into the van and go and give a hand to the people,” said Fr. Sánchez. “I am not looking for death. I am not looking to get infected, but I am not a father who stays behind the desk.”

Fr. Sánchez, in collaboration with Fr José Luis García and a group of volunteers, formed a group that was at the forefront of helping hundreds of families. Protected by gloves, glasses and a mask, Fr. Sánchez organized the delivery of food kits to the poorest served by the Salesian community. In 20 days, he traveled through neighborhoods distributing 500 food kits and then 1,000 more.

Fr. Sánchez said, “I would arrive, knock on the door, talk to them and know their situation, before handing out the food. You can’t imagine the excitement they had and some were even dancing for joy because they had nothing to eat. But I didn’t just give them something to take to the table, I also shared a word of encouragement so that they wouldn’t lose hope for better days.”

Later, aid from the Don Bosco Mission arrived and he went out again to deliver the $60 cards so that the families could buy food in the supermarkets. More than 600 cards were distributed and this aid continues through the “Daily Bread” campaign.

During his travel, Fr. Sánchez encountered many households in great need including one where four members of the family had disabilities and could not move around on their own. He went to a supermarket, did their shopping and personally took the food bags to them.

Through Fr. Sánchez’s contacts, a company in the city also donated 27 thousand liters of milk. His Salesian parish worked as a collection center and, along with Caritas, distributed the milk to different churches and directly to the parishioners.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Fr Rubinsky Sanchez, SDB: he fought hunger

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Father Rubinsky Sánchez helps people in need with nutritional and social support during the coronavirus pandemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Ecuador is one of the countries in Latin America most affected by COVID-19. The country is also facing tough economic conditions. President Lenin Moreno said, “COVID-19 struck at a critical moment, after a tough, very hard economic crisis.” Salesian missionaries in Ecuador continue to work for the poor and for those who suffer from compulsory confinement.

To help support those in great need, Don Bosco Mission in Quito has started distributing $60 vouchers to dozens of Ecuadorian families living in poverty and extreme poverty in various parts of the country. These vouchers will be granted three times, enabling the families to purchase the basic necessities from supermarkets close to where they live.

In areas where there are no such supply centers, Salesian missionaries have created an alliance with neighborhood stores so that people can buy fresh food at affordable prices and, at the same time, avoid the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

When the project started, the goal was to support close to 1,000 families. However, given how many people are in need at this time, the Salesian initiative has been extended to a total of 1,800 families.

“Today I have food to feed my family for a week, thanks to this voucher that will feed my three children,” said one mother. Another beneficiary stated, “With this voucher, I will be able to survive with my children because, at the moment, I cannot go out to work.”

“Our commitment has always been and will continue to be with the poorest and monitor their well-being. Through this campaign, we want to bring together as many people and institutions as possible to help the neediest population to have their own daily bread,” said the Salesians from Quito.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receive only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Salesians support thousands of families impoverished due to Covid-19 with campaign: “For daily bread”

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Don Bosco Mission in Quito provides food vouchers for 1,800 families first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) In February 2020, Salesian missionaries, led by Father Agustin Togo, launched the Yankuam Jintia Fútbol School for indigenous Achuar communities in Ecuador. Located in the community of Wichimi, the school aims to educate children and older youth about technical skills of the game, as well as ensure that the values of football (soccer) and practice are instilled in their lives. Fr. Togo chose “From talent to vocation” as the school’s motto to reinforce that children will learn and find their path in life.

“Fútbol moves many people,” said Fr. Togo. “During the World Cup, everyone interrupts their activities to watch the games. The same happens with the Achuar. When there are matches or championships, young people don’t care if they have to walk a week or two, they go to play. I see a great deal of concern among young people to be fútbol players, to learn to play better, and I asked myself why not try another way of evangelizing through fútbol.”

He added, “Don Bosco has always dreamed that young people were happy in everything they did. They like fútbol so much, why not start a fútbol school for the Achuar.”

At the inauguration event, two community elders, Carlos Mukucham and Eduardo Mukuink, were at the table with the Salesians. They thanked Fr. Togo for his pastoral work and described the opening of this soccer school as a historic event. José Sanchim, administrator of Wichimi, said that all families will support this initiative and that in the future, the idea is to generate sporting matches with other communities.

The signing of the agreement between the Salesians and the local community ensures the care of the equipment provided, collaboration in the planned activities, and the commitment of the community to carry out teaching civic, spiritual and cultural values ​​that are part of the soccer school.

The school was named for Father Luis (Luigi) Bolla, for his years a missionary among the Achuar. It is a way to pay homage for his lifelong work for the greater good of Amazonian people. In addition, many of those who knew him described him as a good soccer player, and he was always seen playing with children.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receive only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – “Yankuam Jintia Football School”: proposal for evangelization of Achuar children and young people

ECUADOR: Salesian missionary is using sports education to help youth on and off the field

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian missionaries launch soccer school for indigenous Achuar communities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in the indigenous community of Salinas de Guaranda in Ecuador have launched two new projects to help the local economy and provide economic opportunities for indigenous women. The first project is a factory for herbal teas and essential oils, which will impact 120 indigenous women.

The second project is focused on strengthening the production chain of aromatic plants. It includes a new production plant facility and workshops. This project will help support 200 women. These two projects have been made possible through the support of the government of Andalusia, Spain, and the Spanish Salesian organization Solidarity Don Bosco.

Staff with Solidarity Don Bosco visited Ecuador for the inauguration of a new production plant facility. Close to 150 women, who are participating in the program and are involved in plant cultivation, also came to the event in Salinas. The event was also attended by local authorities and residents.

For more than 20 years, Salesian missionaries in the region have been facilitating projects that help the most disadvantaged groups, including the creation of solidarity economy production companies. One of these companies is the brand El Salinerito, which markets many fair trade products.

“When we arrived in Salinas together with our colleagues Gabriel Terán and Lina Varón from the Salesian Planning and Development Office in Ecuador, we went to see some of these solidarity economy production companies that employ more than 60 people in Salinas,” said Begoña Simal, coordinator of projects for Solidarity Don Bosco.

On the visit, Salesian staff was able to learn more about wool, cheese and chocolate processing workshops, as well as the production of essential oils and herbal teas. These workshops were designed thanks to the support of Solidarity Don Bosco.

Salesian staff also visited a garden where the plants are cultivated. More than 200 women from the Salinas and Simiatug communities work hard in this garden to prepare the plants. They have been trained by specialists on the best methods to grow and cultivate these plants most effectively.

Unfortunately, the poor local road conditions make travel difficult. The women have organized themselves to collectively transport what they produce and bring it to the processing plant. There, a fair price is paid for the plants harvested and cleaned to proceed to the processing chain, which ends with the creation of herbal teas, tea bags, medicinal creams, essential oils and cosmetics.

“Salesian programs in Ecuador focus on education, social programs and workforce development to help the country’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Programs like this help indigenous women earn an income to support their families while creating products needed and used in the community.”

According to the World Bank, poverty in Ecuador has risen from 35.3 percent of the population in December 2014 to 43.8 percent in June 2019—that means 2 million more people have fallen into poverty, for a total of 7.6 million Ecuadorans living in poverty out of a total population of 17.3 million people. Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent.

According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Development project for 120 Indigenous women inaugurated

ANS – Ecuador – Solidarity economy is possible: international support for women from Salinas and Simiatug

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian missionaries launch two new projects for the economic development of indigenous women first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Giuliano Maggi, a volunteer from Uruguay, spent time as a volunteer missionary at the Salesian Foundation Chicos de la Calle location in Esmeraldas, a coastal city in northwestern Ecuador. At the close of his volunteer time, Maggi said, “My experience in Esmeraldas was unique and unparalleled.”

Maggi added, “I believe that the experience in Esmeraldas goes beyond surprise. One starts with an expectation, but this then ends up being surpassed. You are surprised at every moment of volunteering, from the first meetings until you feel that people welcome you and make you part of their daily life, as an extra member of their family. All the work ends up being wonderful. I had the opportunity to restart a group of percussionists, and my objective was that they learn and improve their skills.”

Maggi is returning to Uruguay after his time volunteering to finish his education. He plans to start training in psychology and in physical education. One of his most enjoyable volunteer experiences was playing soccer with the young street children who take part in the Chicos de la Calle program.

Chicos de la Calle offers a diverse array of programs and services for local youth both living on the streets and those living in poverty with their families. The aim is always to support youth to stay in school and gain an education.

Salesian programs in Ecuador focus on education, social programs and workforce development to help the country’s most vulnerable citizens. Technical and vocational education is also provided to help youth gain the skills needed to find and retain long-term stable employment.

Ecuador’s poverty rate was 36.7 percent in 2007 and dropped to 22.9 percent in 2016. These results show that 1.4 million Ecuadorians escaped poverty within nine years. However, many Ecuadorians still live in impoverished conditions. Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receive only 5 percent.

According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – “My experience in Esmeraldas shall be unique and unparalleled”: Gino, the Uruguayan volunteer

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Volunteer from Uruguay spends time teaching at-risk youth at Salesian Foundation Chicos de la Calle first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) On Oct. 30, the Salesian Polytechnic University in Ecuador received an award from the Permanent Commission for Education, Culture, and Science and Technology of the National Assembly for its humanitarian actions and dialogue undertaken during the national strike and protest. Father Javier Herrán, rector of the university, and a group of students at the university’s headquarters in Quito received the recognition from the president of the Commission, Honorable Jimmy Candell Soto.

During the national protest, the Salesian Polytechnic University campus in Quito opened its doors to welcome and assist more than 3,000 indigenous people from all over the country. The economic and social crisis that intensified in Ecuador triggered a wave of protests and repression by government forces. Thousands of indigenous people came to Quito to defend the rights of those most in need.

People arrived at the Salesian center tired from their long marches. Many were injured by tear gas, which the police used in response to their protests. Initially, the gymnasium at the university was utilized for the protesters, but the massive arrival of people made it necessary to furnish the courtyards, gardens and any place available to offer rest and shelter to those who wanted to peacefully claim their own rights and defend their country.

In a speech given at the award reception, Fr. Herrán recalled that as he watched the busy students and volunteers, he saw in them the future entrepreneurs and public officials and a new generation of professionals who showed at all times closeness and solidarity with their indigenous brothers. With his voice interrupted by emotion, he concluded, “I believe I have not dreamed and that this world is possible.”

This award was also given to the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, the National Polytechnic School, the Central University of Ecuador, the Andean University “Simón Bolívar” and the Ecuadorian House of Culture, which also served as reception centers and humanitarian aid centers.

Before delivering the award, Hon. Candell Soto said that the Commission could not fail to underline the great sense of responsibility and attention given by the universities, and he emphasized that the activities carried out in the institutions were justified within the framework of solidarity, humanism and respect for the right to protest.

He said, “In times when hatred, division and social divisions reign, the Ecuadorian university must make its voice calm, humanist, responsible and supportive. We assign this recognition so that thought prevails over brutality, and dialogue over violence.”

The Salesian Polytechnic University is the largest of all Salesian universities with more than 24,500 students. In 2019, for the first time, the university ranked within the top 100 universities in Latin America competing with 4,000 in the region. Across its three campuses, the university offers 27 degree programs and 10 doctorate programs, 62 research groups, 10 educational innovation groups and 98 Salesian Association of Universities groups.

Ecuador’s poverty rate was 36.7 percent in 2007 and dropped to 22.9 percent in 2016. These results show that 1.4 million Ecuadorians escaped poverty within nine years. However, many Ecuadorians still live in impoverished conditions. Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent.

According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Salesian Polytechnic University awarded for its humanitarian efforts during national strike

ECUADOR: The Salesian Polytechnic University campus in Quito opens its doors to more than 3,000 indigenous people protesting at the country’s capital

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

Salesian Polytechnic University Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Polytechnic University receives award for humanitarian efforts during country’s recent protest first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Polytechnic University campus in Quito, Ecuador, has opened its doors to welcome and assist more than 3,000 indigenous people from all over the country. The economic and social crisis that has intensified in Ecuador in recent weeks has triggered a wave of protests and repression by government forces. Thousands of indigenous people have come to the country’s capital, Quito, to defend the rights of those most in need.

Money from the International Monetary Fund that was provided to alleviate the severe economic crisis in exchange for harsh economic measures by the government has turned the country into a powder keg. The population has taken to the streets to demonstrate against these measures that damage the most vulnerable.

The transport strike, which paralyzed the country, and the mobilization of more than 40,000 people from the various indigenous communities of Ecuador have put the government on the rails, which has moved the country’s capital to Guayaquil and decreed a curfew in various areas to try to curb citizens’ mobilizations.

Salesian missionaries, who have been living and working in Ecuador since 1888, have long distinguished themselves by the care and support they show to the indigenous communities, fostering efforts to preserve their culture and their traditions. Missionaries have opened the doors of the Salesian Polytechnic University to accommodate people in its gardens and gym so they can have a place to rest.

“Solidarity initiatives have been organized to obtain mattresses and blankets, take turns in the makeshift infirmary for the occasion and to cook food for them,” said one of the members of the educational community.

These people arrive at the Salesian center already tired from their long marches, and many of them are also injured by tear gas, which the police have used in response to their protests. Initially the gymnasium of at the university was utilized for the protesters, but the massive arrival of people in recent days has made it necessary to furnish the courtyards, the gardens and any place available to offer rest and shelter to those who want to peacefully claim their own rights and defend their country.

“The Salesians have opened their doors from the heart, as they have also done on previous occasions of conflict, in favor of the indigenous communities of the Amazon, the Sierra and the Afro-Ecuadorians, as one big family. We do not want there to be bloodshed, let alone deaths, but that peace and social justice are imposed as arguments against purely economic interests,” said one of the young people helping as a volunteer.

The Salesian Polytechnic University is the largest of all Salesian universities with more than 24,500 students. In 2019, for the first time, the university ranked within the top 100 universities in Latin America competing with 4,000 in the region. Across its three campuses, the university offers 27 degree programs and 10 doctorate programs, 62 research groups, 10 educational innovation groups and 98 Salesian Association of Universities groups.

Salesian missionaries in Ecuador focus on providing education, social programming and workforce development to help the country’s most vulnerable citizens. Technical and vocational education is also provided to help youth gain the skills needed to find and retain long-term stable employment.

Ecuador’s poverty rate was 36.7 percent in 2007 and dropped to 22.9 percent in 2016. These results show that 1.4 million Ecuadorians escaped poverty within nine years. However, many Ecuadorians still live in impoverished conditions. Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Ecuador – Faced with an unprecedented crisis, Salesians open their University doors to welcome 3,000 indigenous people

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

Salesian Polytechnic University Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: The Salesian Polytechnic University campus in Quito opens its doors to more than 3,000 indigenous people protesting at the country’s capital first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ECUADOR

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Ecuador focus on providing education, social programming and workforce development to help the country’s most vulnerable citizens. Technical and vocational education is also provided to help youth gain the skills needed to find and retain long-term stable employment.

In Manta, youth and their families are still going through the arduous process of rebuilding from the devastation wreaked by a 7.8 earthquake that killed close to 700 and initially left tens of thousands homeless in Ecuador. The earthquake, which struck on April 16, 2016, destroyed water systems, collapsed roads and affected 33 health centers. In addition, 560 schools and close to 10,000 buildings were either damaged or completely destroyed.

According to UNICEF, nearly 120,000 children were in need of temporary educational spaces. UNICEF and its humanitarian partners have noted that $23 million was required to meet the needs of at least 250,000 children in the affected areas.

In 2018, Salesian missionaries inaugurated new school buildings, including a building for general classrooms and a new building to house the physics, mathematics, biology and chemistry labs, and three classes for computer science. There is also a new central courtyard, a refectory, an area with synthetic grass and a multipurpose field. The second phase of reconstruction included the development of a new administrative building, an auditorium and a gym. While construction of replacement buildings has been mostly completed, many of the local families still rely on food rations, medical provisions and school supplies to survive.

“Because Salesian missionaries live in the communities they work, they are often among the first to respond in times of crisis and they are there long after other humanitarian aid has left,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries continue to rebuild communities in Ecuador, helping people to rebuild physical structures but also rebuild their livelihoods through education and skills training.”

At the Don Bosco House in Quito, Salesian missionaries care for children as young as 9 years old who have been forced into work or are living on the streets. There are more than 90 youth in the program who are provided shelter, nutrition, health care, education and/or vocational training, as well as access to personal and family psychological support. The goal is to help youth enjoy their childhood while they gain the skills and education needed for a positive future.

The Salesian Polytechnic University also has a campus in Quito, which focuses on providing a college-level education, particularly to indigenous students. A residence hall built by Salesian missionaries specifically for indigenous students allows them to live and work together, sharing customs and knowledge. The university also provides opportunities for these students to share their indigenous traditions with teachers and peers.

Ecuador’s poverty rate was 36.7 percent in 2007 and dropped to 22.9 percent in 2016. These results show that 1.4 million Ecuadorians escaped poverty within nine years. However, many Ecuadorians still live in impoverished conditions. Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent.

According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age 5 have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population is people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

Australian Salesian Mission Overseas Aid Fund Annual Report 2018

ECUADOR: Salesian missionaries rebuild school buildings after they were destroyed in the April 2016 earthquake

UNICEF – Ecuador

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian missionaries provide education, social programming and workforce development to help the country’s most vulnerable citizens first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ecuador’s government has declared a state of emergency and has deployed army troops, firefighters and heavy equipment to search for those that remain missing. Many highways, air traffic control and other buildings along the coast have collapsed. In Manta, Salesian missionaries operate a school, a parish, an oratory and a center for street children and are reporting that entire families are homeless and totally unprotected. There is a shortage of food and water and people forced to live on the streets without basic services are suffering, especially children and the elderly.

After the earthquake struck, missionaries in Ecuador responded immediately helping to dig through rubble to look for trapped survivors and providing assistance to those affected. Salesian programs across the country have been working to collect emergency aid and coordinate volunteer efforts.

In order to ensure effective coordination and delivery of emergency aid, Salesians missionaries are collaborating with Ecuador’s governmental and non-governmental bodies active in the areas damaged by the earthquake. Salesian missionaries have already coordinated several shipments of materials that were delivered from other Salesian programs within the Manabi Province and two Salesian doctors and two nurses were sent to help the most affected communities.

“Hundreds of youth and adults within Salesian programs have organized campaigns to collect basic necessities such as water and non-perishable foods and we have already helped more than 7,000 families with food, shelter and medicine,” says Father Maffeo Panteghini, provincial economer who went to Manta to assess the damage. “Salesian missionaries are continuing to assist those most in need and making a long-term plan to help more than 42,000 with basic needs and long-term rebuilding.”

While responding to those in need, Salesian missionaries are also working to address the damage sustained to several of their buildings during the earthquake. Father Jorge Molina, provincial in Ecuador, has formed a support team to address this crisis. Damage to the school, the parish and a retreat house, as well as many of the buildings in the surrounding community, is quite extensive.

“There are 1,800 students attending the Salesian College of San Jose and many have been left homeless,” says Marcelo Mejia, delegate for social communication of the province of Ecuador. “Many of our students live in the area near the school where the damage is irreparable. There have been many stories we have heard of great sorrow our students are going through for the loss of loved ones.”

For now, the church, retreat house and school are closed. However, community members continue to seek assistance and shelter from the missionaries who are responding with aid as best they can. In the coming weeks and months, missionaries will work to assess damage and put a plan into place for responding to aid requests and rebuilding needs.

Headquartered in New Rochelle, New York, Salesian Missions has launched a Disaster in Ecuador fund to help the victims of the earthquake. To raise money for the fund, the Catholic nonprofit aid organization has launched an emergency fundraising campaign and is issuing an urgent appeal for donations. Go to http://www.salesianmissions.org/ecuador.

###

Sources:

Ecuador – Father Molina: “I am concerned for my brothers and those who suffer”

Ecuador – 250 thousand children affected by the earthquake. The Salesians are at work

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Missionaries Create Action Plan to Assist More Than 42,000 Affected by Earthquake first appeared on MissionNewswire.

National Public Radio (NPR) is reporting that there is a shortage of shelter in many earthquake-affected regions in the country, leaving people sleeping outdoors. There are fears that the houses still standing might have been damaged and will later collapse. Ecuador’s government has declared a state of emergency and is deploying army troops, firefighters and heavy equipment to search for survivors. Many highways, air traffic control and other buildings along the coast have collapsed.

In Manta, Salesian missionaries operate a school, a parish, an oratory and a center for street children. After the earthquake struck, missionaries there responded immediately helping to dig through rubble to look for trapped survivors and providing assistance to those affected. Salesian programs across the country have been working to collect emergency aid and coordinate volunteer efforts.

“We are helping more than 7,000 families and need funds to buy food and medicine,” says a Salesian missionary working with families in need in Manta. “The people are in great despair and their pain continues at the loss of their loved ones. In the future, we will have to repair the damage, but for now we have to attend to the people first.”

While responding to those in need, Salesian missionaries are also working to address the damage sustained to several of their buildings during the earthquake. Father Jorge Molina, provincial in Ecuador, has formed a support team to address this crisis. The damage to the school, the parish and a retreat house, as well as many of the buildings in the surrounding community, is quite extensive.

“There are 1,800 students attending the Salesian College of San Jose and many have been left homeless,” says Marcelo Mejia, delegate for social communication of the province of Ecuador. “Many of our students live in the area near the school where the damage is irreparable. There have been many stories we have heard of great sorrow our students are going through for the loss of loved ones.”

For now, the church, retreat house and school are closed. However, community members continue to seek assistance and shelter from the missionaries who are responding with aid as best they can. In the coming weeks and months, missionaries will work to assess damage and put a plan into place for responding to aid requests and rebuilding needs.

“Salesian missionaries have been working in Ecuador for more than 125 years, and because they live in the communities they serve, they are perfectly positioned to respond in times of crisis,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries provide education and social development services across the country and were among the first responders after the recent earthquake providing emergency aid and assessing relief needs. They will remain to help local families restore their livelihoods and rebuild their homes and communities long after other relief services have left.”

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only five percent. Almost 26 percent of all children under five have stunted growth. In rural areas, the figure is 31 percent, and in indigenous communities, it is even higher at 47 percent, according to the World Food Program. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty.

Headquartered in New Rochelle, New York, Salesian Missions has launched a Disaster in Ecuador fund to help the victims of the earthquake. To raise money for the fund, the Catholic nonprofit aid organization has launched an emergency fundraising campaign and is issuing an urgent appeal for donations. Go to http://www.salesianmissions.org/ecuador.

###

Sources:

ANS – Ecuador – The number of dead rises and the damage to property increases. “We cannot solve everything, but we can help in something.”

ANS – Ecuador – The Salesians in Manta supporting the earthquake victims

NPR – Hundreds Dead, Thousands Homeless After Quake In Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Missionaries Provide Relief and Assistance to Those in Crisis after Earthquake first appeared on MissionNewswire.

With a knowledge of the local communities and the most disadvantaged sections of the cities, street educators aim to develop a sense of trust with the street children they reach out to. The process of first meeting a child and then formally bringing them into the program is often slow and arduous. Often, migrant populations that include child workers come into urban city centers during the Christmas and New Year holiday season for only two weeks to a month at a time and then disappear. The street educators must work to build trust with both the young people and their families in order for the program to be successful.

Once trust is established, street educators invite youth to participate in the program which provides education and social development services while meeting basic needs such as housing, food, clothing and school supplies. Participants are also offered tutoring and assistance reintegrating back into school.

Seminars for both youth and their parents that focus on the dangers of child labor and the right to education are also offered through the Acción Guambras project. Once youth become formally enrolled in the program, they are able to access school canteens, health and social services, psychological counseling and emergency care. Before starting a new school year, youth are given a kit with school supplies and other basic needs in exchange for their participation in educational activities.

“The problem of child labor is something that is always present in Ecuador,” says Freddy Ruiz, a manager of the Acción Guambras project. “To combat this phenomenon, the Salesian Foundation developed contacts within the Municipality of Quito in 1992. This led to the birth of the Acción Guambras project and street educators whose role it is to accompany and care for the children and their families.”

The goal of the project is to stop child labor and decrease the risks for vulnerable youth while providing a well-rounded education that allows youth to take the lead in developing their own skills and potential. The project uses an active presence on the streets, technical training, schools and the support of families and communities to care for the youth and promote their rehabilitation.

“These youth need specialized programs including prevention of addiction and care for addicts, rehabilitation of youth gang members and hostels that provide an alternative to living on the street,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Thousands of children and adolescents are supported each year in Ecuador through this and other Salesian-run educational and social development programs.”

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. According to the World Food Program, almost 26 percent of all children under age five have stunted growth, increasing to 31 percent in rural areas and 47 percent in indigenous communities.

Violence, especially towards young people, is high in the country. Homicides are the second leading cause of death among young people and the primary cause of death among young women. Instances of physical abuse and domestic violence happen frequently and are often not properly handled by local law enforcement agencies. In addition, a high percentage of youth engage in drug use and are at-risk of falling prey to criminal activity and gang violence.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population are people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

###

Sources:

ANS – Ecuador – Acción Guambras: A Salesian project to rescue street children

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Program Has Rescued More Than 2,300 Street Children first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, noted that at the end of 2014, more than 50 million people had been forced from their homes worldwide. Almost 80 percent of those displaced are women and children.

Established in 2001, World Refugee Day is coordinated by UNHRC and focuses on honoring the courage, strength and determination of men, women and children forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Each year, the day focuses on a particular theme that highlights specific circumstances faced by refugees. This year’s theme, “Get to know a refugee – Ordinary people living through extraordinary times,” aims to bring the public closer to the human side of the refugee story.

“All around the world we are seeing families fleeing violence,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a recent statement about World Refugee Day. “The numbers are massive – but we must not forget that these are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. People who led ordinary lives before war forced them to flee. On this World Refugee Day, everyone should remember the things that connect all of us – our common humanity.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2015, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need that were 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.

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, has provided more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries vocational and human development training as well as job placement services.

Many of the Colombian refugees began the program with no marketable skills. Without the prospect of a job, it was hard for them to create stability for their families and build new lives. The New Beginnings program grants each refugee 260 hours of technical training as well as 40 hours of human development workshops. The training programs, coupled with the job placement services, allowed these victims of violence and chaos to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves, their families and their new communities.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

For the fifth year, Salesian Missions has received funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct its New Beginnings program for Sri Lankan Refugees in Tamil Nadu, India. To date, close to 2,500 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program. 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, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In 2015, Salesian missionaries are serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India. In addition, 550 women are benefiting from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs. The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

Kakuma was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan and was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by UNHCR in collaboration with Salesian missionaries in the country as well as several other humanitarian organizations. The camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. 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 are currently seeking funding to build a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

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. As part of the program, children are 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.

SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TURKEY

Sharing a 500-mile-long border with Syria, Southeastern Turkey has more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees, as reported by the United Nations. Salesian missionaries are providing services at three sites within Syria while also providing for Syrian refugees in Turkey. While many Syrian refugees stay in towns on the Turkey-Syrian border, many find their way to big cities like Istanbul where Salesian missionaries operate a program that currently serves close to 400 Syrian refugees.

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 and 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.

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.

###

Sources:

World Refugee Day 2015

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Educational Programs Assisting Refugees around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This year’s theme, “Make It Happen,” celebrates the achievements of women while calling for greater equality and effective action for advancing and recognizing women.

To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, senior United Nations (UN) officials highlighted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that set the agenda for realizing women’s rights. While the UN noted that there have been many gains in education and healthcare for women, there is still a long way to go.

“We must acknowledge that the gains have been too slow and uneven, and that we must do far more to accelerate progress everywhere,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a statement on International Women’s Day. “From Nigeria and Somalia to Iraq and Syria, the bodies of women have been transformed into battlegrounds. Women have been attacked for trying to exercise their right to education and basic services; they have been raped and turned into sex slaves; they have been given as prizes to fighters, or traded among extremist groups in trafficking networks.”

Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality though education and workforce development programs targeted specifically for young women and girls. These programs strive to empower young women and girls by providing opportunities for education and training that lead to livable wage employment.

“Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Girls that are empowered though education are more often able to achieve financial independence, marry at an older age and make better and healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

In honor of International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions is proud to share some of its programs around the globe that empower young women and girls.

BOLIVIA

Started in 1992, the Casa Maín girl’s home in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, provides shelter, nutritious meals and schooling for girls and young women with little access to education and those who were once living on the streets. Currently, there are more than 160 girls living and being educated at the home. Casa Maín is comprised of three houses and the girls are divided among them by age. The youngest girls, attending elementary school, live together in one house supported by several volunteer students from the secondary school. A second house provides shelter and peer support for girls attending secondary school while a third house is for young women attending the local university.

The university students enjoy a setting that allows them to finish their degrees in higher education in a stable environment while learning how to live independently. In addition to academic classes, the young women and girls at the home learn skills in communication and conflict management. Additional classes in dance, gymnastics and crafts are provided in the evenings and on weekends. Most recently, the organization offered a three-week technology workshop to teach the girls basic computer skills including typing, word processing and drawing.

ECUADOR

The Salesian Polytechnic University which started in 1994 and has campuses in Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, provides education to more than 35 indigenous students, many of whom are women. These students are taking degree coursework in communications, biotechnology, management and leadership and psychology.

The Salesian Polytechnic University provides educational programs in biology, social science and human behavior, education, science and technology, animal science, literature, administration and finance and religion. Many students attending the university take part in hands-on research and job training in addition to traditional coursework. In addition to offering classroom lessons, the University has become a place for the meeting of cultures and the exchange of knowledge for both students and teachers. It offers real opportunities for education and progress for disadvantaged youth coming from indigenous communities.

INDIA

In the state of Tamil Nadu, India, the Salesian “New Beginnings” program helps to educate Sri Lankan refugees while giving their families the chance to achieve stability in their new country. The program offers technical and vocational courses and skill training as well as job placement support to aid refugees in finding employment.

For women with children who are unable to leave the refugee camp and attend traditional classes, a special program has been developed within the camp. Through it, women receive training in skills such as jewelry-making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. In addition, they are eligible for financial assistance to start up new businesses where they can use their new skills while continuing to take care of their families. One such business is a cooperative that utilizes sewing machines and equipment financed through a micro-credit program. To date, close to 2,500 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program and 550 women are benefiting from the refugee camp-based small business incubator program. In addition, Salesian missionaries are currently serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India.

SENEGAL

Center Kër Don Bosco officially opened at the end of January in Dakar, the capital and largest city in Senegal. The new center will provide education, vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities to disadvantaged youth and women living in the Yoff district on the outskirts of the city.

Focused specifically on helping women gain opportunities in the workforce, the center is offering two literacy classes as well as a safe space for studying. Women in Senegal are often heads of households but lack the training and confidence to try to enter the workforce or advance into higher paying jobs. The center’s goal is to help women connect with their peers and provide access to employment training to boost confidence and improve employment prospects.

SIERRA LEONE

Salesians at Don Bosco Fambul in Freetown, Sierra Leone, have been running a Girls Shelter for the past two years. Here, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been the victims of sexual assault. Those that access services at the shelter are also able to enroll in educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network. These programs train young women in the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

As part of the rehabilitation program at the Girls Shelter, young women take coursework in hotel management, hairdressing and tailoring. This training helps to empower them to overcome the discrimination they have faced, gain a greater awareness of their rights and boost their work prospects. It also helps to build character while allowing the young women the freedom to make decisions that affect their lives and their health. Recently, both the trainers and the students in these programs were able to present their skills and products to the general public at an exhibition in Freetown.

Sources

International Women’s Day

United Nations – On International Women’s Day, UN urges more action to achieve gender equality

The post INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Salesian Missionaries Focus on Gender Equality Providing Young Women Education and Workforce Development Programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Violence, especially towards young people, is high in the country. Homicides are the second leading cause of death among young people and the primary cause of death among young women. Instances of physical abuse and domestic violence happen frequently and are often not properly handled by local law enforcement agencies. In addition, a high percentage of youth engage in drug use and are at-risk of falling prey to criminal activity and gang violence.

Close to 20 percent of Ecuador’s population are people of indigenous heritage. For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian missionaries have been providing education and other social programs for disadvantaged youth across Ecuador for more than 125 years.

The Salesian Polytechnic University, which started in 1994 and has campuses in Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito, provides education to more than 35 indigenous students. These students are taking degree coursework in communications, biotechnology, management and leadership and psychology. Digna Palumba belongs to the indigenous community of Zumbahua and has been at the University for five months working towards a management and leadership degree. Miguel Angel Sarango, from the indigenous community of Saraguros, is taking courses in communications.

The Salesian Polytechnic University provides educational programs in biology, social science and human behavior, education, science and technology, animal science, literature, administration and finance and religion. Students attending the university often focus their studies beyond the classroom by taking part in hands-on research and job training in addition to traditional coursework.

“Across Ecuador, gaining a university degree and learning employable job skills helps reduce inequities in employment,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The Salesian Polytechnic University gives students a chance to meet like-minded peers and gain an education that will help them become contributing members of their communities.”

Many indigenous students live in a residence hall built specifically for them by Salesian missionaries. Here, they live and work together sharing customs and knowledge. The University provides opportunities for these students to share their indigenous traditions with teachers and peers.

“More than just offering classroom lessons, the University has become a place for the meeting of cultures and the exchange of knowledge for both students and teachers. It offers real opportunities for education and progress for disadvantaged youth coming from indigenous communities,” adds. Fr. Hyde.

###

Sources:

ANS – Ecuador – The Salesian Polytechnic University, a real opportunity for indigenous youth

Salesian Polytechnic University Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

http://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/educacion-ritos-indigenas-tradiciones-costumbres.html

The post ECUADOR: Indigenous Students Gain Valuable Education and Employment Skills at Salesian Polytechnic University first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Violence, especially towards young people, is high in the country. Homicides are the second leading cause of death among young people and the primary cause of death among young women. Instances of physical abuse and domestic violence happen so frequently, they are often not properly handled by local law enforcement agencies. In addition, a high percentage of youth are subject to drug use and are at-risk for engaging in criminal activity and gang violence.

As a proactive measure to decrease the rates of violence in the country, law enforcement is moving to a community policing model, something practiced in communities across the United States since the 1980s. Ecuador’s general police force, which has often lacked specialized training, will now have access to community police training thanks to a partnership between the Salesian Polytechnic University, the Terre des Hommes International Federation’s delegation in Ecuador, the Ecuadoran Interior Ministry and the Ninez & Vida Foundation.

Leading the project is the Terre des Hommes International Federation, a network of ten national organizations working for the rights of children and to promote equitable development without racial, religious, political, cultural or gender-based discrimination. Training is taking place at Salesian Polytechnic University campuses around the country. The 120 hour based training program develops the skills of local police officers, particularly in their ability to peacefully manage conflicts within communities and incorporate the needs of the community as part of the action plan of each police station.

“Police organizations play a very important role in communities and quality training is paramount for officers to do their job well,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The more police officers can be a part of a community, getting to know local residents and understanding their needs, the better able they are to prevent crime rather than just intervene after a crime has been committed.”

The training program also helps law enforcement gain a better understanding of the psychosocial development of adolescents and family and community dynamics as well as teaching non-violent communication and peaceful conflict management. Outside of the classroom, hands-on coaching is provided to help the police officers implement the concepts learned.

The curriculum was initially tested during a pilot program conducted by Terre des Hommes. After participating in this program, more than 30 officers reported an increase in their ability to interact with people and understand community and family dynamics. In addition to the officers participating in the pilot program, 28 officers have successfully completed training in the province of Esmeraldas and close to 100 other communities have worked towards setting up a citizens’ plan for security. Close to 60 more police officers will be trained in 2014 and the program is hoping to expand in 2015.

The Salesian Polytechnic University, which started in 1994 and has campuses in Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito, provides educational programs in biology, social science and human behavior, education, science and technology, animal science, literature, administration and finance and religion. Students attending the university focus their studies beyond the classroom often taking part in hands-on research and job training.

###

Sources:

Salesian Polytechnic University Ecuador

Trust.org – Ecuador: Training of community police officers by Terre des hommes

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Polytechnic University Collaboration Provides Training for Community Policing 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 in the central coastal cities of Chincha, Pisco and Ica and injured hundreds more. 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.

Salesians in Peru have provided life-saving support and education to poor youth and their families as well as helped with rebuilding efforts after the earthquake. Salesians focus the majority of their programs 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.

Through the Don Bosco Woodcarvers Cooperative of Chacas, young men have the opportunity to become skilled craftsmen. Each year, the cooperative admits 25 new students from impoverished backgrounds who want to advance their education and learn the woodcarving trade. Some of the students have been orphaned and many others are living in farming communities on family farms with little land, few animals and limited opportunities.

“Every young person deserves a chance to have a better life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This program helps young men who have very limited future prospects for stable employment and provides them the education and skills necessary to escape conditions of poverty. They are then able to help their families and communities.”

The cooperative provides a free five-year residential education program, recognized by the government, which includes high school education and job training. In addition to traditional academic classes, the cooperative education teaches students to paint and work with glass, wood, metal and stone. In the third year of the program, each student chooses a specialty. Upon graduation, a tool chest of saws, hammers, chisels and other equipment is given to each graduate who then may choose to start his own business or become a member of the cooperative.

Currently, 650 woodcarvers in 10 different areas of the Andes belong to the cooperative. Some of the furniture created is donated to poor families in need in the area. Additional work is exported throughout South America, Italy and the United States. According to a recent Catholic News Service article, the young men in the cooperative are paid according to the number of pieces they finish per month. On average, the woodcarvers earn 1,200 soles (US$430) with more experienced and skilled graduates earning 2,000 soles. That amount, according to the article, is on par with what a teacher or a medical technician earns in the region.

The cooperative was started in the Peruvian Andes in 1979 by Italian Salesian Father Ugo De Censi and is part of Operatión Mato Grosso, an organization composed primarily of young Italians who volunteer time to help the very poor in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia.

###

Sources:

Catholic News Services – High in the Andes, Peruvian artisans create sacred art

Operación Mato Grosso

World Bank – Peru

The post PERU: Don Bosco Woodcarvers Cooperative Provides Education and Employment Opportunities for Poor Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Celebrated each year on August 12, the day was established by the United Nations to raise awareness of issues affecting young people around the world. This year’s theme –“Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward” – is in response to the challenges and opportunities raised by the estimated 27 million youth migrants around the world. According to the United Nations, young people aged 15 to 24 make up more than 10 percent of the 240 million international migrants.

Many of these young migrants are forced to flee from poverty or war. Nearly all of them are searching for better opportunities and safer environments.

Upon arrival in new surroundings, migrants often lack the education and skills needed to survive, and many are homeless. Sometimes young people are left behind by migrating parents and face psychological and social challenges as well as greater vulnerability.

Salesians working around the globe focus on meeting the specific needs of youth facing these challenges. From homeless shelters and youth centers for street children to education and vocational training designed specifically for refugees – the Salesians provide not only a safety net but successful solutions to end the cycle of poverty.

Widely regarded as the largest private provider of vocational and technical training—and working in more than 130 countries around the globe—the Salesians are positioned to make a big impact in the area of youth migration. Already embedded in their local communities, Salesians are able to help refugees who are often seen as “outsiders.”

RURAL COMMUNITIES, AGRICULTURE & YOUTH MIGRATION

To fight the patterns of migration that decimate rural villages in some of the poorest places on the planet, Salesian Missions works to develop programs focused on sustainable agriculture while also improving local economic opportunities. By improving conditions in villages, the local youth there are less likely to migrate to urban areas where they too often join other youth in homelessness and a cycle of poverty and violence.

In Kenya, agricultural training has made a significant difference at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. There, a demonstration farm enables training in agriculture skills while producing fresh fruit and vegetables to feed the refugees and inhabitants of the camp. Agricultural skills are also an important component at the Bosco Boys Kuwinda facility. There, students receive training in the raising and care of livestock including poultry, cows and pigs, as well as in the growing and tending of vegetable gardens. Eggs and meat are sold from the farm to help support the project and all of the milk produced is consumed by the community.

In Ecuador, through a Salesian Missions’ microfinance credit program, indigenous and rural populations have access to funds for agricultural and microbusiness activities. Currently, 12,000 people are taking advantage of this opportunity in 85 different communities.

In Cambodia, the Salesian-run Pascual Gentilini Agricultural School recently celebrated its 85th year teaching agricultural skills to poor youth. The school’s curriculum includes lessons in community service, vegetable gardening, cooking, maintenance, music, annual crops, cultivation of tea, fruit farming, zootechnics, bee-keeping, cattle-raising, leadership training and social work. Agricultural technical training encompasses one to six years of study. The school’s students are enthusiastic and eager to learn modern methods of farming together with business management.

WAR, VIOLENCE & YOUTH  MIGRATION

Salesian Missions has developed programs to empower youth migrants with funding support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

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. Since 2010, Salesian Missions has provided a vocational and entrepreneurial program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In June 2013, 860 refugees graduated from this program. Half of these students attended a Salesian technical and vocational training center, learning job skills in electrical work, woodworking, computer technology and other similar trades.

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled from violence in Colombia to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ “New Beginnings” initiative, which started in 2011, has worked with more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries to provide vocational and human development training as well as job placement services. Many of the Colombian refugees had few marketable skills but the “New Beginnings” program allowed them the opportunity 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 job placement services.

“The United States takes great pride in our commitment to the rights of migrants to realize educational and professional opportunities in their new homes,” the State Department said in an official statement.

RESHAPING THE FUTURE

“It is important to emphasize the positive contribution young migrants make to societies of origin, transit and destination – economically and by enriching the social and cultural fabric. Most work hard to earn a living and improve their circumstances,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day.

Young people have the potential to change negative societal patterns of behavior and break cycles of violence and discrimination that pass from one generation to the next. Salesian Missions remains committed to providing education, opportunities and hope to the world’s most vulnerable youth to help end the cycle of poverty which builds better lives and stronger communities.

###

Sources:

UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/programme/youth_day/partner.htm

United Nations
http://www.unworldyouthreport.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=180

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/08/213041.htm

The post INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Programs Around the Globe that Empower Youth Migrants, Shape Brighter Futures first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost 50 percent of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only five percent. Almost 26 percent of all children under five have stunted growth. In rural areas, the figure is 31 percent, and in indigenous communities, it is even higher at 47 percent, according to the World Food Program.

For poor, rural and indigenous youth, education provides the best opportunity for finding employment, reducing inequities and breaking the cycle of poverty. Salesian-run schools and programs are available to youth all over Ecuador as they have been throughout the Salesian’s 125 year history in the country.

At the Center for the Young Worker, students study auto mechanics, woodworking, baking, beauty care and cooking. The school is a community effort as parents help provide meals to the students and weekend student volunteers help build houses for the families who come to the city looking for work. Approximately half of the students come to the Center without an elementary education but 85 percent finish their elementary or middle school education here and 64 percent go on to continue their studies after they have completed their training.

“Across Ecuador, staying in school helps students learn job skills that can help reduce inequities in employment,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The Salesian Centers for the Young Worker have been recognized by UNICEF as an exemplary social and educational institute. The facilities focus on the needs of the students such as providing classes on the weekends for students who must work during the week.”

The Salesians also offer other programs for vulnerable youth in Ecuador.

At Salesian-run Project for Street Children sites throughout the country, vulnerable and at-risk children gain a welll-rounded education that allows them to take the lead in developing their own skills and potential. The project uses an active presence on the streets, technical training, schools and the support of families and communities to care for the boys and their rehabilitation.

“These youth need specialized programs including prevention of addiction and care for addicts, rehabilitation of youth gang members and hostels that provide an alternative to living on the street,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Thousands of children and adolescents are supported each year in Ecuador through Salesian programs.”

Learn more about Salesian Missions Programs in Ecuador >

###

Sources

ANS –   Ecuador – 125 years

Salesian Missions – Ecuador

UNICEF – Ecuador

The post ECUADOR: 125 Years of Salesian Programs for Vulnerable Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year focuses on a particular theme. This year the United Nations chose Ending the Violence of Extreme Poverty: Promoting Empowerment and Building Peace, which was chosen to highlight the link between poverty and social unrest. It also focuses on the need to provide people with the necessary skills to contribute to society.

“Poverty is easy to denounce but difficult to combat,” says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a recent UN article highlighting International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. “Those suffering from hunger, want and indignity need more than sympathetic words; they need concrete support.”

Ban further stressed in the article that that during times of economic austerity it is even more crucial to put policies in place that will protect the most vulnerable.

“As governments struggle to balance budgets, funding for anti-poverty measures is under threat. But this is precisely the time to provide the poor with access to social services, income security, decent work and social protection,” he says in the UN article. “Only then can we build stronger and more prosperous societies—not by balancing budgets at the expense of the poor.”

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed annually since 1993. The UN General Assembly designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in every country.

During the last decade, millions have overcome extreme poverty and have improved access to health care and education. Extreme poverty rates have decreased in every region of the world. More than 39 million children attend primary school and access to clean water has increased to 89 percent. But in spite of these important gains, several critical gaps remain.

Poverty alleviation, education, gender equality, child and maternal health, environmental stability, HIV/AIDS reduction, and a ‘Global Partnership for Development’ were further noted in the UN article as the eight Millennium Development Goals selected by world leaders at the UN summit in 2000.

The Salesians working at the ground level within communities ravaged by poverty see their efforts and these improvements first hand.

“Whether giving food and shelter to street children or building schools and teaching job skills to youth in poverty, the Salesians are giving youth hope for a new future,” says Fr. Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Our work gives youth the access to learn employable skills and provides the opportunity for them to break the cycle of poverty in their lives.”

Here are some highlights of Salesian programs around the globe that fight extreme poverty by providing hope and opportunity to youth and their communities:

CAMBODIA:

In Cambodia—through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund—the Salesians provide assistance to children ages six to fifteen who are at risk of dropping out of school due to extreme poverty. Each year approximately 5,000 children receive assistance in the form of medicine, nutritional meals, clothing and personal items. Many children have lost one or both parents to HIV and are currently living with extended family members with elderly grandparents or neighbors. Often they receive little direct supervision, leaving them extremely vulnerable to outside influences. Without support from the Don Bosco Children’s Fund, many children would be forced to beg or turn to street crime in order to support themselves.

COLOMBIA:

In Colombia, 18 percent of school age children have no access to education. One town that previously lacked access is Condoto, a remote village nestled in the middle of a tropical rainforest in western Colombia. Most of the 30,000 inhabitants are descendents of Africans who escaped the slave trade. Mining is the main source of income – with low pay and harsh working conditions. There, Salesian Missions has built the first and only schools in the area which are improving the lives of the students and all members of the communities – and will continue to do so for generations to come.

ECUADOR:

In Ecuador, at Salesian “Project for Street Children” sites throughout the country, vulnerable and at-risk children gain an all-around education that allows them to take the lead in developing their own skills and potential. The project uses an active presence on the streets, technical training and schools and the support of families and communities that care for the boys and their rehabilitation. Specialized programs for youth in need include: prevention of addiction and care for addicts, rehabilitation of youth gang members and hostels that provide an alternative to living on the street. Thousands of children and adolescents are supported each year.

ETHIOPIA:

More than 150 street children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia have a place to call home. And 750 more at-risk children benefit from a variety of programs designed to instill confidence and self-respect. That’s because exciting plans are underway for a new Salesian Center that will feature dormitories, classrooms, a recreation hall and cafeteria. When it opens, the Center will serve hundreds of needy children by providing the immediate basics of food and shelter.

GUATEMALA:

In Guatemala, more than 21 percent of the population had an income of less than $1 a day in 2004 – no improvement since 1989 according to the Pan American Health Organization. Extreme poverty is often associated with rural life. Rural Q’echi (Mayans) are among the rural populations looking to improve their lives.  Through Salesian Missions programs, they are focusing on increasing the capacity of their communities. With the assistance of the Q’echi promoters, community groups are educated in self management for projects benefiting family and community. Salesians also work through the Foundation for Advancement of Indigenous Women in Guatemala (Talita Kumi) to raise the status of women and empower them to become household and community decision-makers.

KENYA:

In Kenya, homeless youth join “Bosco Boys” programs dedicated to creating positive change. Three centers provide services for youth at different stages. Bosco Boys Kariua runs a nursery school and weekend program where street children gather for sporting events and to wash their clothes. Bosco Boys Langata is a rehabilitation center where new boys can overcome addictions and behaviors learned on the street. Bosco Boys Kuwinda provides education and training opportunities for street children, as well as poor children from the neighborhood.

MEXICO:

In Mexico City, girls and mothers face severe dangers living on the streets. Through the “Yolia” program, girls and women become regulars at the day center. There, they have meals, receive tutoring, obtain therapy, and learn job skills such as jewelry making and hair styling. Some girls may also choose to live in the residential area, where they receive additional education and services while building a sense of dignity and self worth.

SIERRA LEONE:

Sierra Leone is still recovering from a brutal 10-year civil war.  More than 500,000 people were displaced and more than 60,000 children were orphaned and homeless. In the 2008 Human Development Index, Sierra Leone ranks last among 179 countries for the well-being of its people. The Don Bosco Fambul program aims to change the lives of children. It directly addresses issues facing street children – including emotional trauma from the war and lost family. With the goal of reuniting with their families, youth participate in a 10-month program which includes counseling and medical care – as well as education. These young people attend classes during the day, according to their level of ability and any previous schooling. In the evening, they are responsible for helping each other with homework.  The youth are tested each month and receive encouragement for progress — building self esteem and motivation – and hope for the future.

TANZANIA:

For more than 20 years, Tanzanian children and youth have had access to education through Salesian Mission facilities. Programs are developed based on the most critical needs of the community. For example, AIDS orphans who have dropped out of regular school learn a trade at a vocational school, and girls attend secondary school in Didia, where previously there had been no secondary school within 40 miles. Schools and other facilities are providing new opportunities to children, youth and families in communities throughout Tanzania where nearly one million children have been orphaned due to AIDS, according to UNICEF. Many of these children are forced to leave school due to poverty or to care for their families. At Salesian technical and secondary schools and youth centers, youth develop skills to overcome obstacles. They learn a trade of their choice and to stand on their own to create a productive life. For more than 20 years, Salesian Missions has been a leader for vocational training and currently provides education and leadership opportunities to youth in communities throughout Tanzania.

UGANDA:

Uganda ranks 157 out of 182 countries in the 2007 Human Development Index. The people of Uganda are working to rebuild after decades of war which left many displaced, as well as to combat the serious increase of HIV/AIDS, which has left millions of children orphaned. The Don Bosco Children & Life Mission offers hope to at risk boys, ages 8-17, through a variety of programs. As they grow and develop, boys move through different stages until they reach the final goal of an independent, productive life.

###

Sources

UN News – On Day for Eradication of Poverty, UN highlights needs for a holistic approach to helping word’s poor

ANS – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: Ending the Violence of Extreme Poverty

The post WORLD POVERTY DAY: Salesian Missions Reports on Programs that Fight Extreme Poverty first appeared on MissionNewswire.

World Food Day brings attention to the plight of the world’s hungry and undernourished and provides an opportunity for a deeper understanding of the complex solutions. This year’s theme is investing in agriculture for food security.

According to the UN report The State of Food Insecurity in the World, agricultural growth is particularly effective in reducing hunger and malnutrition. Most of the extreme poor depend on agriculture and related activities for a significant part of their livelihoods. Agricultural growth involving smallholders, especially women, will be most effective in reducing extreme poverty and hunger when it increases returns to labor and generates employment for the poor.

This World Food Day, Salesian Missions highlights Salesian agricultural programs, which include more than 90 agricultural schools around the globe.

BOLIVIA:

In Bolivia, training in agriculture practices inspires transformation of communities. At the Muriyana Agricultural School, more than 600 high school students and 100 advanced students are receiving training while learning to integrate their work into the local community. An estimated 20,000 people in the communities benefit directly from this program as a result of the school’s extension and community outreach programs.

ARGENTINA

In Argentina, the Salesian-run Pascual Gentilini Agricultural School celebrated its 85 year history teaching agricultural skills to poor youth. Today, the Agricultural School’s curriculum also includes lessons in community service, vegetable gardening, cooking, maintenance, music, annual crops, cultivation of tea, fruit farming, zootechnics, bee-keeping, cattle-raising, leadership training and social work. Agricultural technical training encompasses one to six years of study and the youth at the school are enthusiastic students, eager to learn modern methods of farming together with business management.

CAMBODIA

Two new agricultural schools were announced in 2009.

ECUADOR:

In Ecuador, through a microfinance credit program from Salesian Missions, indigenous and rural populations have access to funds for agricultural and microbusiness activities. Currently, 12,000 people are taking advantage of this opportunity in 85 different communities.

HAITI:

In Haiti, the Salesian Agricultural School in Cap-Haitien provides sought-after agricultural skills to more than 140 students who will contribute to the rebuilding of Haiti. Salesians are also working to develop programs that aid community development and contribute to the advancing of opportunities for the poor and underserved. Recently, Salesians proposed a project which included enhancing food security by improving agricultural production and productivity in agriculture schools in Fort Liberté, as well as Cap Haitien and Gressier.

RWANDA:

In Rwanda, food insecurity is a major issue, according to the World Food Program. At least 22 percent of households (2.2 million people) are food-insecure, and another 24 percent are highly vulnerable to food insecurity. Today, Salesian Missions includes agriculture in its vocational training programs – to ensure that youth of Rwanda learn better agricultural practices as well as keep the school self-sustaining in the face of the country’s food shortages.

###

The post WORLD FOOD DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Programs Around the Globe that Invest in Agriculture for Food Security first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Timana visited several Salesian-run sites in anticipation of the Department of State official visit, and had the opportunity to tour Domingo Savio Salesian School in Guayaquil, Ecuador and Kennedy Salesian School located in Quito, Ecuador.  In Panama City, Panama, Timana visited Tecnico Don Bosco.

Timana went to tour the Salesian-run programs ahead of the site visits to ensure all program requirements were being met.  These program requirements include flexible class schedules where classes are offered at night and on the weekends to accommodate the working schedule of Colombian refugees. Further, Timana was able to verify that the equipment and maintenance repairs being done in the programs fit within the framework and guidelines of the funding. During the site visit, Population, Refugee, and Migration officials were happy to note that some of the maintenance funds were utilized fix more than two dozen sewing machines that students utilize for classes.

Touring the schools, Timana was also able to take in the schools’ infrastructure, classes and students in the programs. These programs provide valuable education and training opportunities to Colombian refugees and other vulnerable populations. Timana’s most memorable part of the trip was meeting the Colombian refugees and listening to their stories of how much the technical training they receive is benefiting their lives. Timana found that many of them have plans to start their own businesses and have made lasting connections with teachers and faculty.

“In Guayaquil, Ecuador, I met a mother of three children who was attending Salesian training sessions and she explained that while her children play in the Salesian school field, she attends class in the same school,” explained Timana. “These programs are really providing an opportunity for people to improve their lives.”

During this same trip, Timana also visited Panama for a meeting held with other Salesian representatives from Panama, Costa Rica and the Salesian Central American Province.

“The work the Salesians are doing around the globe is crucial for the economic development of many developing countries,” added Timana. “The Salesian order focuses on providing education to youth at risk and vulnerable populations which saves many of these students from poverty.”

Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco—specializing in programs and services for at-risk youth in more than 130 countries. The Salesians are widely considered the world’s largest private provider of vocational and technical education.

For more information, go to www.SalesianMissions.org.

The post ECUADOR: Salesian Missions Office for International Programs, State Department Visit “New Beginnings” Program Site first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The “Bet on the Future” campaign (Apuestan por su futuro in Spanish) is a community-based effort that aims to remodel and maintain school reinforcement centers, strengthen infrastructure and obtain resources to provide extra educational support to children who may be struggling with their studies in traditional schools. The program is a collaboration between the community of Esmeraldas, the Salesian Society in Ecuador and the Don Bosco Solidarity Campaign, Madrid, Spain.

Ecuador is one of the most inequitable societies in the world, according to UNICEF. The richest 20 percent of the population receives almost half of the national income, while the poorest 20 percent receives only 5 percent. Many of the poorer urban population receive $2.70 a day and indigenous populations receive just $1.30, according to a study of 12,000 urban homes conducted by the National Institute of Statistics as part of a UNICEF report.

“We know that there are a great many factors that prevent children and youth from finishing school, even when education is their basic right. In Esmeraldas, the community has determined they must strengthen the support system to help children succeed with their studies,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Fr. Hyde adds that the main income-generating activities in Esmeraldas are agriculture, livestock and tourism, all of which require parents to spend long hours working, leaving little time to care for their families. Therefore, tutoring has also been identified as a key need by the community and eight school reinforcement centers have been selected based on the need for maintenance and basic infrastructure.

The “Bet on the Future” campaign is just one example of a community-based partnership developed with the Salesians in Ecuador. Another is the Salesian Center for the Young Worker, which has been recognized by UNICEF as an exemplary social and educational institute. There, students are trained in auto mechanics, woodworking, baking, beauty care and cooking. Parents help provide meals for the students, and weekend student volunteers help build houses for the families who have come into the city looking for work. Approximately half of the students come to the Center without an elementary education—and not only do 85 percent finish elementary or middle school but 64 percent continue to study after they have completed their training.

“In many communities—in Ecuador and around the world—parents understand the critical importance of education for their children, even if they lack the resources to provide it. These parents want a better life for their children,” says Fr. Hyde. “Because the Salesians are already part of the community, it can work with parents and community members to help make education a reality.”

Other Salesian projects in Ecuador include:

• At “Project for Street Children” sites throughout the country, vulnerable and at-risk boys gain an all-around education that allows them to take the lead in developing their own skills and potential. The project uses an active presence on the streets, technical training and schools and the support of families and communities that care for the boys and their rehabilitation.

• Through a microfinance credit program from Salesian Missions, indigenous and rural populations have access to funds for agricultural and microbusiness activities. Currently, 12,000 people are taking advantage of this opportunity in 85 different communities.

“Education provides the best opportunity for reducing inequities that many in the communities across Ecuador struggle with on a daily basis,” says Fr. Hyde.

In more than 130 countries around the world, Salesian Missions programs range from classroom education and feeding programs to agricultural and trade schools. They have provided orphanages and shelters for homeless youth to more than 3 million children. The focus of the Salesians’ work is on making education a reality, even for the poorest youth, while also providing the essentials such as food and housing.

###

The post ECUADOR: Youth Hope to “Bet on the Future” Through Education in Ecuador first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“We came because two paramilitary factions and one guerrilla group were wreaking havoc in the area where we lived. They are killing a lot of the local people,” Padilla told UNHCR. Growing numbers of people have been arriving in northern Ecuador‘s Esmeraldas province this year and asking for asylum. Like Padilla, they cite increased violence across the border.

Significant numbers of people have been crossing into the province to seek shelter for years, with government figures putting the number at 1,200 to 1,500 people a month, said Oscar Sánchez Piñeiro, head of UNHCR ‘s field office in Esmeraldas.

But he added that the number had risen due to “the deteriorating conditions” in and around Tumaco, the main Pacific port in south-west Colombia‘s Nariño department. In one week earlier this year, UNHCR estimates that there were 600 arrivals.

Sánchez Piñeiro said that a further 1,000 people are believed to have arrived in Esmeraldas province during the same time, but had not been able to file asylum claims because it was difficult getting from border areas to the provincial capital, Esmeraldas, where the government registers new arrivals.

“The new arrivals say the situation in Colombia remains volatile,” the UNHCR official said. “Among the arriving population there are many women and children who had to flee because of threats, assassinations of relatives or the occupation of their land by irregular armed groups. Many live in precarious conditions, especially due to their proximity to the conflict zone and increasing violence in the border.”

UNHCR visitors met Padilla and his family at a shelter in San Lorenzo, where they were receiving assistance until they could find somewhere more permanent to live and look for a livelihood. They decided to leave Tumaco after one of the armed groups killed three people in their neighborhood, Padilla said, adding: “It was rumored that three more people were missing.”

But Padilla did not have enough money for transport to the border and he and his wife made the tough decision to leave their two oldest children – a 10-year-old girl and a boy aged 13 – with relatives in the hope that they could later reunite in Ecuador. His wife worries about the two children. “It hurt me a lot when I had to leave as I had never been far away from them, never.”

Many of the families arriving in this area stay with local communities on San Lorenzo’s stretch of coast, while others – like Padilla’s family – are provided with temporary accommodation. “We have several locations where we provide shelter for the new arrivals, especially for the vulnerable ones in San Lorenzo,” said Piñeiro, adding that needs surpassed UNHCR’s capacity.

UNHCR offers weekly briefings for the new arrivals in San Lorenzo, which is the first point of entry for many. The sessions include orientation on how to access the asylum process and also arranged information meetings through the provincial Refugee Directorate, which is the state entity in charge of providing registration and conducting the asylum process.

One priority for UNHCR is to work with the protection networks established in the border region to help trace the separated family members and to enhance protection activities along the northern border with Colombia.

Debbie Elizondo, UNHCR’s representative in Quito, noted that Ecuador is the largest refugee-hosting country in Latin America, with more than 55,000 recognized Colombian refugees. But she also expressed concern about the dangers asylum seekers face in the border areas inside Ecuador .

“Many people may think that perhaps there is no more conflict in Colombia , but the reality is that we continue to see thousands fleeing the increasingly volatile areas and fragmented fighting,” she said, adding that the border area was dangerous.

“Just last year, 15 refugees or asylum-seekers were assassinated in the province of Esmeraldas. There is also an increased presence of illegal armed groups along the border and they operate in the region and foster systemic human rights violations,” Elizondo added.

###

By Babar Baloch in San Lorenzo, Ecuador (UNHCR) | PHOTO: B. Balach/UNHCR

See this news article in its original location.

See related article: “New Beginnings” Program Expands to Assist Colombian Refugees in Four Countries

The post UNHCR: Violence in Colombia Displacing More People into Ecuador first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The three-year program will focus on Colombian refugees living Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Panama due to ongoing internal conflict in Colombia, which has resulted in the displacement of more than four million Colombians in the last two decades.

According to 2011 data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) more than 90% of the 454,088 known Colombian refugees and asylum seekers now live in the neighboring countries of Ecuador (167,189), Venezuela (215,685), Panama (17,714), and Costa Rica (19,703).

“Many of the Colombian refugees have no marketable skills. They can’t find jobs and the lack of training makes it difficult to start their own business or join with others to form cooperatives. Without jobs, it is hard to find stability for their families and build new lives. For example, younger children may not attend school and the cycle of poverty continues,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Through the “New Beginnings” program, Colombian refugees will receive training and technical skills that will enable them to find gainful employment. In addition, the recipients will receive human development workshops developed through a grant with the WK Kellogg Foundation, as well as job placement services.

According to Fr. Hyde, job placement specialists in each target country will consult with local employers and existing ministry of labor contacts to ensure the job training programs meet the needs of the marketplace.

In addition to the estimated 5,100 students who will receive job training, Salesian Missions expects the program to indirectly benefit 26,520 family members. The program will reach refugees in 18 different regions throughout Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, and Costa Rica.

“Many of these refugees live in rural villages where access to technical training is often difficult to attain,” explains Edson Timana, a program officer with the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. Timana is currently traveling to all program sites throughout the four countries to prepare them to implement the programs prior to the arrival of the refugees.

The program will also ensure that the Colombian refugees are formalizing their status as registered refugees. It is estimated that only around 22% of Colombian refugees are registered and accounted for.

“If a refugee is not counted – or is considered ‘vanished’ – it makes it that much more difficult to provide long-term solutions for them,” says Fr. Hyde. “For example, in the four countries we’ve targeted, only registered refugees can legally work, making the registration component critically important. Our goal is to have one hundred percent of students enrolled in the program formalizing their status as registered refugees and then they can begin to build a new life in their new country.”

Fr. Hyde adds that cultural understanding is another aspect of ensuring refugees long-term achievement in their new country.

“We’ve seen that Colombian refugees face high levels of discrimination because of harmful stereotypes. Discrimination affects the refugees’ ability to find jobs, housing and even basic services. The stereotypes also affect the refugees’ sense of self. That’s why we’re including spaces for positive exchanges, as well as conflict mitigation, between Colombian refugees and members of the local host community in the program,” says Fr. Hyde. This includes integrating refugee students with host country students in courses and workshops, vocational training fairs and sports and cultural activities to promote social interaction.

The “New Beginnings” program is designed to meet the goals of the UNHCR/International Organization for Migration/Ministers Foreign Affairs; Colombia, Ecuador Assistance Plan for Colombian Refugees (December 2010), which seeks to support priorities and pilot programs which will advance the sustainable reintegration of Colombians who decide to return home while improving the living conditions of those Colombians who continue to stay abroad by, “promoting their socio-economic inclusion in society with proper access to employment, basic health services, education and housing.”

The most recent Salesian Missions’ “New Beginnings” commenced at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The first program was launched in 2005 in Colombia, with a focus on providing vocational training, job placement, and healthcare assistance to persons displaced by the country’s ongoing civil conflict. Last year an additional New Beginnings project commenced in Tamil Nadu, India, providing vocational skills, human development, and job placement assistance to Sri Lankan refugees. In both India and Colombia, students received and continue to receive training in skill areas ranging from video production to carpentry to wind turbine repair and maintenance.

The Salesians are widely considered the world’s largest provider of technical and vocational training. Salesians around the world operate an extensive network of schools: more than 1,316 elementary; 1,400 intermediary and secondary; 32 colleges and universities; 300 industrial skills trade/vocational; 90 agricultural; 860 nurseries; 220 clinics and hospitals; and 1,670 social assistance centers and programs for orphans and street children.

The post CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: “New Beginnings” Program Expands to Assist Colombian Refugees in Four Countries first appeared on MissionNewswire.

To survive, the family turned to Salesians for food and assistance. In Ecuador, like in more than 130 countries around the globe, the Salesians are a safety net for the poorest members of society — with a special focus on helping vulnerable children and their families.

The article, by Larry Abramson and Marisa Penaloza, reads: “Her house is a concrete cinder block home. She and her husband bought the land from the city about 12 years ago and lived in a cane shack until last year, when the Salesians of Don Bosco, a Roman Catholic order, helped the family build the house.”

The eldest sons, ages 14 and 16, live in a Salesian shelter for boys during the week and come home to their mother on weekends. At the shelter, they attend school, learn life skills and are provided nutritious meals.

The Salesians specialize in teaching vocational skills to young people, so they can learn to care for themselves.

Maribel still has an entrepreneurial spirit and dreams of one day operating a food business from home.

Read the entire NPR story >

The post NPR: Ecuadoran Family Finds Refuge With Salesians first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The report, which was presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council, found that “Agroecological” (or “eco-farming”) projects have led to an average crop yield increase of 80 percent in 57 developing countries. The average increase in Africa is even higher at 116 percent. Ecological agriculture focuses on organic and sustainable practices rather than the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

According to the U.N., as world food prices continue to climb, feeding the world’s population will become increasingly difficult. It estimates that the world, now populated by 6.7 billion people, will expand to 9 billion by 2050.

“We urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques available,” says Olivier De Schutter, U.N. special rappoteur on the right to food and the author of the report. He adds, “Today’s scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live – especially in unfavorable environments.”

The report notes several examples of agroecological projects including one in West Africa. There, stone barriers built alongside fields have slowed down runoff water during the rainy season, allowing an improvement of soil moisture, the replenishment of water tables and reductions in soil erosion.

“Sustainable agriculture practices have the power to transform communities and countries,” says Jaime Correa-Montalvo, director of the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “This report shows the importance of ensuring small farmers are given the support they need through hands-on training on farming systems that promote the adoption of environmentally safe appropriate technologies that are affordable and culturally acceptable.”

Salesian Missions currently operates more than 90 agricultural schools in developing countries around the world.

“Agriculture schools in Ecuador train their students on farming methods with the goal of increasing crop yields,” says Correa-Montalvo, adding that the Paute-Uzhupud and Cayambe Salesian Schools in Ecuador and the Muyurina Agricultural School in the city of Montero in Santa Cruz, Bolivia serve 562; 1,128; and 800 students, respectively.

Correa-Montalvo concludes, “As the spotlight on food and farming techniques grow, we will continue to focus on the sustainable and ecological methods that best serve each individual community.”

Related articles: Opportunity Grows at Agriculture School in Haiti

Sources:

Eco-Farming can double food production in 10 Years, says new UN report

UN expert makes case for ecological farming practices to boost food production

The post UN Report Highlights Importance of Eco-Farming to Feed World’s Hungry first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Agriculture is a critical economic and social activity in Haiti. According to the World Bank, agriculture employs half of the national workforce (including 75 percent of low-income Haitians).

However, the earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, devastated rural areas—as well as urban areas—destroying crops, farm buildings, equipment and infrastructure, says an Oxfam briefing paper on agriculture’s role in Haiti’s reconstruction. The report notes that 600,000 people migrated to the countryside, increasing pressure on an already stretched food supply and depleted resource base. This internal displacement worsened food availability, which affected six out of 10 people even before the disaster.

The Salesian Missions Agricultural School in Cap-Haitien provides sought-after agricultural skills to more than 140 students who will contribute to the rebuilding of Haiti, says Edson Timana, Haiti relief and reconstruction program manager for Salesian Missions.

“Haiti is a country with limited natural resources, and with most of its economy relying on agricultural production and employment, it’s important for the country to promote training in the agricultural sector,” says Timana, who recently visited the agricultural school. “Students were developing their already impressive agricultural skills that would later serve them when they went back to their family’s farm or if they decided to buy their own plot of land and start their own farms.”

On a national scale, greater support to agriculture is crucial to meet Haiti’s developmental goals and help it prepare for future emergencies, according to a statement released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) about agriculture and food security in Haiti one year after the devastating earthquake.

“Poor, vulnerable, agriculture-dependent communities suffer some of the most severe consequences of natural disasters,” says Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO’s senior emergency and rehabilitation coordinator for Haiti. “Agriculture has a critical role to play not only in eliminating hunger and malnutrition, but also in boosting rural incomes, reversing environmental degradation and increasing resilience to future threats.”

In Cap-Haitien, plans for the refurbishment of the Salesian Missions agricultural facilities are in progress, according to Timana. There, he adds, students learn applied and adapted farming methodology to improve crop quantity and quality. The three-year program focuses on students from families with limited economic resources. Currently, the agriculture school serves 145 students – 34 (23 percent) are women and 111 (77 percent) are male. There are also more than 1,000 students receiving primary and secondary education.

Salesian Missions currently operates more than 90 agricultural schools around the world. Timana offers two examples of such programs.

“Agriculture schools in Ecuador train their students on farming methods with the goal of increasing crop yields,” he says, adding that the Paute-Uzhupud and Cayambe Salesian Schools in Ecuador and the Muyurina Agricultural School in the city of Montero in Santa Cruz, Bolivia serve 562; 1,128; and 800 students, respectively.

All of the agricultural programs are unique because they share a commonality—they all focus on the specific needs of each individual community.

The post HAITI: Opportunity Grows at Agricultural School in Haiti first appeared on MissionNewswire.