The development of eco-clubs follows both the call by Pope Francis to promote sustainable development initiatives and the United Nations Millennium Development Goal that calls for ensuring environmental sustainability.

Begun in 2012, the eco-clubs are part of a program run by the Office of Planning and Development of the Salesian Province and have 163 active clubs with close to 3,100 student members in various districts of Tamil Nadu. The clubs promote respect for nature and good hygiene practices. They also organize environmental activities, events and festivals and celebrate major anniversaries. To date, club members have cleaned more than 200 locations, planted 5809 trees and conducted 29 environmental awareness programs that have benefited 1,750 people.

“In 2012, in the light of the many summits about the environment that were taking place, we planned with our student body to initiate a new program that was simple and practical,” says Father Albert Johnson, the Salesian Provincial of Tiruchy. “The eco-clubs have grown over the years and are now spreading across the area and diversifying in their focus and work. The community has greatly benefited both by the activities of the club and the education it provides.”

The eco-clubs are now focused on some new initiatives including waste management, creation of gardens and orchards, dissemination of practices for the reduction of non-degradable materials, promotion of organic farming and solar energy systems for the future. In addition, the clubs are planning to develop and introduce courses on environmental education in Salesian schools and train women to recycle household waste and to prepare bio-fertilizers.

The program organizers are focused on developing strong student leaders to operate and direct club activities with the goal of teaching them important environmental practices while instilling knowledge and leadership skills that will extend through the generations. Salesian missionaries and students are working to replicate the clubs in other parts of India.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

ANS – India – The Eco-club for sustainable development

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: Salesian Eco-Clubs Receive Award for Innovation and Sustainability first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In January 2014, in response to the overwhelming need to protect young children in the country, the management and staff of a Salesian School in Alaknanda, in the Province of New Delhi, adopted specific policies and procedures for the protection of children in their care. The Salesian Policies for the Protection of the Child, 2014, states that the entire Salesian school community shares a responsibility and a sense of duty in caring for the needs of the young and helping them to reach their potential so that they may enjoy life to its fullest.

The policy document offers guidelines and procedures for child protection in the Salesian Provinces of India and addresses a standard of behavior for all the provinces, provincial superiors, institutions, members of the Salesian Society and staff members, associates and visitors in Salesian institutions. The policy focuses on six key priority areas for children in their care: survival, health and nutrition; education and development; protection; participation; environment; and advocacy and networking.

“This Child Protection Policy will help to eliminate vigilantly all risks of child exploitation and abuse in all our services,” wrote Father Maria Arokiam Kanaga, the Regional Councilor of the Salesians for South Asia in the foreword of the policy. “Don Bosco Child Protection Policy – India is a sign of our unwavering commitment to serving the young in our land. While we are far from perfect, we still stand tall as pioneer educators in the society with passionate commitment to the protection and safety of children. Don Bosco’s entire system of assistance is a framework of constructive presence among the young, involving also rules and regulations, meant to protect and promote children in our institutions. This document is therefore in keeping with our century-long traditions in this field.”

In order to educate Salesians staff about these new policies, staff at the Salesian School in Alaknanda attended a seminar given by Father Babu Varghese, rector and dean, on the importance and necessity of the protection of minors. He provided an overview of the different kinds of abuse and spoke about the gravity of such criminal acts and their implications in the context of human rights violations. Father Varghese also reviewed the new policy document and reiterated the importance of educating children about their rights and standing together as a community to oppose criminal acts.

“Caring and protecting children in our care is not just a responsibility, it is a priority and a concrete expression of our wholehearted commitment to the welfare, protection and empowerment of the children in our care,” concluded Fr. Varghese at the end of the seminar.

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PHOTO courtesy of Don Bosco India

Sources:

Don Bosco India – Salesians in India take a Giant step for Child Protection

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