(MissionNewswire) Eleven months into the war in Ukraine*, Salesian missionaries who remain in the country and in surrounding countries like Poland and Slovakia are still hard at work caring for those who have been impacted and displaced. Close to 8 million Ukrainian citizens, mostly women, the elderly and children, are living as refugees in other countries.

Salesian missionaries in Slovakia have been at the side of people in need since the first hours of the conflict, taking in orphans from Lviv and opening the doors to their centers to provide shelter for as many people as possible. Despite all the difficulties that a sustained effort entails, Salesians continue to care for them today.

Salesians have been providing basic needs like food, shelter and medical care. They are also ensuring education for youth and language courses for adults, so that they can become as self-sufficient as possible and find work to support themselves.

The psychological needs of refugees have not been overlooked. For youth, Salesians have tried to offer times of joy and peace and a sense of normalcy. For 47 orphans rescued from Lviv who were scattered among various homes, Salesians gathered them all during Christmas break to take them on a ski vacation and to enjoy time together.

During winter and the Christmas season, many Salesians and volunteers who normally facilitate activities at Salesian oratories decided to spend the holiday focused on supporting and celebrating with Ukrainian families.

One Salesian said, “In some centers for the little ones, St. Nicholas also came by to bring some gifts, while festive dinners and refreshments were offered to all, sharing the different traditions and customs, both in cooking and in the festivities.”

In addition, Salesians and volunteers continue afternoon activities at several state facilities that are housing hundreds of young Ukrainian refugees. They conduct dance, music, language and creative classes. The Salesian added, “In addition to continuing these activities, our goal for this new year is to include liturgy in the Greek Catholic rite in our visits. We have set up a room to be able to offer them a moment of silence, to take care of the spiritual part.”

Salesians in Slovakia are also ensuring humanitarian aid is reaching people in Ukraine. During the consecration of Father Maksym Ryabukha, the new auxiliary bishop in Donetsk, Salesians in Slovakia, Father Peter Jacko and Father Andrej Knaze, donated humanitarian aid to share with the people in his location. The aid included a van full of warm clothes, an electric generator and much more.

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Slovakia – From basic needs to social, relational, spiritual life: Salesians and volunteers fully serving Ukrainian refugees

Salesian Missions

UNHCR – Ukraine Refugee Stats

*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 SLOVAKIA: Salesians continue efforts for young refugees from Ukraine first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Ten months after the start of the war in Ukraine*, Salesian missionaries, through the Salesian Coordination for Emergency Response in Ukraine, are still committed to helping those in need through the delivery of humanitarian aid and basic necessities. Salesians in Ukraine and bordering countries are also sheltering refugees and those displaced. Services offered include psycho-social support, job guidance, recreational and educational activities for minors, and language courses.

For young girls like Erika, who is from Irpin in the Kyiv region, the help is desperately needed. She said, “My dream has become easier than before. But it seems so difficult to achieve. I just want to go home. I really want to go home.” Erika’s family has lost everything in the war. Salesians are helping them to recover as best as possible and those efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Father Peter Jacko, vicar of the Salesian Mary Help of Christians Province in Slovakia, received the Biela vrana award for a socially useful and courageous civic acts. Those awarding the prize said, “This award is given as a thank you to the rare people around us who are willing to stand up for truth and justice, who have demonstrated civic courage through a concrete act, who have suppressed personal interests in the name of the public good, values or principles, and who may have taken risks.”

Since September, Savio, part of the Don Bosco Network, has been coordinating humanitarian aid and, through fundraisers and various initiatives, financing housing and care for mothers and their children in Slovakia.

Salesians are also caring for 13 of the 47 Ukrainian young orphans who were living in a Salesian orphanage in Lviv. Others were able to return to that city to resume their studies. Those remaining in Slovakia are the youngest of the group. In recent months, they have made huge strides in learning the language and with integrating socially to their new communities.

In addition, Salesian oratories and centers have welcomed about 300 youth ages 6-15. Twice a week, two groups of 12 volunteers provide recreational-educational courses including music class, dance class, creative workshops and group games.

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Slovakia – Uninterrupted welcome, help, support: Salesian response to suffering of Ukrainian refugees

Salesian Missions

*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 SLOVAKIA: Aid continues for Ukrainian refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Slovakia have been providing educational, social and medical support for Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war. Salesians have provided shelter for 45 youth from the orphanage in Lviv. Younger children, ages 6-11, have been housed directly with families, while the older children and youth, age 11-17, have been staying at Salesian centers. Some of these children have returned to Ukraine while 12 of the youth remain in Slovakia to continue their studies. They will attend school in Bratislava, Žilina and Hody.

To alleviate their stress and worries, children and youth have participated in numerous recreational activities, including sports, cultural trips, and educational visits. With the help of donors, they were also able to travel abroad, visiting Italy, Malta and Switzerland.

Salesians in Slovakia have been offering training courses for volunteers working with Ukrainian children, helping them to understand how to deal with issues such as post-traumatic stress, crisis intervention, psychological support and more.

In Bratislava, Salesians offer Slovak language courses for women and children along with toy libraries and playrooms for children. The goal is to make children feel safe and integrated into their new communities.

“Refugees need more support than just having a place to stay and their basic needs met,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “To truly be integrated and comfortable in their new home, refugees need to become part of the social fabric. Meeting those in the community and learning to speak the language are a few steps in easing the transition.”

To support the efforts in Ukraine*, Salesians have sent 12 trucks with food, medical supplies and personal hygiene products since the beginning of the war. Once the materials arrive in Ukraine, they are collected in a warehouse and then distributed to accessible places. Delivering the goods is not easy. The vans have been subjected to long and constant journeys, necessitating several vehicle repairs. In addition, one of the vehicles was damaged due to being hit by gunfire. Despite everything, the aid does not stop.

Salesians continue to collect humanitarian aid and have organized logistical links among Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. A large warehouse has been rented in the city of Prešov, Slovakia, which is used to store all the material before it’s sent to Ukraine.

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Slovakia – Six months since beginning of war in Ukraine, generosity is always stronger than despair

Salesian Missions

*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 SLOVAKIA: Ukrainian refugees receive support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Slovakia and Poland are still working to provide support and education for Ukrainian refugees. From offering shelter and meeting basic needs to organizing activities that bring a sense of joy, Salesians have been working with young refugees and their families to ensure that their transition into their new communities is one filled with hope.

In Žilina, in the northwest of Slovakia, Salesians took children to a museum and castle in Orava. The entire group was able to spend a day amid nature and culture. In Bratislava, Salesians have been working to organize the provincial house to welcome refugees from the Salesian foster home in Lviv. Salesians created new spaces for rooms, a large living room for free time and a kitchen.

Older youth who were already housed at the provincial house helped with the process, cleaning and moving furniture. They were happy to be able to lend a hand and also had a good time socializing and making friends. With the changes, Salesians have been able to bring younger children back from host families that had been providing for their needs and have them live together at the provincial house.

Salesians in Slovakia have also sent a new convoy of humanitarian aid, primarily food and medicine, to Ukraine. The shipment is going to smaller towns where people are waiting and depending on this aid.

In Tarnowskie Gory, Poland, Salesians have provided activities to keep children active and engaged, including simple art and handicraft workshops. Children are able to have fun and be creative, forgetting the ugliness of war for a while.

Salesians in Poland have received support from Bosco Global which provided food and other provisions for 30 people, mainly women and children. Bosco Global also contributed to the purchase of beds, towels, household items, cleaning and hygiene products, medicines, clothes, and transportation costs for Salesian shelters in Gdansk, Lubrza, and Szczecin.

Joaquín Rodríguez, director of Bosco Global, said, “As we see every day in the media, it seems that a solution to the conflict is not yet close. That is why we remain in dialogue with the Salesian Emergency Coordination in Warsaw, Poland, to continue supporting this emergency. Together, we continue to collect donations from all over the country, which we are sending to support this emergency.”

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – RMG – Salesian commitment to refugees never goes on vacation

Salesian Missions

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.

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(MissionNewswire) Kira, a young Ukrainian refugee in Slovakia, works with the Salesians in Bratislava as a volunteer and interpreter for the refugee population. Like many of her fellow Ukrainians, Kira fled with her family at the outbreak of war. She doesn’t like to dwell on the bad and instead wants to focus on the good that has come since.

Kira explained, “I’m focused on all those people who, first in Poland and then in Slovakia, really touched my heart and soul. They brought things to eat, to drink, and everything was free. I was truly impressed.”

Once settled in Bratislava, Kira attended school for several months and felt welcomed and understood. She said that it didn’t matter what language people spoke, they spoke from their heart and people understood, which is why she wants to give back and help others like her.

Kira wants to stay in Slovakia because she loves the people. “I do my work with my heart, to help people, children, even Ukrainians in need, and I am happy to see that they are happy when I help them, they hug me and now I know that true kindness exists. I want to do something nice for people, children and youth, just as the people of Poland and Slovakia did for me.”

Salesian volunteers in Bratislava also help in other ways in Salesian centers and oratories. Recently, 65 Ukrainian youth were taken for two weeks to a seaside summer camp. They returned with good memories and experiences. Another summer camp had close to 500 Ukrainian children and older youth.

Salesians are also still sending supplies and other support to people in Ukraine. There was a recent food shipment to a shelter where there are 35 infants and 30 children under age 5. Another shipment from Slovakia included 30 pallets of humanitarian aid for those in Ukraine.

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – RMG – Kira’s testimony, “Now I know that true kindness exists”

Salesian Missions

The post SLOVAKIA: Young Ukrainian shares her story first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian-run St. Joseph Higher Institute in Žilina, Slovakia, hosted a conference dedicated to start-ups for young entrepreneurs. Several former students, now entrepreneurs, and some of the institute’s current students talked about their experiences about how they started in business. Topics included what obstacles they encountered, where they found the strength in failure and how they managed not to give up in the face of difficulties. The speakers also shared their plans for the future and touched on their personal lives.

The purpose of the conference was to make a connection between the already established alumni-entrepreneurs and the young entrepreneur-students so that the students could be inspired and learn more about entrepreneurship. The meeting was also attended by alumni from various business sectors, including food, events, security, cleaning, furniture, and graphics.

“Conferences like this enrich student learning,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “While education is at the heart of what Salesian schools and colleges provide, ensuring that students are able to make an easy transition from academics to the workforce is paramount in their success — especially if they are planning to start their own businesses. Alumni-student conferences give students access to entrepreneurial training and internships, providing them real-world experience.”

Close to 12 percent of Slovakia’s population is at risk of poverty, according to the World Bank. Single parent families and families with more than three children, as well as individuals over the age of 65, are highest at risk. Salesians in the country focus on education and social development services to help those in poverty gain an education and have skills for future employment.

Slovakia is also host to Ukrainian refugees who have been fleeing the war. The Salesian Mary Help of Christians Province of Slovakia has been hosting several outings and activities for young Ukrainian refugees who have been staying in the country. These activities are part of Salesian centers and oratories. There are also a number of Salesian centers and local families who have provided refugees a place to stay.

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Slovakia – Salesian Higher Institute “St. Joseph” in Žilina organizes conference dedicated to young entrepreneurs’ beginnings

Salesian Missions

World Bank – Slovakia

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(MissionNewswire) The Mary Help of Christians Province of Slovakia is hosting several outings and activities for young Ukrainian refugees who have been staying in the country since the outbreak of war. These activities are part of Salesian centers and oratories.

On May 20, Salesians organized an outing for 26 Ukrainian boys who had been living at the Salesian Children’s Home in Lviv, Ukraine before they had to flee. The boys, age 11-17, were happy to be together after three months of separation. The boys who came to Slovakia as refugees had been placed in homes in the cities of Bratislava, Galanta, Žilina, Kremnica and Poprad.

The excursion began in Liptov and continued with a visit to the Demänovská Cave of Liberty and the Bešeňová water park. One of the organizers of the event said, “It was a joy to observe the enthusiastic expressions of the children, who had a great time on the various slides and thoroughly enjoyed the water attractions.”

Salesians are preparing three to four rounds of summer camps for Ukrainian children. The camps will be organized in cooperation with other organizations, such as Salesian organizations Savio and VIDES, as well as volunteers from the United Kingdom. Volunteers are training to work with children who have faced trauma. They are also learning safety measures and how to work as a team.

Volunteers continue to work directly with Ukrainian refugees housed in state facilities. The volunteers have been gathering the refugees to play games and engage in activities that help them get acquainted in their new environment. After these events, volunteers take time to process with other volunteers and discuss improvements.

The Salesian center in Trnávka, Bratislava is also offering languages classes four afternoons a week so refugees can learn the basics of the Slovak language.

“Refugees need more support than just having a place to stay and their basic needs met,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “To truly be integrated and comfortable in their new home, refugees need to become part of the social fabric. Meeting those in the community and learning to speak the language are a few steps in easing the transition.”

The work of Salesians in Ukraine and Slovakia is being supported through financial and material support by Salesian organizations around the globe. Salesians are present in more than 130 countries and nearly all have stepped up to help in some way.

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ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Slovakia – Gifting a little joy to Ukrainian refugee minors: Salesians preparing for a summer of welcoming solidarity

Salesian Missions

The post SLOVAKIA: Young Ukrainian refugees welcomed first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the World Bank, Slovakia’s primarily manufacturing-centered economy, focused on exports, has allowed the country to weather the post-2008 global economic crisis better than most in the European Union. The World Bank also notes that while most families living in the country are generally prosperous, close to 11 percent are living below the poverty line and for many of those, living conditions worsened significantly in the years following the global economic crisis. The country has an unemployment rate of  just over 13 percent and one third of all those unemployed are between the ages of 15 and 24.

Salesians in Slovakia are working to educate youth while providing support for their families at Center Mamateyoya in the city of Bratislava in the western part of the country. Here, Salesians aim to develop students’ problem solving and team working skills while offering educational supports such as after-school tutoring.

The Center is run by more than 70 volunteers from local high schools and the local university in addition to the Salesian staff. Programs are designed for three age groups, children under the age of 16, youth 16 to 27 years old and families. Recreational activities are also available through the Center such as football, basketball, hockey, art, music, theater, photography and other activities that help youth foster both team building and individual skills.

“Students learn in a variety of ways,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Through team sports and other social activities, students can use their free-time productively while learning to rely on others, make friends and safely explore interests outside of school.”

Weekly peer groups are offered and serve as a place where youth can come to discuss their problems, ask questions about troubling issues, receive advice and support from others and discuss current topics of interest. The aim of the group is to provide social support while encouraging personal growth for the young people involved. Tutoring is also offered each week, staffed by both volunteers and professional teachers who provide the skills and resources necessary to improve student’s grades.

A parent center is available three days a week and provides programs that encourage parents in their own educational pursuits as well as supporting them in developing their parenting skills. Topics of discussion have ranged from effective parenting skills, rewards vs. punishments and coping with a child’s anger. Also available to parents of preschool aged children is a playground where the young children can engage in crafts, dancing, singing and puppet theatre, daily.

“Parent support is very important for the families we serve,” adds Fr. Hyde. “It helps parents to focus on their own individual needs which could be advancing their own education to help them better support their families in the future or receiving support and advice from other parents to help tackle parenting issues almost all parents face.”

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Sources

Salesian Center Mamateyova

World Bank – Slovakia

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