“Every child has a uniform and a hot meal every day, and the sick children are taken to the doctor,” says Sr. Teresa Roszkowska of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. “Visits are made to families living in very difficult conditions, in particular to young mothers. Some very poor families live close to our community, and we help them daily with supplies and food to eat.”

The school provides students a sense of normalcy and structure. Before classes begin the children have 15 minutes of gymnastics set to music. The exercises help the children to relax and calm down before classes. On Fridays and Sundays more than 300 children attend the youth center attached to the school, where children play games, watch a movie or just enjoy themselves with their peers. Some bathe and others wash their clothes, because where they live there is no water. At the end, youth are provided biscuits, sweets, soap or whatever other supplies that have been donated.

Once children finish the primary school, they are able to access secondary and technical training at the Salesian-run St. Joseph Technical School in Khartoum, which has been training poor and internally displaced youth since 1986. Shortly after its opening, enrollment at the school reached close to 900 students. Today, enrollment is just over 650 students and more than 50 are young offenders from local prisons working toward a second chance in life.

“Gaining an education can provide new opportunities young people never even imagined were possible,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “It’s more than just classroom training. Students have access to life skills that help them make better decisions and aid in later employment.”

Students at St. Joseph’s Technical School can choose from a range of programs including carpentry, electronics, auto mechanics and the operation of a printing press. Included in the programs are health services and food assistance. Career counseling and job placement services are also offered once students complete their studies.

“All youth deserve a chance at a better life,” adds Fr. Hyde. “At St. Joseph’s Technical School we help youth take responsibility for their own lives by providing them the skills to find and keep a job that will support themselves and help their communities.”

The Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and according to UNICEF, has close to 46 percent of its population living in poverty. Low-incomes and food deficiencies are the norm and ongoing violence and civil unrest exacerbate already harsh conditions. Despite these conditions, more youth are in school today than ever before with school attendance up to 73 percent compared to 68 percent in 2008. There remain however, some 3.2 million children between the ages of six and 16 out of school. The rate of out of school children is highest among nomadic populations, those living in rural areas and in the poorest households.

School enrollment and retention is affected by weak curriculum in Sudanese schools, inadequate training of teachers (41 percent are untrained, according to UNICEF) and inadequate educational materials for students. Ongoing conflict and the high cost of education, particularly in rural areas where parents have to pay school fees, also affect enrollment rates. To meet the needs of the millions of out-of-school youth, Salesian missionaries in the Sudan work to educate poor youth and provide them a path out of poverty.

###

Sources:

(PHOTO: ANS)

ANS – Sudan – The inhuman life of so many of our brothers and sisters

UNICEF – Sudan Statistics

The post SUDAN: Salesian Missionaries Provide Education to More Than 1,000 Students in Primary and Technical Education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Laura Vicuña A.C. network provides education and shelter to youth, particularly girls, who are living in poverty in Mexico. Participants in the network attend Salesian-run elementary and secondary schools and are provided safe shelter, nutrition, clothing and school supplies.

In 2012, TOMS began distributing shoes to youth served by the Laura Vicuña A.C. network living within communities in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital city of the Sate of Chiapas in southeast Mexico. The area boasts a diverse cultural heritage but its residents have few economic advantages and often live in extreme poverty. Many lack adequate health care, access to clean water and sewage, education and stable jobs.

“Many schools ask parents to invest in required school clothing forcing families to prioritize which children they can send to school. Distributing shoes will open the way for more children to attend school, especially for girls who are often left behind at home,” says Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “When children are protected from the various illnesses and injuries associated with traveling barefoot, they are better able to participate and focus in classes.”

TOMS Shoes are provided to families that participate in Laura Vicuña A.C. education, health and economic development programs. The Salesian Sisters who run the programs offer poor youth, who are often struggling to survive, a place to live while meeting their basic needs and providing education and training in social skills to prepare them for the future. Health education is also an important part of the program and is offered to all participants.

As part of Laura Vicuña A.C. school programs, Salesian sisters combine the distribution of shoes with educational workshops that focus on the importance and health benefits of wearing shoes. Prior to receiving the new shoes, many students were forced to walk to school barefoot and others wore only hard plastic sandals that caused injury. Without shoes, youth are at-risk for injury, parasites, skin fungus and respiratory diseases, among others ailments. Because shoes are required to attend school, some families who could not afford shoes chose not to send their children to school at all.

In addition to distribution in schools, Salesian Sisters distribute the shoes in local villages. Provided along with clothing and food, the shoes are used as encouragement for poor youth and their families to participate in educational, hygiene and literacy programs.

“One of the methods that Salesian missionaries teach on the topic of health and welfare is the use of footwear for children,” adds O’Connor. “By distributing shoes to the children in Salesian programs, we can improve the health of individual children while also stressing the importance of wearing shoes among the community in general.”

As a result of TOMS Shoes, youth enrollment and participation in school has increased, students are more prepared for school activities, and there is less frequency of illness caused by walking barefoot. Shoes also provide students with a sense of dignity. Carmen, a 14-year-old recipient of TOMS Shoes who has lived at one of the Salesian orphanages since she was seven, previously endured a painful walk to school that limited her participation and ability to engage with her friends.

“My old shoes were a very hard material and gave me blisters and felt very hot in the heat as I walked to school. It was very painful. But my new shoes are very comfortable and allow me to walk to school better and play with my friends,” said Carmen.

More than 46 percent of Mexico’s population lives in poverty, according to UNICEF. Close to 53 million people lack access to education, healthcare, transportation and even the most basic necessities such as food and shelter. The poverty rate for youth in the country is higher at more than 53 percent and accounts for twenty million children and adolescents, five million of which live in extreme poverty.

Salesian missionaries in Mexico primarily direct their efforts toward the country’s at-risk youth, including girls and young mothers. Creating safe havens and improving educational opportunities are considered essential to deter youth from life on the streets where they are susceptible to drugs and gang violence.

ABOUT TOMS:

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, 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®.

Realizing that One for One could serve other global needs, Blake launched TOMS Eyewear in 2011 to help restore sight to persons in need with every purchase of sunglasses and optical frames. In 2014, TOMS Roasting Co. launched with the mission to provide clean water to developing communities with the purchase of premium coffee.

TOMS is in business to improve lives. We identify global needs and create products to help address them. This simple idea is what makes us more than a company – we’re a movement that’s continually evolving.

ABOUT SALESIAN MISSIONS:

Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.

The post MEXICO: Students in Salesian Programs Have Improved Health and are Better Prepared for School after Receiving TOMS Shoes first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the article, during the last 40 years, Buck and his wife Lucy have traveled to Haiti countless times where they witnessed slow progress with governmental regime changes, continued violence and technical delays. Ozburn reports that in 2008, the Closes had dinner with Partners in Health co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer, like Buck and Lucy, the article says, had a deep connection to Haiti and gained fame by building rural health clinics there. According to the article, these clinics became a healthcare assistance model for developing countries. The article also attributes the meeting between the Closes and Dr. Farmer to the development of 1000jobsHaiti.

In the article Buck explains, “The three of us came up with the idea for 1000jobsHaiti because we saw that job creation was the most important thing we could do in Haiti. Dr. Farmer’s organization has made huge strides in health care and education in the Central Plateau of Haiti and 1000jobsHaiti’s goal is to make similar progress, over time, in the field of economic opportunity.”

Ozburn reports that 1000jobsHaiti fights poverty by providing sustainable jobs to Haitians at fair wages. The organization, he explained, doesn’t function like a traditional nonprofit. It builds partnerships with local, motivated Haitians that are anxious to improve their lives through their own efforts and creativity.

According to the article, one of the first accomplishments of the organization was employing small women’s groups in the production of artisanal goods like embroidered or knitted table linens, bed linens and tote bags. Ozburn reports that 1000jobsHaiti trained the groups and then supported them by selling and merchandising their products in the United States.

The project was in the middle of building sales and merchandising when the earthquake struck in Jan 20120. In the article, Buck explained, “We spent six months using all of our resources to bring emergency aid to our employees.”

Working within the new conditions in Haiti after the quake, 1000jobsHaiti formed a company to manufacture material for the new wave of construction happening in Haiti. The organization, as noted in the article, employed 25 men at fair working wages and currently produces concrete and earthen blocks used in the rebuilding effort.

“Our projects change lives in a pretty direct way,” Buck said in the article. “They give someone without income a way to earn a living and do it by creating, over time, sustainable business models that can carry on without an outside charity being involved.”

According to the article, 1000jobsHaiti’s relies on Haitian management to oversee the day-to-day functions of the construction business and women’s employment groups. Here in the United States, the organization has a marketing operation that mostly serves the women’s groups in sales and product design. In the article, Buck explains that finding the right Haitian leaders is essential to the project and they remain careful about expansion, making sure employees can depend on their jobs even when demand might drop.

Looking forward, Ozburn reports that 1000jobsHaiti plans to continue to grow the construction business. The Closes, the article says, are focusing their efforts in the United States to raise enough money to purchase $60,000 of equipment which would double their capacity and increase sales margins at the same time. Currently, the organization is selling more blocks than it can manufacture. With the new equipment, employment could double in Domond, the small rural town where the concrete blocks are made.

In closing, the article states that although there have been ups and downs to their progress, the Closes remain undeterred in their efforts on behalf of the Haitian people.

“This is not work for people who want overnight success,” Buck states in the article. “However, I’m confident our chosen strategy will be embraced.”

###

PHOTO Courtesy 1000jobsHaiti

Original Article – DoGooder Spotlight: Transforming Haiti, One Job at a Time

The post HuffPost DoGooder Spotlight Highlights 1000jobsHaiti Founder Inspired by Salesian Sisters first appeared on MissionNewswire.

While the civil war’s official end came in May 2009, the recruitment of child soldiers continues to rise according to Douglas Devanada, Minister for Tamil Social Services. He quotes reliable sources that say that the LTTE (the rebel group of the Tamil Tigers in the north of Sri Lanka) aims to recruit about 60,000 children in the north of the country.

The recruitment and use of child soldiers in the country’s civil war has gone on for years in Sri Lanka. Fewer children are attending school due both to fighting the war and the fear of falling into the hands of the rebel army on the way to school. Some children have limited defenses to resist recruitment efforts. Others faced with poverty, lack of education and few job prospects see little alternative to joining.

Child soldiers are used for various purposes in the civil war that has raged through the country for a little more than 20 years. While some are fighters, others act as scouts and guides and man checkpoints. Others run errands or cook and clean for the armed forces. Some of the most unfortunate are used as suicide bombers. Gender and age offer no protection against recruitment efforts. Some children have been as young as eight years old. And girls can face an even tougher time than their male peers.

Girls are used as soldiers in the same way as boys, but they also face gender-based violence. Reports of sexual exploitation, human trafficking and forced prostitution are all too common. In addition to the typical traumas of war, girls are subjected to unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and social stigma making it difficult, if not impossible, to reintegrate back into their communities.

In the wake of this ongoing trauma, the Salesians continue their work with child soldiers in Sri Lanka. A rehabilitation center in Colombo, which was first opened to assist “at risk” street children and young victims of sexual abuse has in recent years worked with child soldiers providing therapy and job skills training. Subsequently, other Salesian Missions rehabilitation centers have opened throughout the country working to help more and more child soldiers reintegrate back into their communities and move forward with their lives.

In addition, the Salesians operate Mary Help of Christians House in Negombo, Sri Lanka, which is home to 173 girl soldiers. This rehabilitation center is run by Salesian Sisters who realized that these girls had no place to turn. In addition to offering the basics of food, clothing and shelter, the sisters focus on the physical and psychological health of the girls. Their dedication and support has enabled the girls to come a long way in the past few years. Nearly half of them are attending classes between the 6th and 8th grade levels, while several of the older girls are taking professional courses.

Physical wounds heal over time but the emotional and psychological wounds that both male and female child soldiers face can take a lifetime to heal. The emotional support, education and job placement provided by the Salesians plays a large role in helping youth come to terms with their circumstances and preparing them for a brighter future.

Sources

Salesian Missions: In Sri Lanka: Giving Girl Soldiers A Better Life

ANS (Salesian Info Agency): Former child girl soldiers: the work of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians

WatchList: Sri Lanka

IRIN: Fighting for the rights of child soldiers

The post SRI LANKA: Giving Child Soldiers an Escape Route, Helping Girl Soldiers Overcome Trauma first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In Cotonou, Ms. Kidjo visited 99 children at the ‘Black Style’ hair dressing center, where she paid tribute to the NGOs that are working with the Government and with UNICEF to implement career-training activities.

“Your education is a priority,” she said. “This is the opportunity that enables you to build up your one life. It gives you the autonomy you need to become a responsible adult.”

At Hindé, a shelter run by the Salesian Sisters, Ms. Kidjo met with many children – including 72 girls who have been victims of economic exploitation and child trafficking. Twelve of these girls had been excluded from formal education, but are now attending accelerated courses and getting a second chance at an education.

SAFE HAVENS

At the Minor Protection Brigade—where nearly 1,000 children were sheltered in 2009—Ms. Kidjo met with Commissaire Tokpanou, a passionate defender of children’s rights.

The center hosts vulnerable children—from those abandoned in the streets to those that were victims of trafficking. Though in desperate need of more social workers,  the center remains open.

In Porto Novo, Ms. Kidjo visited children in Don Bosco’s center where 137 boys live. Many are victims of violence, abuse, economic exploitation and/or child trafficking. The center provides accelerated education and vocational training to prepare these children for a brighter future.

At each stop on the visit, children described their painful experiences to Ms. Kidjo, all wondering why life had been so harsh for them, yet all still hopeful about their future.

INNOVATIVE APPROACH

During her visit, Ms. Kidjo learned about the innovative dual education approach.

This innovative program enrolls older children aged 14 to 17 in three-year apprenticeship training program – in hair dressing, vehicle and motorcycle maintenance, and tailoring. The Government supports 90 per cent of the fees, and UNICEF contributes 10 per cent.

To date, over a thousand children have benefited from this program.

Concluding her visit, Ms. Kidjo called for “the responsibility of parents, families and the State, to fulfill the right for each Beninese child to have a birth certificate, to be educated and to be safe from child trafficking.”

###

PHOTO © UNICEF/2009/Asselin

By Gisèle Langue Menye / UNICEF

See this article at its original location >

The post BENIN: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Visits Salesian Programs that Give Hope, Opportunity to At-Risk Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.