Salesians in the country have been providing programs to help residents recover and rebuild in the wake of the devastating civil war that claimed countless lives, decimated entire communities and resulted in living conditions that are among the worst in the world. Now that the violence has subsided, efforts are focused on helping the needy, restoring hope and providing new opportunities for the future.

Recently, a new breakfast program for Salesian-run schools in Fatumaca, East Timor was made possible by an on-going partnership between Salesian Missions and Stop Hunger Now, an international relief organization that provides food and life‐saving aid to the world’s most vulnerable.

Many youth in Fatumaca must travel great distances to attend Salesian elementary, secondary and technical schools, some walking more than two hours just to get to class. Students leave home in the early morning hours without any breakfast and often arrive at school exhausted and unable to focus. Thanks to the new breakfast program, youth in Salesian schools are starting their educational experience with a nutritious meal every morning.

“Feeding hungry children is often the first step to providing an education,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Once children have their most basic needs met, they are then able to concentrate on their studies and further their education.”

Since the free breakfast program was implemented, students’ health has significantly improved, including their physical appearance and weight gain. The overall standard of living has improved, academic performance is up 30 percent, enrollment has increased to 35 percent and graduation rates are approaching 100 percent.

Access to nutritious meals allows youth to be better prepared to take part in school activities and focus on their education. Prepared students are more likely to learn valuable skills that will help them gain employment, break the cycle of poverty in their lives and give back to their communities.

“The partnership with Stop Hunger Now allows Salesian Missions to expand the scope of services to youth in need,” says Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Operating feeding programs for youth in Salesian schools whose families cannot afford to feed them is very important and integral to the success of our students and their ability to gain an education.”

Stop Hunger Now’s goals are to provide as food and life-saving aid to support sustainable education and development programs, and to create a movement of educated volunteer advocates that are actively involved with poverty and hunger related issues.

“SalesianMissions is a good match for our mission to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-saving aid while creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources,” says Chessney Barrick, director of marketing and communications at Stop Hunger Now.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions – East Timor: Feeding Children … and the Future

World Bank – Timor-Leste Data

Stop Hunger Now

The post EAST TIMOR: Partership between Salesian Missions and Stop Hunger Now Feeds School Children, Improves Education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Millions of children around the world grow up without shoes, at risk of infection and disease. TOMS Shoes was founded on the premise that with every pair of shoes someone purchases, a pair of new shoes will be given to a child in need. One for One™. The idea of One Day Without Shoes came about as a way to call attention to the need for shoes around the world and the issues surrounding that need.

One Day Without Shoes participants can go to www.OneDayWithoutShoes.com to get all the latest updates, create and join events in their area, download an event tool kit, and see what others around the world will be doing on April 5. Participants can also stay connected through the new One Day Without Shoes mobile application, available on iPhone and Android. The application will enable users to share pictures instantaneously, provide music to get people going on their barefoot adventures, check out One Day Without Shoes merchandise, and more.

TOMS’ Founder and Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie said, “The problem is large but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life without shoes, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions, which is why we ask everyone to join TOMS on April 5 and participate in One Day Without Shoes.”

For more information visit: www.OneDayWithoutShoes.com

About TOMS Shoes:

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. To date, TOMS has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children through giving partners around the world.

About the TOMS Shoes – Salesian Missions Partnership:

Since 2012, Salesian Missions has partnered with TOMS to provide new shoes for children living in impoverished communities. New shoes are integrated into the full range of programs offered by the Salesians which center around education that provides pathways to new opportunities. The new partnership has already provided shoes to thousands of youth participating in Salesian programs in countries including in Guatemala, Uganda, the Philippines and Mexico.

The post TOMS SHOES: 4th Annual ‘One Day Without Shoes’ first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“The Salesians are on the ground in Haiti working with children in need, so we were able to provide a pathway to bring the soap from the donors directly to the beneficiaries,” says Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Working together, we decided that Haiti would be a good recipient country for this first shipment because of the cholera cholera epidemic and the hygiene education provided by Salesian schools there.”

As a result of this partnership, more than 750 boxes of soap were sent to Salesian-run centers in Haiti, which will be used for personal hygiene and laundry. Like in so many places around the globe, the Salesians are a vital part of the infrastructure in Haiti, which allows for organizations like Global Soap Project to reach people in need efficiently even if they do not have a presence in a given country.

“We’re very excited about our partnership with Salesian Missions,” says Sam Stevens, executive director of Global Soap Project. “Our goal is to get soap and hygiene education to vulnerable children and disaster victims who don’t have access to it, and this partnership is a perfect example of making that happen.”

Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, coordinated the overseas shipment and in-country distribution. Global Soap Project was able to cover the cost of the shipment, which was extremely generous and helpful, according to O’Connor.

“Working with Global Soap Project was a win-win benefiting those in need,” says O’Connor. “Salesian Missions looks forward to partnering more in the future.”

The World Health Organization estimates that close to two million people, mostly children under the age of five, die each year from hygiene and sanitation related illnesses. Most are from populations in developing countries who live in extreme poverty. Having access to clean water and soap is one of the best preventive measures.

“We know that soap can reduce childhood morbidity from diarrhea and pneumonia by up to 47 percent,” adds Stephens. “We’re grateful for the work of the team at Salesian Missions, we’re proud to partner with them on this project and look forward to partnering with them even more in the months and years to come.”

The donated soap is providing life-saving hygiene to 11 different Salesian-run sites in Haiti. Elementary schools in Pétion Ville, Cap Haiten and Fonds Parisien and students in elementary, technical, agricultural, administration and nursing schools in Fort Liberté were recipients as well as many other Salesian-run sites.

ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS WORK IN HAITI

Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which has been serving Haiti for the last 75 years. Salesian Missions was instrumental in emergency response and relief efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. They were among the first responders—providing shelter and medical aid; means to securely transport, store and distribute relief supplies and clean drinking water; and, perhaps most importantly, an understanding of how to get things done in Haiti. Their rebuilding as well as education and training work continues in Haiti.

The Salesians run elementary schools, secondary schools, vocational training institutes and colleges across Haiti. In addition, the Salesians provide shelter for homeless youth and programs for street children. Haiti is one of more than 130 countries around the globe where Salesians operate such programs. For more information, go to ProgressInHaiti.org.

ABOUT GLOBAL SOAP PROJECT

Global Soap Project works to prevent hygiene related-deaths and improve global health by recycling used hotel soap and turning it into new bars that are distributed to vulnerable populations around the world. The Global Soap Project partners with existing organizations to ensure the soap is distributed to those in need, and to ensure that proper hygiene education is provided in addition to the soap.

Global Soap Project has a unique partnership with hoteliers. According to the organization, with 4.6 million hotel/motel rooms in the United States, an estimated 2.6 million soap bars are discarded every day. By participating in the project, hoteliers are diverting tons of waste from landfills and bolstering environmental sustainability programs. Hotel managers, housekeepers and guests become more environmentally conscious and more sensitive to the needs of vulnerable populations through this initiative.

Soap is collected from hotels and shipped to the Global Soap Project’s warehouse in Georgia. From there, it is sorted into containers by soap type. The soap is ground up, remixed, and then filtered through an extremely fine-mesh screen to remove dirt and other particulates. It is then processed into finished bars, cut into 4oz bars, cured, inspected and packaged. Third-party laboratory tests screen for traces of pathogens on a sample from each batch of soap produced before it ships.  As of mid-2012, soap has been distributed to partners in 23 countries, with roughly one-third of total production to-date going to Haiti.

Working with distribution and NGO partners like Salesian Missions, the soap is distributed and education on the best health and sanitation practices is provided to recipients. In addition to their rebuilding and educational initiatives, Salesian Missions continues to build partnerships and find ways to provide hope and health for families in Haiti.

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Related MissionNewswire article: Education Key to Preventing Spread of Cholera Epidemic

PHOTO: UN Photo/UNICEF/Marco Dormino

For more information:

www.SalesianMissions.org | www.ProgressInHaiti.org

www.GlobalSoap.org

Sources:

World Health Organization – Water supply, sanitation and hygiene development

The post HAITI: Global Soap Project, Salesian Missions Partner to Deliver Soap to Fight Cholera Epidemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.