The Salesian Education and Work Foundation serves more than 700 at-risk youth in primary and secondary school and at the Don Bosco Institute of Technical Training and Management, a technical training institute for older youth. The donated rice-meals are provided to students in school to ensure they receive proper nutrition and a balanced diet in order for them to focus on their studies as well as extracurricular activities such as art, sports and the Salesian Education and Work Foundation’s internationally known orchestra program. Salesian missionaries began the school feeding program to meet the needs of the many area families with limited resources to feed their children.

“Many of those participating in Salesian programs in El Salvador are malnourished,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Meals children receive at Salesian schools may be their only meals. This food not only encourages them to attend school, it allows them to focus on getting the education they need without worrying about where their next meal will come from. Children cannot learn on an empty stomach.”

The ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children has resulted in 40-foot containers of fortified rice-meals being shipped to Salesian sites around the globe. Feed My Starving Children provides the food and Salesian Missions takes care of the cost and logistics of shipping each container from Feed My Starving Children warehouses to the destination country. Salesian Missions also works to help identify where the greatest needs are at any given time. The partnership began in early 2006 when the first 40-foot container was donated to and shipped by Salesian Missions for programs in Sri Lanka. Through the years, as Salesian Missions has determined beneficiaries in need of Feed My Starving Children food, almost 100 containers of more than 27 million meals have been donated, shipped and received by those in need in more than 25 countries.

“Salesian missionaries are an integral part of the existing infrastructure in many countries and Salesian Missions plays an important role in making sure aid from the United States reaches its destination country and gets into the hands of those who need it most,” adds. Fr Hyde. “Youth who access Salesian programs in El Salvador are given an educational foundation, technical skill training and life and social skills to help them excel in the workforce. They are then able to break the cycle of poverty and become contributing members of their communities.”

Close to 35 percent of El Salvador’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. Youth in El Salvador are confronted not only with poverty, but with instability, high levels of violence and inadequate access to educational opportunities. Despite ranking high for economic indicators, the need for practical education in the country is more important than ever with 12 percent of youth ages 15-24 unemployed and 41 percent underemployed.

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014 when compared to the same time the year prior. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of family and belonging that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

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Sources:

Salesian Education and Work Foundation

World Bank – El Salvador 

The post EL SALVADOR: Rice-Meal Donation Helps to Provide Better Nutrition for Students and the Elderly first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Started in 2013 through a $1 million grant from the Social Fund for the Development of Japan and administered by the World Bank, the orchestra was begun as a way to address the rising rates of youth violence in San Salvador, El Salvador and has since become a vital resource for youth living in the area. Close to 1,000 young people who live in violent, gang-infested, crime-ridden areas of San Salvador have turned to the Don Bosco Youth Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus as an alternative to becoming involved in local conflict and violence.

Salesian Father José Moratalla, known as Father Pepe, runs the orchestra program and is president of the Salesian Education and Work Foundation. Originally from Spain, Father Pepe has worked in El Salvador for the past 30 years. Bryan Cea, the 25 year old orchestra director, has had a similar experience to most of his students having grown up in the local area surrounded by poverty and violence. For many of the students, joining the Don Bosco Youth Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus was their first opportunity to pick up a musical instrument or have music lessons.

There are 470 students from various public schools in San Salvador taking part in the music program (220 in the symphony orchestra and 250 in the chorus), ranging in age from 8 to 20 years. Existing school rivalries and conflicts are left behind when they enter the program which is operated out of the Don Bosco Industrial Polygon complex in San Salvador. Unity and a sense of cooperation prevail as geographic and other differences are put aside and the young musicians live and work together peacefully.

“These kids come from 60 public schools in high-risk areas that are sometimes separated by rivalries and competition and by the sad reality of our gangs, but in this endeavor we are one,” said Fr. Moratalla in the NBC news story. “When we put a musical instrument in human hands, and one can see how you can express feelings through it, a child changes both inside and out. They find the hidden treasure they didn’t know they had, they have a sense of security, their self-confidence grows, their personality matures and they all have big smiles. All because of a musical instrument.”

Because of the cost of travel and U.S. visas, only 130 students out of the 470 member ensemble were able to participate in the concert tour. The group spent time fundraising prior to the trip and stayed with local families to save money during their stay. They will continue to fundraise afterwards to pay for any additional costs.

“Our mission at the World Bank is to eliminate poverty, and we look at the obstacles to eliminating poverty including crime and violence, which go hand in hand,” said Humberto López, director for Central American programs at the World Bank in the NBC news article. “With high rates of crime and violence, obviously there won’t be economic growth, and without economic growth you don’t have the kinds of jobs that give these kids an opportunity for a good future. This is a program to counteract the temptations of the streets that lead to crime and violence. And their musical talent is unparalleled.”

The orchestra has a standing invitation to tour and perform in California next year and plans are underway for a European tour as well. The hope is to be able to bring all members of the ensemble on future tours.

Close to 35 percent of El Salvador’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. Youth in El Salvador are confronted not only with poverty, but with instability, high levels of violence and inadequate access to educational opportunities. Despite ranking high for economic indicators, the need for practical education in El Salvador is more important than ever with 12 percent of youth ages 15-24 unemployed and 41 percent underemployed.

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America, along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014 when compared to the same time period the year before. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of belonging and a sense of family that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

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Sources:

ANS – United States of America – Don Bosco Youth Symphonic Orchestra from San Salvador wins over Washington

NBC News – Music Frees El Salvador’s Children From the Country’s Violence

The post EL SALVADOR: The Don Bosco Youth Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus Performs in Washington, D.C. on Its First North American Tour first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Close to 35 percent of El Salvador’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. Youth in the country are confronted not only with poverty, but with instability, high levels of violence and inadequate access to educational opportunities. Despite ranking high for economic indicators, the need for practical education is more important than ever with 12 percent of youth ages 15-24 unemployed and 41 percent underemployed.

Don Bosco University provides opportunities for advanced education and employment for disadvantaged youth in El Salvador. Approximately 6,000 students are enrolled at the University which maintains a strong link to the local employment sector through research, technology transfer programs, continuing education courses and consultancy services. Degree programs include engineering, social sciences, humanities, economics, technology and aeronautics.

The donation by IRN provides seating for two new auditoriums, one seating 175 people and the other 100. Once completed, the auditoriums will have new floors, new glass doors and windows, new ceilings, a fresh coat of paint on the walls and air conditioners. The space will be utilized for classes and events. The University has received donated items from IRN in the past, including a shipment of new school and office furniture last year that improved working and learning environments for students and faculty.

In addition to these donations, Salesian programs around the globe have received school and office furniture as well as workstations thanks to the partnership between Salesian Missions and IRN. Since the partnership began in 2012, shipments have been sent to Salesian sites in Haiti, the Philippines, Liberia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Togo, Burundi, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.

“IRN donations have furnished Salesian schools and development offices in Central America, South America, Africa and Asia,” explains Jessica O’Connor, international development programs officer for Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We plan to continue working with IRN because they are a reliable partner who is eager to assist in our mission and provide quality donations to our programs.”

The Institution Recycling Network was founded in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every educational, commercial and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

Salesian missionaries are known for their education programs for youth around the globe. With countless elementary, secondary and university level educational centers as well as training and certification programs, Salesian programs are helping to provide a direct path out of poverty for many youth and their families. Programs rely on donations such as those provided by IRN to keep facilities functional for students and staff.

“There is a clear match between Salesian Missions’ need for furniture and equipment for their worldwide projects and the supplies of surplus to which IRN has access,” says Mark Lennon, principal of the Institution Recycling Network.

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Sources:

Don Bosco University El Salvador

World Bank – El Salvador

Institution Recycling Network

The post EL SALVADOR: Don Bosco University is Creating New Auditorium Space Thanks to Donation from Institution Recycling Network first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Close to 35 percent of El Salvador’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. Youth in the country are confronted not only with poverty but with instability, high levels of violence and inadequate access to educational opportunities. Despite ranking high for economic indicators, the need for practical education is more important than ever with 12 percent of youth ages 15-24 unemployed and 41 percent underemployed.

Recently, the University’s biomedical engineering program received recognition and five-year accreditation by the Central American Accreditation Agency for Architecture and Engineering. The program is recognized for its academic standards and was evaluated for its curriculum, process of teaching and learning, research and technological advances and the physical and technological infrastructure that integrates the practical skills of students and specialized teachers.

“Don Bosco University was the first university accredited at a national level that is part of the worldwide Salesian University Network,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “By offering a biomedical engineering program, Don Bosco University brings advanced educational and employment opportunities to vulnerable youth which in turn prepares them for participation in the country’s continued economic development.”

The University is the only institution of higher education in El Salvador that offers a biomedical engineering program which trains professionals in the design, analysis and management of the technologies and systems that contribute, from an engineering perspective, to the improvement of medical applications. To date, 191 students have graduated as biomedical engineers and many have already distinguished themselves in El Salvador and abroad.

Almost all of the graduates of the program either go on to acquire masters degrees or PhDs or are employed directly in the biomedical engineering sectors. Twenty of the University’s graduates are professionals employed in cutting-edge biomedical companies in the United States and Europe. More than 65 percent of graduates are working in the private health sector. Others are serving as consultants for the acquisition of medical technologies or developing business management technologies.

“The program at Don Bosco University has been successful in providing the education and skills necessary to help its graduates either directly enter the workforce or continue on for advanced degrees,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The accreditation and continued recognition helps support the University’s main objective to provide educational programs that increase the professional skills of its students while contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.”

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014 when compared to the same time last year. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of belonging and family that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

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Sources:

ANS – El Salvador – Biomedical Engineering at UDB receives second international accreditation

World Bank – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: Don Bosco University Biomedical Engineering Program Receives Recognition for Excellence in Academics first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Close to 35 percent of El Salvador’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. Youth in the country are confronted not only with poverty, but with instability, high levels of violence and inadequate access to educational opportunities. Despite ranking high for economic indicators, the need for practical education is more important than ever with 12 percent of youth ages 15-24 unemployed and 41 percent underemployed.

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America, along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014, when compared to the same time last year. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of belonging and a sense of family that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

Don Bosco University is working to provide opportunities for advanced education and employment for disadvantaged youth in El Salvador. The university offers degrees in engineering, social sciences, humanities, economics, technology and aeronautics, among others. The donated furniture, shipped late last year in preparation for a new faculty building, was installed in October. The furniture will help provide students and faculty a better working and learning environment.

In addition to this donation, Salesian programs around the globe have received school and office furniture as well as workstations thanks to the partnership between Salesian Missions and IRN. In recent months, IRN has sent shipments of furniture and workstations to Salesian sites in Haiti, the Philippines, Liberia and the Dominican Republic. Additional shipments have been sent to Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Togo.

“IRN donations have furnished Salesian schools and development offices in Central America, South America, Africa and Asia,” explains Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer for Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We plan to continue working with IRN because they are a reliable partner who is eager to assist in our mission and provide quality donations to our programs.”

Salesians are known for their education programs for youth around the globe. With countless elementary, secondary and university level educational centers as well as training and certification programs, Salesians are helping to provide a direct path out of poverty for many youth and their families. Programs rely on donations such as those provided by IRN to keep facilities functional for students and staff.

The Institution Recycling Network was started in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every educational, commercial and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

“There is a clear match between Salesian Missions’ need for furniture and equipment for their worldwide projects, and the supplies of surplus to which IRN has access,” says Mark Lennon, principal of the Institution Recycling Network. “Salesian Missions has been an excellent partner.”

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Sources:

Don Bosco University El Salvador

World Bank – El Salvador

Institution Recycling Network

The post EL SALVADOR: University Students, Faculty Benefit from Furniture Donated by Institution Recycling Network first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Nicaragua is one of the least developed and poorest countries in Latin America, second only to Haiti, with more than 42 percent of its residents living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Poverty, although declining steadily in recent years, remains high. More than 80 percent of Nicaragua’s poor live in remote rural communities where access to basic services is a daily challenge.

After decades of political instability and vulnerability to natural hazards, the country has achieved a remarkable economic turnaround and is now focusing on innovative ways of reducing poverty. However, years of widespread poverty have taken their toll and many residents suffer from poor health conditions including HIV/AIDS. In addition, crime, violence against women, gang violence and high unemployment result in challenging economic and social conditions, particularly for young people and women.

The Mary Help of Christians Elementary School provides pre-kindergarten through grade 8 education for poor youth. Close to 500 elementary school students and their teachers benefited from a donation of three 40 foot containers of new furniture. The new furniture will be used in classrooms, administrative offices and at the school’s feeding program.

Education has proven to be an effective means of breaking the cycle of poverty while giving the most vulnerable youth a sense of personal dignity and self-worth. Elementary and secondary education lays the foundation for early learning. The donated desks and chairs help to provide a more dignified and organized educational environment for students to complete their studies. As a result, students are often more focused on their classroom work and more prepared for their lessons.

“The children now have comfortable tables and chairs to use and are very happy with the improvement to their classrooms,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The furniture has contributed greatly to their learning environment and classroom discipline and has brought a smile to the faces of many of the young students. This donation has been a great contribution to the school.”

Salesian Missions’ partnership with GRRO International has provided valuable furniture, including desks, bookshelves, workstations, chairs, whiteboards, filing cabinets, and more to equip Salesian classrooms, offices and administrative buildings. In addition to this most recent donation, the partnership has made furniture donations possible at Salesian programs in Paraguay and El Salvador.

“There was a clear match between the needs of Salesian-run programs and schools and the supplies of surplus furniture to which GRRO International has access. We appreciate their partnership and their help providing for Salesian schools in need,” adds Fr. Hyde.

GRRO International, based in Beverly, Massachusetts, partners with hundreds of U.S. and global recipient organizations, providing sustainable and responsible reuse programs to a wide variety of clients nationwide. The environmentally-sound, socially conscious and fiscally beneficial programs assist in the redistribution of millions of pounds of no longer needed assets.

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Sources

GRRO International

World Bank – Nicaragua 

The post NICARAGUA: Hundreds of Elementary Students Benefit from School Furniture Donation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America, along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014 when compared to the same time last year. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of family and belonging that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

The Don Bosco Integrated Education Youth Program, operated by the Salesian Savior of the World Foundation, recently celebrated 10 years of service providing education and social development services to at-risk children and adolescents. The program was established in San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital city, and primarily services youth from the neighborhoods of San Miguel, Santa Ana and Soyapango.

Participating students are enrolled in educational programs that complement the formal education system in El Salvador. To date, 55,743 youth from 120 schools have participated in activities. Included in the program is access to a center for youth in need of extra family support, a school of the arts which includes a music club and chamber orchestra, a school of theater and painting and a sports center. The goal is to help youth apply skills they learn at school in a community setting. The different educational programs teach leadership and problem solving skills as well as communication and teamwork, which help to prevent violence.

“Teaching our youth to be leaders is important for their personal development and their communities,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Youth learn leadership skills and then apply them in the real world, helping to shape their environments and give back to the communities they grew up in.”

The program also provides management and mediation training and assists youth in finding and retaining employment or starting their own business venture. These tools provide an alternative to life on the streets, criminal activity and gang violence. Students find opportunities available to them and connect with adults who serve as mentors, helping them achieve their goals and dreams.

“Education is a path out of poverty,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Youth who access Salesian programs are given an educational foundation, skill training and life and social skills to help them excel in the workforce. They are then able to break the cycle of poverty and become contributing members of their communities.”

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Sources:

ANS – El Salvador – Don Bosco Integrated Education Youth Programme celebrates 10 years

Reuters – Murders in El Salvador spike to record high for May

World Bank – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: More Than 55,000 Students Provided Education and Leadership Training at Don Bosco Integrated Education Youth Program first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The El Niño weather cycle has caused a prolonged heat wave in what otherwise would be Central America’s rainy season, killing thousands of cattle and drying up crops across the region. Farmers growing peas, green beans and broccoli estimate that they will lose up to 40 percent of their crops this year. In addition, almost 80 percent of corn and beans, staples of the Guatemalan diet, are anticipated to wither on the stalk this season leaving little to be harvested.

The drought has also affected parts of Honduras and El Salvador. Close to 2.8 million people in Central America will need food assistance due to the combined impact of severe drought, the Coffee Rust plague and a spike in food prices, according to the World Food Program.

“They are subsistence farmers and day-to-day laborers who are in a critical situation due to the combination of three factors,” said Miguel Barreto, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Food Program, in a recent article about the drought. “First, they lost their subsistence crops, mostly beans and maize, to the drought. Second, due to the outbreak of the Coffee Rust plague in 2012, coffee production dropped and so did the demand for jobs and the families’ income. And finally, a shortage of beans and maize has caused a rise in food prices in all countries.”

“Some families resort to dangerous survival tactics, such as skipping or reducing the size of meals. Others simply stop sending their children to school to save money. Others send the head of households to Mexico or the United States to find jobs,” added Barreto in the same article.

Because of the drought and food shortages, an estimated 500,000 children under the age of five are at imminent risk of starvation which is devastating in a country that already struggles with chronic undernutrition. According to World Food Program, the chronic undernutrition rate for children under five is 49.8 percent, the highest in the region and the fourth highest in the world.

Salesian missionaries already working and living in Guatemalan communities are perfectly positioned to respond to the crisis. Missionaries in the municipalities of Alta Verapaz, Peten and Quetzaltenango are mobilizing to assist more than 130,000 people in desperate need of food aid and other basic assistance.

“Salesians are on the ground already working with local populations so the response to emergencies like this is usually very quick,” explains Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “Because of our existing infrastructure, our partners trust us to be able to get supplies to people in need.”

Emergency situations aside, Salesians have been providing ongoing assistance and education to poor youth and their families in Guatemala for many years through Salesian youth centers, primary and secondary schools and programs for indigenous populations throughout the country.

“Salesian programs are flexible and adaptable to the communities and countries we serve,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Communities have different needs and we help as we can, all the while working to help people break the cycle of poverty and lead productive, healthy lives.”

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Sources

Salesian Missions – Guatemala

World Food Programs – Central America Battles Impact Of Drought And Coffee Rust

The post GUATEMALA: Salesian Missionaries are Mobilizing to Assist More Than 130,000 People in Desperate Need of Food Aid Due to Recent Drought first appeared on MissionNewswire.

As reported by the Pew Research Center, the DHS report details, “For example, many Guatemalan children come from rural areas, indicating they are probably seeking economic opportunities in the U.S. Salvadoran and Honduran children, on the other hand, come from extremely violent regions where they probably perceive the risk of traveling alone to the U.S. preferable to remaining at home.”

Poverty is also a primary factor as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are among the poorest nations in Latin America with Honduras having 30 percent, Guatemala, 26 percent and El Salvador, 17 percent of people living in poverty on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank.

To meet the needs of youth who have fled their Central American homes alone to make their way to Mexico, Salesian missionaries already working in border towns in Mexico such as Tijuana, Mexicali, Nogales, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Acuña and Nuevo Laredo (among others), are responding with emergency shelter, food and other assistance. The journey these young people take from their Central American communities into these Mexican towns is fraught with danger. Many youth have died or have become seriously injured along the trip and others, faced with little food and water along the way, have fallen prey to theft, sex traffickers and other violence.

Once youth reach the border towns, Salesians there provide the essential first step of meeting their basic needs and offering them a safe place to stay. After settling into Salesian shelters, youth can access other Salesian services such as structured recreation and social activities that provide a way for them to bond with their peers and develop additional interests and skills.

“We reach out to them to provide a home, a school, a parish and a place where youth can meet and share as friends,” says Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez, S.D.B., Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. “Our goal is to address their essential needs.”

For decades, Salesian missionaries have been working throughout Central America on behalf of impoverished youth to tackle the root problems that have caused so many of them to flee. Much of this work focuses on improving economic opportunity through education and workforce development, teaching youth the skills necessary to find and retain long-term employment and become contributing members of their communities.

A cross with a kite attached to it marks where a child died tried to make it into the United States by crossing the Rio Grande in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The river is lined with similar heart-breaking memorials to lost children.

In San Salvador, El Salvador, the Don Bosco Worker Technical Institute offers free education and job training to marginalized youth at risk of joining gangs. As an alternative to criminal activity, more than 400 students pursue training in electricity, mechanics, carpentry, welding and tailoring.

“We cannot change the culture of violence and drugs — the same culture that so many youth migrants are fleeing — with an iron fist,” says Father Jose Moratalla, S.D.B., director of the institute. “Instead, we must use education to produce a new generation of entrepreneurs who can respond positively to the challenges and needs of their country.”

In Guatemala, Salesian missionaries are leading a broad and intensive educational effort that is training hundreds of teachers. In rural mountain villages throughout the country, 835 local students are enrolled in a three-year teacher training course. Upon receiving their certification, the new teachers will serve as many as 600 villages.

“Since this program was initiated, the number of schools in the Alta Verapaz region has doubled,” says Father Tony DeGroot, S.D.B., who founded the initiative. “Now, children who were previously destined to be trapped by a lifetime of illiteracy can see the path to a productive future.”

In Honduras, Salesian missionaries have been working for more than 100 years operating schools, youth centers and medical clinics to help support and educate impoverished youth and their families. In a country where one in four residents struggles with chronic malnutrition, food assistance plays a critical role in as many Salesian-run programs as possible.

“While the recent surge of unaccompanied minors traveling to the U.S. has drawn the nation’s attention to the daily horrors these children face — rampant gang-related violence, brutal murders and devastating poverty — the reality is that these conditions have existed in Central America for a very long time,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Any resolution to this complex situation demands a multi-dimensional response, one that upholds our moral obligation to the children who have already arrived, and one that works to effect systemic, sustainable change on behalf of those who remain in their home countries.”

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Sources:

Pew Research Center – DHS: Violence, poverty, is driving children to flee Central America to U.S.

Salesian Missions – Hope for Central American Child Migrant Crisis

The post CENTRAL AMERICA: Salesian Missionaries Assist Youth Fleeing Poverty, Violence by Focusing on Prevention first appeared on MissionNewswire.

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America, along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014, when compared to the same time last year. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of belonging and a sense of family that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

To address the rising rates of youth violence, close to 1,000 youth who live in violent, crime-ridden areas of El Salvador have turned to the Don Bosco Youth Symphonic Orchestra as an alternative to becoming involved in the conflict and violence. The orchestra started last year in San Salvador, the country’s capital, and is financed by a $1 million grant from the Social Fund for the Development of Japan, administered by the World Bank.

Salesian Father Jose Maria Moratalla Escudero, known as Father Pepe, runs the orchestra and is president of the Salvadoran Education and Work Foundation. Bryan Cea, the 25 year old orchestra director, has had a similar experience to most of his students, growing up in the local area surrounded by poverty and violence.

Youth in the orchestra range in age from 8 to 20 and are students at various public schools in San Salvador. About 470 youth take part in the music program, with 220 of them in the symphony orchestra and 250 in the choir.

Existing school rivalries and conflicts are left behind when students enter the orchestra program located at Don Bosco Industrial Polygon. Unity and a sense of cooperation prevail as geographic and other differences are put aside and the young people live and work together peacefully.

The orchestra has become very important to San Salvador and its surrounding communities as a peaceful learning alternative for youth who have grown accustomed to violence.

“So this music project is fantastic because it keeps kids occupied all day long. First during school hours and later during their free time, giving them the chance to freely be in an environment where they can get the kind of music classes that most interest them,” said Fr. Pepe in a recent Catholic News Agency article about the program.

According to the same Catholic News Agency article, youth in the program explain that the orchestra has kept them away from violence. Carlos Palma (20), a violinist, notes that projects like this help the country and allow him to grow from a cultural point of view. Madelin Morales (15), a flautist, says that being part of the orchestra has helped her a lot because she has made great strides in her studies and has gained a better perspective on life.

The orchestra program continues to grow. Instructors at a conservatory in Spain are in communication with the program about coming to El Salvador to offer training to new instructors. In November of this year, the symphonic orchestra is scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C. to perform in concerts at the Kennedy Center and other venues. The orchestra is also planning on writing, composing and performing an ambitious musical with close to 3,000 actors.

“Let’s say it’s a gigantic explosion of a vitality that seemed to be dormant in the children, teens and young people of El Salvador and that, thanks to this project, is being awakened,” adds Fr. Pepe in the Catholic News Agency article.

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Sources

ANS – El Salvador – Children and young people fighting violence with music

Catholic News Agency – El Salvador youth saved from violence by music

Reuters – Murders in El Salvador spike to record high for May

World Bank – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: Don Bosco Symphony Orchestra Provides Learning Environment As Alternative to Violence on the Streets first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which is widely considered the largest private provider of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth in some of the poorest places on the planet by providing access to educational opportunities that match the local workforce development needs. This work directly impacts that areas of need identified by Secretary U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“I believe employment and decent work, particularly for young people, are the backbone of development. Yet we are facing a great test of our time—an epidemic of youth unemployment. In countries rich and poor, unemployment rates for young people are many times those of adults—and, of course, joblessness is the tip of the iceberg.”

In remarks to the UN International Labor Organizations in Geneva, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon urged governments as well as trade unions, employers’ organizations and the private sector at large to invest more in youth employment initiatives and engage with youth-led organizations. He also called for organizations to empower youth to obtain the skills necessary for employment and stressed the need for more gender equality in the workforce.

Working in more than 130 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries focus on education and workforce development at more than 850 Salesian-run vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools and programs. Youth are given the practical skills to prepare for meaningful employment while learning how to lead productive lives and become contributing adults in their communities.

In response to the UN Secretary General’s call-to-action, Salesian Missions has highlighted some of its programs dedicated to youth workforce development.

EL SALVADOR 

Salesian-run Don Bosco University in San Salvador, El Salvador, made significant strides in its aircraft maintenance program. For the first time in the company’s history, FedEx donated a Boeing 727 aircraft to the university last July. The donated plane is providing hands-on training tool for hundreds of aviation students at Don Bosco University. Students will have the opportunity to take skills learned in the classroom and apply them while learning about the mechanical aspects of large aircraft. Don Bosco University has also has entered into a cooperative agreement with Broward College in Davie, Florida that will further the aviation program at the university.

INDIA

Located in eastern India, the Don Bosco Self Employment Research Institute in West Bengal is helping poor youth break the cycle of poverty by educating and rehabilitating school dropouts and providing them with access to livable wage employment and self-employment opportunities.

The Institute offers several vocational training programs including electrical house wiring, fabrication and welding, garment making, refrigeration and air conditioning, construction and information and communication technology. These programs are offered to both new students and those who have been working in their trades for years but have never received a formal education. Many are in need of updated training and additional certification in order to receive promotions or advance their own businesses.

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. Girls 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 educational programs train young women in the skills necessary to find and retain employment. As part of their rehabilitation at the Girls Shelter, the young women take coursework in hotel management, hairdressing and tailoring. The training helps to empower them to overcome the discrimination they have faced and gain a greater awareness of their rights. It also helps to build character while allowing the young women the freedom to make decisions that affect their lives, improve their health and boost their work prospects.

SUDAN

To meet the needs of the millions of out-of-school youth, Salesians in the Sudan are working to educate poor youth and provide them a path out of poverty. The Salesian-run Don Bosco Technical School in El Obeid, the capital of the state of North Kordofan in southern Sudan, has been providing services and educational opportunities for poor youth since 2001. Since its inception, more than 1000 youth have received education, training and workforce development services. Don Bosco Technical School offers a variety of programs to best meet the needs of the youth it serves. Soon after the school opened, one-year intensive training programs began in auto mechanics, general mechanics, welding, electricity, building, carpentry and plumbing. These programs trained students to become qualified professionals, ready to join the workforce. And with career counseling and job placement services provided once students complete their studies, close to 70 percent of the more than 600 graduates of these programs have found stable employment in their chosen fields.

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Sources:

UN – Ban urges greater investment to tackle global epidemic of youth unemployment

UN – Weak global economy strangling job employment creation, UN reports

The post GLOBAL: Salesian Missions Responds to UN Statement On Importance of Youth Workforce Development first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Those living in rural areas make up close to 75 percent of the country’s poor and the World Bank classifies Liberia as a low-income, food-deficit country, reporting that half of the population is food-insecure or highly vulnerable to food insecurity. Orphans, street children and adolescent ex-combatants often find themselves on their own facing adult responsibilities with little support and no education.

Salesians have been working in Liberia since starting a vocational institute there in 1979. Since then, Salesians in the country have been developing programs with a focus on providing youth with the education and skills necessary to transform their lives and their country.

Recently, Salesian-run Don Bosco Technical High School and Mary Help of Christians Catholic High School, both located in the capital city of Monrovia, received desks, chairs and other furniture thanks to an ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and the Institution Recycling Network (IRN). More than 1000 students at both schools benefited from the new furniture in their classrooms, libraries, laboratories and school offices.

“The children have comfortable tables and chairs to use and students, especially those in the elementary grades, are very happy with the improvement,” says Father Sony Joseph Pottenplackal, rector and principal of Don Bosco Technical High School. “The furniture has contributed greatly to their discipline and learning environment, and has brought a smile to the faces of many of the young students. This has been a great contribution to the school.”

Desks and chairs help to provide a more dignified and organized educational environment for students to complete their studies. As a result, students are often more focused on their classroom work and more prepared for their lessons.

Salesian Missions’ partnership with IRN has provided valuable furniture to equip Salesian classrooms, offices and administrative buildings around the world, including desks, bookshelves, workstations, chairs, whiteboards, filing cabinets, auditorium seating and more.

“There was a clear match between Salesian Missions’ need for furniture and equipment for their worldwide projects, and the supplies of surplus to which IRN has access,” says Mark Lennon, principal of the Institution Recycling Network. “Salesian Missions has been an excellent partner.”

The Institution Recycling Network was started in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every education, commercial, and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment they need to get rid of. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

IRN partners with nonprofits who are known to be reputable and effective providers of relief and development assistance, and who are able to use the types of surplus that IRN can provide. The organization has a “wish list” from each of its nonprofit partners of the types and quantities of surplus they can use.

In addition to the donation in Liberia, IRN has sent shipments of furniture and workstations to Salesian sites in Haiti, Guatemala, the Philippines, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Togo as well as other sites around the globe.

“IRN donations have furnished Salesian schools and development offices in Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia,” explains Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer for Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We plan to continue working with IRN because they are a reliable partner who is eager to assist in our mission and provide quality donations to our programs.”

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Sources

Salesian Missions – Liberia

World Bank – Liberia

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Last year, the Salesian-run Don Bosco University in San Salvador, El Salvador, made significant strides in its aircraft maintenance program. For the first time in the company’s history, FedEx donated a Boeing 727 aircraft to the university. The donation of the plane was coordinated with help from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The donated plane will serve as a hands-on training tool for hundreds of aviation students at Don Bosco University. Students will have the opportunity to take skills learned in the classroom and apply them while learning about the mechanical aspects of large aircraft.

More recently, Don Bosco University has entered into a cooperative agreement with Broward College in Davie, Florida that will further the aviation program at the university. The agreement brings two professors at Broward College, Emilio Lizarraga and Tomás Garrido, both international experts in avionics, to Don Bosco University to aid in the setting up of both theoretical and practical lesson plans to help in program development for the maintenance, servicing and storage of the Boeing 727. In addition, the professors are training 12 individuals, including teachers at the university and staff of the AEROMAN Company and of the El Salvador Air Force, to assist them in familiarizing themselves with the aircraft.

“We want to train the teachers and staff on the ground and to adjust the equipment and everything that is needed for the aircraft to be used for teaching”, said Edgardo Cruz Zeledon, director of the aeronautics department at Don Bosco University.

This initial training is part of a five year agreement which will help broaden the scope and expertise of both higher learning institutions. It is anticipated that Salesian staff will also visit Broward College and there is the potential for an ongoing international student exchange program. Professor Lizarraga noted the benefits for both, adding that one of the biggest challenges for the aeronautics sector is that it requires significant financial backing to cover the expense of spare parts, tools and the support needed to run the programs. The cooperation between the schools allows for the program to be more financially feasible.

Once fully operational, Don Bosco University’s airplane school will benefit more than 300 poor youth enrolled in the course for aircraft maintenance, as well as students in mechanical engineering, mechanical electronics and automation.

Since 2005, Don Bosco University has been recognized by the Civil Aviation Authority in El Salvador as a Center for Aeronautical Maintenance. The university offers expert educational programs and has been at the forefront in training for aircraft maintenance. The university has been known for technological innovation in these programs and hands-on training in highly specialized laboratories. Courses are also offered in propulsion, avionics, instrumentation and physics.

By teaching skills such as aircraft maintenance, mechanics, electronics and engineering, Don Bosco University offers advanced educational and employment opportunities for vulnerable youth, which in turn prepares students for participation in their country’s continued economic development. The newly donated FedEx plane and cooperative agreement with Broward College will further support the university’s goals.

“Sooner or later, in the course of vocational education, students need to stop studying and get their hands dirty,” says Adam Rudin, manager of the Salesian Lay Missioners program at Salesian Missions. Rudin had traveled to El Salvador to represent Salesian Missions when the plane was delivered last June. “Thanks to FedEx and Broward College, hundreds of students at Don Bosco University now have the opportunity to practice what they have been taught.”

See related article:

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Sources:

ANS – El Salvador – Visit of Aviation Experts from Broward College

Salesian Missions – EL SALVADOR: FedEx Donates 727 to Salesian University Where At-Risk Youth Learn Aviation Mechanics

World Bank – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: New Partnershp with Broward College Help Provide Training to Salesian Aeronautics Teaching Staff first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the World Bank, close to 35 percent of El Salvador residents live in poverty. Youth without access to educational opportunities are particularly vulnerable to poverty, instability and high levels of violence. Salesians working and teaching in El Salvador are empowering youth to create their own opportunities for success now and later in life. And thanks to the fortified rice meal donation, youth who might not otherwise have access to proper nutrition are better able to focus on their studies.

“The partnership with Stop Hunger Now allows Salesian Missions to expand its scope of services to youth in need,” says Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Operating feeding programs for youth in Salesian schools whose families cannot afford to feed them is very important and integral to the success of our students and their ability to gain an education.”

The primary recipients of the donation were programs created at the Polígono Industrial Don Bosco, a business complex in San Salvador, that provides preschool and technical education, services for indigenous populations and seniors and feeding programs that assist those with scarce economic resources.

“Many of those participating in Salesian programs in El Salvador are malnourished,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “When there is better access to nutrition, they are better prepared to take part in educational programs and other services being offered.”

Serving at-risk youth from low-income families, Polígono Industrial Don Bosco has helped mainstream former street children, gang members and juvenile offenders by giving them an education and additional assistance so they are able to find and retain employment.

More than 200 youth were provided the fortified rice meals through the Miguel Magone and Laura Vicuña Program, a residential internship program at the complex. In the month following the donation, teachers noticed a significant change in their students noting that they were better able to focus in their classes and were more animated and engaged during class discussion.

“Access to nutritious meals allows youth to be better prepared to take part in school activities and focus on their education,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Prepared students are more likely to learn valuable skills that will help them gain employment, break the cycle of poverty in their lives and enable them to give back to their communities.”

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Photo courtesy of Stop Hunger Now

Sources:

Salesian Missions – El Salvador Programs

World Bank – El Salvador Poverty

The post EL SALVADOR: Youth Receive Better Access to Nutrition Thanks to Salesian Missions’ Partnership with Stop Hunger Now first appeared on MissionNewswire.

For the first time in the company’s history, FedEx has donated a Boeing 727 aircraft to a university in Central America. The Salesian-run Don Bosco University in San Salvador, El Salvador, was selected as the recipient and the donation of the plane was coordinated with help from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The Salesians are widely considered the world’s largest private provider of vocational training, including training in highly skilled trades such as aviation mechanics.

The plane will serve as a hands-on training tool for hundreds of aviation students in El Salvador. Students have the opportunity to take skills learned in the classroom and apply them while learning about the mechanical aspects of large aircraft.

“FedEx 727 freighters, once the backbone of FedEx’s domestic fleet, have been retired and replaced with Boeing 757s,” says David Sutton of FedEx Express Aircraft Acquisitions and Sales. “Donating these retired aircraft provides the critical hands-on training on large aircraft that is important to the skill set of the next generation of aircraft technicians.”

FedEx has donated 74 727s to aviation schools, colleges and local community airports and fire departments for training purposes. The donation to Don Bosco University is the company’s first in Central America and one of several donated internationally.

Sutton notes that over the next two decades the aviation industry estimates a need for more than 600,000 new aircraft maintenance technicians. The positions will provide attractive salaries to students wanting to pursue an aviation career and training tools, such as the 727, are essential to fostering interest in the aviation profession.

Practical education, like aviation mechanics, is more important now than ever for El Salvadoran youth. While the country ranks high for economic indicators, 12 percent of youth ages 15-24 are unemployed, and 41 percent are underemployed. A chronic lack of opportunity can cause frustration and disenchantment among young men and women who all too easily get involved in gangs and other damaging activities.

By teaching skills such as aircraft maintenance, mechanics, electronics and engineering, Don Bosco University offers advanced educational and employment opportunities for vulnerable youth, which in turn prepares students for participation in their country’s continued economic development. The newly donated FedEx plane will further support the university’s goal.

“Sooner or later, in the course of vocational education, students need to stop studying and get their hands dirty.” says Adam Rudin, director of the Salesian Lay Missioners program at Salesian Missions. Rudin traveled to El Salvador to represent Salesian Missions when the plane was delivered in late June. “Thanks to FedEx, hundreds of students at Don Bosco University now have the opportunity to practice what they have been taught.”

Don Bosco University was the first university accredited at a national level and is part of the worldwide Salesian University Network. It has a student body of approximately 6,000 students and maintains a strong link with the productive sector through technology transfer programs, continuous education courses, consultancy services for companies and research. Since 2005, Don Bosco University has been offering an aviation maintenance technician program which is a certificate program with international regulations that maintains strong linkages with enterprises and institutions like Aeroman and the Salvadoran Air Force.

“This aircraft will allow the development of specialized practices for our students in aviation maintenance and other areas, such as mechatronics, automation, electronics and mechanics,” says Federico Huguet, president of the University Don Bosco. “Access to this technology will contribute to the holistic development of our students, ensuring better technical preparation in their University training. With this donation, FedEx is transforming the teaching of aeronautics in El Salvador and certainly in Central America.”

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Sources:

ANS – El Salvador – A Boeing 727 for the Don Bosco University

World Bank – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: FedEx Donates 727 to Salesian University Where At-Risk Youth Learn Aviation Mechanics first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“IRN donations have furnished Salesian schools and development offices in Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia,” explains Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer for Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We plan to continue working with IRN because they are a reliable partner who is eager to assist in our mission and provide quality donations to our programs.”

The Salesians are known for their education programs for youth around the globe. With countless elementary, secondary and university level educational centers as well as youth training and certification programs, the Salesians help to provide a direct path out of poverty for many youth and their families. Programs rely on donations such as those provided by IRN to keep facilities functional for students and staff.

The Institution Recycling Network was started in 1999 to match surplus items that need to be recycled with organizations and people who need them. Every education, commercial, and healthcare organization in the U.S. has surplus furniture and equipment they need to get rid of. Hundreds of millions of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters worldwide are in desperate need of the kinds of surplus goods these very organizations are discarding. IRN makes the match and facilitates the distribution of the surplus into the hands of the organizations and people who need it most.

“There was a clear match between Salesian Missions’ need for furniture and equipment for their worldwide projects, and the supplies of surplus to which IRN has access,” says Mark Lennon, principal of the Institution Recycling Network. “Salesian Missions has been an excellent partner.”

IRN partners with nonprofits who are known to be reputable and effective providers of relief and development assistance, and who are able to use the types of surplus that IRN can provide. The organization has a “wish list” from each of its nonprofit partners of the types and quantities of surplus they can use.

When a project comes to IRN, it makes a match against these wish lists and offers the surplus to the most appropriate nonprofits. At this point it is first-come-first-served; the first nonprofit(s) to express interest in the surplus project is the one to receive it. In many cases a single nonprofit will claim the entire project but in some cases, the surplus will be split among two or more nonprofits.

“There is almost infinite demand in the U.S. and worldwide for good quality surplus so IRN’s surplus program will continue to grow,” says Lennon. “The school or company that supplies the surplus pays IRN for the service of matching their surplus with our nonprofit network. In almost all cases they pay IRN much less than they would pay to bring in dumpsters and throw the surplus away.”

There is a three pronged benefit to the work that IRN does. The generating organizations profit by disposing of their surplus for less than the cost of throwing it away, while the recipient organizations profit from a very low cost source of quality furniture and equipment. Impoverished and disaster-stricken people benefit from furniture and equipment they otherwise would have no access to. And finally, the planet benefits from reuse of important resources.

“We know of no other organization in the country other than IRN that is able to match large quantities of surplus with qualified recipients, and then manage the entire project to remove and load the surplus for shipment,” adds Lennon.

About Institution Recycling Network (IRN)

IRN is headquartered in Concord, NH and is a cooperative recycling organization that works with more than 350 colleges and universities, hospitals, K-12 schools and private companies to improve the performance and economics of recycling. IRN negotiates transportation, processing and marketing of recycled commodities and provides a single point of contact to recycle dozens of different materials. IRN handles over 75 commodities – everything from cardboard and fluorescent lamps to concrete and Astroturf. IRN is known particularly for its effective recycling of unusual and complex commodities such as electronic equipment, construction and demolition wastes and surplus property. For more information about IRN, visit www.IRNSurplus.com.

About Salesian Missions

Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for its international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople – all dedicated to caring for poor youth throughout the world in more than 130 countries, helping them become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million young people have received services funded by Salesian Missions. To learn more visit www.salesianmissions.org.

The post GLOBAL: Salesian Missions Partners with Institution Recycling Network, Benefitting Programs Around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Poverty and lack of opportunity keep generations in the cycle of poverty. According to USAID, El Salvador’s per capita income is the fifth lowest in the Western Hemisphere when adjusted to reflect the cost of living. The poverty rate sits close to 42.5 percent of the population.

The Salesians are working hard in El Salvador to empower youth to create their own opportunities for success now and later in life. Salesian programs focus on academic and trade education to help students find stable employment upon graduation.

Student input, innovation and involvement over the years has resulted in exceptional programs that are enabling youth to overcome poverty and realize their full potential. Salesian partnerships with government-funded facilities are further strengthening the positive impact on young people.

Most recently, youth leadership has been a focus. Fifty-six youth, former graduates of Salesian schools, gathered in San Salvador for an in-person training session that is part of an overall 16-month leadership training program. Alumni came from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua to learn and share their life experiences with one another. The leadership program focuses on ethics, social engagement and character building as well as leadership skills. Students learn primarily through a virtual platform but have two in-person meetings, one that just took place earlier this year and another scheduled in Costa Rica in 2014.

“Developing our youth to be leaders is important for their personal development and their communities,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Youth learn leadership skills and then apply them in the real world, helping to shape their environments and give back to the communities they grew up in.”

There are currently 123 alumni enrolled in the leadership training program, which is coordinated by the Past Pupils Executive group from El Salvador. Salesian Past Pupils Associations are made up of graduated Salesian alumni who work together to give back locally and pay the lessons they learned forward to other poor youth currently being educated in Salesian-run programs. The leadership program has been developed to further the associations’ work in education and community building.

“We encourage all of the youth we have worked with over the years to give back to their local communities,” says Fr. Hyde. “The alumni are showing what a difference someone can make when they apply the skills learned at Salesian-run schools. We are very proud of our former students.”

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Sources

ANS – El Salvador – Young pupils trained as leaders

Salesian Missions – El Salvador

USAID – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: Youth Leadership Training Helps Salesian Alumni Give Back to Local Communities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The training program is being supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and supports the ongoing efforts Don Bosco University has already made since their work began in Haiti in February 2010. The University has collaborated with Handicap International and Healing Hands for Haiti providing emergency care and rehabilitation services for those injured in the earthquake since that time. Thirteen people including teachers and qualified students from the faculty of rehabilitation studies at the University have been part of the international aid mission.

“The aim is to help the people. We know what state the country is in after the earthquake. We know this will also help us in our lives and in our profession,” says Alexis Mendoza, one of the volunteers. Volunteers are involved in assessing the condition of the patients, planning and fitting the artificial limbs and providing orthopedic help.

During a trip in 2010, Professor Rolando Martinez Panameño, dean of the School of Rehabilitation Science, estimated that out of approximately 10,000 people in need of help, 4,000 have had an amputation. Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. fundraising arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, added that University Don Bosco was able to provide assistance to children and adults who have had amputations following the 2010 earthquake by providing nearly 200 artificial limbs and more than 100 sessions of orthopedic assistance in Port-au-Prince.

“We are constantly working to expand our services in Haiti to ensure that people with disabilities are able to contribute to the rebuilding of their country. We know that even before the earthquake, children and adults with disabilities faced enormous challenges as resources in Haiti were stretched far beyond capacity,” says Fr. Mark Hyde who is thankful  for USAID support for Salesian programs around the globe.

The 32 new students will learn off-site at the University in El Salvador and will be supervised and mentored by a qualified professional as they conduct their work in Haiti. The training program covers all the various areas of prosthetics and orthotics and graduating students will obtain certification in the Standard Category II (orthopedic technologists) of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics. Don Bosco University is the only accredited center for this training in all of Latin America.

The University was recognized by the first-ever World Report on Disabilities for its leadership in prosthetic and orthotics education in Latin America and for providing opportunities for adults and children with disabilities. The 2011 report was produced jointly by the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

The Salesian school began the first formal training program in the prosthetics and orthotics fields in Latin America in 1996 and since then, about 230 students from 20 countries have graduated with skills that are in demand in their home countries.

“The training program shows how education and training not only benefit the individual student, but also entire communities, as the students return to work in local hospitals and clinics, and even train others in some cases,” says Father Hyde.

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Photo: Courtesy of ANS (Salesian Info Agency)

Sources:

ANS article (7/6/2012) – University Don Bosco training new technicians to help injured Haitians

Related MissionNewswire article (12/22/2011) – Salesian University Recognized for Leadership in Providing Children with Prosthetics

The post EL SALVADOR: Salesian University Continues Training in Orthopedics in Support of Efforts in Haiti first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Salesian school began the first formal training program in the prosthetics and orthotics fields in Latin America in 1996 and since then, about 230 students from 20 countries have graduated with skills that are in demand in their home countries.

“The training program shows how education and training not only benefit the individual student, but also entire communities, as the students return to work in local hospitals and clinics, and even train others in some cases,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. fundraising arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Fr. Mark adds that most recently the University Don Bosco was able to provide assistance in Haiti, helping children and adults who have had amputations following the 2010 earthquake. Immediately following the earthquake, seven professional technicians aided, providing nearly 200 artificial limbs and more than 100 sessions of orthopedic assistance in Port-au-Prince.

“The aim is to help the people. We know what state the country is in after the earthquake. We know this will also help us in our lives and in our profession,” says Alexis Mendoza, one of the volunteers. Volunteers will be involved in assessing the condition of the patients, planning and fitting the artificial limbs and providing orthopedic help.

During a trip in 2010, Prof. Rolando Martinez Panameño, dean of the School of Re-habilitation Science, estimated that out of approximately 10,000 people in need of help, 4,000 have had an amputation.

In addition to volunteer trips, the University partners with the Ministry of Health, Physicians for Peace and other nongovernmental organizations in Haiti to establish a national training and certification program for the Haitian prosthetic and orthotic community. Students take part in a distance learning course in their native language of Creole, while also training with US professionals.

“We are constantly working to expand our services in Haiti to ensure that people with disabilities are able to contribute to the rebuilding of their country. We know that even before the earthquake, children and adults with disabilities faced enormous challenges as resources in Haiti were stretched far beyond capacity,” says Fr. Mark, citing the World Report on Disabilities statistics that show children with disabilities are less likely to start school than non-disabled children and have lower rates of staying in school. In addition, in OECD countries (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), the employment rate of people with disabilities (44 percent) is slightly over half that for people without disabilities (75 percent).

With additional support from the World Health Organization, distance learning programs available in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French are now also offered in Angola and Bosnia and Herzegovina, says Fr. Mark.

Almost one-fifth of the estimated global total of one billion persons living with disabilities — or between 110-190 million — encounter significant difficulties including discrimination and lack of adequate health care and rehabilitation services, according to the World Report on Disabilities which was developed with contributions from more than 380 experts and is expected to be a key resource for countries implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The report also cites difficulties associated with a lack of access to transportation and information and communication technologies.

People with disabilities have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. Children surrounded by poverty, especially those with disabilities, face uncertain futures and overwhelming obstacles.

“Children with disabilities have the same rights as all children, and they deserve the same chance to make the most of their lives and to make their voices heard,” says Anthony Lake, UNICEF executive director. “We need to break down the barriers that prevent full participation of children with disabilities — from programs that ignore their needs, to prejudice that discounts their ability to contribute.”

The remarks were part of Lake’s recent call on Dec. 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, for a greater investment in helping children and young people with disabilities to realize their rights. Lake also renewed the call for universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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PHOTO: UN Photo/Sophia Paris

Related MissionNewswire article: GLOBAL: UNICEF Calls for Children with Disabilities to be Included in All Development

Sources:

World Report on Disabilities

UNICEF calls for children with disabilities to be included in all development

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: New world report shows more than 1 billion people with disabilities face substantial barriers in their daily lives

International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics

Handicap International

Salesian Lay Missioners

The post EL SALVADOR: Salesian University Recognized for Leadership in Providing Children with Prosthetics first appeared on MissionNewswire.