(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in recognizing the International Day of Peace, observed on Sept. 21 each year. The United Nations General Assembly declared the International Day of Peace as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

This year’s theme “End racism. Build peace.” focuses attention on tackling racism as a crucial way to contribute to fostering peace. The day highlights that we all have a role to play in achieving this endeavor.

The U.N. noted, “As conflicts continue to erupt across the globe, causing people to flee, we have seen race-based discrimination at borders. As COVID-19 keeps attacking our communities, we have seen how certain racial groups have been hit much harder than others. As economies suffer, we have seen hate speech and violence directed at racial minorities. We can work to dismantle the structures that entrench racism in our midst. We can support movements for equality and human rights everywhere. We can speak out against hate speech — both offline and online. We can promote anti-racism through education and reparatory justice.”

In a March 2022 statement, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres said, “Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and… the linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable.”

Salesian missionaries provide social development and educational programs around the globe to youth and families in poverty regardless of gender, race or religion. They are on the forefront of trying to level the playing field for poor youth so that they have the skills and supports needed to gain an education and the skills needed for future employment.

“Around the globe, Salesian missionaries are feeding malnourished families, rescuing homeless children from the streets, educating impoverished children and teaching youth the skills they need to have hope for a brighter future.” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “We are working to change their lives and their communities. Salesians also provide child rights training and life skills training to help ensure that youth understand their rights on their path to becoming fully contributing members of their communities.”

To mark International Day of Peace 2022, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education.

INDIA

Funding helps support poor children and empower women at the Mary Our Help Training Center Bellefonte, in Shillong, India.

Women and children at the Mary Our Help Training Center Bellefonte, in Shillong, India, received support thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. Donor funding provided a number of activities to support poor children and empower women.

The training center offers free tutoring and classes every day from 1 to 5:30 p.m. to help children with their studies. The young students who attend often have illiterate parents, lack working electricity at home, or are experiencing other family problems and need the extra support. After the tutoring and classes are provided, a meal is served for the children.

The center also provides scholarship funding for the poorest children in remote villages who have no other opportunity to attend school. Salesian sisters provided the financial means for these children to be placed in local schools and provide for their basic needs while in school.

Donor funding also provided a distribution of rice to 30 families that have elderly family members or mothers who are disabled and in need of help. Once a month, these families are able to come to the center and receive 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of rice to help feed them.

NIGERIA

Students from Don Bosco Vocational Training Center Koko in Nigeria received scholarships thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions.

Youth attending the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Koko, within the Kebbi State of Nigeria, received scholarships thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The 150 students who received scholarships were selected based on criteria developed at the school.

Among the students were youth who were directly affected by bandit attacks, teenage girls who were about to be forced into marriage, youth from poor backgrounds, and orphans who lost either parent. Other students selected had not received any formal education and were willing to learn a skill.

After the students finish their education, the center has a job service office that will help them make good career choices. They will develop a plan, receive assistance applying and interviewing for jobs, and then transition into the workforce. The job service office will monitor their progress and assess them going forward to see their success.

PAKISTAN

More than 780 students, ages 8-22, benefited from a new computer lab at the Don Bosco Learning Center, within the Don Bosco Quetta community in Pakistan.

Students at the Don Bosco Learning Center, within the Don Bosco Quetta community in Pakistan, have a new digital computer lab thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The center has been teaching primary and secondary school in Quetta since 2000. More than 780 students, ages 8-22, were positively impacted by this new lab.

The funding provided new computers, a projector, printers, a computer table, chairs, and Wi-Fi connection. Teachers are beginning to develop classes for Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, networking, graphic design and web design.

The Don Bosco Learning Center is teaching computer literacy skills and technology to students. The lab will be used for daily classes for grades 3 to 10. In the evening, computer classes for other students and those in the community will be held. Salesians in Quetta also have a long tradition of assisting Afghan refugees. This project will also enable refugees to learn skills after they are settled.

SOUTH AFRICA

Salesian Institute Youth Projects in Cape Town, South Africa, helps poor and homeless youth gain the skills for employment.

Salesian Institute Youth Projects has been providing education, emotional support and skills development training for at-risk youth in Cape Town, South Africa since 1910. Over its history, the institute has been instrumental in changing the lives of hundreds of youth who would otherwise not have been able to access the job market. These youth had been homeless, unemployed and impoverished, but they had access to the education that helped them gain employment.

Committed to making a difference for those who need it the most, the institute’s skills development model focuses on providing opportunities for youth who may not have completed their mainstream schooling or access to skills training.

There are four main educational tracks youth. The “Learn to Live School of Skills” program caters to youth ages 14-18, who are no longer part of mainstream schooling. The four-year program provides basic education and vocational skills training. The “Waves of Change Maritime Program” is for youth or adults up to age 35 who want to work at sea in the fishing and maritime industry. The “Porsche Mechatronics Program” enables youth to work in the automotive sector, and the “NEETs Youth Employability Program” offers a national certificate in small venture creation for youth interested in entrepreneurship. Life skills training is also an integral part of the all the training programs.

###

Sources:

INDIA: Funding helps support poor children and empower women/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

International Day of Peace 2022

NIGERIA: Scholarships awarded to 150 students/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

PAKISTAN: Students gain technology skills with new computer lab/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

SOUTH AFRICA: Youth find support to change their lives/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

Salesian Missions

The post INT’L DAY OF PEACE: Salesian Missions highlights life-changing programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in recognizing the International Day of Peace, observed on Sept. 21 each year. The United Nations General Assembly declared the International Day of Peace as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

This year’s theme “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world” focuses on how to help everyone recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic, build resilience, and transform the world into one that is more equal, just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable and healthier.

The U.N. noted, “The pandemic is known for hitting the underprivileged and marginalized groups the hardest. By April 2021, over 687 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally, but over 100 countries have not received a single dose. People caught in conflict are especially vulnerable in terms of lack of access to health care.”

Further, the U.N. stated, “In line with the Secretary-General’s appeal for a global ceasefire last March, in February 2021 the Security Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for Member States to support a ‘sustained humanitarian pause’ to local conflicts. The global ceasefire must continue to be honoured, to ensure people caught in conflict have access to lifesaving vaccinations and treatments.”

Salesian missionaries in countries around the globe have been responding to needs brought about by the pandemic. They are helping migrant families and those who work in the informal sector who now lack money for food or shelter because they cannot work due to lockdowns. Salesian missionaries are also providing for homeless children who beg on the streets to earn money for a small amount of food, and they are ensuring that education continues for those who live in poverty.

“While Salesian missionaries are responding to these new needs, they are still working to meet their core mission of providing the programs and services children and families need to break the cycle of poverty for good,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Missionaries are still feeding malnourished families, rescuing homeless children from the streets, educating impoverished children and teaching youth the skills they need to have hope for a brighter future.”

To mark International Day of Peace 2021, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and services.

BRAZIL

Don Bosco Educational Center, located in Natal, Brazil, received 1.5 tons of non-perishable food to distribute to families in need.

Don Bosco Educational Center, located in Natal, Brazil, received 1.5 tons of non-perishable food to distribute to families in need who are assisted by the center in the Lagoa Azul neighborhood and surrounding areas. The food was collected as part of the Brazilian army’s “Help is in our hands” campaign. The goal of the initiative is to help low-income families who have seen their socio-economic situation worsen with the pandemic.

The commander of the 7th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Carlos José Rocha Lima, presided over a ceremony while delivering the food to various institutions in Natal. Father Eneas Andrade de Araújo, deputy director of the Don Bosco Center, and Janaína Félix, a social worker, received the donation.

Since March 2020, Don Bosco Educational Center has joined efforts with various public and private partners to address food shortages. The center has served more than 2,000 families with basic food packages and hygiene kits. More than 1,000 people have needed additional assistance services because they are vulnerable to social and economic risk.

INDIA

Salesian missionaries are continuing to facilitate initiatives, including vaccination efforts, to help those affected by COVID-19 in India.

The Salesian Province of Bangalore, BREADS and the Youth Commission of the Archdiocese of Bangalore led by the Salesian Father Anil D’Sa are continuing to facilitate initiatives to help those affected by COVID-19 in India. Recently, several health clinics have been held to help vaccinate people and provide health kits for those in need.

BREADS has been packaging and shipping individual protection kits, which contain masks, disinfectants, thermometers, face shields and other essentials, to people in need in the State of Karnataka. BREADS has also been distributing medical kits to volunteers working on the front lines and families infected with COVID-19.

Don Bosco Agricultural and Rural Development Service in Mandya has also distributed health kits to frontline volunteers, social workers and kindergarten teachers. Salesians in Bhadravati have distributed health kits for residents of the Siddhartha Center for the Blind.

LEBANON

Close to 800 youth, including youth from Lebanon and refugees from Syria and Iraq, bonded with their peers at the Salesian Youth South Camp, held in El Houssoun, Lebanon.

The Salesian Youth South Camp, held at a mountain house in El Houssoun, Lebanon, is an oasis of peace and serenity in a time of social, political and economic challenges in the country. Close to 800 youth, including youth from Lebanon and refugees from Syria and Iraq, are coming together to bond with their peers.

The children, who are a mix of Muslims and Christians, enjoy sports and recreation together. A Salesian missionary from the local youth oratory said, “It’s impressive to see the joy that shines on the faces of children and adolescents and the enthusiasm they put into participating in the various activities offered.”

This summer break is in sharp contrast to the daily lives of those living in Lebanon. According to the World Bank, there is a severe, prolonged economic depression in the country where now more than half the population is likely living below the poverty line.

VIETNAM

Salesian parishes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have set up transit stations to distribute water and other necessities for people in lockdown.

Salesian parishes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have set up transit stations to distribute water and other necessities for people in lockdown during a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted the city in recent weeks. Those who have been quarantined have no way to provide for their families, and many are relying on the assistance of Salesians to get by during this time.

When a special quarantine order was issued in Ho Chi Minh City on July 9, Salesian priests and younger confreres with the Rinaldi Theologate community brought drinking water to families. They worked in collaboration with young migrants and the Pastoral Council of the Don Bosco Xuan Hiep Parish.

Three large water tanks were transported to isolated areas, where families took the water from the tanks and transferred it to special containers. In addition, basic necessities were also distributed. Other Salesian parishes in Ho Chi Minh City, including Ben Cat and Ba Thon, have also carried out the same initiative.

Salesians in the city of Da Lat and in the communities of K’Long contacted garden owners to collect vegetables and send them to Ho Chi Minh City. To date, vegetables have been sent to the Rinaldi Theologate community and the Don Bosco Xuan Hiep Parish where Salesians have been distributing them to people in need.

###

Sources:

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

BRAZIL: 1.5 tons of food to be distributed to families

INDIA: Vaccines and health kits distributed

International Day of Peace 2021

LEBANON: Nearly 800 youth bond with peers at camp

Salesian Missions

VIETNAM: Transit stations help distribute water and food to people in need

The post INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE: Salesian Missions highlights life-changing humanitarian aid and social programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.