ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been responding with aid for those impacted by the conflict in Ethiopia*, which started in November 2020, in the Tigray region. Recently a peace deal was struck and things are slowly returning to some normalcy. During the conflict, when there were no basic services like phone, electricity, banks or transportation, Salesians provided aid for more than 100,000 people.

Salesian missionaries have been on the front lines of the response to those in need. Tigray has close to 7 million inhabitants who needed aid because of war. Humanitarian organizations were limited in their reach and only about 15 percent of the aid reached those in need. Salesians are in the unique position of living in the communities in which they work. As a result, Salesians have 14 houses in Ethiopia, with four in Mekele, Adigrat, Adwa and Shire in Tigray, and three houses in Eritrea.

Salesians were able to receive support from the World Food Programme for both food aid and essential items. A shipment of goods was sent to the Salesian center in Mekele. From there, it was distributed among many other areas that were in need. Distribution was challenged with no fuel, lack of funding for unloading and loading, and limited transportation. With the support of other Catholic parishes and clergy who volunteered their time, Salesians were able to distribute the goods.

Although a peace deal was signed and many services restored, such as flights from Addis Ababa to Mekele, people are still in need. Banks are open but people still do not have access to their accounts, according to the Salesians.

“The access to send humanitarian aid to Tigray has become easier and we continue to assist people that have been impacted,” explained Father Abba Hailemariam Medhin, provincial of the AET vice-province. “People are still in need of food and non-food items. Psychological assistance for those impacted and educational centers are starting back up, but first, people need to have some food and they have to take care of their health.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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Don Bosco Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

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ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been working to address food shortfalls and other needs in the face of ongoing conflicts in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. With funding recently received, Salesians were able to provide food items including wheat, Famix (multivitamin food), cooking oil, macaroni, rice and salt. Sanitary items, soap and 400 blankets were also sent from May to July.

Ethiopia was already struggling from economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing drought. In November 2020, a full-scale war started between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray Region. The prolonged war also impacted parts of the Amhara and Afar Regions.

Salesians have 14 houses in Ethiopia, with four in Mekelle, Adigrat, Adwa and Shire in Tigray, and three houses in Eritrea. The region has roughly 7 million inhabitants, all struggling with food insecurity at this time. Salesians report that since the Federal Government left Tigray in June 2021, there are no roads, telephones, internet, banks or electricity. As a result, Salesians have been cut off from normal communication with communities in Tigray.

In addition, supplies are scarce, and those that are available are not affordable because cash is not available. The inflation in the country is very high and prices of basic necessities are out of reach for most. Salesians report that they have been receiving information from Tigray that people have started to die because of a lack of food and medication.

The aid that other Salesian organizations around the globe as well as other humanitarian organizations have provided is much needed and appreciated. Father Abba Hailemariam Medhin, provincial of the AET vice-province, said, “We are really grateful to all of you for your support. This would not become reality if it were not for the ongoing support. We are also very grateful to the World Food Programme who are ready to support us in all we ask. We also thank Catholic Relief Services and others who facilitate fuel and vehicles so the aid can reach destinations.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Ethiopia

Don Bosco Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

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ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Even in the face of ongoing violence, Salesian missionaries and the Salesian-run International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) are providing education, professional training, and development projects in Ethiopia. Salesians have been in the country since 1976 and were there as support during the famine in 1983-1985, which caused millions of deaths. Now Salesians have been a support through the COVID-19 pandemic and the humanitarian crisis from escalating violence in the Tigray region. The country is also once again facing famine generated by the invasion of locusts.

Salesian missionaries have four centers in Macallè, Adua, Scirè and Adigrat in the Tigray region where the clashes between the National Army and the Tigray Popular Liberation Front have continued for more than a year. Salesians continue to help children and youth who have stories of violence, abuse, and despair behind them.

Thanks to the donations of many benefactors, thousands of children in recent years have been welcomed into Salesian centers and have been able to attend Salesian kindergartens and primary schools. In addition, street children have received vocational training.

In 1998, VIS volunteers joined Salesian missionaries in the Tigray region and began projects to ensure local populations had access to clean water for drinking, washing, cooking and proper sanitation. VIS finds local partners like the Don Gianmaria Memorial Development Association to carry out water, sanitation and hygiene projects.

VIS is also involved in providing vocational training and education. Within Salesian technical schools in the Tigray and Gambella regions and the city of Addis Ababa, courses have been taught in tailoring, food preparation and catering, carpentry, motor mechanics, leather goods, and construction trades. VIS has also provided graphics and typographic arts courses at the first printing school in the country—set up by VIS and the Salesians.

“To promote job placement, we have developed a strategy, which we have adopted in Tigray and Addis Ababa, based on short courses in line with the labor market, the promotion of self-employment, and placement in private firms through support for partnerships between the public and private sectors,” explained one VIS volunteer.

Training activities were also provided in refugee camps in the Gambella and Tigray regions. Thanks to  collaboration with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Salesians have worked to improve living conditions for refugees through strengthening their professional skills and providing job placement for Eritrean migrants and refugees.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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ANS – Ethiopia – Education and Development: the mission of the Salesians and VIS

Don Bosco Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

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ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are continuing to help support youth and their families while conditions grow more perilous because of the year-long armed conflict in the Tigray region between the Ethiopian army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Salesians are helping and providing aid to close to 8,000 families, paying special attention to mothers and malnourished children.

“The need for food is increasing every day and any help that arrives will save the lives of many starving and malnourished people. We are grateful for the solidarity received from Salesian circles all over the world, with the hope and prayer that peace may finally prevail,” reports a Salesian missionary in Ethiopia.

During a Nov. 5 raid by government military forces, 17 priests, religious brothers and employees at the Salesian Center Gottera in Addis Ababa were arrested for no reason and taken to an unknown place. In a situation marked by suffering, poverty, fear and absolute insecurity, all Christians in Ethiopia hope that the Pope’s appeal, and the intervention of the African Union and that of the U.S. envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, will help calm the situation.

“We are shocked by the news of the arrest of Ethiopian and Eritrean priests, deacons and lay people who lived and worked in the Salesian Provincial House,” said Father Mussie Zerai, president of the Habeisha agency to Fides. “We still do not understand what the reasons for such a serious act are. Why are priests arrested who exercise their educational mandate, especially in a center that has always been committed to doing good, which has been visited by many children for years and where street children are rehabilitated.”

Bombing in conflict areas has also increased in recent weeks along with the number of civilian deaths. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 400,000 people are starving. Another 7 million people need help to survive in Tigray, Amhara and Afar. It is estimated that the conflict has caused thousands of deaths, two million internally displaced persons, and more than 100,000 refugees to flee to Sudan.

Acute malnutrition is increasing every day. Almost half of pregnant and lactating women suffer from acute malnutrition and lack health care because of the number of destroyed hospitals. According to the U.N., the famine generated by the war could kill 100,000 children in the coming months, when three out of four people will not have access to food.

International organizations are also hindered in providing support because they are banned from entering conflict zones. Others have seen their members expelled and still others have left the country due to widespread insecurity. The lack of fuel is also hampering emergency aid from reaching the Tigray region. With the closure of the banks and the lack of money, the population simply does not have access to basic products for daily consumption.

Salesian missionaries continue to assess the situation and provide education, humanitarian aid and support to youth and their families. More help is needed and the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid has relaunched its Ethiopia Emergency appeal.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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ANS – Ethiopia – A Year of War in the North: 7 million Need Aid

Don Bosco Ethiopia

Fides – Salesian missionaries arrested, committed to the education of children: appeal for release

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian missionaries aid close to 8,000 families in wake of ongoing violence first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Olympic athlete Fiona May, a retired long jumper who won two Olympic silver medals and competed for the United Kingdom and later Italy, recently spent time in Ethiopia. She took a trip to the neighborhood of Mekanissa, located in Addis Ababa, and visited the Don Bosco Center, which is home to more than 400 street children.

May, who is also an envoy to the Tokyo 2020-2021 Olympic Games, spoke to Salesian Father Angelo Regazzo at the Don Bosco Center and played with dozens of youth. She taught them the basics of the long jump and watched youth take part in sports and activities. Sports for May “means challenging oneself and respecting others, it means commitment and determination, having team spirit, ability to relate and manage defeat.”

Don Bosco Center provides education, nutrition and health services to poor youth. Most of the youth, ages 2-15, are street children who have no place else to live or anyone to take care of them. The Don Bosco Center also offers a small medical dispensary, which is managed by a nurse. Youth receive first aid, routine health check-ups and medicine when needed. Youth are able to take a hot shower, and hygiene and sanitary supplies are available. The center also has a sports program.

“Sports programs teach youth both on and off the field,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Learning and playing team sports encourage leadership skills as well as teach youth to work as part of a team. Students also learn important social skills and have opportunities for growth and maturity.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 27 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

Ethiopia has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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ANS – Ethiopia – Solidarity and sport, Fiona May’s bond with the missions

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

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The post ETHIOPIA: Olympic athlete visits street children first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Yeabsira Tofik Mohammed, a 12th grade student at Don Bosco Mekanissa, located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been admitted to Harvard University’s class of 2025. She is excited by her achievement. Mohammed started at Don Bosco Mekanissa in 7th grade. Her father knew the quality of Catholic schools and wanted her to study with the Salesians.

Mohammed’s brother also took a similar path. He studied at St. Joseph School in Addis Ababa and then went to Columbia University in New York City, where he is now working.

Mohammed is still feeling a little overwhelmed by her accomplishments. She said, “To be honest, I still can’t believe this news that I have been admitted to Harvard University. It was always my dream, but now the dream has come true. I am really happy that I have made my parents proud of my achievement.”

When reflecting on how she got where she is today, Mohammed noted, “Of course, first of all, my gratitude goes to God my Creator. Without his help, I am nothing. Then I owe a lot to my parents and my brother who supported me throughout the process. Next, come my teachers, and in a special way my teacher, Abebayehu Belete, who was always of great help to me. Then I am also grateful to the CTP team who mentored me and gave me the necessary support, and last but not least, my friends who have been cheering me on from the beginning.”

Mohammed also reflected on her time in high school. “The Don Bosco campus is always unique. The diversity and the family spirit that exist here have never ceased to amaze me. Here you have people of different personalities and that always gives one a lot of exposure to many things. There is so much insistence here on your overall human development. I really like it. As long as you are ready to work hard, achievement will be yours. It might take time to see the fruits, but you need to have patience but things will eventually work out.”

In addition to the Don Bosco Mekanissa High School, there is the main Don Bosco Center that provides education, nutrition and health services to 400 poor youth. Most of the youth, aged 2-15, are street children who have no place else to live or anyone to take care of them. The Don Bosco Center also offers a small medical dispensary, which is managed by a nurse. Youth receive first aid, routine health check-ups and medicine when needed. Youth are able to take a hot shower, and hygiene and sanitary supplies are available.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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ANS – Ethiopia – Don Bosco flag flying high at Harvard University

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

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ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire)  Since war broke out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, fighting has ravaged northern Ethiopia, displacing more than 2 million people and sending tens of thousands of refugees into neighboring Sudan.

The war has deepened ethnic tensions and created an immense humanitarian crisis, with 4.5 million people—most of Tigray’s population—in urgent need of assistance, according to the United Nations. The turmoil is spilling over Ethiopia’s borders into Eritrea and Sudan in a manner that could destabilize the entire Horn of Africa region.

Salesian missionaries operate four centers in the region—Makelle, Adigrat, Adwa and Shire—and they are still serving people with great dedication. Salesian sisters are working together and baking bread to provide displaced people. They make 2,200 to 2,600 loaves of bread every day. Salesian missionaries are also giving food items to the poor and those who are blind and elderly.

Salesian missionaries are operating a center for displaced people and providing for their basic needs. Currently, there are 35,675 people who are internally displaced in Adwa, according to Salesian missionaries in the region. They have indicated that the number of people displaced is increasing every day. Brother Cesare Bullo in Addis Ababa has provided support to help the Salesian centers in the north meet the local needs.

One Salesian missionary in the region said, “We are grateful to God for all the graces, blessings, courage and strength that he is bestowing upon us to make our journey in this challenging and difficult times that we are facing in Adwa. Since the war broke out in November 2020 and still is going on, many people have lost their lives, lost properties, many are homeless, and thousands of people have been fleeing and escaping the bombing and shooting and become refugees or internally displaced people within their own country. Rich and poor are at our gate every day, begging for food in order to survive.”

Another Salesian missionary added, “The evening of Nov. 20, 2020, when the conflict began in Adwa, many dead bodies were lying on the streets and many wounded people tried to escape the war. These months were dark moments and people did not have electricity, water or food. We thank God that we have the borewell in our compound to provide water to the surrounding community.”

Salesian missionaries and Salesian sisters will continue to provide assistance to those who have been displaced and those in need during this challenging time. In addition, Salesians continue to provide education at local schools like the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Adwa.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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ANS – Ethiopia – Situation in Tigray: “Rich and poor are at our gate every day, begging for food in order to survive”

Don Bosco Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesians continue urgent work in ravaged Tigray region first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian-run Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation in Milan, Italy, is supporting Salesian centers in Ethiopia through the campaign “Together let us support the right to study and promote vocational training.”

Young Ethiopians in the northern part of the country are facing an ongoing military conflict, along with the COVID-19 pandemic. Fighting began in November 2020 when the government launched a military offensive against the ruling faction in the Tigray region, starting a conflict that has caused thousands of deaths and widespread destruction. The conflict has displaced more than 2 million people and sent thousands of refugees into neighboring Sudan. It has also halted school activities that have been struggling since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salesian missionaries in Tigray are making every effort to bring aid to people in need. They have said that help is needed to ensure that youth are able to attend school and get back to their studies. A representative from the Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation noted, “For years the Salesian presences in Mekelle, Adwa, Adigrat and Shire have guaranteed the right to schooling and vocational training in this area of ​​the country to offer Ethiopian children and young people the right to a better future. Any help will be important for the future of many young people who for a year now have found themselves having to deal with an unsustainable situation.”

Among the programs in the region, Don Bosco Technical Institute of Adwa has trained 2,330 graduates in the manufacturing, construction and electrical installation sectors. They also offer non-formal courses in tailoring, basic IT applications, crafts, metalworking, welding and furniture manufacturing. The Don Bosco Catholic School of Shire provides primary and secondary schools, while the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Mekelle provides education to youth who are training as technicians in the mechanical, welding and automotive sectors.

These schools are in need of support to ensure that education can continue for these youth who are facing hardships. The Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation has launched its new campaign to help support educational efforts in this region.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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ANS – Ethiopia – Tigray amid pandemic and war: importance of education as social redemption

Don Bosco Ethiopia

Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesians to continue youth skills training in troubled Tigray region first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are working to address the growing needs for education, nutrition and other support in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Cases of the virus in Ethiopia are growing rapidly every day. There have been close to 70,000 confirmed cases with more than 1,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

The World Health Organization has identified Ethiopia as one of the 13 African states at high risk for the spread of the pandemic. Hospitals are not well equipped. Many communities lack doctors and medical supplies. Most public awareness campaigns are targeted to large cities, leaving outlying areas with little information to fight the virus. In addition, riots between police forces and the Oromo community make it very difficult to comply with coronavirus prevention measures.

Education in Ethiopia, like in most countries around the globe, has been impacted. Schools and universities have been closed since March, leaving more than 26 million young children and older youth unable to attend school. This situation has put the authorities, the Ministry of Education, institutions, parents and students in an unprecedented situation.

The Ministry of Education is studying the conditions for reopening schools, but a solution has not yet been found. Ethiopian schools house 50-60 students on average in a single class. It is difficult to maintain a safe social distance among students since at any one time as many as two to three students share a desk.

Salesian missionaries have launched relief efforts to aid youth and families in 16 vocational training centers in Ethiopia.

Salesian schools have remained closed, but vocational training centers are considering restarting, welcoming only a limited number of students. Salesian training centers will follow all safety measures and will work with local governments to follow all guidelines. Missionaries have also been addressing other needs in their communities.

“Salesian missionaries have launched relief efforts to aid youth and families in their 16 vocational training centers in the country,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “They are distributing food, drinking water and hygiene kits. Salesians have also launched awareness campaigns to promote good practices to prevent coronavirus from spreading.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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ANS – Ethiopia – Salesian commitment in one of African countries most affected by Covid-19

Don Bosco Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian missionaries responding to needs of youth and their families in the face of the coronavirus pandemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are helping those in need in Ethiopia while the country grapples with several emergencies at once. COVID-19 infections are increasing and adding challenges for medical professionals who are still dealing with active outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria.

The World Health Organization has identified Ethiopia as one of the 13 African states at high risk for the spread of the pandemic. Hospitals are not well equipped. Many communities lack doctors and medical supplies. Most public awareness campaigns are targeted to large cities, leaving outlying areas with little information to fight the virus. In addition, riots between police forces and the Oromo community make it very difficult to comply with coronavirus prevention measures.

The country is also facing its second wave of locusts, which are destroying crops. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that around 30,000 hectares of land have already been ruined by locusts.

Salesian missionaries have launched relief efforts to aid youth and families in their 16 vocational training centers in the country. They are distributing food, drinking water and hygiene kits. Salesians have also launched awareness campaigns to promote good practices to prevent coronavirus from spreading.

Salesian missionaries are also working to ensure that families living in Abobo, located between the cities of Gambella and Pugnido in western Ethiopia, have access to the services and resources they need. The majority of the population in Abobo is of Sudanese origin because of its proximity to the border of Sudan. Many people have sought refuge there to escape war and famine.

In 2002, a group of Italian and Spanish volunteers set up the Abobo Health Center in collaboration with local Salesian missionaries. Today, the Abobo Health Center serves as a symbol of the community and provides health services for the more than 4,000 local villagers. The facility has 40 beds, a small ward dedicated to sick children and those suffering from malnutrition, and a small wing that houses obstetrics. Having expanded its reach over the years, the health clinic serves approximately 20,000 people living in the area and the 200,000 people in the entire region.

“The services provided at the Abobo Health Center are critical to this community, especially in the face of coronavirus,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries also provide education and social development services for people in the area. Salesians operate a parish, oratory and kindergarten, which has served more than 100 children since its inception. Missionaries also work to ensure the local population has the food and water it needs.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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ANS – Ethiopia – In a country struck by diseases, locusts and riots, Salesians try helping families of Ethiopian students

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

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ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are working to ensure that families living in Abobo, located between the cities of Gambella and Pugnido in western Ethiopia, have access to the services and resources they need. The majority of the population in Abobo is of Sudanese origin because of its proximity to the border of Sudan. Many people have sought refuge there to escape war and famine. In Ethiopia, where rural poverty is endemic, Sudanese refugees find themselves lost and without support except for the refugee camps that have sprung up around Gambella.

In 2002, a group of Italian and Spanish volunteers set up the Abobo Health Center in collaboration with local Salesian missionaries. Today, the Abobo Health Center serves as a symbol of the community and provides health services for the more than 4,000 local villagers. The facility has 40 beds, a small ward dedicated to sick children and those suffering from malnutrition, and a small wing that houses obstetrics. Having expanded its reach over the years, the health clinic serves the approximately 20,000 people living in the area and the 200,000 people in the entire region.

“The services provided at the Abobo Health Center are critical to this community, especially in the face of coronavirus,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries also provide education and social development services for people in the area. There is a parish, oratory and kindergarten, which has served more than 100 children since its inception. Missionaries also work to ensure the local population has the food and water it needs.”

Salesian missionaries in Abobo are also helping families improve their living conditions. Many of the families still live in huts with little to no sanitation. Because of deforestation in the region, the availability of dry grass for roofs and wood for building structures is decreasing. Many of the structures have makeshift roofs that have to be redone every three years. Salesian missionaries are working to help these families have more stable structures to reside, ensuring both their health and safety.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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ANS – Ethiopia – From health to the home: Salesian support for the poorest does not exclude any area

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UNICEF – Ethiopia

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ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) In an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, Ethiopia closed schools and universities for three months. One of the biggest challenges for Salesian missionaries was what to do with children who were a part of the Bosco Children project, located in Addis Ababa. Salesians opted for a lockdown and kept all of the children and staff, including cooks, social workers, guardians and a driver, inside of the Salesian campus.

Father Angelo Regazzo, director of the project, explained, “We could not send the children gathered from the streets of Addis Ababa back to the streets. They had not yet finished the rehabilitation process to be reintegrated into their families. We would have lost them.”

He added, “It was forbidden to go out. Those few who could go out and come back, including the driver, had to disinfect and wash thoroughly at the entrance gate. We have been able to stay healthy to date, but we must not let our guard down.”

The confinement at Bosco Children was organized so that children were busy and kept on a schedule. Activities included school, library time, computer school, sports, manual work, educational videos, drawing competitions and language study.

“As the days passed, some kids became nervous and asked to reunite with their family or some close relative,” said Fr. Regazzo. “If youth identified who they were going to live with, we gave them permission to go. They would return at the end of the emergency. Those who left also received financial help because the families of origin are already very poor.”

The majority of youth preferred to stay and face a quarantine. Meanwhile, outside of Bosco Children the virus continued to spread. As of June 24, there are 4,848 infections and 75 people who have died. The government has decided not to continue the lockdown to prevent poverty from leading to starvation but some parts of the metropolis have been isolating.

Bosco Children is also helping those in the community. Thousands of street children have been identified by the Federal Police and brought to Assistance Centers. Some of the relief support raised by Fr. Regazzo has helped these children.

Fr. Regazzo is also proud of the surgical mask factory they have set up in the tailoring workshop, which is part of the Salesian Technical School inside of Bosco Children. He said, “We have made and distributed about 15,000 masks. Every two or three days our driver brings all of these goods to the street children in the Assistance Centers and to many other poor people. We also supported street boys and girls in prison reformation who are in dire need of help because of COVID-19.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ethiopia – 24 hours a day at school with the Salesians. Thus young people at risk during confinement are “reborn”

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Bosco Children keeps street children and staff safe during quarantine imposed in Addis Ababa first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, continue to support the poor and those at risk during the coronavirus pandemic. Missionaries have been supporting street children and vulnerable elderly populations. The lockdown that was imposed to stop the spread of the virus has made these and other at-risk populations even more vulnerable to conditions of poverty.

Street children, who once went to bus stations to help carry bags and assist drivers to make a meager amount of money for survival, are left with no means at all. Salesian missionaries are helping by providing these youth with food and prevention information so they can protect themselves against the virus. Missionaries have also taught them how to safely prepare food.

Salesian missionaries have also provided health prevention information to 24,000 youth from the 14 formal and non-formal Salesian education centers throughout the country. They have also been helping Salesian staff and their families through this difficult time as prices for food and supplies continue to rise.

“Salesian missionaries in Ethiopia and around the globe are helping at-risk populations with food, hygiene supplies and prevention information to help them get through this difficult time,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Because Salesian missionaries live in the communities in which they work, they are perfectly positioned to understand the needs and ensure relief supplies are in the hands of those who need it most.”

Salesian missionaries have also focused on people in prison, where risk of the virus spreading rapidly is great. The director of several prisons expressed his gratitude to Salesian missionaries by saying that they were relieved by the support provided. Prisons did not have enough water containers for hand-washing, masks, soap and disinfectants to prevent the spread of the virus, but donations were made to improve the situation and avoid mass infections.

Salesian missionaries always coordinate their initiatives with local authorities. The purchase of hygiene materials, food and masks is combined with awareness programs to ensure that local populations are learning the basic safety measures to help minimize the spread of the virus.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ethiopia – “Supporting the poorest of the poor”: the mission of Salesians in the face of the pandemic

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian missionaries provide health prevention information and support to 24,000 youth in 14 Salesian educational centers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Center in Mekanissa, an area on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is supplying water to thousands of poor people living in the slums of Koshe and Kore. The Salesian community, with the help of the Planning and Development Office, repaired an old truck and a reservoir tank that has a capacity of 5,000 liters. They transport water to the area every day so people can wash their hands.

“Having access to clean water is essential to help communities prevent the spread of the virus,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries know what the local needs are and are working to address them in innovative ways to help ensure people are safe and remain healthy.”

The Don Bosco Center had been serving the local area before the virus by providing education, nutrition and health services to 400 poor youth. Most of the youth, aged 2-15 are street children who have no place else to live or anyone to take care of them. Brother Donato Galetta, a Salesian missionary, has been welcoming these youth for 30 years.

All 400 children enjoy daily lunch and close to 40 children, mainly orphans, also have dinner at the center. Salesian missionaries are actively working to fight malnutrition and undernourishment. For the past two years in order to guarantee everyone a meal, Salesian missionaries have not purchased meat, which in Ethiopia has prohibitive costs. This allows missionaries to buy the food they require for their annual needs while keeping costs down.

The Don Bosco Center also offers a small medical dispensary, which is managed by a nurse. Youth receive first aid, routine health check-ups and medicine when needed. Youth are able to take a hot shower, and hygiene and sanitary supplies are available.

Youth also have assistance with their education at the Don Bosco Center, including a school uniform and school materials such as textbooks, notebooks, pens and pencils. For older children who attend vocational training courses, Salesian missionaries provide transportation to school. In addition, Salesian missionaries pay the school fees of all the center’s children and older youth.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ethiopia – “Don Bosco Mekanissa” brings water for hygiene of poor

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Don Bosco Center in Mekanissa delivers water to slums of Koshe and Kore for hand-washing to stop the spread of coronavirus first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Bosco Children Project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are working on preventative measures in the face of COVID-19. The Salesian organization rescues children from the dangers of the street. The project provides support and educational services in addition to an outreach orientation center and a hostel for youth. In response to the virus, Salesian missionaries have closed the Bosco Children Project center to outside visitors and asked teachers to stay at home. The children are remaining there because they have no home to go to and are being cared for by the Salesians.

“We no longer go out on the streets at night in search of kids because it’s too risky,” said Father Angelo Regazzo, a Salesian missionary who is over 75 years of age and has been stationed in Ethiopia for more than 30 years. On March 16, before the center was closed, he made several trips by bus to bring in as many youth as possible to help them in this emergency. He said, “Don Bosco would have done the same.”

During this period of quarantine, Bosco Children Project is providing special classes, sports tournaments, music and educational films. Salesians have enough supplies for now. Fr. Regazzo noted, “We have enough food, water, diesel to run the generators, water pumps and refrigerators for several months. We have plenty of soap to wash, alcohol to disinfect ourselves, paracetamol and first aid medicines.”

He added, “Nobody goes outside the fence and those few who enter, such as guardians, cooks and social workers, have to wash their hands with soap at the entrance and disinfect their shoes with bleach and alcohol.”

The Salesians celebrate daily Mass and invite all the students to pray. Fr. Regazzo said, “We invite the boys, almost all Muslims and Orthodox, to pray according to their religious beliefs. And we urge them to be happy and believe in life so we are convinced that everything will be fine.”

Fr. Regazzo’s main concerns are those outside of the Salesian gate. He noted, “Looking out of the fence, one notices no change in people’s behavior. Thousands upon thousands of people coming and going. Open restaurants and shops, crowded banks and supermarkets, and very intense traffic. The general attitude of people seems to be aimed at business as usual. I don’t know until when because the numbers of the infected are growing day by day.”

Fr Regazzo concluded by expressing condolences to those who have lost their loved ones because of coronavirus. He said, “I wish that you may all return to normal soon and enjoy the sea and the mountains. For now, we have the opportunity to taste the hearth of home and pray together. We all needed it so much.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ethiopia – Staying at home, standing by kids who don’t have a home

UNICEF – Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian missionaries close Bosco Children Project to visitors to keep children safe during COVID-19 quarantine first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Elisabetta Cipollone, a Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) volunteer, has been given a Merit of the Italian Republic award from Italian President Sergio Mattarella for her “A water well for Andrea” project in Ethiopia. President Mattarella awarded 32 Merit of the Italian Republic awards to citizens who have distinguished themselves for acts of heroism, commitment to solidarity, rescue efforts, international cooperation, the protection of minors, and the promotion of culture and legality.

Cipollone, who lost her son Andrea a few years ago in a road accident, fulfilled her son’s dream of bringing water to Africa after reading a page in his diary. She then collaborated with VIS to launch the project. To date, 24 wells have been built. The last was in March 2019. The project will continue with the construction of other wells. It is Cipollone’s ambition to create a water point along the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In 2017, Ethiopia experienced the worst drought the country had seen in more than 50 years. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that humanitarian needs in the country have tripled since the beginning of 2015 as the drought led to successive crop failures and widespread livestock deaths. According to the United Nations, agricultural production in the affected regions fell by 50 to 90 percent.

As a result, food insecurity and malnutrition rates are alarming in the country with FAO reporting that some 10.2 million people are food insecure. One-quarter of all districts in Ethiopia are officially classified as facing a food security and nutrition crisis.

“In the cities, many Ethiopians receive no help and often do not even find a place to sleep. In this situation there is a significant risk that many will fall victim to traffickers and become exploited and enslaved,” says Father Estifanos Gebremeskel, superior of the Salesian Vice-Province of Ethiopia.

Using deep wells built by VIS volunteers in recent years, Salesian missionaries and volunteers are currently distributing water to schools, hospitals and first aid clinics, centers for street children, women’s refuges and diocesan centers.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of providing educational and support services to poor youth in Ethiopia. Missionaries operate six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers in the country. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while accessing services including family sponsorship and school feeding programs. These supports reinforce the missionaries’ goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible. In addition, water and sanitation issues are regularly assessed by missionaries working in programs throughout the country and new water well projects are planned and implemented as needs arise.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children. According to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Elisabetta Cipollone appointed Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian VIS volunteer receives Merit of the Italian Republic award for her work on water wells in Ethiopia first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ETHIOPIA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Mekanissa, an area on the outskirts of the capital city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, operate the Don Bosco Center, which provides access to education, nutrition and health services to 400 poor youth. Most of the youth, aged 2-15 are street children who have no place else to live or anyone to take care of them. Brother Donato Galetta, a Salesian missionary, has been welcoming these youth for 30 years.

All 400 children enjoy daily lunch and close to 40 children, mainly orphans, also have dinner at the center. Salesian missionaries are actively working to fight malnutrition and undernourishment. For the past two years in order to guarantee everyone a meal, Salesian missionaries have not purchased meat, which in Ethiopia has prohibitive costs. This allows missionaries to buy the food they require for their annual needs while keeping costs down.

The Don Bosco Center also offers a small medical dispensary, which is managed by a nurse. Youth receive first aid, routine health check-ups and medicine when needed. Youth are able to take a hot shower, and hygiene and sanitary supplies are available.

Youth also have assistance with their education at the Don Bosco Center, including a school uniform and school materials such as textbooks, notebooks, pens and pencils. For older children who attend vocational training courses, Salesian missionaries provide transportation to school. In addition, Salesian missionaries pay the school fees of all the center’s children and older youth.

“In Addis Ababa and the outskirts in Mekanissa, there are as many as 100,000 children who desperately need assistance getting off the streets and turning their lives around,” explains Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “At the Don Bosco Center, youth who live in the most extreme poverty have access to nutrition, health services, and the funding and supplies needed to gain an education. Youth are given a second chance in life and hope for the future.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ethiopia – “Don Bosco Center” of Mekanissa: home for the most needy children

UNICEF – Ethiopia

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: The Don Bosco Center provides services to more than 400 street children in Mekanissa first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, UN-Water sets a theme for World Water Day corresponding to a current or future challenge. This year’s theme is ‘Water and Jobs’ and highlights the positive effects of having enough quality water to change workers’ lives and livelihoods and even transform societies and economies. UN Water notes that almost half of the world’s workers, 1.5 billion people, work in water-related sectors and nearly all jobs either depend on water or ensure its safe delivery. Yet, the millions of people who work in water are often not recognized or protected by basic labor rights.

UN-Water estimates that worldwide 768 million people lack access to improved water sources and 2.5 billion people have no improved sanitation. For those who have no access to clean water, water-related disease is common with more than 840,000 people dying each year from water-related diseases. Women and children often bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households and globally, spend 140 million hours a day collecting water. Children in these communities are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has made building wells and supplying fresh, clean water, a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.

“Having access to clean water is essential for life and brings a sense of dignity to the children and families we serve in our programs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Improving water and sanitation facilities also ensures that teachers and students are working and learning in an environment that promotes proper hygiene and has safe drinking water, reducing the number of waterborne illnesses that can affect those in our schools keeping them away from important study time.”

In honor and celebration of World Water Day 2016, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight Salesian programs around the globe that provide clean, safe water to those most in need.

DR CONGO

Close to 4,000 youth, parents, Salesian staff and community members are benefiting from two water projects at Salesian training and vocational centers in the city of Lubumbashi in the southeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo*. The Salesian-run Kansebula St Jean Bosco Institute and Chem Chem Center have nearly completed the renovation of existing water systems which were outdated, wasting energy and had insufficient quantities of water.

Salesian missionaries began the two water projects to ensure clean fresh water for the students and the sustainability of the water sources for their facilities. At Kansebula, the project consists of erecting a high water tower and two 2,500 liter water tanks in connection to the existing water system. Once completed, this project will improve water management and protect the water pump in use. At Chem Chem the project entails upgrading the existing water system to allow proper quantities of clean water for students. This is being accomplished by deepening the existing well, erecting a high water tower and installing two 2,500 liter water tanks.

ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia is experiencing the worst drought the country has seen in more than 50 years. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently announced that agricultural assistance for the upcoming rainy season in Ethiopia is essential to help the drought-affected people as one of the strongest El Niño events on record continues to have devastating effects on the lives and livelihoods of farmers and herders.

Salesian missionaries and volunteers with the International Volunteers for Development (VIS) are concerned that the devastating drought is forcing residents to flee the country making them vulnerable to illegal migration (particularly to Europe and the Middle East), exploitation and human traffickers who are already taking advantage of the crisis. Using deep wells built by VIS volunteers in recent years, Salesian missionaries and volunteers are currently distributing water to schools, hospitals and first aid clinics, centers for street children, women’s refuges and diocesan centers. The goal during this emergency phase is to support the 12,000 residents of the Somali, Tigray and Oromia regions and those living in the South.

INDIA

Salesian missionaries working at the Don Bosco St. Joseph School for Children in Ghanaur, a town in the Patiala district in the state of Punjab, India, have begun a construction project to update and improve facilities at the school making it more accessible to its more than 540 students. Currently, the school’s bathroom facilities are dilapidated, out-of-date and insufficient to accommodate the students and faculty.

Situated on the periphery of a large village, the school was created to serve poor students whose parents could not afford traditional school fees. It offers a full range of academic classes as well as recreational programs. Each year, the student population grows as more and more area families require access to affordable education. Due to its growing population, sanitation has been a major concern at the school and will be addressed by the recent construction project which will provide separate bathroom facilities for male and female students. To date, a well has been dug and the purchasing of materials and digging of pits are underway. Once enough funds are raised to complete the project, construction of the bathroom buildings will begin.

RWANDA

Salesian missionaries in the community of Rukago in the city of Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda, just completed a water and sanitation project for the local Salesian school which had been in desperate need of new sanitation and safe drinking water. The project, funded by Salesian Missions, provided eight new toilets and repaired a water tank that provides clean drinking water for the students. Prior to the repair of the water tank, students had to walk more than a mile to collect water from a hill in a swampy area.

The construction project for the new toilets consisted of digging a pit, purchasing materials and constructing a beam, walls and roof. After that, doors were added and the new building was painted. Salesian missionaries expect that this new project will help local families save on medical expenses for treating children who develop water-related diseases and illnesses due to contaminated water. The new improvements will also give the school children better access to safe water so they can turn their attention and focus to their studies.

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Sources:

UN Water – World Water Day 2016

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post WORLD WATER DAY: Salesian Missionaries Ensure Safe, Clean Water for Teachers and Students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ethiopia is experiencing the worst drought the country has seen in more than 50 years. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently announced that agricultural assistance for the upcoming rainy season in Ethiopia is essential to help the drought-affected people as one of the strongest El Niño events on record continues to have devastating effects on the lives and livelihoods of farmers and herders. The agency reported that humanitarian needs in the country have tripled since the beginning of 2015 as the drought has led to successive crop failures and widespread livestock deaths. According to the United Nations, agricultural production in the affected regions has fallen by 50 to 90 percent and the Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency.

As a result, food insecurity and malnutrition rates are alarming in the country with FAO reporting that some 10.2 million people are now food insecure. One-quarter of all districts in Ethiopia are officially classified as facing a food security and nutrition crisis. In addition, the country’s first rainy season is delayed and, with Ethiopia’s main agricultural season fast approaching, farmers need immediate support to help them produce food between now and September for millions facing hunger.

The UN has estimated that nearly 500,000 people leave the country every year or twice that number if consideration is given to illegal migration and victims of trafficking. Due to the drought and food insecurity, many families are leaving the countryside and making their way to cities.

“In the cities, many Ethiopians will receive no help and often do not even find a place to sleep. In this situation there is a significant risk that many will fall victim to traffickers and become exploited and enslaved,” says Father Estifanos Gebremeskel, Superior of the Salesian Vice-Province of Ethiopia.

Using deep wells built by VIS volunteers in recent years, Salesian missionaries and volunteers are currently distributing water to schools, hospitals and first aid clinics, centers for street children, women’s refuges and diocesan centers. The goal during this emergency phase is to support the 12,000 residents of the Somali, Tigray and Oromia regions and those living in the South.

“A crisis of this magnitude calls for a swift response,” says the President of VIS. “We work alongside the Salesians in collaboration with local institutions and associations to help people overcome this terrible drought. They need emergency responses, but we also need to build infrastructure that can last over time.”

A Stop Human Trafficking Campaign, supported by VIS and the Association of Don Bosco Missions in Turin, Italy, is actively providing education and awareness programs to combat trafficking of potential migrants. The campaign also aims to establish development projects in the country to address the root causes of migration.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of providing educational and support services to poor youth in Ethiopia. Missionaries operate six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers in the country. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while accessing services including family sponsorship and school feeding programs. These supports reinforce the missionaries’ goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible. In addition, water and sanitation issues are regularly assessed by missionaries working in programs throughout the country and new water well projects are planned and implemented as needs arise.

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Sources:

ANS – Ethiopia – 10 million people at risk of hunger: human traffickers ready to take advantage of the drought

UN News Center – Ethiopian farmers need urgent assistance amid major drought, warns UN agency

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian Missionaries Working with VIS Volunteers are Helping to Provide Water to 12,000 During Drought first appeared on MissionNewswire.

By providing analysis and research on the real reasons for migration, informing potential migrants about the risks of the journey and the real chances of success and giving individual guidance to those who want to leave, the campaign is working to deter young people from leaving countries where people are most at risk of human trafficking such as Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Ghana. In collaboration with Salesian missionaries in Africa, the campaign will also raise funds to help with program development in targeted countries in Africa.

The campaign has already found success in Senegal after research there showed that nearly 40 percent of youth leaving the country are leaving in search of better educational opportunities. Funds raised through the campaign are helping to provide scholarships to students in Senegal so they are able to access educational opportunities within their own country.

Salesian missionaries developed the campaign to meet the needs of the migrant youth who enter their programs in Europe and in Africa. In 2014, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) produced A Global Report on Trafficking in Persons which offered the first global assessment of the scope of human trafficking and what is being done to combat it. Based on data gathered from 155 countries, the report shows that more than 1.2 million children worldwide are victims of child trafficking which accounts for just over 20 percent of all trafficking victims. In some parts of Africa, children make up the majority of trafficking victims and in parts of West Africa, children account for nearly 100 percent of trafficking victims.

The report also notes that close to 80 percent of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation with the victims being predominantly women and girls. A surprising finding from the report is that in nearly 30 percent of the countries assessed, women make up the largest portion of traffickers. The second most common form of human trafficking, accounting for 19 percent, is forced labor. Although, research notes that this may be underrepresented because forced labor is frequently harder to detect than trafficking for sexual exploitation.

“From awareness programs in communities to radio programs, the Stop Human Trafficking campaign is utilizing a number of different methods to reach its audience,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The campaign is also using real stories of young people who have returned home after having been victims of human trafficking, which has been quite effective.”

Since the launch of the Don Bosco Child Protection Center in Ghana in 2014, Salesian missionaries have been providing residential services and educational programs to victims of child trafficking. As part of the campaign, the center is also providing information on the risks of illegal migration including interviews with children who survived their migrant journey and returned home, videos, radio programs and local newspaper stories in addition to sponsoring forums, films and debates in rural areas.

“This campaign has been successful in reaching thousands of youth and creating awareness of the many forms of fraud, trafficking and exploitation facing those who venture on such migrant voyages while at the same time giving information on the possibilities for development that exist in these countries,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

Stop Human Trafficking Campaign

The post ITALY: Stop Human Trafficking Campaign is Helping to Prevent Exploitation and Abuse first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“From safe drinking water and healthy sanitation to agriculture, water is essential for life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian Missions has made building wells and other projects that supply fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”

The construction of a simple well improves the health of residents, increases agricultural production and leads to a better quality of life for families, especially for girls and women. Women and children often bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households and globally, spend 140 million hours a day collecting water. Children in communities without access to local wells are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

Salesian well projects in Ethiopia utilize construction techniques compatible with cultural traditions, practices and customs of the region and use locally sourced materials. The new wells will improve sanitation and provide safe drinking water and water for agriculture and food production.

Residents of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia are experiencing chronic food insecurity made worse by recurring periods of drought, low soil fertility and an unsustainable use of natural resources. Agriculture is the primary source of sustenance and survival for communities in this region and the onset of drought has negatively impacted all aspects of family life. In order to address this situation and provide access to clean, safe water, Don Bosco Missions in Turin, Italy is planning to implement a well project. Each well equipped with pump is expected to cost just over $11,000 U.S.

A collaborative project between Salesian missionaries and International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) volunteers began in 2011 and has successfully completed five wells in the Gambella area of Ethiopia. The wells are operated by a hand pump and are between 50 and 60 meters deep, guaranteeing water to local villages that will benefit close to 1,200 people. To ensure that the wells last as long as possible, a village committee has been set up to oversee their management and maintenance.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of providing educational and support services to poor youth in Ethiopia. Missionaries operate six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers in the country. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while accessing support services including family sponsorship and school feeding programs. These supports reinforce the missionaries’ goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible. Missionaries at these programs continue to assess water and sanitation issues for the programs and surrounding villages. New water well projects are planned and implemented as needs arise.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – Wells in Ethiopia to improve the lives of people in the poorest regions

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Water Well Projects Provide Safe Drinking Water and Improved Sanitation during Recent Droughts first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Residents of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia are experiencing chronic food insecurity made worse by recurring periods of drought, low soil fertility and an unsustainable use of natural resources. Agriculture is the primary source of sustenance and survival for communities in this region and the onset of drought has negatively impacted all aspects of family life. In order to address this situation and provide access to clean, safe water, Don Bosco Missions in Turin, Italy is planning to implement a well project. Each well equipped with pump is expected to cost just over $11,000 U.S.

The project will utilize construction techniques compatible with cultural traditions, practices and customs of the region and use locally sourced materials. It will also establish village committees that will be responsible for the management of the wells and water-collection systems in addition to the training of community members in appropriate sanitation practices.

The new wells will provide water for agriculture and food production and access to safe drinking water in addition to improving sanitation. Women and children often bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households and globally, spend 140 million hours a day collecting water. Children in communities without access to local wells are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

“From safe drinking water and healthy sanitation to agriculture, water is essential for life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian Missions has made building wells and other projects that supply fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.”

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38 percent of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. Close to 85 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

Salesian missionaries have a long history of providing educational and support services to poor youth in Ethiopia. Missionaries operate six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers in the country. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while accessing support services including family sponsorship and school feeding programs. These supports reinforce the missionaries’ goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible.

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Sources:

ANS – Ethiopia – A comprehensive water project

UNICEF – Ethiopia

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Every year since 2002, the International Labor Organization facilitates World Day Against Child Labor on June 12 to focus attention on the global extent of child labor and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. The day brings together governments and employers, workers and civil society organizations as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child laborers.

Each World Day Against Child Labor focuses on a particular theme with this year’s theme being, “No to Child Labor, Yes to Quality Education.” It will focus on free, compulsory and quality education for all children to at least the minimum age for admission to employment as well as action to reach those presently in child labor including new efforts to ensure that national policies on child labor and education are consistent and effective and policies that ensure access to quality education and investment in the teaching profession are in place.

The International Labor Organization’s World Report on Child Labour 2015: Paving the way to decent work for young people notes that 168 million children are engaged in illegal forms of labor, mostly in the informal economy and agriculture. Eighty-five million of these children work in severely hazardous conditions. Several million more are victims of forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation and other illicit activities.

According to the report, child labor is associated with lower educational attainment and future jobs that fail to meet basic decent work criteria. Those who leave school early are less likely to secure stable jobs and are at greater risk of chronic unemployment and poverty. The majority of those who have left school early, particularly between the ages of 15 and 17, are engaged in work that is hazardous and classified as the worst forms of child labor.

“Children who are compelled to work, even for a fraction of the day, are deprived of the education they need to learn valuable skills that lead to stable employment later in life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Unfortunately, in many situations, children are being forced to work around the clock with barely enough time to eat, let alone study, and their prospects in life are diminished.”

In honor of World Day Against Child Labor 2015, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight a few of the Salesian programs around the globe that help to eliminate child labor through quality education.

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.

INDIA

India has the largest number of child laborers under the age of 14 in the world, according to UNICEF. Many are engaged in dangerous occupations and live on the streets. As part of Operation Smile, a month long program initiated by India’s Home Ministry, more than 200 children engaged in child labor in Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Telangana, were rescued and placed with Salesian missionaries at Don Bosco Navajeevan, a home for street and working children. According to Salesian reports, the children were rescued by city police in an apartment building where they were engaged in child labor for the bangle manufacturing industry. The children were being paid very low wages, forced to work long hours and forbidden from leaving their place of work. Further, their work exposed them to chemicals and hazardous working conditions.

Salesian missionaries living and working in India place special emphasis on rescuing and rehabilitating children engaged in child labor. Once youth are brought to Salesian-run centers they receive shelter, food and clothing. Salesian programs for the rescued youth focus on education and life skills training to help them break the cycle of poverty in order to lead productive lives free from abuse and forced labor. In addition, supplementary classes cater to those who have missed school and have fallen behind academically. This necessary extra assistance enables them to enter back into mainstream schools.

ETHIOPIA

The Bosco Children Project in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, has established a new orientation program called “Come and See” which serves close to 30 boys who are living on the streets. Every morning the boys are picked up by bus and taken to the center where they work, play sports and attend classes in reading and writing. They also receive life skills training on social morality, civic responsibility, hygiene and professional ethics. In the evening, the boys return to the streets. The goal is to provide street children with enough information and support to help them make the decision to enroll in the three year regular education course offered by the program.

If a boy is ready to enter the three-year course, he is provided a place to live in a Salesian-run youth hostel. His basic needs are provided for while he attends school and learns a trade. Salesian missionaries operating the Bosco Children Project also provide workforce development services to help students with the transition from the classroom into stable employment. Some boys choose to continue on with their studies at university. For those who have families, missionaries offer assistance reconnecting them with their families and settling them into school in their home villages. When needed, financial assistance is offered to enable boys to continue their education.

KENYA

The Salesian-run Bosco Boys program provides education and technical skills training to former street children in Nairobi, Kenya and is currently serving more than 600 boys and girls in primary and secondary schools and universities. The program also operates two nursery schools in the slums of Kariua and Kuwinda.

Youth living in Nairobi’s slums are at-risk for exploitation, forced labor and other abuses. Few attend the later stages of school as compared to those living in Kenya’s more rural areas. The few schools serving this disadvantaged community are beyond the financial means of most families. UNICEF noted that while Kenya has free and compulsory education, youth in poverty still cannot afford to attend school resulting in close to 90 percent of children from poor households failing to complete their basic education. The Bosco Boys program provides education and workforce development opportunities. Students in the program who complete their primary education are assisted with secondary education or are advised to choose technical training in sister institutions. The secondary education is most often provided at Don Bosco Technical Secondary School, Embu, but can also be at another school close to a student’s home where they can be easily monitored.

In addition to the education provided, youth in the program are given professional counseling to help them overcome any difficulties they may face in their lives. The program also gives youth the tools to develop a positive healthy outlook on life and the education and training necessary to find stable employment.

In addition to the education provided, youth in the program are given professional counseling to help them overcome any difficulties they may face in their lives. The program also gives youth the tools to develop a positive healthy outlook on life and the education and training necessary to find stable employment.

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Sources:

World Day Against Child Labor

International Labour Organization – New ILO study points to the long-term impact of child labour

The post WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOR: Salesian Missions Reports on Efforts to Eliminate Child Labor around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

For Salesian volunteer, Polona Dominik, a young Slovenian social worker, working with the Bosco Boys program fulfilled a lifelong dream. She came to Kenya in February 2012 and volunteered for two years with the organization. Today, she works at the headquarters for the Don Bosco East Africa Province.

“I always wanted to work with and for street children, first in my home country of Slovenia, then in Ethiopia with the Bosco Children program and later in Kenya,” says Dominik. “We had close to 200 former street boys in the Bosco Boys program in Langata and Kuwinda (suburbs of Nairobi) plus others who were under our sponsorship after completing the program at Bosco Boys. There were new requests daily for admissions, so as a social worker there was a great deal that I could do, and a great deal that I have learned which I could not have learned anywhere else.”

Youth living in Nairobi’s slums are at-risk for exploitation, forced labor and other abuses. Few attend the later stages of school as compared to those living in Kenya’s more rural areas. The few schools serving this disadvantaged community are beyond the financial means of most families. UNICEF noted that while Kenya has free and compulsory education, youth in poverty still cannot afford to attend school resulting in close to 90 percent of children from poor households failing to complete their basic education.

“I met children and their families with stories of suffering, poverty, negligence, abuse and devastation,” adds Dominik. “Every day I was meeting boys whose families were absent or unable to provide food, shelter and education so youth were forced to look after themselves by stealing or by earning a little through jobs on the street. There are countless numbers of children living like this in the slums of Nairobi and only a small percentage have the possibility of rehabilitation in a center like Bosco Boys.”

The Bosco Boys program provides education and workforce development opportunities. Students in the program who complete their primary education are assisted with secondary education or are advised to choose technical training in sister institutions. The secondary education is most often provided at Don Bosco Technical Secondary School, Embu, but can also be at another school close to a student’s home where they can be easily monitored.

In addition to the education provided, youth in the program are given professional counseling to help them overcome any difficulties they may face in their lives. The program also gives youth the tools to develop a positive healthy outlook on life and the education and training necessary to find stable employment.

Despite the steady growth of Kenya’s economy, according to UNICEF, more than half of the country’s population lives below the poverty line on less than one US dollar a day. UNICEF also notes that Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, is home to 3 million residents, most of whom endure lives of extreme poverty in the city’s slums. The most vulnerable are families and children living in these urban slums and in areas of the country most affected by HIV/AIDS. Many do not have access to healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and education.

Sources

ANS – Kenya – “There is nothing nobler or more important in the world than saving the lives of needy children”

UNICEF – Kenya

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Around 150,000 South Sudanese have fled to Ethiopia since conflict broke out in the world’s youngest nation in December.  Nine out of ten of the arrivals are women and children who often walk for weeks to reach safety.

“It’s a massive emergency,” Antoine Foucher, MSF’s head of mission in Ethiopia, told Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

“One child out of ten coming into our hospitals is actually dying for a variety of reasons ranging from late referrals to very bad health status that is practically not curable.”

The refugees are fleeing hunger as well as conflict, with food becoming increasingly scarce in South Sudan.

Fighting between government forces and rebels has driven 1.5 million South Sudanese from their homes and left 3.5 million, or a third of the population, suffering acute or emergency-level food shortages, the United Nations says.

FIGHTING OFF ILLNESSES

One in four of the children who arrive in Ethiopia are malnourished, Foucher said. In this weakened state, it is difficult for their bodies to fight off illnesses such as measles, diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

The start of the rainy season will aggravate the situation, worsening sanitary conditions and the incidence of malaria.

“It’s a race against time,” said Foucher. “We have a one month window of opportunity… to bring the conditions up to standard if we want to avoid a catastrophe on the catastrophe.”

MSF has two hospitals treating the refugees. In Lietchuor camp, seven percent of the children who are admitted die. In their hospital in the town of Itang, 10km from Kule camp, the death rate is 18 percent.

Ethiopia was home to just 50,000 South Sudanese refugees before the war erupted. Aid agencies have been struggling to cope with the sudden influx, which has been as high as 15,000 arrivals per day.

The population of the camps could reach 350,000 by the end of the year, the United Nations refugee agency has said.

TRANSIT CAMPS

New arrivals sometimes have to wait up to a month at transit sites before being resettled in the permanent camps, about 50km away.

“This period is naturally very critical because this is the moment when they do need the most intensive care,” said Foucher.

“MSF teams provide medical care in these transit camps, treating the children, some of whom die within the first days following their arrival.”

Conditions in the camps are little better, with half of the refugees living under plastic sheeting and a severe shortage of water and latrines.

“After several weeks in the camps, where living conditions are very precarious, they do not get any better,” MSF said, highlighting the prevalence of diarrhoea and pneumonia among hospitalised children.

In humanitarian emergencies, people are supposed to receive 20 litres of water per person per day. At the Burubiey transit centre, it is only seven litres.

Each latrine should be shared by a maximum of 20 people. At Kule 1 camp, MSF said, there are 288 people per latrine.

“If the situation is not improved – in terms of water supplies, in terms of latrines availability, in terms of shelter – then the medical unit that has been deployed by MSF will only be able to tackle the consequences,” Foucher said.

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by Katy Migiro

PHOTO: Children displaced by the fighting in Bor county, stand on the side of a boat in Awerial county, Lakes state, in South Sudan, January 15, 2014. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

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An estimated 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related causes. Close to 99 percent of those deaths occur in developing countries with children being most at risk—a child dies from a water-related illness every 21 seconds. Each day worldwide, an estimated 4,100 children under the age of five die from diarrhea and 2,350 more die from malnutrition due to dirty water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene.

Women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households. For women, particularly those that are head of households, this is time spent away from income-generating jobs and caring for family members. Children in these communities are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many of these children are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has made building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian programs help vulnerable youth and others living in poverty. The charity is appealing for donations to support this important initiative.

“The poorest children have the least access to safe water and adequate sanitation and they pay the highest price,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “From helping to ensure our communities have access to clean water for drinking and agriculture to helping build a hydro-electric power station, Salesian missionaries working in 132 countries around the globe are committed to focusing on clean water and sanitation projects to ensure clean water access for those we serve.”

Salesian Missions has a long history of developing special infrastructure projects that help communities in need. In addition to building hospitals, schools and youth centers, Salesians have already helped communities which lack clean water, sanitation and electricity. From new water wells in countries throughout Africa to a hydro-electrical station in Bolivia, Salesian Missions and its partners are bringing hope to many communities.

“This is not new work for Salesian programs around the globe,” adds Fr. Hyde. “We have carried out clean water projects in many countries but this is a renewed commitment to these initiatives because access to clean water is essential for the health of those we serve. It is also important for youth to be in school gaining an education and laying the foundation for a productive life instead of being forced to search for water.”

To give to the Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative, to to SalesianMissions.org.

Some examples of Salesian Missions clean water projects:

BRAZIL
To address serious water issues resulting from pesticide pollution in a remote area of western Brazil, Salesian Missions worked with members of the Xavante and Bororo Indian communities to obtain clean water from previously inaccessible areas. To do so, they first created wells and designed a mobile drilling truck. To create power, they invented and patented a seesaw pump that would draw water from the depths of the well as children were playing. Now, solar panels are used. The result is reduced risk of disease, access to potable water, improved infrastructure and expanded farming. The endeavor began as an immediate response to a community crisis but has become a well-organized project that ensures the growth of two indigenous groups.

CAMBODIA
Salesians have a long history of working with poor youth in Cambodia. Continuing this work, the Don Bosco Technical School in Kep Province built a new Mary Help of Youth Water Tower as part of a Water System Project at the school that was made possible by donors through Don Bosco Mondo in Bonn, Germany. Its construction will guarantee water for this large educational community for years to come. Most people in the region utilize well water and this tower, constructed by a group of volunteers, will go significantly deeper than the average well and has two reserve tanks to hold additional water. Using green technologies, the water pump is generated by installed solar panels.

ETHIOPIA
A project started in 2011 by Salesians and International Voluntary Service for Development volunteers was responsible for digging five wells in the Gambella area of Ethiopia. The wells are operated by a hand pump and are between 50 and 60 meters deep, guaranteeing water to local villages that will benefit close to 1,200 people. To ensure that the wells last as long as possible, a village committee has been set up to oversee their management and maintenance.

INDIA
Safe drinking water is essential for child survival. In India, progress has been made with 84.5 percent of rural and 95 percent of urban populations having sustainable access to safe drinking water, according to the World Bank. At the Don Bosco Center for Learning in Kurla, a new training facility focuses on job training in developing technologies concerning water, ranging from plumbing and sanitation to developing efficient methods for utilization and analyzing existing systems for efficient transportation of water. The courses are designed to help youth, who had previously left school, enter the workforce.

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PHOTO: UNICEF

Sources:

Salesian Missions

Water.org

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The UN refugee agency told reporters it was working with its partners to improve conditions in Ethiopia’s western Gambella region– flying in new tents, building camps and moving refugees to higher ground as the rainy season approaches.

On Monday the first flight in an airlift of 4,000 emergency tents arrived at Gambella airport. Those 400 tents were being sent to Lietchuor refugee camp, 125 kilometres from Gambella town, on Tuesday.

The remaining tents will arrive on six flights over the coming days for distribution to other camps operated by UNHCR and Ethiopia’s Administration of Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA) in Gambella Regional State.

UNHCR has now finished relocating refugees who were living in flood-prone areas in Kule camp, 42 kilometres from Gambella town, to higher ground. A similar relocation will start at Leitchuor camp on Tuesday. With the rainy season approaching, some parts of the camps were already affected by flooding.

Last weekend, UNHCR and ARRA started clearing the area for a new camp close to Kule on land donated by the Gambella regional administration. It will accommodate up to 30,000 refugees and be located on high ground. The camp is expected to be ready by the end of April.

“Refugees continue to arrive from South Sudan into the Gambella region at a rate of 800 to 1,000 people per day, mainly through the Pagak border point,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a news briefing.

Some 95 percent are women and children from the Upper Nile State, with many citing fear and food scarcity as the main reasons for their flight. Many women reported men are forcibly recruited, while others have been killed.

“Some refugees have walked up to three weeks to cross the border and malnutrition rates among children remain high,” Fleming said.

More than 4,000 malnourished children are in nutrition programmes in the camps, while some 3,500 lactating women are receiving supplementary feeding. However, UNHCR reported a slight easing in the number of arrivals in Ethiopia since WFP began airdrops of food in South Sudan itself.

With the ongoing influx and the rainy season imminent, regional authorities have granted space on higher ground at the Pagak border point to build a transitional reception centre. The new centre will accommodate up to 5,000 people and provide accommodation while refugees are registered and receive vaccinations, health, nutrition, and other basic services.

UNHCR has deployed a helicopter to transport vulnerable people – the elderly, the disabled, pregnant and lactating women, newborns and sick people – from the Akobo border point to the Lietchuour refugee camp.

Most refugees arriving to Akobo travel by boat up to 15 hours to Burubiey, another entry point, from where they are eventually settled in refugee camps. Some 190 vulnerable people unfit to make that boat trip have been moved to Leitchor camp in 11 flights over the past two weeks and the 30-minute flights are continuing.

Some 86,000 refugees fleeing South Sudan’s current conflict now reside in four camps — Kule, Lietchuor, Pugnido and Okugo — with a further 9,600 still to be relocated from border points.

UNHCR and partners need to raise USD 102 million to meet the basic needs of South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia. Of this, UNHCR requires USD 43.6 million, with only 12 percent so far funded.

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PHOTO: © UNHCR/L.F.Godinho

South Sudanese refugees, who fled to Ethiopia after internal ethnical conflicts erupted in their homeland in December 2013, carry essential aid items back to their tents in Kule Camp.

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The country has 4 million orphans which account for nearly 12 percent of all children, and according to UNICEF, more than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis that has affected the country. Thousands more children run away each year seeking a better life on the streets.

Through various programs, Salesians in Ethiopia are meeting the most basic needs of poor youth while providing educational opportunities to enable them to break the cycle of poverty and find hope for the future.

One such Salesian program, the CARING Orphans and Vulnerable Children project is funded by USAID to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in the country. It provides holistic care, community reintegration and support for 60,000 orphans and street youth who are living at-risk due to HIV/AIDS. A shelter where youth are able to access medical care, clothing and food is available as well as formal and non-formal education opportunities. As a result of the program, more than a quarter of the youth have been reintegrated back home with their extended families.

“Salesians in Ethiopia are helping the most poor and vulnerable children in the country,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “As a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, children have been left alone to fend for themselves. Salesians are working hard to make sure that these children have a chance at a brighter future.”

In Ethiopia, the Salesians’ primary focus is on the education of poor youth. They accomplish this through the operation of six primary schools, three secondary schools and six vocational training centers for older youth. At all these Salesian-run educational facilities, youth are able to gain an education while having access to support services, including family sponsorship and school feeding programs, that provide care for them and their families all with the goal of keeping youth in school as long as possible.

In Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, a Salesian Center provides a variety of programs designed to instill confidence and self-respect to 750 at-risk youth. The Center features dormitories, classrooms, a recreation hall and cafeteria and serves hundreds of poor youth by providing for their most basic needs of food and shelter. While educational programming is offered at the Center, the Salesians there believe in meeting the basic needs of youth first, so they are better able to focus on their studies.

“Education is always our primary focus,” adds Fr. Hyde. “But we know youth in Ethiopia are dealing with much more than just having access to education. Salesian programs are tailored to meet the needs of the youth in the communities they serve. Homeless and malnourished youth are simply not able to focus effectively on their studies while they struggle to meet their basic needs. Our services provide food and shelter so youth are able to focus on the education provided.”

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Sources

Feed the Future – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

The post ETHIOPIA: Salesian Programs Help Break Cycle of Poverty and Give Youth Hope for the Future first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“But our goal is to go as quickly as possible and we are grateful to those countries who are helping us to do the transportation because that’s no small feat,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous told reporters after briefing the Security Council on the situation in the world’s youngest country, where well over 1,000 people have been killed and some 300,000 others driven from their home since fighting erupted between Government and opposition forces nearly a month ago.

The time-frame is longer than Mr. Ladsous outlined on 30 December when he said it was hoped all reinforcements for the UN peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) that the Council authorized to protect civilians – almost doubling the force to nearly 14,000, including utility and tactical helicopters – would be on the ground within three weeks.

But although he said today that getting the whole surge there could take between four and eight weeks, he stressed that “we are making very substantial progress,” and it was hoped to have a significant number of formed police units, some of which are already deployed and operational, on the ground over the coming days.

This will allow UNMISS peacekeepers who lack the necessary vehicles and are currently deployed on UN bases and camps to defend 60,000 people seeking shelter there, to take on “more proactive patrolling around the bases and beyond because, of course, the situation in terms of violation of human rights remains terrible critical,” he added.

Mr. Ladsous said “we know” that the death toll will “be very substantially in excess of the 1,000 figures that we know for sure,” while there are probably 250,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). At least 42,800 others are estimated to have fled to neighbouring countries.

“The priorities now for the UN are very clearly in this situation: to focus on the protection of civilians, on human rights and on helping our humanitarian colleagues to access those populations,” he stressed. “These are the three items on which UNMISS is really concentrating all its efforts right now.”

During the more than three hour briefing, the Council also heard from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative to the African Union, Haile Menkerios, by video link from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Government and opposition representatives are meeting in talks in talks mediated by the East African regional organization, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), with an immediate ceasefire and the release of political detainees held by the Government at the top of the agenda.

Mr. Ban’s Special Representative in South Sudan, and head of UNMISS, Hilde Johnson also briefed the 15-member body from Juba, South Sudan’s capital.

Asked about denial of access for UN peacekeepers, which the Government guaranteed in the accord setting up UNMISS, specifically flying into Bor in Jonglei state, site of some of the fiercest fighting and displacement of civilians, Mr. Ladsous said “this is being corrected and this has been taken up rather forcefully with the Government.”

Asked why UNMISS forces have so far remained on their bases and not gone further afield when fighting and human rights abuses have been reported, he replied: “In view of the fact that they only have limited equipment, that is a Limitation. So this is why we don’t send them on long-range patrols on the vehicles that they don’t have yet.

“This is why we are concentrating in the first place on the protection of UN bases and camps. But as the strength augments, as the equipment augments, then it will be possible to put them into full blown duties.”

He was also asked about reports that the South Sudanese Government objected to certain nationalities taking part in the UNMISS reinforcement; “The situation has improved in the sense that the messages have been more open, so there’s still work to do, but anyway we are in a position of deploying those troops that we intended to deploy to South Sudan.”

The Council briefings came as UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos announced $15-million allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). “Conditions for the South Sudanese fleeing hostilities in their country are getting worse by the day,” she said. With this CERF funding, UN humanitarian agencies will be better able to meet the needs of people desperately seeking shelter and safety.”

South Sudan, which only gained independence in 2011 after seceding from Sudan, erupted in fighting on 15 December when President Salva Kiir said soldiers loyal to former deputy president Riek Machar, dismissed last July, reportedly launched an attempted coup.

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Photo: Civilians fleeing the fighting and seeking refuge, wait outside a compound of the UN Mission in Bor (December 2013). UN Photo/Hailemichael Gebrekrstos

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As of yesterday, 23,546 South Sudanese refugees had arrived in Uganda since the conflict erupted a month ago in the world’s youngest country, which only gained independence in 2011 after seceding from Sudan, when President Salva Kiir said soldiers loyal to former deputy president Riek Machar, dismissed last July, reportedly launched an attempted coup.

“They are now crossing at a rate of up to 2,500 people a day,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva.

These new arrivals come at a time when UNHCR’s Uganda office is trying to cope with a continuing influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “We still have 8,000 new Congolese arrivals at three reception centers in western Uganda, so our staff and our supplies are stretched,” Ms. Fleming said.

Smaller but growing numbers of South Sudanese refugees are also fleeing to other neighboring countries. More than 5,300 refugees have been registered in Ethiopia – though the number is likely higher as the remote border area is hard to access. In north-west Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, where as many as 300 South Sudanese are now arriving daily, UNHCR staff registered 3,173 new arrivals by Sunday evening.

The situation in Sudan remains less clear. At least several hundred South Sudanese have crossed the border, and perhaps several thousand. But with many groups, including nomads and rebels, active in the area, it is difficult to know exactly how many are refugees, Ms. Fleming said.

Representatives of Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar are meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in talks mediated by the East African regional organization, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), with an immediate ceasefire at the top of the agenda.

Inside South Sudan, UNHCR is operating with a reduced staff of 200 people because of fighting and insecurity throughout much of the country, but it continues to supply services to some 230,000 existing refugees at 10 camps in South Sudan.

“We have also been taking on increased responsibilities for the 57,000 civilians taking refuge in 10 UN compounds throughout the country,” Ms. Fleming stressed. “We are helping lead efforts to protect especially vulnerable people like women and children. And we have brought in experts in areas such as site planning and camp management.”

Yesterday a chartered flight arrived in Juba, the capital, carrying essential relief items from UNHCR’s stockpiles in Nairobi, including 12,500 blankets, 2,500 sets of cooking pots and other kitchen equipment, and 4,000 plastic sheets to shelter 20,000 displaced people in and around the capital.

In Maban, north-eastern South Sudan, just four UNHCR international staff and 11 national staff have been working with partners and refugees to serve 120,000 refugees in four camps, making sure that health services remain available and water pumps are still working.

UNHCR and the UN World Food Program (WFP) together have distributed food rations to the refugees for 45 days instead of the normal 30 days, so that they will be able to eat if services are disrupted.

“We are also in the process of distributing soap in all four camps. Given the dangerous and fast-changing nature of operating in South Sudan, we are stretching resources and working to fill any gaps in service,” Ms. Fleming said.

The agency is also preparing to return personnel to Yida in Unity state, where three national staff and partners have been continuing to serve the 77,000 refugees in Yida and Ajuong Thok camps close to the border with Sudan. But that plan is contingent on the deployment of additional UN peace-keepers.

Operating in Unity state remains dangerous and unpredictable and last week UNHCR lost six pick-up trucks to looters, who also helped themselves to barrels of fuel and spare parts for vehicles and water pumps in Yida.

The South Sudan Government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei states. With opposition forces now controlling Bor, the Jonglei capital, a large government military contingent has moved north to Pariang, close to Yida and Ajuong Thok camps.

“As a result, we are greatly worried about any effects of the fighting on the refugees and on our ability to serve them. We remind all parties to the conflict that refugee camps must remain civilian in character,” Ms. Fleming said.

On other fronts, the UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, continues to protect approximately 62,000 civilians at its bases, with humanitarian actors providing relief and support. This includes nearly 30,000 at its two Juba bases, a UN spokesperson said today.

The Mission also reports that the situation in Juba continues to be tense. In addition to protecting civilians in its bases, Mission troops are conducting day and night patrols in the capital. UNMISS notes continued instability and fighting in a number of locations, including around Bor and in areas in Unity State.

In Jonglei State, the Mission reports fighting south of Bor and sporadic gunfire in the vicinity of its compound. It also says that a number of explosions have been heard this morning southeast of the city.

In Unity State, the Mission undertook a patrol to Pariyang and observed that most villages along the road from Mayom Junction to Pariyang appeared burnt or looted. Severe food, water and shelter shortages were also reported to the Mission by local officials.

The spokesperson said that UNMISS chief Hilde Johnson, continues to meet with senior Government officials as well, as with opposition leaders, to ensure full cooperation with the Mission to enable it to implement its mandate to protect civilians.

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See this United Nations article at its original location >

Photo: A family of South Sudanese civilians shelter at a UN base in Juba. UNHCR has been taking on increased responsibilities for the 57,000 civilians taking refuge in 10 UN compounds throughout the country. UNHCR/K. McKinsey

The post UNITED NATIONS: Refugee exodus from strife-torn South Sudan picks up momentum, UN reports first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ethiopia is subject to intense drought which triggers food shortages and famine. Without access to water, often women and children must walk long distances to collect water, and many times the water sources they find are subject to contamination. As a result, many suffer from water related diseases and young children are even prone to death if untreated.

But thanks to a project started in 2011, by the Salesians and International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) volunteers, five wells have been dug in the Gambella area. The wells in the villages of Ilea, Ibago, Matar, Kobuon and Seri Mejengir will guarantee water to the villages and benefit close to 1,200 people. Two more wells were dug this past April and another will be opened soon in the village of Bure, an area marked by hill rocky land and almost no roads.

The project was the dream of Andrea De Nando, a 15-year-old Italian Salesian student that was struck and killed in a pedestrian crossing near his school. He dreamed of bringing water to areas of Africa most affected by drought.  The “A Well for Andrea” project was started thanks to the efforts of Andrea’s family and the commitment of VIS volunteers. A fundraising campaign was started to collect funds to make Andrea’s dream come true, and to transform sorrow at the incomprehensible loss into hope for life in some Ethiopian villages.

“Carrying out this project in memory of my son who died two years ago enables me to do what he wanted to do, and it helps me to feel that he is still alive and with us,” explains Elisabeth Cipollone De Nando, Andrea’s mother. “At this time of the year, the temperature in the villages reaches well over 100 degrees in the shade, and I still cannot comprehend how the local people can go on for months with very little food and water.”

The wells are between 50 and 60 meters deep and are operated with hand pumps. To ensure that the wells last as long as possible, a village committee has been set up to oversee their management and maintenance. Elisabeth Cipollone De Nando was present at the opening of the wells.

“As always we were struck by the invaluable and incredible work done by the Salesian missionaries with the support of international volunteers from VIS, in an area which is one of the poorest in Africa, stricken by famine and drought,” says De Nado. “It was a cause of enormous joy and satisfaction to be able to return to the villages where the first three wells have been in operation since 2011, and to see for myself the constant use that is made of them. It was a real joy to see that they are still working well after two years, supplying the first basic necessity for human existence.”

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UN Photo/Martine Perret

Sources:

ANS – Ethiopia – From sorrow to life: Andrea De Nando’s wells

Water.org – Ethiopia

International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS)

The post ETHIOPIA: A Salesian Student’s Dream for Hope through New Wells, Safer Water first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Ethiopia wants to increase its electricity exports – mainly generated from hydropower – as a reliable source of precious hard currency. It is estimated to possess a potential capacity of 45,000 megawatts (MW) from hydro alone, which could place it at the center of an emerging electricity network across the region, driven largely by renewable energy.

The Eastern Africa Power Pool aims to connect the power grids of at least nine countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Djibouti. It may also be extended to northern and southern Africa.

State-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) last year announced a revised 25-year power-sector strategy, aiming to boost generating capacity to 37,000 MW by 2037. A substantial amount is intended to be surplus power and is slated for export.

Work is already underway to achieve this goal. The 283-km Ethiopia-Djibouti transmission line was officially inaugurated in October 2011. The 230-kV line, enabling Djibouti to import up to 60 MW of electricity, is estimated to be earning Ethiopia at least $1.5 million per month, and has eased Djibouti’s reliance on fossil-fuel power plants and generators.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) provided $95 million for the project linking the two countries. Its launch was significant for Ethiopia, as tiny Djibouti has a port that serves as the gateway for around 98 percent of landlocked Ethiopia’s export-import trade, creating economic and security interdependence.

Electricity is costly in Djibouti compared with the rest of East Africa and even Arab League member states, making its capital, Djibouti City, one of the most expensive cities in the Arab world.

Producing power with fuel-operated generators costs about $0.25 per kilowatt hour compared with around $0.07 per kilowatt hour for the power Ethiopia is exporting to Djibouti, according to EEPCo.

But the project caused some controversy when it was launched. At the time, major cities in Ethiopia, including Addis Ababa, faced sporadic power cuts, sparking grumbles by some Ethiopians that the scheme came at the expense of their own domestic power supply.

Multilateral donors were also initially hesitant about the feasibility of power export schemes due to concerns over inadequate infrastructure and political instability in the region.

SUDAN CONNECTION ‘OVERDUE’

Nonetheless, wider plans are gathering speed, with the 296-km, 230-kV Ethiopia-Sudan transmission line now being tested. Ethiopia expects to sell up to 100 MW of electricity to Sudan, according to EEPCo spokesman Miskir Negash.

The power exports will be managed so as not to jeopardise Ethiopia’s domestic power supply, and the price for the electricity will be announced soon by the Ethiopian government after it finalises negotiations with Sudan, Negash added.

The $41million project, funded by the World Bank, started in 2008 and has three sections of transmission lines in Ethiopia which will connect with a line in the Sudanese border city of Gedaref.

Abdelrahman Sirelkhatim, Sudan’s ambassador to Ethiopia, said the project is long overdue, and will help foster economic ties between the two countries.

But it has experienced difficulties getting off the ground, running more than two years over deadline, primarily because of financial sanctions on foreign payments imposed by the United States on Iranian banks.

This meant that the substation contractor, an Iranian firm called SUNIR International, had trouble obtaining credit and financing the project in US dollars. As a result, the Ethiopian government had to stump up an extra $3 million to expedite the work, money the Iranian company has agreed to refund later, Negash said.

KENYAN CRITICS

All eyes are now on a proposed Ethiopia-Kenya electric transmission line, which could bring Ethiopia closer to the East African community.

Historically, Ethiopia has had fewer trade ties with Kenya than with other East African nations, including war-torn Somalia, due to a combination of infrastructure problems and trade and tariff restrictions imposed by Addis Ababa.

The 500-kv transmission line connecting the Kenyan and Ethiopian grids is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 at a cost of up to $1.26 billion. It would make Kenya, which has the region’s largest industrial base, the largest buyer of Ethiopian power at an eventual 400 MW, and could allow Ethiopia to export up to 1,600 MW to countries further afield.

This project too has its critics, mainly on the Kenyan side. They say Kenyan leaders are brushing aside concerns about the controversial 1,870 MW Gibe III dam being built in southern Ethiopia, because of Nairobi’s desire to purchase power from Ethiopia to reduce power cuts and drive down electricity prices.

Kenyan and international NGOs, including Survival International, have warned that the project will displace tribal people in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya, and could pose a serious threat to Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake, in northeast Kenya.

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said last year any problems caused by the dam would be temporary. The two governments have also set up a joint council to deal with matters arising from the use of the Omo River waters.

In June 2012, EEPCo brokered its fourth power export agreement with the newly independent country of South Sudan, to be undertaken in two phases. South Sudan, which has rich oil reserves, has depended on fossil fuels for its power supply.

CLIMATE UNCERTAINTIES

One key risk for Ethiopia’s power export strategy is climate change, which is likely to affect the flow of water in the rivers and dams driving hydro-power production. But there is still a high level of uncertainty over how this will play out.

Wondewossen Sintayehu, an official at Ethiopia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), said more research is needed to establish the impacts of climate shifts and changes in precipitation on electricity generation. Smaller rivers are likely to be more vulnerable to any reduction in water levels or increase in pollution, whereas most hydro-power projects are being constructed on larger rivers such as the Nile and the Omo, he added.

So far, data has shown that climate change is leading to higher rainfall in general, which could be a positive factor for hydro-power production, he noted. But Ethiopia has more than 30 agro-ecological zones, and detailed studies are being carried out to analyse the effects of climate change on specific regions and the rivers that originate in them, Sintayehu said.

Sileshi Bekele, a senior water and climate specialist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), said climate extremes could have negative consequences for hydro-power projects.

A sustained drought period lasting for several years could lead to declines in production, while dams built without due attention to climate data could see their reservoirs and spillways unable to cope with water levels in times of flooding, he noted.

But he also emphasised the environmental benefits of hydropower schemes. They contribute to climate change mitigation, as they have negligible carbon emissions, and they can also help regenerate ecosystems, he said.

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By E.G. Woldegebriel / AlertNet.

E.G. Woldegebriel is a journalist based in Addis Ababa with an interest in environmental issues.

PHOTO:
REUTERS/Flora Bagenal

The post ALERTNET: Ethiopia Plans to Power East Africa with Hydro first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“Founded on the values of solidarity and mutual trust, volunteerism transcends all cultural, linguistic and geographic boundaries,” said Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General in a statement about the day. “By giving their time and skills without expectation of material reward, volunteers themselves are uplifted by a singular sense of purpose.”

Through the years, International Volunteer Day has been used to focus on volunteer contributions to achieving Millennium Development Goals – a set of time-bound targets to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.

In honor of International Volunteer Day, the Salesians highlight the important work accomplished by their Salesian Lay Missioners who are providing hope and a path out of poverty for youth around the globe.

Salesian lay missioners go above and beyond the typical volunteer assignment. They volunteer their time, but also give up the comforts of home to live and work among the impoverished, often sacrificing years of their lives.

“We live with the people and are part of the communities we serve,” says Adam Rudin, director of the Salesian Lay Missioner program. “We are with them day and night, sharing meals and stories. As they learn from us, we, in turn, learn from them.” He adds that all volunteers have conversational knowledge of the language spoken in the community. “A sense of humor and a spirit of sacrifice are also essential,” he adds.

On, the Salesians call attention to programs where their lay missioners have made a difference in the lives of youth.

Bolivia

Hogar María Auxiliadora is home to 45 girls between the ages of five and 18 years who have been orphaned, abandoned, or abused. Salesian Lay Missioners have been working there since 2006. Located in Itocta, the home is set in a rural community a half hour outside of the city of Cochabamba. Girls in the program have access to a safe, nurturing environment where they receive tutoring and education and are encouraged to develop their personal gifts and talents in art, dance, music and athletics.

Cambodia

Don Bosco Vocational Training Center for Girls is located in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. The Salesian Sisters began the school in 1993 in order to reach out to the most impoverished of the villages, as well as the city, to create successful jobs in secretarial and computer areas. Courses offered are computer, accounting, general office procedures, English, personal development and several others depending on teachers available. Salesian Lay Missioners normally teach English as well as offer up time to help in any way possible.

Ethiopia

The Salesians have been a presence at Don Bosco Soddo Catholic School since September 2009. Students at this school and youth center enjoy participating in a variety of clubs, including media, sports, life skills, history and school safety. Choirs and dance groups have been organized by volunteers. Students from other schools in grades seven through 10 are offered free tutorial classes after school to help them prepare for the national exams. About 150 youth are in the primary school and another 200 participate in the youth center.

India

Located in the Assam region of India, the Ferrando Rehabilitation Centre was recently established to assist youth who have a disability such as deafness or loss of a limb. The Salesian sisters work with the youth to help them reintegrate into society and lead a dignified life. Salesian Lay Missioners help in a variety of ways, teaching computer skills, dance, physical therapy and English to the students.

Sources:

Salesian Lay Missioners – Website

UN – International Volunteer Day

The post INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY: Salesians Highlight Salesian Lay Missioners first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This year’s theme Getting to Zero focuses on the Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015. A new Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is producing results for people. The report notes that there has been more than a 50 percent decrease in new HIV infections across 25 countries.

Women and children are the primary focus of this year’s Worlds AIDS Day. According to UNICEF, AIDS remains a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age globally and the main cause of child mortality in countries with high HIV prevalence. The good news is, according to the UNAIDS report, the area where the most progress is being made is in reducing new HIV infections in children. Half of the global reductions in new HIV infections in the last two years have been among newborn children.

The UNAIDS report also shows that antiretroviral therapy has emerged as a powerful force for saving lives. In the last 24 months, the number of people accessing treatment has increased by 63 percent globally. The report further noted that ending the pandemic was now “entirely feasible” and achieving an AIDS-free generation is possible.

Further noted in the UNAIDS report, worldwide some 34 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2011. Deaths from AIDS fell to 1.7 million in 2011, down from a peak of 2.3 million in 2005 and from 1.8 million in 2010.

“We must make information, testing and treatment available to all, so every man, woman and child can enjoy their fundamental right to the medical care and essential services that will end this devastating epidemic,” said Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General in a statement observing World AIDS Day.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, launched by former President George W. Bush in 2003, has been a catalyst for advancing HIV treatment, particularly in Africa.

The Salesian Missions “Life Choices” program targets youth ages 10 to 19 with core messages of abstinence and be faithful to prevent HIV infection. The program also benefits youth by employing a multipronged approach to HIV/AIDS prevention. This approach not only offers youth health education on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, but also offers life skills training, parental/teacher/community support, recreational activities, sports, youth camps, counseling, and job placement.

To mark World AIDS Day, the Salesian Missions Office of International Programs is highlighting some of the successful PEPFAR programs:

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is home to more than four million orphans, or 12 percent of all children.  More than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of AIDS, according to UNICEF. The Salesian Missions “CARING Orphans and Vulnerable Children” project helps to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The program increases access to youth orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, and provides holistic care, community reintegration, and support for 60,000 orphans, street youth and children who have been made vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS. To date, more than 13,000 orphans and vulnerable children have received services ranging from shelter and care, formal education, non-formal education and economic empowerment activities.

Kenya

In Kenya, peer education is an effective tool for reaching youth with key disease prevention messages. The Salesian Missions “Life Choices” program in Kenya focuses on abstinence and faithfulness. Gender is also an important component, and programs include a focus on sexual violence. The program extends to youth centers, schools, orphans and vulnerable children centers and in community/social outreach programs. More than 40,000 youth have learned about HIV/AIDS prevention through the program.

South Africa

South Africa is the country hardest hit by HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to UNICEF. The “Life Choices” program here is based in schools from grades 4-12. An important component is voluntary counseling and testing as an effective method of preventing new infections. In addition, the program offers one-on-one mentoring, career and guidance counseling, parental skills workshops and teacher sensitivity.

Tanzania

In Tanzania, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is nearly nine percent. The virus has orphaned nearly a million children and forced others to assume household responsibilities beyond their years, according to UNICEF. To help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, students in 79 schools across Tanzania take part in the “Life Choices” program, as part of the U.S. PEPFAR program through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Of the 79 schools, 47 are primary, 23 are secondary and 9 are vocational training centers.

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Sources:

UN – World AIDS Day

UNICEF – In Zimbabwe, village health workers play an essential role in the primary healthcare system and the fight against HIV/AIDS

Salesian Missions – Our work

The post WORLD AIDS DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Successful HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs in Africa first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian Missions is one of the many nonprofit organizations working in collaboration with the United Nations and UNICEF to help the world’s poorest youth break the devastating cycle of poverty. Salesian Missions  holds a “Special Consultative Status” with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

To mark the day, UNICEF released the paper Generation 2025 and beyond: The critical importance of understanding demographic trends for children of the 21st century. This report forecasted a four percent increase in the global population of children by 2025, but added that child population-growth will shift significantly to countries in the South.

Almost one in three children under the age of 18 will be born in Africa, the study reported. It went on to note that deaths of children under the age of five will continue to increasingly occur in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in pockets of poverty and marginalization of heavily populated, low-income countries, and in least developed nations.

“What is important is whether the world, as it prepares for the post-2015 agenda, takes account of this fundamental and unprecedented shift,” said a co-author of the study, David Anthony of UNICEF in a recent press release. “We must do everything possible so these children get an equal chance to survive, develop and reach their full potential.”

“For least developed countries, serious consideration must be given to how to meet the needs of children, especially in health and education,” UNICEF said in the release.

The UNICEF report recommends targeting investments to areas where children will be born; focusing on neglected groups, especially in high-population, middle-income countries; reaching the poorest and most isolated households; and urgently tackling the issue of old age dependency.

In honor of Universal Children’s Day — focusing on the new UNICEF report — Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs providing hope and opportunity for youth that focus on the health and education for the world’s poorest.

Cambodia

More than one third of Cambodians live below the poverty line – surviving on less than $1 a day –according to UNICEF. To provide youth with greater opportunity, Salesian Missions partnered with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Education to open six vocational training centers. Approximately 1,300 youth ages 16 to 21 are preparing for their futures in two-year vocational training programs.  With their diploma, students take with them skills in mechanics, welding, computers, printing and communication – as well as the hope for a new Cambodia. New programs are already beginning supporting providing more youth a path out of poverty. At Don Bosco Vocational Center Kep first year students have already commenced programs in social communication, front office assistance, housekeeping and tailoring and electricity.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is home to more than four million orphans, or 12 percent of all children.  More than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of AIDS, according to UNICEF.  The CARING Orphans and Vulnerable Children project in Ethiopia is funded by USAID to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The program increases access to youth orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, and provides holistic care, community reintegration, and support for 60,000 orphans, street youth and children who have been made vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS. To date, more than 13,000 orphans and vulnerable children have received services ranging from shelter and care, formal education, non-formal education and economic empowerment activities.

India

Building the skills of India’s rapidly rising workforce is a key focus for reducing poverty, according to the World Bank. Nearly 44 percent of India’s work force is illiterate and only 17 percent has secondary schooling. To increase the potential of India’s youth, Salesian Missions is facilitating four projects dedicated to skills training in rural areas. The projects are a collaboration between Bosco Academy for Skills and Employment (BASE) and the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) of the Indian government. Young people are trained in their interest areas, taking into consideration their unique capacities, skills and talents. Choices include welding, chauffeuring, auto mechanics, data entry operation, desktop publishing, secretarial skills, retail sales, IT services and others.

South Africa

In South Africa, youth are saying “yes” to learning job skills through the Don Bosco “Youth Employment Skills” project (YES). The YES project began in 2002 with a grant from USAID, focused on youth who want to enter the job market. Youth study four sets of skills: computer literacy and office management, computer maintenance and repair, bricklaying, and tiling and mosaic. They also learn life skills, set personal goals and learn resume writing and interview skills. A full-time job placement counselor works with the business sector regarding potential job opportunities. Empower girls through education South Africa has one of the world’s highest crime rates, according to UNICEF. While violence impacts everyone, gender-based violence is a significant problem. Girls who live on the street face violence, drug addiction, abuse and other dangers. The “Unwind Your Mind” camps are specifically-designed to encourage girls to talk about what brought them to the street and consider their goals for the future. They also looked at the importance that young women play in society.

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 to 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.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions – Our Work

UNICEF –  On Universal Children’s Day, look to the future, says UNICEF

Unicef paper – Generation 2025 and beyond: The critical importance of understanding demographic trends for children of the 21st century

The post UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY: Salesians Highlight Programs that Bring Hope to the World’s Poorest Youth by Providing Education, Opportunity to Break the Cycle of Poverty 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.

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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

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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.

“In the developing world one to two per cent of all children under five, or approximately 13 million, suffer from severe acute undernutrition,” said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF’s Executive Director. “These children have a much higher risk of dying, including from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia, than a well nourished child. Agriculture production on the national and local level is critical for making sustainable progress.”

New evidence shows that if detected early, children suffering from severe acute undernutrition can be effectively treated within their homes and communities, without being admitted to health facilities, sometimes miles away from their homes.

“Though the total numbers of hungry and undernourished children can be disheartening, the reality is that children can recover,” said Veneman. “With the addition of community-based treatment and new technology, much more can now be done to reach undernourished children and to address this important cause of child mortality.”

UNICEF is working at the community level to identify severely undernourished children early and provide treatment. This involves teaching parents and communities how to identify an undernourished child, and to provide them with the tools they need to treat that child at home.

UNICEF is supplying NGOs and governments with a specialized ready-to-use high energy food containing essential vitamins and minerals, which children can be treated with at home. With this high-energy food, children only need to be seen once a week by a health worker to receive essential medicines, have their progress checked, and receive their week’s supply of ready–to–use therapeutic food.

A child suffering from severe acute undernutrition needs 10 to 15 kilograms of ready-to-use therapeutic food for six to eight weeks to recover. UNICEF is encouraging localized production of this vital therapeutic food, as it reduces the expense to less than three dollars per kilogram—putting the cost of food needed to save an undernourished child’s life to around 45 dollars.

In Ethiopia, UNICEF is supporting community based treatment programs for undernutrition. Since adopting the strategy, Ethiopia’s capacity to treat children suffering from acute undernutrition at any one time has increased from 2,000 in 2003 to 10,000 in 2006.

In addition to treatment of severe undernutrition, scaled up investment in prevention is critical. Prevention can be achieved by: ensuring a better access to high quality foods; educating mothers, promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child’s life; and appropriate complementary feeding practices for all children 6-24 months. Providing micronutrient supplements and improved water and sanitation systems and improving access to health care are also essential.

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PHOTO: UN Photo/ Eskinder Debebe

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The meeting between the Secretary-General and the President of Tunisia, Moncef Marzouki, saw the two men discuss the North African nation’s constitution-making process and women’s empowerment, as well as the President’s efforts to promote economic recovery and regional integration within the Arab Maghreb Union. They also discussed the impact of recent attacks in Tunisia by extremists.

Libya’s democratic transformation process, as well as the security situation in the country following the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, was a topic for discussion in the Secretary-General’s meeting with President of the General National Congress of Libya, Mohamed Yousef El-Magariaf.

They also discussed continued cooperation with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), and they agreed on the importance of the Alliance of Civilizations, especially in light of the recent intolerance and violence. Mr. Ban also underlined the need for a comprehensive review of the status of conflict-related detainees, and both men agreed on the need for human rights and due process to be respected.

Senegal’s long-running conflict in its southern Casamance region, as well as the latest developments regarding the prosecution of former Chadian Head of State Hissennè Habré, were covered in the Secretary-General’s meeting with the African country’s President Macky Sall.

They also exchanged views on the situation in Guinea-Bissau, Mali and the Sahel region, and on ways for the international community to support the region in addressing these crises. In addition, they discussed the importance of international partnerships to try to alleviate the problems resulting from global climate change, as well as drought in the Sahel.

The situation in Mali was also discussed in the Secretary-General’s meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Burkina Faso, Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé. In addition, they discussed the upcoming electoral process in Burkina Faso and exchanged views on the situation in Côte d’Ivoire.

In his meeting with the President of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, the Secretary-General welcomed the African leader’s efforts to engage in national dialogue with opposition parties and encouraged him to work towards the creation of a more conducive environment for the conduct of legislative elections.

Mr. Ban and the President also discussed Togo’s efforts towards the achievement of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the areas of education and agriculture. The UN chief underscored the importance of Africa’s constant efforts towards enhanced regional unity, coordination and cooperation for peace and sustainable development – and he urged Togo to continue to play a leading role in this regard.

Meeting with the Vice-President of South Sudan, Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, the Secretary-General commended the Government, and its President Salva Kiir in particular, for reaching agreements with the Government of Sudan on post-secession issues at a meeting in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa earlier this week. The two men also discussed the current situation in South Sudan, particularly in the state of Jonglei.

Meeting with Burundi’s First Vice-President, Therence Sinunguruza, the Secretary-General thanked the African country for its contribution to peace in Somalia and welcomed its readiness to participate in peacekeeping efforts.

They also discussed the human rights situation and peace consolidation efforts in Burundi, including the establishment of the truth and reconciliation commission and preparations for the next elections.

In their meeting, the Secretary-General and the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Michael Spindelegger, discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, including the Western Balkans, the Alliance of Civilizations and its upcoming Annual Forum to be held in Vienna in February 2013, and efforts to reform the UN Secretariat.

The two men also agreed that it is essential for the international community to pursue mutual understanding, tolerance and cooperation through cross-cultural dialogue.

The situations in Syria and Afghanistan were among the topics discussed in the meeting between the Secretary-General and Sweden’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Bildt.

They agreed on the gravity of the situation in Syria, and the urgent need to find a solution and to address the humanitarian crisis there. Concerning Afghanistan, they discussed the upcoming elections and the importance of ensuring continued and long-term international commitment to support the Afghan people towards national reconciliation and stability.

The Secretary-General exchanged views on developments in the Western Balkans in his meeting with Slovenia’s Prime Minister, Janez Janša. They also discussed issues relating to the principle known as the responsibility to protect, and the involvement and participation of civil society in this context, in addition to discussing the situation in Syria.

Malta’s role as a strong advocate for tackling climate change, as well as its contributions to international efforts to combat piracy, was discussed in the Secretary-General’s meeting with the Mediterranean nation’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Tonio Borg,

They also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and Malta’s strategic role as “a bridge between North and South,” in addition to discussing the immigration and refugee issue in the Mediterranean region. The Secretary-General commended Malta’s efforts in this regard and recalled the importance of upholding the human rights of those affected.

The President of Albania, Bujar Nishani, emphasized his country’s commitment to UN principles and actions – especially regarding human rights, women’s empowerment and peacekeeping – in his meeting with the Secretary-General.

They discussed developments in Albania and UN-Albanian cooperation, and Mr. Ban thanked Albania for its support in piloting the UN’s Delivering as One initiative. They also exchanged views on progress in the areas of peace and stability in the region.

In the meeting between the Secretary-General and San Marino’s Minister for Foreign and Political Affairs, Antonella Mularoni, the two discussed the political and economic situation in the small landlocked nation and in Europe, with Mr. Ban thanking San Marino for its continuing support to the UN.

The Secretary-General discussed regional cooperation – particularly the need to find a mutually acceptable solution to the region’s water and energy challenges – in a meeting with Turkmenistan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rashid Meredov.

The two men also recognized the useful role of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) and its head.

Uruguay’s presidency of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and its participation in UN peacekeeping operations were discussed in the Secretary-General’s meeting with the Latin American country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Luis Almagro. Other topics discussed included the implementation of the Delivering as One programme in Uruguay, the issue of drug control and regional developments.

In the meeting between the Secretary-General and the Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam, Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the two men discussed issues related to UN-Brunei cooperation and the UN-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Comprehensive Partnership.

Also on Friday, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, met with Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha. They exchanged views on Nepal’s peace and constitution-making process and the economic and social situation in the country, including the MDGs.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the role of the United Nations in Nepal’s peace process, and briefed Mr. Eliasson on current efforts to end the political deadlock and to move forward, including possibly through new elections. The Deputy Secretary-General was encouraged by the new efforts and urged the Nepalese parties to complete the constitution-making process without delay while protecting the gains achieved so far.

The pair also exchanged views on the importance of transitional justice and international standards in the context of Nepal’s peace process, and Mr. Eliasson expressed his appreciation for Nepal’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping.

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PHOTO: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

See this article at its original location at UN.org: http://www.un.org/News/

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By Athanas Makundi/UNICEF

Amina walked briskly with her 4-year-old son, Ismail Mohamed, to fetch water at the edge of the camp where they live in Mogadishu. As the sun rose, they could hear the sound of babies crying and distant gunfire.

“We have to wake up early to fetch water because it is so scarce,” Amina said. “If you don’t, then you find a long queue at the pump, and sometimes the water runs out altogether.”

Once she had filled her yellow plastic containers, she hurried home with to prepare breakfast. The family’s home, made of plastic sheeting, cardboard and colourful fabric, provides little protection from the heavy overnight rains.

“Our shelter is exposed and the children are often cold,” Amina said as she boils the water on an open fire. “But I prefer to be here than in the village because we get food, water and medicine.”

Finding treatment

A year ago, drought coupled with escalating fighting and lack of access for aid workers led to a terrible famine in the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia where Amina’s family lived.

“All our animals died and there was nothing left,” said Amina’s husband, Mohamed Ibrahim, as he sips his tea. “We had to leave; my son Ismail had fallen ill.”
Amina’s voice cracked with emotion as she narrated their ordeal.

“When we arrived in Mogadishu, Ismail was already very sick,” she said. “His body started to swell, and his skin started to peel off.”

Ismail was severely malnourished and, like many children in his condition, he contracted measles and cholera. His body swelled up so much he was unable to open his eyes.
“I was so worried when his eyes closed,” says Amina, shaking her head. “I didn’t know what to do. I used to ask myself, where can I find help?”

Ismail’s father heard from outreach workers at the camp about a feeding centre run by the Somali NGO SAACID and supported by UNICEF.

There, they learned that Ismail had a form of severe malnutrition known as kwashiorkor that required urgent treatment.

“When he was brought to us, the rate of the swelling – called edema – was very high,” said Abdullahi Mohamed, a nurse with SAACID, who was the first person to treat Ismail at the centre. “We could not do much for him then.”

Ismail was then sent to a hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium, where he was admitted for two weeks until the edema subsided.

“Then we took him to our feeding centre, where we put him on a therapeutic programme,” Mr. Mohamed said. “Now you can see Ismail is alive and kicking.”

Aid since the famine declaration

Thousands of children in central and southern Somalia died before famine was declared on 20 July 2011. But the massive humanitarian response helped save many lives.

Over the past year, UNICEF has treated more than 455,000 acutely malnourished children throughout Somalia, of whom almost 225,000 were severely malnourished – the vast majority in the central and southern regions.

Ismail has made extraordinary progress and his mother can still scarcely believe the change.

“When he recovered, I felt hope restored in my heart,” she said. “I’m very happy.”

Yet the situation in many areas of Somalia remains fragile. An estimated 2.5 million people – half of them children – still need assistance.

“Although the need is not high as it was a year ago, there are still children who are suffering like Ismail,” Mr. Mohamed said. “We do still see children like him in our feeding centres, but the scale of the need is not as it was a year ago.”

Emergency assistance is clearly needed, but it will not be enough. UNICEF is also working to boost the resilience of the most vulnerable by strengthening basic services at the community level. This, in the long term, is the only way to reduce the risks caused by crises such as drought and food insecurity and ensure that children like Ismail can look forward to a normal childhood.

The post UNICEF: One Year After Somalia’s Famine, a Story of Recovery first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“International food assistance is a small but critical component of the U.S. Farm Bill, providing assistance to 50 million people a year and reducing the burden of destabilizing food shortages on poor and vulnerable populations,” explained Ellen Levinson, executive director of the Alliance for Global Food Security.

According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 925 million people have too little to eat and 12,000,000 metric tons of food would be required to close the food gap in the 70 most food insecure countries around the globe. U.S. food assistance can be effectively used to address those food gaps, to build capacity and self-reliance of poor populations, and to reduce recurring hunger in areas that are vulnerable to droughts and other crises.

Food programs improve agricultural productivity, incomes, living conditions and nutrition of the very poor as well as reduce the need for emergency aid.  Programs offered under the U.S. Farm Bill offer flexibility because there is no one solution for tackling global hunger and different situations require different approaches. A variety of commodity choices and options for distribution and/or monetization allow programs to be adapted to local contexts.

Levinson praised the progress of the bill stating, “Great strides have been made in the past five years allowing U.S. food aid programs to better adapt to the situation at hand and have more substantial results.”

For example, during emergencies the pre-positioning of food in warehouses overseas has reduced delivery times for U.S. commodities, which can be as short as two weeks. When necessary, food products can also be purchased closer to the region in crisis.

In addition, a wider variety of food aid products are now available, including fortified cereals and nut butters that are more appropriate for malnourished, young children. More support has been given to developmental food aid programs that boost impacts by improving the health of mothers and children and increasing agricultural productivity and incomes. Most important, by building the capacity and self-reliance of very poor communities, developmental food aid programs reduce the need for emergency aid and help people escape the hunger cycle.

But emerging economies and growing populations are placing greater demand on food supplies. By 2050, world population is expected to reach 9 billion and food production will have to increase by 50 to 70 percent to keep pace. Decreasing the amount of funding available for developmental food aid would greatly impede efforts to improve childhood nutrition, improve agriculture and incomes, and decrease reliance on emergency assistance.  It would jeopardize gains made in improving food security and stabilizing communities and, in the end, would be more costly for the American taxpayer.

SALESIAN MISSIONS ON THE ISSUE OF INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID:

For each county that receives assistance, such as Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is a story to be told and millions of people are being lifted from the grips of poverty and hunger.  Decreased childhood hunger, improved household incomes, increased agricultural productivity, and overall improved community resilience are testaments to the success of these programs under the U.S. Farm Bill and why Salesian Missions joins the other members of the Alliance for Global Food Security in urging congress to continue funding for international food aid. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY:

The members of the Alliance for Global Food Security are private voluntary organizations and cooperatives that are committed to addressing hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity. They operate in over 100 developing countries, implementing emergency and development programs that directly engage, support and build the capacity of local communities, enterprises and institutions. Members include ACDI/VOCA, Adventist Development & Relief Agency International, Congressional Hunger Center, Counterpart International, Food for the Hungry, International Relief & Development, United Methodist Committee on Relief, Land O’Lakes, OIC International, Planet Aid, PCI, Salesian Missions and World Vision.

To learn more about U.S. food aid programs, please see FoodAid.org.

The post GLOBAL: International Food Aid Necessary in New Farm Bill, Says Alliance for Global Food Security first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The campaign includes television, radio and internet ads featuring well-known actors and public figures, and will direct audiences to visit www.usaid.gov/FWD to find more information about the crisis and a listing of U.S.-funded humanitarian organizations—including Salesian Missions—working in the Horn of Africa that are accepting donations to aid in disaster relief.

The FWD campaign was developed in response to the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. The campaign encourages Americans to do more than just donate by providing tools to spread awareness of the crisis, support the humanitarian organizations conducting the relief operations, and learn more about the solutions through President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative.

Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 13 million people—a number greater than the populations of Los Angeles and New York City combined—are now in need of emergency assistance to survive. The crisis is the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world today, and the worst that East Africa has seen in six decades. Crops have failed, livestock have died, and high prices in local markets prevent many people from buying what is needed to feed their families. Millions of people are affected in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and in Somalia where tens of thousands of people have died as a result of the crisis.

Through the Feed the Future initiative, the United States Government is addressing the root causes of chronic hunger by helping foster better farming, stronger markets, and greater resilience to climate shocks.

“We know that these types of crises don’t need to happen. Through Feed the Future, we are working to end hunger around the world,” says Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator. “By partnering with governments, the private sector and smallholder farmers, we can help nations build resilient agricultural sectors and break the devastating cycle of food riots, famine and failed states.”

Despite the magnitude of the crisis, according to a national survey released today by the Ad Council, conducted online by Harris Interactive among 2,226 U.S. adults aged 18 and older in September 2011, more than half (52 percent) of the general public say that they have not seen, heard, or read anything about the drought and famine occurring in the Horn of Africa.

The campaign aims to change those numbers with television and web ads featuring Dr. Jill Biden and actors Uma Thurman, Josh Hartnett, Geena Davis and Chanel Iman. The campaign will also be engaging high-profile athletes such as Lance Armstrong and writer and television host Anthony Bourdain. In addition to the traditional ads, the campaign includes an extensive social media program via USAID’s Facebook and Twitter channels, as well as blogs and other sites.

“We are extremely proud to be among the humanitarian organizations partnering with USAID,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions headquartered in New Rochelle, NY. “We are very thankful for the Ad Council’s work on the FWD campaign and are hopeful more people will become aware of the crisis and take action to help save lives.”

Salesian Missions supports programs in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya which have all been affected by the crisis in the region. In refugee camps served by Salesians in the area, more than 80,000 people are in need of assistance, according to Brother Cesare Bullo, executive director of the Salesian Planning and Development Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“They arrive after having walked more than 600 kilometers,” says Br. Bullo, emphasizing the urgent nature of the refugees’ needs. “We are working to distribute food outside the refugee camps while they are waiting to be registered,” he says, referring to the area of Dolo Ado in the Southern part of Somalia. “We estimate we can provide 2,000 daily rations which means 1,000 people will benefit from the daily distribution for at least three or four days before entering the camps.”

The Salesians specialize in assessing specific needs and identifying best possible emergency interventions to aid as many people as possible. Since they are already established in the communities working to help those in need, they are in a unique position to assess situations and respond. Amid the growing numbers of refugees and declining food and water supply at the Kakuma camp, the seemingly impossible is happening. Young people are receiving job training and children are attending school.

Salesian Missions calls on the public to make donations, as they are urgently needed to fulfill these essential life-saving projects. To make a donation, go to www.SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

Salesian Missions is the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which operates in more than 130 countries around the globe with a focus on providing education and opportunity to youth. Since registering with USAID as a private voluntary organization, the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs has implemented 70 projects totaling more than $50 million in financial support.

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Source: USAID | Salesian Missions

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“We have saved many children, in Somalia, in the refugee camps in neighboring countries as well as in the other regions in Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti hit by prolonged drought, escalating food prices and conflict,”  explains Elhadj As Sy, the UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, releasing the report entitled Response to the Horn of Africa Emergency.

“Due to the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, we have to increase our immediate response and at the same time lay the foundation for long-term development to prevent a similar catastrophe from happening again.”

He called for the scaling up of integrated interventions in health, nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, education and child protection.

A total of 13.3 million people needed assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti as a result of what aid agencies said was the worst drought in the region in six decades.

More than 450,000 Somalis have fled to refugee camps around Dadaab in north-eastern Kenya, including 100,000 since June. Another 183,000 Somalis entered Ethiopia. Some 20,000 other refugees from Somalia went to Djibouti. Famine was formally declared in six areas of Somalia.

Thousands of children have already died, and more than 320,000 – half of them in central and southern Somalia – are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.

Thanks to international support over the past three months, UNICEF and partners across the Horn of Africa have achieved important results on which to build, according to the report.

Over the past three months, UNICEF has delivered 10,000 tons of assorted life-saving relief supplies to the Horn of Africa by air, land and sea, and supported the treatment of 108,000 severely malnourished children in therapeutic feeding centers. Some 1.2 million children have been vaccinated against measles, and an estimated 2.2 million people benefited from access to safe water. About 48,000 children were provided access to child-friendly environments.

In central and southern Somalia, where access for humanitarian agencies is limited, UNICEF has been able to reach 350,000 people with supplementary feeding and some 30,000 families with cooked meals while they were on their way to the refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

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Special Note: Salesian Missions is working to raise funds to support the aid efforts of Salesians in the Horn of Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia). The Salesians are part of the international Catholic response to the crisis, reaching approximately one million people currently. To make a donation, go to SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

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The reality of the situation in the Horn of Africa is unimaginable, and those working in the crisis zone struggle to provide critical information to the outside world, while also trying to save lives.

The international community’s reaction to the signs of massive famine in the Horn of Africa came too late, say the Salesians of Don Bosco in Ethiopia.  Refugee camps throughout the region are filled with tens of thousands of people in desperate need. The camp locations are extremely remote, with workers reporting they feel isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. Warnings of a famine disaster began in December 2010 but “nobody was listening,” said Mattia Grandi, a local project coordinator for the Salesian relief efforts told EWTN News.

Getting up-to-date information is a challenge even for humanitarian organizations who were already established in the famine zones, says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Our missionaries working in the thick of the crisis are trying their best to send reports. But as expected, they must first attend to the immediate needs of the children and adults dying of malnutrition. Every second counts.”

Photographs that have made their way out of the isolated region tell stories that words simply cannot. The images are surreal, given the severe nature of the famine and the large numbers of people in desperate need of assistance. The realities of the situation are hard for anyone to process, even those who devote their lives to helping the poor and providing emergency aid.

“Long lines stretch from our refugee camps,” says Fr. Hyde, describing scenes from such photographs from the five Salesian refugee camps in the region, where an estimated 150,000 people are living in in desperate need of food and water.

“People of all ages waiting patiently for help. There is no visible sign of panic on their faces as malnutrition has sapped their energy and their spirits. Many of the victims are so frail, it is only a matter of days or even hours before they succumb to the starvation.”

Humanitarian organizations like Salesian Missions are urging people to help even though the situation may be overwhelming or seemingly hopeless. Although, the death toll is expected to be large, donations can and do make a difference, says Fr. Hyde. “Many lives can still be saved, we must not be discouraged.”

During recent weeks, the Salesians participated in the delivery of 49 tons of food to North Horr in Kenya, consisting of 25 tons of corn, 10 tons of beans, 10 tons of fortified flour, 3 tons of rice and 1 ton of cooking fat. An additional 25 tons of food were sent to Lodwa-Turkana – including corn, beans, cooking oil, peas, flour, biscuits and powdered milk.

Currently, Salesian Missions is providing 2,000 food rations each day and 10,000 liters of water twice a day. An international campaign launched by the Salesians is aimed at helping almost 4 million people living in the region. Donations can be made by going to www.SalesianMissions.org.

The post HORN OF AFRICA: Saving Lives Amid Unimaginable Conditions, “We Must Not Be Discouraged” first appeared on MissionNewswire.

To date, six areas in Somalia are in famine, namely Bakool, Bay, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, the Afgooye corridor IDP (internally displaced persons) settlement, and the Mogadishu IDP community, all of which are in the south. FSNAU warns that the food security situation could deteriorate further in the absence of a massive scale-up in interventions.

Coupled with famine are massive displacements both within Somalia and to neighboring countries. Partners report that, over the past weeks, more than 1,200 people are crossing into Kenya daily.

Many also use alternate routes through Diif and Degelema on the Somali side and Dhadag Bulla in Kenya. Significant numbers of IDPs in both locations on the Somali side of the border are in need of assistance. Estimates are that more than 917,000 Somalis now live as refugees in the four neighboring countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen. Approximately one in every three was forced to flee this year. Altogether, more than 1.4 million Somalis are displaced within the country, which means that a third of Somalia’s estimated 7.5 million people are displaced.

Not only is Somalia in need of greater access to food, but also safe water, sanitation, shelter and healthcare.

Somalia is facing outbreaks of cholera and acute watery diarrhea (AWD), malaria, measles and pneumonia, mostly in the south. Waterborne diseases are expected to increase with the onset of rains coupled with congested living conditions. Prevailing high levels of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and under-5 mortality magnify the risk among the most vulnerable population.

The situation requires a massive, multi-sectoral response to prevent additional deaths and the total collapse of livelihoods. Improved access to food to address health/nutrition issues, complemented by access to water and sanitation together with measures to preserve productive assets are among the interventions needed most urgently. Humanitarian partners need to step up efforts to arrest further deterioration in a fragile situation that is expected to persist into 2012. The humanitarian community acknowledges the need to scale up its response and has made some headway, since the declaration of famine in July, in meeting needs by expanding the provision of assistance, particularly in the border areas with Kenya. However, security remains challenging, and incidents like the death of about 100 people in Ceel Waaq, Gedo region following heavy fighting between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Al Shabaab forces on Sept. 11 are a clear example of the volatile environment in which humanitarian organizations continue to operate.

Beyond immediate food relief, partners are also working with governments and other agencies to strengthen the resiliency of communities in drought-prone areas by supporting smallholder farmers and those most vulnerable to changing weather patterns through livelihoods programs.

About Salesian Missions at the United Nations

SOURCES:

UNOCHA Somalia Famine & Drought Situation Report No. 13 (Sept. 14, 2011)

The post SOMALIA: 4 Million People Currently in Crisis, United Nation Reports first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“The crisis in the Horn of Africa is a human disaster becoming a human catastrophe,” reports Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF, the U.N.’s children’s agency.

According to Lake, 1.4 million children are affected in Somalia alone, with an estimated 390,000 suffering from malnutrition. His agency estimates that nearly 140,000 children in south-central Somalia are currently suffering from “severe acute malnutrition” and are near death.

On July 20, the U.N. declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia, marking the first time since the early 90s that the U.N. has declared famine in Somalia. Across the region, nearly 11 million people are at risk according to UNICEF.

Malnutrition rates in Somalia are currently the highest in the world, with peaks of 50 percent in southern areas, according to Mark Bowden, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.

Aid agencies have struggled to reach the most desperate parts of Somalia, where Al-Shabab extremists maintain control and refuse access to essential humanitarian organizations, including the U.N. World Food Program. As a result, tens of thousands are fleeing to refugee camps in neighboring countries Ethiopia and Kenya.

The children and people of the Horn of Africa face not only a threat of death from starvation, but from diseases that spread easily in overcrowded refugee camps. Men, women and children travel hundreds of miles on foot to make it to refugee camps where, sadly, they face another deadly threat.

Water-borne diseases are also a “lethal threat to children in southern Somalia,” according to an Aug. 18 report from UNICEF, which urges that a rapid response is needed as cholera cases increase. The report cites that 75 percent of all cases of highly infectious acute watery diarrhea are among children under five.

According to UNICEF, many of the Horn of Africa’s rural and urban areas rely on shallow wells, which – unless they are protected or treated with chlorine – can become a perfect breeding ground for water-borne diseases.

Therefore, aid must not only focus on providing food, it must also include plans for access to ongoing clean water, says Brother Cesare Bullo, executive director of the Salesian Planning and Development Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

His office has put together plans to “rehabilitate” shallow wells to make them safe as well as dig new wells.

“We have located four water points that need to be rehabilitated and strengthened through the purchase of new pumps and additional excavations to find more water,” says Br. Bullo. “The new wells will be built in four areas for local communities very much in need of water at the moment. The wells need to be capable of providing a sufficient quantity of water during the droughts.”

In order to complete these projects, and provide life-saving food aid and water distribution, the Salesians have coordinated an international fundraising initiative. Salesian Missions of New Rochelle, NY, has put out an urgent appeal to U.S. donors to help raise the project goal of $850,000 that this initial response will require. To make a donation, go to www.SalesianMissions.org.

UN Photo/Stuart Price

Sources:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39086&Cr=Somali&Cr1=

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_59585.html

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_59241.html

The post HORN OF AFRICA: More than 300,000 Children at “Risk of Dying” from Malnutrition, Disease first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“Entire communities have nothing to eat and people, many of them children, are dying,” explained Salesian missionaries serving in the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya. More than 20,000 Somali refugees sought refuge at the camp after fleeing the political instability, hunger and overcrowding of other camps. This brings the total refugees at Kakuma to more than 50,000 with an estimated 1,000 additional Somali refugees arriving daily.

In refugee camps served by Salesians in the area, more than 80,000 people are in need of assistance, according to Brother Cesare Bullo, executive director of the Salesian Planning and Development Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Authorities fear that this crisis could become worse than the famine of 1984-85 when more than one million people died. In response, the Salesians have organized an international fundraising initiative aimed to raise at least $850,000 to provide necessary aid for 6 months.

Projects to address the urgent needs of the drought and famine victims include the repair and maintenance of existing wells, drilling of new wells, water distribution and emergency food aid.

The repair and maintenance of four wells will provide a long-term water supply for 8,000 people. In additional, four new wells will be constructed. In total, it is estimated that at least 14,000 people will benefit from these new water sources.

“We have located four water points that need to be rehabilitated and strengthened through the purchase of new pumps and additional excavations to find more water,” says Br. Bullo. “The new wells will be built in four areas for local communities very much in need of water at the moment. The wells need to be capable of providing a sufficient quantity of water during the droughts.”

The Salesians also have a plan in the works to provide a water tracking service for water distribution in the area around Jijiga, to aid the pastoralist communities. The goal is to distribute 10-12,000 liters of water twice daily.

With 1,000 new refugees arriving daily in Ethiopia from Somalia, Br. Bullo says it takes three to four days for them to register with UNHCR and enter the camp to receive aid.

“They arrive after having walked more than 600 kilometers,” says Br. Bullo, emphasizing the urgent nature of the refugees’ needs.

“We are working to distribute food outside the refugee camps while they are waiting to be registered,” he says, referring to the area of Dolo Ado in the Southern part of Somalia. “We estimate we can provide 2,000 daily rations which means 1,000 people will benefit from the daily distribution for at least three or four days before entering the camps.”

Br. Bullo estimates they will help at least 10,000 people outside the camps in the first month.

Salesian Missions calls on the public to make donations, as they are urgently needed to fulfill these essential life-saving projects.

“So far, we have raised about a third of the needed funds and are hopeful that the remaining amount will follow as caring friends and donors learn of the crisis,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, NY.

To make a donation, go to www.SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

The Salesians specialize in assessing specific needs and identifying best possible emergency interventions to aid as many people as possible. Since they are already established in the communities working to help those in need, they are in a unique position to assess situations and respond.

For example, in Ethiopia the Salesians operate in 14 towns, providing schools, feeding programs, housing for orphans, and HIV/AIDS intervention programs. In Kenya, the Salesians bring classrooms to refugee camps, protect youth from disease, teach agriculture skills, feed hungry children and families, and much more.

PHOTO: ROBERTO SCHMIDT (AFP/Getty)

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During her week-long goodwill tour through South Africa, the first lady’s focus was on the country’s youth and their vital role in its future.

During her June 22 speech addressing the Young African Women Leaders Forum in a Soweto township in Johannesburg, Mrs. Obama touched on the fact that in Africa, “people under 25 make up 60 percent of the population. And here in South Africa, nearly two-thirds of citizens are under the age of 30. So over the next 20 years, the next 50 years, our future will be shaped by your leadership.”

She then paused and asked the audience to think about the meaning of the word “leadership.”

“Because I know that so often, when we think about what that word means, what it means to be a leader, we think of presidents and prime ministers,” Mrs. Obama said in her speech. “And most young people don’t fit that image.”

She went on to talk about her belief that youth can be true leaders, and that the time is now.

“I am here because I know that true leadership—leadership that lifts families, leadership that sustains communities and transforms nations—that kind of leadership rarely starts in palaces or parliaments. That kind of leadership is not limited only to those of a certain age or status. And that kind of leadership is not just about dramatic events that change the course of history in an instant.”

Throughout South Africa, there are programs dedicated to the empowerment of youth—providing education and teaching leadership skills that will reshape the country and the world.

“It is only through the youth, that change truly happens,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, which operates such programs. “Through education and opportunities, we can fight poverty and open doors to a better life for the people of South Africa, and the world.”

The Salesians are providing hope to South African young people, he adds, many of which struggle to find their way in a country hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis and plagued with high crime, and gender-based violence against women and girls.

“There is an urgent need for education to help prevent the spread of the deadly virus,” says Fr. Hyde, noting that the Salesians have been helping the children of South Africa since 1951.

Most recently, the Salesians have been working on HIV/AIDS prevention through a U.S. government-funded project that is part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Working in schools from grades 4 through 12, the “Life Choices” program aims to decrease HIV/AIDS prevalence, teen pregnancy, substance abuse and violence among youth.

“An important component is HIV voluntary counseling and testing as an effective method of preventing new infections,” says Nolawi Eshetu of the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs headquartered in New Rochelle, NY.

“The program also offers one-on-one counseling, career and guidance counseling, parental skills workshops and teacher sensitivity,” Eshetu adds, speaking from his home country of Ethiopia, where he is working on a program similar to the one in South Africa.

In a country devastated by HIV/AIDS and where 10 million people die every year from hunger-related diseases—according to the United Nations—breaking the cycle of poverty is a challenge that requires a comprehensive approach.

“But fighting disease and feeding them alone will not create brighter futures,” says Fr. Hyde. “We work each and every day in South Africa—and around the globe—to teach youth to care for themselves and for others. We work to create educated leaders from youth that otherwise would see little in their futures.”

At the Salesian Missions “Learn to Live” educational program in Cape Town, homeless street children arrive each day eager to learn and escape their lives on the street. Children ages 16 and younger learn math, literacy and life skills. Older students receive technical and vocational training.

“All youth become empowered to permanently leave the streets, continue schooling, obtain jobs and be reintegrated with their families and society,” says Fr. Hyde. “They receive the tools and guidance to do this. But most importantly, they have someone who believes in them.”

Photo: CHARLES DHARAPAK/AFP/Getty Images (2011)

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As politicians work to introduce plans for a better Ethiopia, a unique program is already addressing issues of hunger and education on the streets of Addis Ababa. Through Donato’s Children of the Beggars program founded by the Salesians of Don Bosco in Mekanissa, Ethiopia, parents who survive by begging on the street are able to send their children to school to receive basic education and skills training support services.

According to UNICEF, approximately 72 percent of school-age children in Ethiopia have no access to formal education, and while education is free, many families do not have the economic resources to send their children to school.

“For children whose parents are already begging on the street, education seems like a dream,” says Brother Cesare Bullo, director of the Project Development Office for the Salesians of Don Bosco in Ethiopia.  “Our goal is to reach children who are living in dangerous situations. Our first step is to connect with the parents and guardians to introduce the value of education and how it can lead to a better life for their children – something every parent wants.”

The program staff includes social workers who do outreach to convince parents that an education will provide long-term benefits for the child and family, even though the family may rely on the child to work in the street to provide a portion of the family income.

Once enrolled in the program, children are tutored in basic literacy and math skills so that they may join the formal education system, while adolescents receive jobs training in marketable skills that will help provide for them and their families.

“Our program also includes meals to provide added incentive for the children to study and for parents to continue to encourage their children to attend classes,” says Br. Bullo. “We are committed to keeping the children in the program and by including meals, the program represents a daily benefit to the family.”

Currently, 513 children are enrolled in this program which began in 1998. The Salesians of Don Bosco in Ethiopia have been working with the most vulnerable children and youth since 1975 with a focus on primary and secondary educational services. Salesians also carry out development initiatives providing support in the areas of food security, access to water and illness prevention, health, emergency assistance and agriculture.

PHOTO: Adam Rudin / SALESIAN MISSIONS

SOURCES:

UNICEF

Reuters

ANS

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