The Day of the Girl was established by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. One of the issues that drew focus was that of child marriage. For the first time, UN member states recognized that child marriage is a human rights violation and is a serious health risk for young girls whose bodies are not fully developed for motherhood.

“This puts them and their babies at risk,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Early marriage also prevents young girls from continuing their education and contributes to many of them remaining in poverty throughout their lives,” he adds, noting that the achievement of their full potential is hindered when girls are forced to assume all of the domestic duties and raise children while they are still children themselves.

A special exhibit on child marriage has been installed at UN Headquarters in New York to help raise awareness and encourage advocacy and action both on the part of member states and those who visit the UN daily.

In spite of many advances in changing the status and perception of women and girls, much more needs to be done to address the serious issues the girl child faces, according to Fr. Hyde. Among these are: limited educational opportunities, illiteracy and school dropout, physical and sexual violence, lack of role models, forced labor and limited work opportunities, trafficking, negative media images and most importantly, inequality.

“Girls are asking to be seen as and treated as equals,” says Fr. Hyde. “They want to participate more fully in decision making, especially in decisions that affect their lives in their families and communities.”

Salesian Missions cares about the growth and development of women in the communities they serve. Women are the backbone of the family structure and by providing women necessary education, training skills and support, families are made stronger. Social outreach programs, child care support, and job training allow for women to work at every level of production and management jobs supporting and keeping their families intact.

To mark the first-ever International Day of the Girl Child, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight some of its programs around the globe that empower girls through education:

CAMBODIA: In Cambodia, education for girls opens doors to opportunities. With basic education, girls are better equipped to face the daily dangers of human trafficking, child prostitution and substance abuse. Today, more than 2,000 girls who live in poverty have access to basic education through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund. In addition, with vocational and technical education, they see possibilities for jobs and independence. Hundreds of students at four specialized schools for girls/young women will open new doors with skills in printing, electronics, secretarial skills and sewing.

COLOMBIA: The “Right to Dream” program is providing aid to many poverty-stricken children in Medellin, Colombia. One such child is Alejandra – who now has access to social support and educational programs previously unimaginable to her and her siblings as they worked on the streets to help their family survive. One hundred students ages 7-18 receive vocational training and hot meals.

GUATEMALA: Extreme poverty is often associated with rural life in Guatemala. 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: At the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, girls and women receive training opportunities and learn about the important role they play in society and the community. The microfinance program funded by UNHCR and Caritas Italiana offers graduates, women and other refugees an opportunity to establish small business ventures using skills learned.

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.

PERU: Since 1982, Salesian Missions has offered training for girls at a vocational school in Yanama, Peru. Currently, there are more than 300 students enrolled in these schools, which are now located in parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador, as well as Peru. Girls are trained in using alpaca and sheep wool to make sweaters, rugs, gloves and other articles, which are marketed locally and abroad. Upon graduating, they receive a weaving machine as the first step in a new career.

SRI LANKA: Mary Help of Christians in Sri Lanka is home to 173 girls who were soldiers during the country’s civil war. They are the innocent victims of a 25-year civil war that ended in 2009 and generated more than 200,000 young refugees. Today, these girls are safe but have a long recovery process ahead of them. Few people realize that 40 percent of the children kidnapped by guerrilla fighters and forced to fight in the war were girls. The youngest were enslaved as maids to cook and clean for the soldiers. As they got older, the girls were forced to act as spies and informers. By the time they reached puberty, many of the girls were trapped into abusive and humiliating marriages with guerrilla leaders.

Learn more about Salesian Missions at the United Nations >

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SOURCES:

Salesian Missions

ANS (Salesian Info Agency)

The post DAY OF THE GIRL: Salesian Missions Highlights Programs around the Globe that Empower Girls through Education, Opportunity first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The report noted that, “More than half of an estimated 3.9 – 5.3 million internally displaced people in Colombia are under 18, rendering them even more vulnerable to the threats that caused them to flee their homes in the first place.” Children in Colombia have been subjected to forced recruitment as child soldiers, sexual violence and rape, physical harm and death. Furthermore, they have been denied humanitarian assistance.

Education is at risk in Colombia. According to the report, schools have been used for military purposes. The national armed forces have occupied school buildings or camped nearby. Instead of being a refuge and a place for learning, schools have been utilized as a method of recruitment. In response, guerrilla groups have planted land mines around the schools without recording their locations, preventing children from attending school altogether.

Teachers are under attack as well. The report detailed that according to the teacher’s union in Colombia, “between 1991 and 2011, 871 teachers were killed, about 3,000 threatened, 1,070 forcibly displaced, and 60 reported missing.”

Without education, youth cannot advance their lives and break the cycle of poverty. They end up on the streets even more vulnerable to forced recruitment and physical harm.

The report goes beyond just identifying the severity of the problems facing children in Colombia. It also provides a series of recommendations to governments, NGOs and donors to help support youth and alleviate their suffering.

For nonprofit organizations like Salesian Missions, who has a long standing investment in humanitarian work in Colombia, the report suggests they should offer pyscho-social assistance and income-generating activities for children formerly associated with armed groups. They also recommend providing survivors of sexual violence, particularly in rural areas, adequate psycho-social, medical and legal care and support.

The report also suggests that programs should offer flexible schooling to allow children from rural areas, poor backgrounds, and those who were internally displaced an opportunity to continue to attend school by adapting the times and curriculum to meet their needs.

The report’s recommendations are work the Salesian Missions know all too well.

“The Salesians have been working with youth in Colombia for more than 40 years,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “We have built schools in places that previously lacked access to education – like the remote village of Condoto. We provide services to homeless children at Don Bosco City in Medellin as well as focus on critical psycho-social and educational services to displaced youth in refugee camps across the country.”

Don Bosco City in Medellin is one of the oldest and largest programs for street children in Latin America. Beginning in 1965, Don Bosco City has served 83,000 boys and girls. It began in 1965 with 125 children, and today serves more than 1,500 children, youth and families per year. The program serves both boys and girls and goes beyond traditional homeless shelters by providing a three-stage program, culminating in vocational training.

Fr. Hyde says, “Through this model of education and rehabilitation, youth are able to learn the skills needed to support themselves and break the cycle of poverty.”

In Bogota, an internationally-recognized program helps street children overcome challenges – from where to find a nutritious meal to how to pursue an education and find a job. Through the Children of the Street program from the Salesians Youth Service Foundation, instructors who were once street children themselves provide the support and stability needed for at-risk children and youth to rebuild their lives.

With Salesian efforts that focus on providing educational opportunities to children and youth, students in refugee camps learn valuable job skills which will not only provide income, but also reduce the likelihood they will be recruited as child soldiers. More than 70 percent of graduating students are placed in jobs through Salesian Missions partnerships with community organizations and private sector companies.

“No matter the program or population of youth we serve in Colombia, our aim is always to provide market-driven technical vocational training, preventive and curative health treatment, and counseling services,” explained Fr. Hyde. “Our goal is to help alleviate current traumas and provide a foundation of supports and education that will assist youth in years to come and enable them to provide for themselves and their communities.”

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Sources:

Watch List Report – Children & Armed Conflict in Colombia

Salesian Missions – Colombia: Success stories of former child soldiers

Salesian Missions – Colombia

The post COLOMBIA: Watch List Report Highlights Needs of “At Risk” Youth, Salesians Provide Recommended Services first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) International Women’s Day—created by the United Nations and celebrated by organizations and countries around the globe—is observed each year on March 8.

According to the United Nations, “it is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.”

It is also a day for celebrating organizations and people who work year round to empower women and girls in an effort to make the world a better place. It is work that too often goes uncelebrated.

Salesian programs empower girls in impoverished countries around the globe by helping them build a sense of dignity and self worth, says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

“Education builds self esteem and opens the door to opportunity,” he says. “By providing girls with the opportunity to learn life skills and a trade, they become self sufficient and are able to care for their families. When girls have access to education, families are made stronger and have more opportunities to remain together—breaking the cycle of poverty and improving entire communities.”

Salesian Missions has programs helping the poor in more than 130 countries around the globe, including programs to empower women and girls. Here are some examples of that work:

BOLIVIA

In Bolivia, women face more difficulties finding good education and productive jobs, according to the 2003 Human Development Report on Gender. In addition, education of women and girls impacts the health and education of their children.

Through the innovative “Girls in the Vanguard” initiative of Salesian Missions and USAID, more than 1,000 girls in five key countries – including Bolivia – were given the opportunity to receive training and obtain jobs in the private sector. Training focused on jobs with advancement potential, in areas that were often male-dominated. Special business advisory councils and past pupil associations were formed at each site to provide additional assistance. The program took place from 2001-2006, giving girls and young women in Bolivia the skills needed for a better future for them, their families and their communities.

CAMBODIA

In Cambodia, education for girls opens doors to opportunities. With basic education, girls are better equipped to face the daily dangers of human trafficking, child prostitution and substance abuse. Today, more than 2,000 girls who live in poverty have access to basic education through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund. In addition, with vocational and technical education, they see possibilities for jobs and independence. Hundreds of students at four specialized schools for girls/young women will open new doors with skills in printing, electronics, secretarial skills and sewing.

COLOMBIA

The “Right to Dream” program for many poverty-stricken children in Medellin, Colombia. One such child is Alejandra – who now has access to social support and educational program previously unimaginable to her and her siblings as they worked on the streets to help their family survive. One hundred students ages 7-18 receive vocational training and hot meals.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In the Dominican Republic, women striving for a better life find support with the “Madres Project” in Santo Domingo.  The project addresses the root causes of street children by working with mothers. By learning skills to earn a living wage in the workforce, women in charge of families can improve their living conditions and keep their children off the streets.  Women complete courses in literacy, post-literacy, health care and various modules of computer studies.  All training modules include lessons in human rights. The program is a partnership with Salesian Missions and the International Volunteer Movement for Development.  In addition, they run a training program for youth in the poorest areas of the city called “Boys and Girls with Don Bosco.”

GHANA

Girls in Ghana find less opportunity than boys to improve their lives through education. In many cases, girls are expected to contribute to the family’s income – which takes priority over attending classes.

Through a boarding school for girls in Odumase, girls have the opportunity to continue their studies while learning job skills that will also help their family.

GUATEMALA

More than 21% of Guatemalans 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 house hold and community decision-makers.

INDIA

In India, education can help overcome inequities in jobs and income that are related to gender. Nisha’s story is an example of how one woman’s achievement helps contribute to the community as a whole:

Nisha, strong and confident, works in her beauty salon doing manicures, styling hair and doing facials in Pune, an Indian town with more than a million inhabitants. “Finally I am able to work for my own living and to offer my children a good education,” Nisha says. But it was not always so. Married as a young girl, Nisha worked as a maid and had to take care of her husband after a severe accident. Her life took a new direction after she became acquainted with the self-help groups founded by the Salesians of Don Bosco and now supported by Jugend Dritte Welt, an NGO affiliated with the Salesians. “Suddenly I wasn’t alone and found a new perspective for my life,” says Nisha. After completing a cosmetics course, Nisha opened her own beauty salon. Today she is able to repay her microcredit loans that she owed to the support group. More than 900 women participate in the microfinancing and skills training groups.

KENYA

At the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, girls and women receive training opportunities and learn about the important role they play in society and the community. The microfinance program funded by UNHCR and Caritas Italiana offers graduates, women and other refugees an opportunity to establish small business ventures using skills learned.

MEXICO

The Salesians in Mexico are directing their efforts toward the country’s at-risk population, including girls and young mothers who face severe dangers on the streets. Innovative programs are preventing poor children from dropping out of school and are providing important opportunities to keep their lives on the right track.

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.

PERU

The number of women in the Peruvian workforce is increasing, according to the Pan-American Health Organization.  So, too, is the need for job training for marketable skills that will help women support themselves and their families.

Since 1982, Salesian Missions has offered training for girls at a vocational school in Yanama. Currently, more than 300 students enrolled in these schools, which are now located in parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador, as well as Peru.  Girls are trained in using alpaca and sheep wool to make sweaters, rugs, gloves and other articles, which are marketed locally and abroad.  On graduating, they receive a weaving machine as the first step in the new career.

PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, drop-out rates double as children reach secondary school, according to UNICEF, and there are more than 11 million out-of-school youth.

Salesian Missions’ Tuloy Foundation provides another chance for at-risk youth to succeed in school.  Street children are able to take part in an alternative learning module with five levels of instruction in six subjects.  Children progress from first grade through high school. Older youth pursue vocational training in a variety of technologies, including automotive, electrical, welding and woodworking.  The school developed specialized classes focused on female students, including bag making courses.

SOUTH AFRICA

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.

TANZANIA

When a Salesian Missions secondary school opened in Didia, Tanzania, it was the first secondary school within a 40 mile radius. Just as important, girls had the opportunity to take part in classes at the co-educational facility.

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