(MissionNewswire) Youth in Benin face overwhelming challenges in combating poverty. According to UNICEF, Benin remains one of the poorest countries in the world with close to 70 percent of its population living in poverty. Almost 20 percent are chronically undernourished and the effects of poverty in rural
(MissionNewswire) Close to 200,000 young girls and older women were sexually assaulted during Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, according to UNICEF. And although the war has stopped, the sexual violence against women continues. Young women are at risk for sexual violence, trafficking and forced pregnancy, among
(MissionNewswire) Salesian programs are making a difference in the lives of poor youth in India, but the need continues to grow. According to the World Bank, India is home to 25 percent of the world’s poor and more than 30 percent of the country’s population lives
(MissionNewswire) Despite ongoing reconstruction and infrastructure improvements that are helping to rebuild Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake that devastated the country, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest in the world. Over half of its population of 10 million
(MissionNewswire) Cambodia’s long history of violence has resulted in a quarter of Cambodians living in poverty and surviving on less than $1 per day, according to the World Bank. About 80 percent of the country’s population resides in rural areas and has the most limited access to
(MissionNewswire) Three million newborn babies die every year from easily preventable or treatable causes such as infections, complications at birth and complications of prematurity, according to Save the Children’s 14th annual State of the World's Mothers report. The report also noted that more than 1 million
(MissionNewswire) The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been plagued by intense civil war and internal conflict since the outbreak of fighting in 1998. As a result, there have been close to 5.4 million deaths, according to the International Rescue Committee. Most deaths resulted from non-violent
(MissionNewswire) Prison life in Sierra Leone offers very little hope for rehabilitation or reintegration back into society once a prison term has ended. According to humanitarian watch groups, prisons in Sierra Leone face overcrowding and inadequate food as well as lack vital sanitation and health care.
(MissionNewswire) More than 800 youth participating in three different Salesian-run programs in Burundi have better access to nutrition thanks to a recent donation of fortified rice-meals. The donation was made possible through an ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Stop Hunger Now, an international relief organization
(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions is supporting programs in the Philippines targeted to assist 200,000 families in the aftermath of the super typhoon. Salesian missionaries were already working with vulnerable children and their families through their schools, youth centers and other community programs—making them immediately on the