MALAWI

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute in Lilongwe, Malawi, has signed a one-year agreement with the Film Association of Malawi to train 2,000 people in different aspects of filmmaking, according to a news article in Malawi 24. Students will take courses in acting, camera operating, film editing, film producing and directing.

As stated in the Malawi 24 article, at the signing of the agreement, Gift Sukez Sukali, president of the Film Association of Malawi, said, “In Malawi we don’t have film schools, we don’t have places where people can learn this kind of technical skills, and we thought it is wise to partner with Don Bosco because it will be a great way of achieving job creation of skilled people in production and acting.”

Sukali added, “We have skilled people who can teach others the skills which they have learned over the years. So as an association what we are bringing to the table are the facilitators to facilitate these trainings. Don Bosco Institute is bringing in the venue as well as the equipment to be used, so it’s a partnership, which is bringing good things because as you are aware, we need a platform, we need computers, we need a lot of things and Don Bosco is coming in to help the association.”

As one way of promoting participation by young women to in this male-dominated industry, the Film Association and Don Bosco Institute have agreed to offer a 50 percent discount to all young women who wish to take part in this program.

According to the article, Precious Chilupsya, principal of Don Bosco Institute, explained that the initiative is not only important to the school but to the whole nation as it will help to create jobs for youth who have the talent and now the means to excel with this opportunity.

Chilupsya said, “This is a great initiative to our country, to many younger people who are left out perhaps of the traditional skills that we normally train here at Don Bosco because we didn’t concentrate much in this other area of art. I also appeal to female participants in this initiative, if we are to develop the young people in the country then a girl child has to be the first one in whatever we are involved in. So, we want more females to come and join these trainings so that they are empowered in this.”

In Malawi, more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and the majority of households have women as the head of the household, according to the World Bank. Located in southeast Africa, Malawi is a landlocked country bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique to the east, south and west.

Agriculture is a central part of Malawi’s economy, but land distribution is unequal and crops are highly vulnerable to the region’s frequent droughts. Few houses have piped water and less than one in 10 Malawians has access to electricity. Water is collected from wells or streams, and most people cook over an open fire. Malawians deal with hunger and malnutrition on a daily basis.

According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 45 percent of the country’s children under age 5 are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. Many children also lack educational opportunities and have few options for improving their circumstances.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute

Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute

Malawi 24 – FAMA and Don Bosco to train youths in video and filmmaking

Salesian Missions – Malawi

USAID – Malawi

The post MALAWI: Filmmaking program to train 2,000 people first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco High School in Nkhotakota, Malawi, was able to dig a second borehole to provide clean, fresh water for its students and staff thanks to funding from the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” The funding was utilized to dig a borehole, install a water pump and solar panels, and construct a water tank.

Don Bosco High School was launched in direct response to the need for education for youth in the southwestern part of Nkhotakota. The school started with 88 students and six teachers. Today, Don Bosco High School has 378 students across four grades educated by 20 teachers. More than half of the students are from the local community, but the school does board 160 students.

Funding from the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative” was utilized to dig a borehole, install a water pump and solar panels, and construct a water tank in Nkhotakota, Malawi.

“The biggest challenge the school faced was the chronic lack of regular water supply for both our boarding and day students,” said Father J. Czerwinski, rector of the Salesian community. “Although the school is near a large lake and connected to the town water source, there were still acute water shortages every day. The town supply is very erratic and unreliable. This caused problems for our students including a lack of proper hygiene, a health hazard, and no water for cooking and drinking.”

Fr. Czerwinski added, “On behalf of the students from Don Bosco High School and the Salesian community, I would like to thank the donors who have contributed toward this project. Without their help we would not be able to drill the borehole. Now students and the community have a sufficient amount of water. This directly positively impacts their educational environment.”

UN-Water estimates that worldwide 2.2 billion people are living without access to safe water. One in four primary schools has no drinking water service, with students using unprotected water sources or going thirsty. In addition, UN-Water notes that more than 700 children under 5 years of age die every day from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, continues its “Clean Water Initiative” to make building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.

In Malawi, more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and the majority of households have women as the head of the household, according to the World Bank. Located in southeast Africa, Malawi is a landlocked country bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique to the east, south and west.

Agriculture is a central part of Malawi’s economy, but land distribution is unequal and crops are highly vulnerable to the region’s frequent droughts. Few houses have piped water and less than one in 10 Malawians has access to electricity. Water is collected from wells or streams, and most people cook over an open fire. Malawians deal with hunger and malnutrition on a daily basis. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 45 percent of the country’s children under age 5 are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. Many children also lack educational opportunities and have few options for improving their circumstances.

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Sources:

Photos courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative

Salesian Missions – Malawi

UNICEF – Malawi

The post MALAWI: Hundreds of school children given much-needed access to safe water source first appeared on MissionNewswire.

MALAWI

(MissionNewswire) St. Don Bosco Parish in Lilongwe, Malawi, received funding from Salesian Missions donors to buy maize to help families in the out-stations of the parish. In total, 382 families received the maize. At the Don Bosco Church, 280 families from 28 small Christian communities benefited along with families connected to Salesian centers in Mbunu, Kundi, Kangonoma, Chipeni and more.

“We appreciate the support of our donors who were able to provide the funding to help poor families in Malawi,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Providing maize helps families have the nutritional support they need, especially during a time of great difficulty during the pandemic. Many families have seen a loss of income and have been pushed further into poverty.”

Father Mulenga Oswald, St. Don Bosco Parish priest, said, “We sincerely thank Salesian Missions donors for their support, which enabled us to reach out to needy families of our parish. Salesian Missions prompt response helped us to mobilize and assist the people that needed help most.”

In Lilongwe, Salesian missionaries provide many programs to help support poor youth and their families. The Don Bosco Youth Center offers counseling workshops, seminars and educational literature that addresses the multitude of challenges faced by youth in the region. The program focuses on life skills training and the avoidance of high-risk behavior such as substance abuse and gang participation.

During normal operations, The Don Bosco Youth Center hosts more than 600 youth each day from the surrounding townships of Areas 23, 24, 44, Kawale and Chilinde, among others. It has become a symbol of youth empowerment through sporting activities as well as vocational and technical education. The center conducts motivational evening talks for spiritual and moral growth and also provides leadership training for youth with the aim of equipping them with skills in leading other youth toward positive behavior and social change in their respective communities.

The Don Bosco Youth Center campus includes facilities for youth development in sporting disciplines and features a soccer pitch and courts for basketball, netball and volleyball. The campus includes the Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute which offers commercial and technical courses in fashion arts and beauty, accounting, bricklaying, motor vehicle mechanics, hospitality, and information and communications technology.

In Malawi, more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and the majority of households have women as the head of the household, according to the World Bank.

Agriculture is a central part of Malawi’s economy but land distribution is unequal and crops are highly vulnerable to the region’s frequent droughts. Few houses have piped water and less than one in 10 Malawians has access to electricity. Water is collected from wells or streams, and most people cook over an open fire. Malawians deal with hunger and malnutrition on a daily basis. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 45 percent of the country’s children under age 5 are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. Many children also lack educational opportunities and have few options for improving their circumstances.

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Sources:

Photos courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Malawi

USAID – Malawi

The post MALAWI: Salesian Missions donors provide funding for maize for 382 families through St. Don Bosco Parish in Lilongwe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

MALAWI

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco High School in Nkhotakota, Malawi, is able to provide clean, fresh water to its students and staff thanks to funding from Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” The funding was utilized to dig a borehole and install a solar pump, providing water to the school.

Don Bosco High School was launched in direct response to the need for education for youth in the southwestern part of Nkhotakota. The school started with 88 students and six teachers. Today, Don Bosco High School has 378 students across four grades educated by 20 teachers. More than half of the students are from the local community, but the school does board 160 students.

“The biggest challenge the school faced was the chronic lack of regular water supply for both our boarding and day students,” said Father J. Czerwinski. “Although the school is near a large lake and connected to the town water source, there were still acute water shortages every day. The town supply is very erratic and unreliable. This caused problems for our students including a lack of proper hygiene, a health hazard, and no water for cooking and drinking.”

Fr. Czerwinski added, “Because of that, we turned to Salesian Missions for the help and assistance, and through donor funding we were able to drill the borehole and add a solar pump to solve our water challenges.”

UN-Water estimates that worldwide 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services and by 2050, the world’s population will have grown by an estimated 2 billion people, pushing global water demand up to 30 percent higher than today. One in four primary schools has no drinking water service, with students using unprotected water sources or going thirsty. In addition, UN-Water notes that more than 700 children under 5 years of age die every day from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

In response to this crisis, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, continues its “Clean Water Initiative” to make building wells and supplying fresh, clean water a top priority for every community in every country in which Salesian missionaries work.

In Malawi, more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and the majority of households have women as the head of the household, according to the World Bank. Located in southeast Africa, Malawi is a landlocked country bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast and Mozambique to the east, south and west.

Agriculture is a central part of Malawi’s economy but land distribution is unequal and crops are highly vulnerable to the region’s frequent droughts. Few houses have piped water and less than one in 10 Malawians has access to electricity. Water is collected from wells or streams and most people cook over an open fire. Malawians deal with hunger and malnutrition on a daily basis. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, 45 percent of the country’s children under age 5 are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. Many children also lack educational opportunities and have few options for improving their circumstances.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative

Salesian Missions – Malawi

UNICEF – Malawi

World Water Day 2019

The post MALAWI: Don Bosco High School has clean, fresh water thanks to funding from Salesian Missions ‘Clean Water Initiative’ first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Agriculture is a central part of Malawi’s economy but land distribution is unequal and crops are highly vulnerable to the region’s frequent droughts. Few houses have piped water and less than one in 10 Malawians have access to electricity. Water is collected from wells or streams and most cook over an open fire. Malawians deal with hunger and malnutrition on a daily basis. According to USAID, 45 percent of the country’s children under age five are stunted due to a lack of adequate nutrition. Many children also lack educational opportunities and have few options for improving their circumstances.

Adding to an already difficult situation, most people in the country live far from health care services and lack the transportation and money to access adequate care. According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy in Malawi is 55 years old. The country also suffers from an HIV/AIDS epidemic with more than one in 10 adults infected and more than 90,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. Many children have been orphaned as a result and are living on their own or with relatives other than their parents.

Salesian missionaries in Milawi have been providing primary and secondary educational and technical skills training for poor youth for many years.

“Youth in Malawi have very few opportunities for education and for creating a better life for themselves and their families,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian elementary and secondary education lays the foundation for early learning while vocational and technical schools teach practical skills so youth can become productive and contributing adults in their communities. Education has proven to be an effective means to break the cycle of poverty while giving the most vulnerable youth a sense of personal dignity and self-worth.”

Recently, Salesian Missions coordinated and shipped a container of donated school desks, chairs, shelves, books, computers, trade tools and other school and household supplies to a Salesian school in Lilongwe, the largest and capital city of Malawi, located in the central region of the country. The donation was prompted by Brother Robert Malusa, a Salesian missionary living and working in Malawi, who wished to start a library for students at the Salesian school.

The donations came from Salesian parishes and programs in the United States. Brother Malusa’s former parish in Long Island, New York organized a book drive and many of his friends purchased additional books on his wish list to include in the shipment. Mary Help of Christians Academy in New Jersey donated school desks and chairs and computers and additional books were donated by Saints John and Paul Parish in Larchmont, New York.

The donation of desks and chairs was shared with Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute in Lilongwe, one of the largest private colleges in Malawi and home to more than 600 students and 30 staff. Courses are offered in a wide variety of subjects including accounting, automobile mechanics, construction, electrical engineering, hospitality management, information and communication technology, and fashion, art and beauty. Prior to the donation, students had to use pre-school desks from the primary school next to the Institute.

“Adequate school supplies, including books and computers, offer students and teachers better educational resources,” says Fr. Hyde. “The addition of proper desks and chairs provides a more structured learning environment in which students can feel more comfortable and ready to learn.”

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Sources

USAID – Malawi

World Bank – Malawi

The post MALAWI: Donated Supplies for New Library Reach Salesian School first appeared on MissionNewswire.