SRI LANKA

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Development Center in Dungalpitiya, a municipality in the city of Negombo, Sri Lanka, received 2,640 boxes of rice-meals for distribution thanks to a partnership between Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and Rise Against Hunger, an international relief organization that provides food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable. More than 6,000 people in Salesian centers and local communities were impacted by this donation.

Sri Lanka is currently facing a food shortage due to two consecutive seasons of poor harvests. There has been a 50 percent drop in production. There are also reduced imports of food grains due to foreign exchange constraints. These factors, coupled with the soaring prices of food inflation at nearly 94 percent, have left an estimated 6.3 million people — 30 percent of the population — facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity, according to a September 2022 joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Food Programme Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission report.

“We are happy to work with our partner Rise Against Hunger to send rice-meals to help address these severe food shortages,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions. “Salesians offer feeding programs in schools and centers that also extend to the community at-large so that people have proper nutrition. This ensures they are able to go to school and work and helps those who are struggling in the community.”

Salesian missionaries have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute. Since then, they have established 17 more in locations across the country, as well as youth centers and other programs to help youth in need.

Sri Lanka has suffered a long civil war that ended in 2009, two tsunamis in the past 13 years, and a deadly dengue crisis. 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. Farm production is 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.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Rise Against Hunger

Rise Against Hunger

Salesian Missions – Sri Lanka

World Bank – Sri Lanka

World Food Programme – Food crisis in Sri Lanka likely to worsen amid poor agricultural production, price spikes and ongoing economic crisis, FAO and WFP warn

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SRI LANKA

(MissionNewswire) Bosco Sevana Center, in Uswetakeiyawa, Sri Lanka, started more than 25 years ago as a rehabilitation center for sexually abused minors. Since then, the center has been converted into a children’s home where vulnerable children, such as street children or orphans, receive care and support to become responsible citizens.

Uswetakeiyawa is a small village located near Negombo, one of the country’s major commercial centers and home to a large bilingual (Sinhalese/Tamil) population with a majority of Catholics. Most of its population consists of very poor families who do seasonal work fishing in faraway places which requires them to leave their children.

These children, ages 7-16, often grow up on their own and face drug addiction and sexual abuse at an early age. As a result, the school dropout rate has risen alarmingly, exceeding 53 percent. The recent political crisis in the country has compounded an already dire situation.

Recently, the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, has launched a project to support the costs of running the center, which currently houses 30 children.

The multifaceted project aims to ensure that children receive healthy nutrition and good medical care, along with an education. Students can can attend the nearby state school and participate in evening educational support classes. A Salesian noted, “We want to give children the opportunity to continue growing up in a protected family environment, enjoying moments of sports and play like all children in the world.”

Salesian missionaries have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute. Since then, they have established 17 more in locations across the country, as well as youth centers and other programs to help youth in need.

Sri Lanka suffered a long civil war that ended in 2009, two tsunamis in the past 13 years and a deadly dengue crisis. 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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Sri Lanka – “Bosco Sevana”: Salesian home that welcomes and raises minors in difficulty

Don Bosco Sri Lanka

Salesian Missions – Sri Lanka

World Bank – Sri Lanka

The post SRI LANKA: Vulnerable children receive support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Youth Association, part of Don Bosco Dungalpitiya in Sri Lanka, organized a beach clean-up day. Youth had not been able to gather at the youth center during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first time they were able to come together, they wanted to do something for the environment.

While cleaning a stretch of beach 1.5 km (approximately 1 mile) long, they picked up 100 plastic bags and 125 bags of miscellaneous waste. Local police supported the initiative and they provided instructions to the youth volunteers. The plastic collected was donated to an orphanage that will sell it to a recycling company, earning a profit for its livelihood.

“In Sri Lanka and in Salesian programs around the globe, environmental clean-up initiatives are taking a priority,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This has been driven by the Pope Francis’ 2020 Laudato Si’, which underlined the importance of education and training that will help youth foster environmental responsibility. As a result, youth have launched important projects to help their communities and beyond.”

Salesian missionaries have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute. Since then, they have established 17 more in locations across the country, as well as youth centers and other programs to help youth in need.

Sri Lanka suffered a long civil war that ended in 2009, two tsunamis in the past 13 years and a deadly dengue crisis. 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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Sri Lanka – Activities in favor of environment by “Don Bosco Youth Association

Don Bosco Sri Lanka

Salesian Missions – Sri Lanka

World Bank – Sri Lanka

The post SRI LANKA: Youth organize beach clean-up day first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SRI LANKA

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Sri Lanka is reaching vulnerable communities with food aid, health and hygiene kits, awareness campaigns, and other initiatives to help those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts are especially focused on helping war widows in the northern part of the country. Don Bosco Sri Lanka has helped provide women with kits consisting of rice, flour, sugar, tea, soy meat, chili, nourishing powder, bath soaps, washing powder and shampoo. More than 300 women received these kits.

All Salesian institutions in Sri Lanka have been mobilizing to deliver assistance and supplies. Don Bosco Development Center in Dungalpitiya is keeping a register of those most in need and distributing basic necessities within the local communities where the government has imposed strict lockdowns.

“The pandemic has been particularly challenging for families and war widows on their own who were already living in poverty and relying on the informal economy to make enough money to put food on the table,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian organizations in Sri Lanka and around the globe have been working since the start of the pandemic to ensure that vulnerable people are taken care of and have the food and basic supplies they need to survive.”

Salesian missionaries have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute. Since then they have established 17 more in locations across the country, as well as youth centers and other programs to help youth in need.

Sri Lanka suffered a long civil war that ended in 2009, two tsunamis in the past 13 years and a deadly dengue crisis. 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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Sri Lanka – “Don Bosco Sri Lanka” supports war widows

Salesian Missions – Sri Lanka

World Bank – Sri Lanka

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SRI LANKA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Don Bosco Development Center in Dungalpitiya, Sri Lanka, are involved in relief activities to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sri Lankan government has declared Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy and Negombo as areas most affected by the virus. It’s reported the country is seeing 2,500 new infections and about 300 deaths each day.

All schools have been closed and a lockdown has been imposed in most of the country. Marginalized families are sinking into debt and poverty. The Don Bosco Development Center is keeping a register of those most in need and distributing basic necessities.

In 2020, aid was distributed on a large scale and is currently continuing in some locations such as Negombo, Kotadeniyawa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Pallavarayan Kaddu and Dungalpitiya.

“The pandemic has been particularly challenging for families who were already living in poverty and relying on the informal economy to make enough money to put food on the table,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian organizations in Sri Lanka and around the globe have been working since the start of the pandemic to ensure that these families are taken care of and have the food and basic supplies they need to survive.”

Salesian missionaries have been operating in Sri Lanka since 1956. In 1963, missionaries set up their first technical institute. Since then they have established 17 more in locations across the country, as well as youth centers and other programs to help youth in need. Some students who have nowhere else to turn are living at Salesian schools and are being cared for through the lockdown, including many students who attend Don Bosco Murunkan.

Youth at Don Bosco Murunkan come from villages that are very poor, and they have been affected by the war. Their parents, if they are still alive, are poor daily wage laborers. Some only have their mothers because their fathers were killed during the war. Politically, these families have very little power, do not own land and have few rights. They are still treated as second class citizens. Many do not have proper houses to live in or access to regular work. They depend on the government for help, such as being provided a widow’s pension.

Because of the conditions of poverty in which they were raised, many of the students at Don Bosco Murunkan are not healthy and are undernourished. The students are staying at a boarding house and are being provided three meals a day and snacks to help improve their health so they can focus on their studies.

Sri Lanka has suffered a long civil war that ended in 2009, two tsunamis in the past 13 years, and a deadly dengue crisis. 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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Sri Lanka – “Don Bosco Development Center” helping needy

Salesian Missions – Sri Lanka

World Bank – Sri Lanka

The post SRI LANKA: Families facing poverty receive pandemic relief supplies first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SRI LANKA

(MissionNewswire) Sixty boys are receiving education and shelter and having their basic needs met at Don Bosco Murunkan, located in Mannar, Sri Lanka, thanks to donor funding received from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. This helps keep the boys safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the students are orphans or only have one parent, usually their mother, and are unable to pay their expenses at Don Bosco Murunkan. The funding ensures they are able to continue to receive their education in safe and supportive environment while being fed nutritious meals to address the undernourishment many have suffered.

All of the children attending Don Bosco Murunkan come from villages that are very poor, and they have been affected by the war. Their parents, if they are still alive, are poor daily wage laborers. Some only have their mothers because their fathers were killed during the war. Politically, these families have very little power, do not own land and have few rights. They are still treated as second class citizens. Many do not have proper houses to live in or access to regular work. They depend on the government for help, such as being provided a widow’s pension.

Because of the conditions of poverty in which they were raised, many of the students at Don Bosco Murunkan are not healthy and are undernourished. The students are staying at a boarding house and are being provided three meals a day and snacks to help improve their health so they can focus on their studies. With the funding, Salesians are able to provide the students with chicken, beef, eggs, vegetables and fruits. They also have access to clean water, soap, face masks and washing basins to practice good hygiene.

In addition to their studies, youth are able to have recreation time with their peers. Salesians have games and sports equipment for youth to play and learn new skills. The recreation activities also ensure youth are able to get exercise and learn team building.

“Don Bosco Murunkan is ensuring that these youth have access to education and the healthy nutrition they need to concentrate on their studies,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Having a clean environment and access to soap and clean water is particularly important during this pandemic. We are grateful to our donors who are helping these 60 young students have hope for the future and a better life.”

Sri Lanka has suffered a long civil war that ended in 2009, two tsunamis in the past 13 years, and a worst-ever dengue crisis that killed nearly 300 people and infected more than 100,000 this year alone, according to NPR. 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.

Salesian missionaries 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:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Don Bosco Murunkan Facebook

Salesian Missions – Sri Lanka

World Bank – Sri Lanka

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