Youth currently comprise more than 23 percent of the country’s total population and those between the ages of 20 and 24 years face an unemployment rate close to 40 percent, according to  a 2014 United Nations Human Development report. A Sri Lanka Labor Force Survey conducted during the first quarter of 2015 found there were 422,446 unemployed persons between the ages of 18 and 24 years.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in the north and east of the country has forced more than 800,000 people from their homes and sources of livelihood. Thousands of children lost one or both parents in the conflict and the number of households headed by women increased, negatively impacting the poverty rate in the country.

Nine out of 10 poor people in Sri Lanka live in rural areas, according to the World Bank. More than 40 percent of the country’s rural poor are small-scale farmers with farm production often hampered by neglect and low investment levels resulting from poor financial services and limited technology. Sri Lankans are affected by a significant lack of infrastructure including roads, electricity, irrigation systems and communication channels. In several areas of the country, seven out of 10 people have no access to electricity and almost half of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. Malnutrition among children is also common.

“Youth unemployment stems from the ongoing war and deeply entrenched social factors of class, ethnicity and caste,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries working in the country focus their efforts on meeting basic needs as well as education and social development services for poor youth and their families.”

Salesian schools, services and programs throughout Sri Lanka are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many hope for a more positive and productive future. The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center equips its students with the skills they need to compete in the labor market by offering courses in hotel management, electrical and mechanical engineering, computers and more. The center is also serving local employers by providing them a well-trained labor force.

“I am in a good position to help my family financially and hope to have a better future,” said 19-year-old W. Tiron Lakmal who stopped studying due to financial problems and undertook a welding course at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center, according to a recent UCA News article about the school.

Lakmal said he is grateful for the vocational training or else he would have been just another unemployed young person with no future and no confidence to find work.

Many of the technical school’s students are school dropouts seeking a second chance. The school is accessible to poor youth regardless of their religious affiliation who are looking to dedicate themselves to overcoming the challenging labor conditions in the country. The Salesians of Don Bosco have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute and since then, have established 17 more in locations across the country.

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Sources:

The Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Nochchiyagama, Sri Lanka

UCA News – Sri Lankan Salesians help youth in difficult job market

World Bank – Sri Lanka

The post SRI LANKA: Salesian Missionaries Provide Technical Training to Poor Youth to Help Them Gain Employment in Difficult Labor Market first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The graduation ceremony in Thanjavur brought together family members, Salesian staff and dignitaries to celebrate the accomplishments of the Sri Lankan graduates while offering cultural activities facilitated by refugees from local refugee camps. Women currently enrolled in a garment making training program at the school displayed their handmade garments and crafts at the event. During the ceremony, graduates were awarded course completion certificates and given trade-related tools to help prepare them for the workforce.

The New Beginnings program, coordinated by Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. To date, more than 3,300 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been offering its New Beginnings program to young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. The program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment while allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

The training provides New Beginnings’ graduates with at least one market-demand technical skill as well as workplace readiness training to enhance positive attitudes, hygiene, personal presentation and teamwork. Results-oriented job placement assistance helps graduates transition from the classroom to employment in the local labor market. In addition, all trainees receive counseling to help them overcome traumas related to their displacement as well as recreation opportunities that promote non-violent conflict resolution and a healthy inclusive community.

“Young men who once worked as painters or unskilled construction hands for just a dollar each day have gone on to technical positions in established local and regional businesses,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Some have leveraged their training to travel beyond local areas toward the Indian state’s technology companies and auto manufacturers in the Chennai industrial hub.”

Serving no less than 40 percent women and young girls, the New Beginnings program promotes gender equality and generates opportunities for women whether they prefer to seek work at a local company or join a women’s company collective that allows them to remain home with young children while still engaging in meaningful employment.

Often women with young children are unable to leave the camps to attend school. In response, Salesian Missions created a program to bring training inside the refugee camps. Women can receive training in skills such as jewelry-making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. The program also helps women create a business cooperative while a micro-credit program helps them buy new equipment such as sewing machines. As a group, the women are able to provide their services and merchandise to local businesses, taking advantage of their new skills while continuing to care for their families.

“Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Girls that are empowered though education are more often able to achieve financial independence, marry at an older age and make better and healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

Salesian missionaries are also providing the New Beginnings program for refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp and refugees living in Colombia.

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Sources:

ANS – India – Sri Lankan Refugee Skill Training Graduation Day

UNHCR – Sri Lanka

Salesian Missions Office for International Programs

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

The post INDIA: Salesian New Beginnings Program Graduates 840 Sri Lankan Refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a day that honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people around the globe. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, noted that at the end of 2014, more than 50 million people had been forced from their homes worldwide. Almost 80 percent of those displaced are women and children.

Established in 2001, World Refugee Day is coordinated by UNHRC and focuses on honoring the courage, strength and determination of men, women and children forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. Each year, the day focuses on a particular theme that highlights specific circumstances faced by refugees. This year’s theme, “Get to know a refugee – Ordinary people living through extraordinary times,” aims to bring the public closer to the human side of the refugee story.

“All around the world we are seeing families fleeing violence,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a recent statement about World Refugee Day. “The numbers are massive – but we must not forget that these are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. People who led ordinary lives before war forced them to flee. On this World Refugee Day, everyone should remember the things that connect all of us – our common humanity.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2015, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs around the globe that provide life-changing education and support for refugees and internally displaced people in need that were developed by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. Development Arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

COLOMBIAN REFUGEES

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled the violence of Colombia to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ New Beginnings initiative, which started in 2011, has provided more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries vocational and human development training as well as job placement services.

Many of the Colombian refugees began the program with no marketable skills. Without the prospect of a job, it was hard for them to create stability for their families and build new lives. The New Beginnings program grants each refugee 260 hours of technical training as well as 40 hours of human development workshops. The training programs, coupled with the job placement services, allowed these victims of violence and chaos to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves, their families and their new communities.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

For the fifth year, Salesian Missions has received funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to conduct its New Beginnings program for Sri Lankan Refugees in Tamil Nadu, India. To date, close to 2,500 refugees have received vocational training scholarships through the program. Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In 2015, Salesian missionaries are serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India. In addition, 550 women are benefiting from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs. The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

Kakuma was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan and was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, the Kakuma refugee camp has more than 180,000 refugees, well over the 120,000 person capacity for which it was built. More than 44 percent of the refugees at the camp are from South Sudan and arrived after fleeing the country to escape conflict and violence.

Kakuma is operated by UNHCR in collaboration with Salesian missionaries in the country as well as several other humanitarian organizations. The camp offers refugees safety, security and life-saving services such as housing, healthcare, clean water and sanitation. Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp. Salesian missionaries are currently seeking funding to build a new school on a donated plot of land at the refugee camp in order to meet the growing demand.

Salesian missionaries at the camp also operate the Helping Children to be Children program which gathers refugee children and leads them in games, songs and classes held outdoors on the camp grounds. As part of the program, children are offered the opportunity to draw and learn to speak English. Close to 3,000 children benefit from this Salesian program which currently has no steady funding and is run primarily by refugee volunteers.

SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TURKEY

Sharing a 500-mile-long border with Syria, Southeastern Turkey has more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees, as reported by the United Nations. Salesian missionaries are providing services at three sites within Syria while also providing for Syrian refugees in Turkey. While many Syrian refugees stay in towns on the Turkey-Syrian border, many find their way to big cities like Istanbul where Salesian missionaries operate a program that currently serves close to 400 Syrian refugees.

At the Don Bosco Center in Istanbul, Salesian Father Andres Calleja Ruiz leads special programs for refugee children and youth from Syria as well as for a growing number of families fleeing ISIS persecution in Iraq. Because most refugees do not speak the local language it is difficult for children to attend school and adults to find work. At the Center, Salesian missionaries provide a school for more than 350 refugee children where they learn English language skills and traditional school subjects such as mathematics, geography and music. Students have access to sports and dance programs intended to help them connect with their peers and find enjoyment and comfort in their new surroundings. In addition, the program provides counseling both for youth and their families to help them overcome the challenges and traumas they have faced.

Technical skills training is a critical component of Salesian work in Istanbul. Many refugees leave the country’s border towns and refugee camps and make their way to Istanbul hoping to find employment and a more stable life. If they fail to find work, refugees are often left in dire circumstances. The Don Bosco Center’s technical skills training program is a critical safety net for those in need.

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Sources:

World Refugee Day 2015

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According to an Associated Press report, at least nine people were killed and 10 others were missing in mudslides triggered by heavy rains on Dec. 26 in the central hills of Sri Lanka. More than 60,000 people have been evacuated and 3,000 homes destroyed in the flooding and subsequent mudslides. These conditions have affected more than 500,000 people across Sri Lanka.

Salesian missionaries already living and working in the region are assisting flood victims as best they can with limited means. Salesian centers in Northern regions of Sri Lanka have also been affected by the flooding and are providing support as well as food and fresh drinking water to families from local villages.

According to Salesian missionaries, access to many villages is almost totally cut off as flood waters have submerged most houses. Currently, main roads that are at a higher altitude than village roads are the only places that offer safety from the flooding.

“Because Salesian missionaries live and work among the people they serve, they know firsthand the local need and are well positioned to respond during times of crisis and natural disaster,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Missionaries will respond to the immediate needs of flood victims and will continue to provide support to families after the flooding subsides.”

Salesian missionaries in Sri Lanka are already preparing to help displaced families and those who have lost their homes and other belonging due to the flood. Once the flood waters subside, missionaries plan to provide dry rations, toiletries, medicines, mattresses and bed linens to families in need of immediate assistance. Salesian Missions has already sent emergency aid to fund this work but is in need of additional funding as the need is so great.

“Salesians missionaries are studying the situation,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Once the water recedes, they will be able to gauge the extent of the damage and continue to provide aid to those affected to help them return to their normal lives in the days and weeks to come.”

Nine out of 10 poor people in Sri Lanka live in rural areas, according to the World Bank. Since 1983, ethnic violence in the north and east of the country has forced more than 800,000 people from their homes and sources of livelihood. Thousands of children lost one or both parents in the conflict and the number of households headed by women increased, negatively impacting the poverty rate in the country.

More than 40 percent of the country’s rural poor are small-scale farmers with farm production often hampered by neglect and low investment levels resulting from poor financial services and limited technology. Sri Lankans are affected by a significant lack of infrastructure including roads, electricity, irrigation systems and communication channels. In several areas of the country, seven out of 10 people have no access to electricity and almost half of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. Malnutrition among children is also common.

Salesian missionaries working in the country focus their efforts on meeting basic needs and education and social development services for poor youth and their families. Salesian schools, services and programs throughout Sri Lanka are helping to break the cycle of poverty while giving many hope for a more positive and productive future.

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Sources:

New York Times – 9 Killed, 10 Missing in Sri Lanka Mudslides

World Bank – Sri Lanka

The post SRI LANKA: Salesian Missionaries Aid Flood Victims, More Than 500,000 Affected Across Sri Lanka first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are close to 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

Refugees face many challenges as they begin to make a new life in their host countries. Sri Lankan Tamils are unique in that their host population in Tamil Nadu is also ethnically Tamil. While Sri Lankan refugees share a common language and customs with their host community, they still struggle to gain marketable skills and find livable wage employment.

Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing its New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. This year, Salesians are serving 550 individuals by providing vocational training through a network of nine Salesian-run Don Bosco schools spread across Southeast India. In addition, 550 women are benefiting from refugee camp-based small business incubator programs.

The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment, allowing trainees to better support themselves and their families. Many refugees enter the program with few, if any, job prospects or with a history of low paid part-time work experience which is typically unskilled and often dangerous and exploitative.

The training provides New Beginnings’ graduates with at least one market-demand technical skill as well as workplace readiness training to enhance positive attitudes, hygiene, personal presentation and teamwork. Results-oriented job placement assistance helps graduates transition from the classroom to employment in the local labor market. In addition, all trainees receive counseling to help them overcome traumas related to their displacement and hardship as well as recreation opportunities that promote non-violent conflict resolution and a healthy inclusive community.

“Young men, who once worked as painters or unskilled construction hands for just a dollar each day, have gone on to technical positions in established local and regional businesses,” says Neill Holland, program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Some have leveraged their training to travel beyond local areas toward the Indian state’s technology companies and auto manufacturers in the Chennai industrial hub.”

Serving no less than 40 percent women and young girls, the New Beginnings program promotes gender equality and generates opportunities for women whether they prefer to seek work at a local company or join a women’s company collective that allows them to remain home with young children while still engaging in meaningful employment.

Often women with young children are unable to leave the camps to attend school. In response, Salesian Missions created a program to bring training inside the refugee camps. Women can receive training in skills such as jewelry-making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. The program also helps women create a business cooperative while a micro-credit program helps them buy new equipment such as sewing machines. As a group, the women are able to provide their services and merchandise to local businesses, taking advantage of their new skills while continuing to care for their families.

“For female participants, the New Beginnings program has given young women pursuing financial independence, as well as stay-at-home mothers and willing seniors, a chance to access Tamil Nadu’s burgeoning clothing manufacturing market,” adds Holland. “Numerous female graduates have gone on to assist employers with tailoring work while others have utilized new computer skills to support the local business sector.”

The New Beginnings program has been so effective in part due to the mutual trust that exists between the Salesians and the communities they serve. After having made multiple connections with employers to understand the most valuable and in-demand marketable skills, Salesians in Tamil Nadu are very knowledgeable about local needs and create training programs that are structured to best meet these needs.

Also effective is the New Beginnings program’s integration of counselors, trainers and job placement specialists under one roof as well as its robust engagement with the Indian Government, US Department of State advisors and peer agencies that make up the larger community of practice for regional refugee assistance.

Through the New Beginnings program, Salesian Missions was able to partner with Fordham University’s International Political Economy and Development program for the assessment of training activities and program impact. This partnership created a platform for information sharing between Fordham researchers and Salesian administrators, leading to improved self-assessment and program planning.

Salesian missionaries are also providing the New Beginnings program for refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp and refugees living in Colombia.

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PHOTO: Neill Holland with New Beginnings program beneficiaries in Tamil Nadu, India.

Sources:

UNHCR – Sri Lanka

Salesian Missions Office for International Programs

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

The post INDIA: 2,500 Sri Lankan Refugees Access New Beginnings Training Program first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, June 20 marks World Refugee Day, a day that honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people around the globe. The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, noted that at the end of 2013, 51.2 million people had been forced from their homes worldwide, the highest figure of displacement since the World War II era. Almost 80 percent of those displaced are women and children.

The day, first established in 2001, is held annually and is coordinated by the UNHRC. The focus of World Refugee Day is to honor the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence.

Each year, World Refugee Day reflects on specific struggles faced by refugees. UNHCR noted that 2013 was an unprecedented year with conflicts in Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, amongst others, that have pushed their organization and their partners to their limits. To honor those families torn apart by conflict, UNHCR is continuing their 2013 campaign theme, “1 family torn apart by war is too many.”

“We are seeing here the immense costs of not ending wars, of failing to resolve or prevent conflict,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a recent statement about World Refugee Day. “Peace is today dangerously in deficit. Humanitarians can help as a palliative, but political solutions are vitally needed. Without this, the alarming levels of conflict and the mass suffering that is reflected in these figures will continue.”

Globally, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to the 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons who lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes. Below are highlights of programs for refugees developed by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Salesian Missions, headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S. Development Arm of the international Salesians of Don Bosco.

AFGHAN REFUGEE SCHOOL CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN:

In Pakistan, a Salesian Missions program served Afghan refugee school children and their families in Quetta, the capital of the Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. The program, which began in 2012, centered on reinforcing primary education systems at six schools in highly volatile Quetta, Pakistan. The focus of the program included everything from teacher training and resource improvements for child learning, to infrastructure improvement and web-ready computer labs.

The goal of the Quetta program was to mainstream struggling Afghan refugee schools so they could become a part of the Pakistani education community and benefit from its shared institutional resources. Close to 2,200 students ages 4 to 13 benefited from Salesian Missions’ comprehensive approach to strengthening their education.

COLOMBIAN REFUGEES:

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled the violence of Colombia* to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ New Beginnings initiative, which started in 2011, worked with more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries and provided vocational and human development training as well as job placement services.

Many of the Colombian refugees that came to the program had no marketable skills. They couldn’t find jobs and the lack of training made it difficult to start their own business or join with others to form cooperatives. Without jobs, it was hard for them to find stability for their families and build new lives. The New Beginnings program allowed these victims of violence and chaos to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves and their families.

Through the program, each refugee student received 260 hours of technical training as well as 40 hours of human development workshops. These training programs coupled with the job placement services worked to assist Colombian refugees to start over and build successful lives in their new communities.

DR CONGO REFUGEES

The Democratic Republic of the Congo* has been plagued by intense civil war and internal conflict since the outbreak of fighting in 1998. Close to 1.5 million people have been internally displaced or have become refugees in neighboring countries after having fled the country to escape the continued violence. Salesian missionaries have been working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 100 years, ensuring that the most vulnerable children are not forgotten. At the Don Bosco Ngangi Center in Goma, located in the eastern part of the country on the Rwanda border, the missionaries run programs for more than 3,500 children and 1,500 refugees.

In addition to offering educational programs, the Don Bosco Ngangi Center has a medical clinic that consists of outpatient services and separate medical wards for general medical cases, pediatric care and cholera treatment. With two doctors and four nurses on staff, the clinic is able to treat a complex array of life threatening illnesses and injuries, although often with limited medical supplies and equipment.

The medical clinic also has a nutritional center for severe cases of pediatric starvation. Currently, this center provides intensive nutritional support to 150 severely malnourished infants, toddlers and children in the Goma area.

REFUGEES IN KENYA

As of the end of May, Kakuma refugee camp, located in northern Kenya near the Uganda and South Sudan borders, is caring for 155,477 refugees from 20 different countries, according to UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency. The majority of refugees at the camp, more than 44 percent, are from South Sudan and arrived after escaping conflict and violence.

Salesian missionaries at Kakuma refugee camp operate the Holy Cross Parish and the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center where 1,044 young men and women are receiving critical employment and life skills. There are many courses available and those studying welding, carpentry and bricklaying often utilize their new skills helping to build infrastructure within the camp.

Salesian missionaries at the camp also operate the Helping Children to be Children program, which gathers refugee children and leads them in games, songs and classes held outdoors on the camp grounds. Children are also offered the opportunity to draw and learn to speak English. Close to 3,000 children benefit from this Salesian program, which currently has no steady funding and is run primarily by refugee volunteers.

SRI LANKAN REFUGEES IN INDIA

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are close 140,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with almost 70,000 in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. Since 2010, Salesian Missions has been providing their New Beginnings program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. The program, created by Salesian Missions and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, has served more than 2,500 Sri Lankan refugees.

The New Beginnings program provides market-conscious vocational and technical skills training that results in livable wage employment with the goal that trainees are better able to support themselves and their families. After training, New Beginnings graduates have at least one market-demand technical skill, as well as have received workplace readiness training to enhance positive attitudes, hygiene and personal presentation as well as the importance of team work. Results-oriented job placement assistance helps graduates transition from the classroom to work in the local labor market.

Training provided through the New Beginnings program also serves no fewer than 40 percent women and young girls in order to promote gender equality and generate opportunities for women whether they prefer to seek work at a local company or join a women’s company collective that allows them to remain home with young children while still engaged in meaningful employment.

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Sources:

UNHCR – 2013 Global Trends Report

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries 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 WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Salesian Missions Highlights Educational Programs Assisting Refugees around the Globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This year’s annual theme, “Inspiring Change,” focuses on overcoming women’s inequality, encouraging more women to take on leadership roles and pursue careers in the fields of science, engineering and technology, promoting women-owned businesses and supporting financial independence for women.

It is also a day for celebrating the organizations and people who work year round to empower women and girls in an effort to make the world a better place—including nearly 30,000 Salesian missionaries working in more than 130 countries around the globe. Their programs strive to empower young women and girls through educational and social programs. All Salesian-run programs promote gender equality and work to break down barriers young women face, especially in accessing education and obtaining livable wage employment.

“Women and young girls face many barriers and disadvantages to accessing education and achieving financial independence,” says Diana Del Castillo, a program officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs and an expert on gender equality. “Because Salesian missionaries are already living and working directly in many communities they are able to effect change from the inside rather than being viewed as outsiders. They are able to educate community leaders about the importance of gender equality and the benefits of girls’ education for the whole community.”

“There may be many barriers to overcome in providing young girls the same educational and workforce advantages as boys, but there is also huge potential. It is very important for girls to attend school and gain an education. Young girls that are able to are empowered and can lead a life of financial independence, marry at an older age and tend to make better and healthier choices that affect not only their lives but their family and community as well,” adds Del Castillo.

In honor of International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions is sharing information on some of its programs around the globe that empower young women and girls.

MEXICO

Salesians working in Mexico City are directing their efforts toward the country’s at-risk population, including girls and mothers living on the streets. Innovative programs are preventing poor youth from dropping out of school and are providing them important educational and training opportunities.

Through the “Yolia” program, girls and young women are able to spend their days at a Salesian center in the city where they can have meals, receive tutoring, obtain therapy and learn job skills such as jewelry making and hair styling. Some girls choose to live in the residential area where they receive additional education and services while gaining a renewed sense of dignity and self-worth.

Learn more: MEXICO: Salesian Program Brings Hope to Young Girls at Risk of Exploitation

SENEGAL

Salesians in Senegal have been providing vocational and technical training programs to local youth for many years. The Vocational Training Center of Tambacounda, one of three Salesian programs in the country, recently announced the opening of a center of excellence in information technology and communication. One of the primary goals of the center is to provide young girls access to traditional professional courses. To date, only six out of 137 students are female.

A pioneer program in technical education and vocational training in Tambacounda, the center has trained over 2280 students in automobile mechanics and electrical work, both traditionally non-female dominated fields. Expansion of the program expects to attract more female students, granting women and girls further access to professional training.

Learn more: SENEGAL: New Vocational Training Program Brings Opportunities to Girls

SIERRA LEONE

Salesians at Don Bosco Fambul in Freetown, Sierra Leone, have been running a Girls Shelter for the past two years. Here, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been the victims of sexual assault. Girls that access services at the shelter are also able to enroll in educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network. These educational programs train young women in the skills necessary to find and retain employment.

As part of their rehabilitation at the Girls Shelter, the young women take coursework in hotel management, hairdressing and tailoring. The training helps to empower them to overcome the discrimination they have faced and gain a greater awareness of their rights. It also helps to build character while allowing the young women the freedom to make decisions that affect their lives, improve their health and boost their work prospects. Recently, both the trainers and the students in these programs were able to present their skills and products to the general public at an exhibition in Freetown.

Learn more: SIERRA LEONE: Girls Education Helps Young Women Break the Cycle of Violence and Poverty

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In the Dominican Republic, women striving for a better life can access support services through the “Madres Project” in Santo Domingo. This project addresses the root causes that force children to live on the streets. By teaching mothers skills that enable them to earn a living wage and improve their living conditions, their children become more likely to stay at home and off the streets.

Made possible through a partnership between Salesian Missions and the International Volunteer Movement for Development, the program offers women complete courses in literacy, post-literacy, health care and computer skills as well as includes lessons in human rights as part of each training module. Salesians in Santo Domingo also operate a training program for youth in the poorest areas of the city called “Boys and Girls with Don Bosco.”

INDIA

In the state of Tamil Nadu, India, the Salesian “New Beginnings” program helps to educate Sri Lankan refugees while giving their families the chance to achieve stability and the opportunity to send their children to school. The program offers technical and vocational courses and skill training as well as job placement support to aid refugees in finding employment.

For women with children who are unable to leave the refugee camp and attend traditional classes, a special program has been developed within the camp. Through it, women receive training in skills such as jewelry-making and sewing and are also provided entrepreneurial workshops. In addition, they are eligible for financial assistance to start up new businesses where they can use their new skills while continuing to take care of their families, such as the business cooperative created with sewing machines and equipment financed through a micro-credit program. Today, there are close to 400 women taking advantage of this program.

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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. The 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 and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. 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.

The post INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Salesian Missionaries Inspire Change for Young Women through Education, Workforce Development first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Celebrated each year on August 12, the day was established by the United Nations to raise awareness of issues affecting young people around the world. This year’s theme –“Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward” – is in response to the challenges and opportunities raised by the estimated 27 million youth migrants around the world. According to the United Nations, young people aged 15 to 24 make up more than 10 percent of the 240 million international migrants.

Many of these young migrants are forced to flee from poverty or war. Nearly all of them are searching for better opportunities and safer environments.

Upon arrival in new surroundings, migrants often lack the education and skills needed to survive, and many are homeless. Sometimes young people are left behind by migrating parents and face psychological and social challenges as well as greater vulnerability.

Salesians working around the globe focus on meeting the specific needs of youth facing these challenges. From homeless shelters and youth centers for street children to education and vocational training designed specifically for refugees – the Salesians provide not only a safety net but successful solutions to end the cycle of poverty.

Widely regarded as the largest private provider of vocational and technical training—and working in more than 130 countries around the globe—the Salesians are positioned to make a big impact in the area of youth migration. Already embedded in their local communities, Salesians are able to help refugees who are often seen as “outsiders.”

RURAL COMMUNITIES, AGRICULTURE & YOUTH MIGRATION

To fight the patterns of migration that decimate rural villages in some of the poorest places on the planet, Salesian Missions works to develop programs focused on sustainable agriculture while also improving local economic opportunities. By improving conditions in villages, the local youth there are less likely to migrate to urban areas where they too often join other youth in homelessness and a cycle of poverty and violence.

In Kenya, agricultural training has made a significant difference at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. There, a demonstration farm enables training in agriculture skills while producing fresh fruit and vegetables to feed the refugees and inhabitants of the camp. Agricultural skills are also an important component at the Bosco Boys Kuwinda facility. There, students receive training in the raising and care of livestock including poultry, cows and pigs, as well as in the growing and tending of vegetable gardens. Eggs and meat are sold from the farm to help support the project and all of the milk produced is consumed by the community.

In Ecuador, through a Salesian Missions’ microfinance credit program, indigenous and rural populations have access to funds for agricultural and microbusiness activities. Currently, 12,000 people are taking advantage of this opportunity in 85 different communities.

In Cambodia, the Salesian-run Pascual Gentilini Agricultural School recently celebrated its 85th year teaching agricultural skills to poor youth. The school’s curriculum includes lessons in community service, vegetable gardening, cooking, maintenance, music, annual crops, cultivation of tea, fruit farming, zootechnics, bee-keeping, cattle-raising, leadership training and social work. Agricultural technical training encompasses one to six years of study. The school’s students are enthusiastic and eager to learn modern methods of farming together with business management.

WAR, VIOLENCE & YOUTH  MIGRATION

Salesian Missions has developed programs to empower youth migrants with funding support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

Since 1983, ethnic violence in Sri Lanka has forced tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils from their homeland in search of safety and a new life in Tamil Nadu, India. Since 2010, Salesian Missions has provided a vocational and entrepreneurial program for young male and female Sri Lankan refugees who have been living in refugee camps in 15 target districts in India. In June 2013, 860 refugees graduated from this program. Half of these students attended a Salesian technical and vocational training center, learning job skills in electrical work, woodworking, computer technology and other similar trades.

In recent years, more than 450,000 people have fled from violence in Colombia to neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Salesian Missions’ “New Beginnings” initiative, which started in 2011, has worked with more than 1,000 Colombian refugees in these four countries to provide vocational and human development training as well as job placement services. Many of the Colombian refugees had few marketable skills but the “New Beginnings” program allowed them the opportunity to start over and build a stable, hopeful future for themselves and their families. Through the program, each refugee student received 260 hours of technical training as well as job placement services.

“The United States takes great pride in our commitment to the rights of migrants to realize educational and professional opportunities in their new homes,” the State Department said in an official statement.

RESHAPING THE FUTURE

“It is important to emphasize the positive contribution young migrants make to societies of origin, transit and destination – economically and by enriching the social and cultural fabric. Most work hard to earn a living and improve their circumstances,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day.

Young people have the potential to change negative societal patterns of behavior and break cycles of violence and discrimination that pass from one generation to the next. Salesian Missions remains committed to providing education, opportunities and hope to the world’s most vulnerable youth to help end the cycle of poverty which builds better lives and stronger communities.

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Sources:

UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/programme/youth_day/partner.htm

United Nations
http://www.unworldyouthreport.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=180

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/08/213041.htm

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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 strollers were provided by Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., (K.I.D.S.) through a partnership with Salesian Missions. A donation made possible through a partnership with World Vision provided new clothing for youth. The Salesian Missions Office for International Programs worked to identify specific needs for the goods, covered the cost of the shipment and coordinated the delivery and distribution of the items.

The baby strollers—donated by Jeep and delivered through K.I.D.S.—were distributed to Salesian-run sites in Sri Lanka, including child development centers caring for abandoned children with disabilities. The strollers will aid staff in caring for and transporting children with disabilities more effectively.

Dulitha, a 6 year old boy with cerebral palsy, is one of the children who will benefit greatly. Unable to walk and abandoned as an infant, he relies on his caretakers at the center. Previously, the only option was to carry Dulitha so he could take part in activities. However, with so many children to care for this was nearly impossible.

Thanks to the new strollers, Dulitha no longer has to be left behind. “Now his caretakers are able to keep him comfortable as well easily take him around,” said Father Shiran Karawgodage, Salesian project director in Sri Lanka.

The donated strollers will impact families in need for years to come as they are passed down from family to family.

“For families in poverty, the strollers provide a means of greater mobility, allowing mothers an alternative to carrying their infants,” said Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Mothers would often remain at home instead of engaging in community gatherings because of the distance they would need to carry their children. The baby strollers lessen this burden.”

A donation of clothing and outdoor apparel from World Vision reached 1,233 children in nine locations. While Sri Lanka is most traditionally viewed as a tropical island, the central hills of the country can become quite cold, according to Fr. Karawgodage. Many of the families in this region are laborers at the nearby tea estates and local farms. Families are typically large with three to four children and most families are living in poverty.

Dinesh, a 12-year-old boy who lives in Bandarawela received a new jacket—the first jacket he has ever owned. Dinesh is from a poor family and has two siblings, a father who works at a nearby farm and a mother who works as a part-time cook.

“Our work in Sri Lanka goes beyond traditional education and development activities. We work to provide basic needs like clothing and other items. Our strong partnerships aid us in these efforts,” said Fr. Hyde. “Meeting basic needs that many of us take for granted can have a major impact on a person’s quality of life, their ability to engage in their community and, in the case of youth, their self-esteem and ability to learn.”

Salesian Missions depends on donations so that it can help make the delivery and distribution of donated goods and aid available to those most in need around the globe. To learn more and make a donation, go to SalesianMissions.org.

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Salesian Missions is a proud partner of many nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the United States, and around the globe.

About K.I.D.S.

Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.) was founded in 1985 with the mission of providing new kid-essentials to children and teens who have been impacted by poverty and tragedy. With a network of more than 1,000 local partner agencies located in all 50 states and consistently low overhead costs; K.I.D.S. is able to effectively and efficiently deliver products directly to children when and where they need it. Since its inception, K.I.D.S has provided almost 1 billion dollars of new product to help nearly 70 million children. The charity continues to be recognized by Charity Navigator with its highest four star rating. The Chronicle of Philanthropy places K.I.D.S. among the top 2 percent of non-profits in the U.S. and Forbes Magazine ranks the charity 6^th in fundraising efficiency. K.I.D.S. receives both product and financial donations directly from companies, foundations and individuals with 97 percent of the value of all donations going directly to children and teens in need. For more information, go to www.kidsdonations.org.

About World Vision:

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. It serves the world’s poor — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit WorldVision.org/press or follow them on Twitter at @WorldVisionNews.

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According to UNICEF, it is estimated that as many as 250,000 child soldiers – some as young as eight years old – are involved in more than 20 conflicts around the world. It notes that children are too frequently used as combatants, messengers, spies and cooks, and girls in particular are forced to perform sexual services. Some youth are forcibly recruited or abducted while others are driven to join by poverty, abuse and discrimination.

Millions of children, according to UNICEF, will be injured and face life long disabilities caused by armed conflicts and political violence. More will be added to their number because of the risks of landmines in areas where armed conflict has ceased. Children in war torn areas are exposed to and involved in acts of extreme violence.

The Salesians provide services to youth in war torn localities, particularly to child soldiers, bringing them hope and healing through rehabilitation programs, education and job training.

“Childhood should be a time of innocence and education,” says Fr. Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions – the U.S. arm of Salesians of Don Bosco. “But that’s not the reality for many youth around the globe living with war and recruited as child soldiers. We provide a foundation of education for them to have better lives and a productive future.”

The Salesians have a long history of making an impact in the lives of children living in war torn areas. The emotional support, education and job placement services provided play a large role in helping youth come to terms with their circumstances while preparing them for a brighter future.

Liberia: Don Bosco Rehabilitation & Skills Training Program provides youth with rehabilitative skills training and counseling. Through classes, youth can make up for the years lost as a result of the war by gaining marketable skills enabling them to contribute to rebuilding the country. Teenagers to young adults in their mid-twenties train in carpentry, masonry, agriculture, plumbing, auto mechanics, metal works, and electricity. The program was founded in 1991 through a joint initiative with UNICEF.

Sierra Leone: More than 60,000 children were orphaned or left homeless during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Don Bosco Fambul was one of the first organizations during the war to offer shelter and food to street children and continues its work today to help reverse the effects of war. Boys ages 8-15 years are invited to become part of the program, which includes food, shelter, education and counseling – all with the goal of being reunited with their families.

Uganda: Don Bosco Children & Life Mission offers hope to at risk boys, ages 8-17, through a variety of programs. Boys attend primary schools and technical education courses to learn job skills, engage in different sports activities to keep them fit and well balanced and take part in Youth Alive Club to learn about HIV/AIDS awareness and sexuality. As they grow and develop, boys move through different stages until they reach the final of goal of an independent, productive life.

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 and headed on the long path to recovery. 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.

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Photo: Students of Don Bosco Fambul in Sierra Leone.

Sources:

ANS – Education, a means for peace

Salesian Missions – Our Work

UNICEF – Child Soldiers

UN – Secretary-General’s Message on the International Day of Peace

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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

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