The development of eco-clubs follows both the call by Pope Francis to promote sustainable development initiatives and the United Nations Millennium Development Goal that calls for ensuring environmental sustainability.

Begun in 2012, the eco-clubs are part of a program run by the Office of Planning and Development of the Salesian Province and have 163 active clubs with close to 3,100 student members in various districts of Tamil Nadu. The clubs promote respect for nature and good hygiene practices. They also organize environmental activities, events and festivals and celebrate major anniversaries. To date, club members have cleaned more than 200 locations, planted 5809 trees and conducted 29 environmental awareness programs that have benefited 1,750 people.

“In 2012, in the light of the many summits about the environment that were taking place, we planned with our student body to initiate a new program that was simple and practical,” says Father Albert Johnson, the Salesian Provincial of Tiruchy. “The eco-clubs have grown over the years and are now spreading across the area and diversifying in their focus and work. The community has greatly benefited both by the activities of the club and the education it provides.”

The eco-clubs are now focused on some new initiatives including waste management, creation of gardens and orchards, dissemination of practices for the reduction of non-degradable materials, promotion of organic farming and solar energy systems for the future. In addition, the clubs are planning to develop and introduce courses on environmental education in Salesian schools and train women to recycle household waste and to prepare bio-fertilizers.

The program organizers are focused on developing strong student leaders to operate and direct club activities with the goal of teaching them important environmental practices while instilling knowledge and leadership skills that will extend through the generations. Salesian missionaries and students are working to replicate the clubs in other parts of India.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India has the world’s fourth largest economy and according to UNICEF, is home to one-third of the world’s poor. Close to 217 million of India’s poor are children. Although more than 53 million people escaped poverty between 2005 and 2010, most remain vulnerable to falling back below the poverty line.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44 percent of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10 percent of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, too many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

ANS – India – The Eco-club for sustainable development

UNICEF – India

The post INDIA: Salesian Eco-Clubs Receive Award for Innovation and Sustainability first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The ongoing violence in the Central African Republic has resulted in more than 650,000 internally displaced people (with more than 232,000 in the capital city of Bangui alone) and 300,000 who have fled across the borders as refugees. Due to the conflict, close to 2.2 million people have needed humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations. Earlier in 2015, peace had begun to return to the country. Small markets were opened, taxi service returned and residents were able to move back and forth safely between locations. Although violence between the militias has receded, attacks on civilians remain widespread with witnesses describing them as retaliatory.

During his visit to the country, Pope Francis visited a refugee camp for those who have been internally displaced. Nearly 4,000 people, mostly women and children, live in the settlement of white tents donated by the United Nations. Here, the Pope visited mostly with the more than 500 children in the camp and offered some remarks.

“Peace without love and forgiveness isn’t possible,” said Pope Francis as quoted in a recent Crux article about his trip. “Each one of us has to do something to forge peace. I wish for all of you, and everyone in Central Africa, peace, that you can live in peace regardless of your ethnicity, culture, religion and social status.”

The Pope expressed similar messages of hope in Uganda and Kenya. According to the Crux article, the Pope’s trip to Africa underscores the importance of the continent to the Catholic Church. Africa has the fastest-growing population of Catholics and Muslims in the world, according to the Pew Research Center, with both Islam and Christianity expected to have more than twice as many followers in the region by 2050 as they did in 2010.

“Salesian missionaries work across the African continent and in more than 130 countries around the globe providing education, workforce development and social development programs for vulnerable youth and their families,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries have also been on the forefront of assisting those affected by violence and those that have been displaced in the Central African Republic.”

In the Central African Republic, Salesian missionaries operate two centers, Don Bosco Damala and Don Bosco Galabadja, both located near Bangui, the country’s capital city. The centers have provided shelter for those who have been internally displaced reaching well over 1,000 people at one time. The Salesian Center in Damala has an orphanage, youth center, professional center and high school. At the center in Galabadja, Salesian missionaries offer primary and secondary education along with a college and professional training program. A youth center and medical clinic are also available.

Both centers operate the Spaces of Peace project where youth of all ages, cultures and religions learn to live and work together peacefully. Through the project, Salesian missionaries offer sports, musical training, summer camps and other activities that promote teamwork and social skills. In addition, the program offers one meal a day to more than 1500 students during their school day, helps 700 students with school supplies and scholarships and assists 120 older youth gain the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

Salesian missionaries will continue to work diligently for the young and poor in the Central African Republic and across the African continent carrying out the Pope’s message of peace and hope while helping youth gain an education and break the cycle of poverty.

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Sources:

ANS – Central African Republic – The Pope’s Visit: a call for peace and a new way forward

Crux – Pope arrives as ‘Pilgrim of Peace’ in war-torn Central African Republic

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Pope Francis Wraps Up Africa Trip with Visit to War-Torn Central African Republic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Earlier this year, while speaking to Salesian priests and nuns at a Sunday mass in Turin, Italy’s Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, the Pope recounted fond childhood memories of his family’s closeness to the Salesians and how when his mother was ill, he was taken out of public school to spend one year studying with Salesian missionaries. The Pope went on to recall how he grew very attached to the Salesian community during the year he spent with them. Noting how Salesian missionaries go above and beyond classroom teaching by using creative arts, sports and other activities to engage young people, he recalled the creation of a soccer team for Argentinian street children by Salesian Father Lorenzo Massa in 1908.

In anticipation of the bicentennial of  Salesian founder St. John (Don) Bosco’s birth on August 16, Pope Francis sent a letter to Father Ángel Fernández Artime, the Salesian Rector Major. In the letter, Pope Francis praised the work of Don Bosco and the Salesian Family and highlighted Don Bosco’s call to service and his work with poor and disadvantaged youth. Pope Francis also praised Salesian efforts in establishing education and social development services that are open to all youth regardless of language, race, culture or religion.

As part of the letter, Pope Francis states, “A characteristic feature of Don Bosco’s pedagogy is loving kindness, which is to be understood as a love that is manifested and perceived, and reveals itself in caring, affection, understanding and involvement in the life of another person. In the experiential process of education, according to Don Bosco, it is not enough to love, but love needs to be expressed in gestures that are concrete and effective. Thanks to this loving kindness, so many children and adolescents in Salesian settings have experienced an intense and serene emotional growth, which has proved very valuable in the shaping of their personality and in their life’s journey.”

Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in more than 5,300 primary and secondary schools and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools. To date, more than 3 million youth have participated in Salesian programs operated by more than 30,000 Salesian missionaries in more than 130 countries around the globe. Salesian programs provide poor youth and their families access to education, workforce development, humanitarian relief, youth clubs, health services, feeding programs and more.

“Salesian missionaries are dedicated to caring for poor youth through programs that are innovative in design and customized to meet local needs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries focus on helping young people become self-sufficient through education and skills training that leads to employment, which in turn builds strong communities.”

Salesian missionaries are widely considered one of the largest private providers of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth in some of the poorest places on the planet by providing access to educational opportunities that match local workforce development needs. Through Salesian skills training programs, youth are able to gain the skills necessary to find and retain stable employment. This work helps grow local economies and breaks the cycle of poverty for poor youth and their families.

“Salesian missionaries are often faced with challenges when providing programs in some of the most difficult environments, especially after natural disasters and in regions plagued by conflict and war, but despite hardship, their mission to bring hope and opportunity to those living in poverty remains strong,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

Vatican Radio – In Turin, Pope recalls charism of Salesians’ Don Bosco

The post GLOBAL: Pope Francis Recalls His Positive Educational Experiences in Salesian Schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Pope Francis has nurtured close ties to Salesian missionaries and priests throughout his life and recently praised them for their work bringing hope and relief to those living in poverty. The Pope was baptized by a Salesian priest, educated in a Salesian school and encouraged in his vocation by the same Salesian priest who introduced his parents to one other.

On June 24, prior to his U.S visit, the Pope sent a letter to Father Ángel Fernández Artime, the Salesian Rector Major in Italy, in honor of St. John (Don) Bosco’s bicentennial birthday on August 16. In the letter, Pope Francis praised the work of Don Bosco and the Salesian Family and highlighted Don Bosco’s call to service and his work with poor and disadvantaged youth. Pope Francis also praised Salesian efforts in establishing education and social development services that are open to all youth regardless of language, race, culture or religion.

On the historic occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S., Salesian missionaries celebrate the powerful bond that unites them on behalf of the poor, the disenfranchised and the exploited.

“Salesian missionaries are dedicated to caring for poor youth through programs that are innovative in design and customized to meet local needs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries focus on helping young people become self-sufficient through education and skills training that leads to employment, which in turn builds strong communities.”

To date, more than 3 million youth have participated in Salesian programs. Through these programs, more than 30,000 Salesian missionaries are working in more than 130 countries around the globe providing poor youth and their families access to education, workforce development, humanitarian relief, youth clubs, health services, feeding programs and more. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in more than 5,300 primary and secondary schools and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools.

Salesian missionaries are widely considered one of the largest private providers of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth in some of the poorest places on the planet by providing access to educational opportunities that match local workforce development needs. Through Salesian skills training programs, youth are able to gain the skills necessary to find and retain stable employment. This work helps grow local economies and breaks the cycle of poverty for poor youth and their families.

“Salesian missionaries are often faced with challenges when providing programs in some of the most difficult environments, especially after natural disasters and in regions plagued by conflict and war, but despite hardship, their mission to bring hope and opportunity to those living in poverty remains strong,” adds Fr. Hyde.

With more than 20,000 people in attendance, Pope Francis celebrated mass at New York’s Madison Square Garden during his visit. Among those present included priests from three Salesian communities and Salesian Brother Salvatore Sammarco who led a team of day laborers to make the Pope’s chair for the mass. In addition, some of the linens used during the mass were made by women from the Salesian parish of Corpus Christi in Port Chester, New York.

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Sources:

ANS – United States – “Go out and proclaim this joy which is for all the people”

Salesian Missions – In Solidarity with Those on the Margins

The post UNITED STATES: Salesian Missionaries Reflect on Pope Francis’ Message of Providing Hope and Opportunity to Those in Poverty first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In anticipation of the day, Pope Francis sent a letter on June 24 to Father Ángel Fernández Artime, the Salesian Rector Major, after the Pope’s visit to Turin, Italy. In the letter, Pope Francis praised the work of Don Bosco and the Salesian Family and highlighted Don Bosco’s call to service and his work with poor and disadvantaged youth. Pope Francis also praised Salesian efforts in establishing education and social development services that are open to all youth regardless of language, race, culture or religion.

As part of the letter, Pope Francis states, “A characteristic feature of Don Bosco’s pedagogy is loving kindness, which is to be understood as a love that is manifested and perceived, and reveals itself in caring, affection, understanding and involvement in the life of another person. In the experiential process of education, according to Don Bosco, it is not enough to love, but love needs to be expressed in gestures that are concrete and effective. Thanks to this loving kindness, so many children and adolescents in Salesian settings have experienced an intense and serene emotional growth, which has proved very valuable in the shaping of their personality and in their life’s journey.”

The work of Salesian missionaries was started in 1859 by Don Bosco, a young priest at the time, along with 18 young men who were once poor street children cared for by Don Bosco. Their goal was to bring hope to thousands of poor youth and instill in them confidence while training them in the skills needed for a better life. Despite the anti-religious age in which Don Bosco lived, he served thousands before his death. More than 125 years later, this legacy continues and impacts millions of children in need.

Don Bosco was born in the village of Becchi in northern Italy on August 16, 1815. From an early age, he was drawn to helping disadvantaged youth. He joined the seminary in 1835 and supported himself by working as a tailor, blacksmith, shoemaker, carpenter, violinist, acrobat and magician. His various talents would later help him to meet and inspire youth in need. As the founder of the Salesian order, he spent his ministry educating and helping improve the lives of disadvantaged children by setting up homes and schools for them within the city of Turin, Italy as well as in other parts of the world.

During the Industrial Revolution, Don Bosco saw many young boys migrating from villages to towns looking for better education and work opportunities only to end up sleeping on the streets facing exploitation and often being forced to beg for food and other basic needs. He began looking out for these young boys, meeting with employers to ask for better wages and treatment for them. Eventually, he founded a trade school to help young people develop skills and gain an education. He also introduced many to music and sports. Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888 and was canonized a saint in 1934.

Today, his work continues in primary, secondary, vocational, trade and professional schools around the globe. Through Salesian programs, poor youth and their families have access to education, workforce development, humanitarian relief, youth clubs, health services, feeding programs and more. Salesian missionaries focus on rebuilding lives and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain long-term employment.

“Just like Don Bosco, Salesian missionaries work and live among the youth they serve,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Following his example, Salesian missionaries continue to provide innovative programs that are customized to meet the immediate needs of poor youth in the communities they serve. On Don Bosco’s bicentennial, we reflect back on the foundation of this great work as well as on how far we have come in providing youth hope for a brighter future.”

During many of the bicentennial celebrations of Don Bosco’s life and work, current and former Salesian students expressed their appreciation and gratitude for their education and the many additional services that have helped them break the cycle of poverty and access opportunities for a better life.

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Sources:

ANS – Italy – 16th August 1815 – 2015: Eucharist of the Bicentenary

National Catholic Register – Bosco Bicentennial: Street Party for Saint Draws 15,000 People

Salesian Missions – Letter from Pope Francis to the Salesians in Celebration of the Bicentennial of Don Bosco’s Birth

The post GLOBAL: Thousands of Salesian Missionaries and Youth around the Globe Celebrate Bicentennial of St. John (Don) Bosco’s Birth first appeared on MissionNewswire.