The situation further escalated on May 13 following an attempted coup as President Nkurunziza left for the Summit of the East African Community which was intended to try to resolve the crisis. As a result, the country faces growing tension, and since April, close to 100,000 Burundians have fled the country seeking shelter and sparking a humanitarian crisis in the neighboring countries of Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the same time, refugees along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania are dealing with a cholera epidemic making a challenging situation all the more difficult.

Within Burundi, Salesian missionaries operate several schools and vocational training programs. A Salesian vocational training center in Buterere, a suburb of the capital Bujumbura, is no longer holding classes due to protests and ongoing chaos that has paralyzed normal daily activities. Many residents have left the capital in search of shelter with family and friends in other parts of the country and others have left for neighboring countries. While classes are suspended, youth are still welcome at the vocational school for afternoon activities and relief from the chaos and violence.

“The difficult situation in Burundi has been going on for a month,” reported Salesian missionaries on the ground in a recent Salesian ANS article. “At first it was just a political problem. Now, to everyone’s surprise, the situation is getting worse day-by-day. It is difficult to know what will happen tomorrow let alone the next day. The tensions will not be without consequences for the social and economic life of all the people.”

In northern areas of the country, classes continue to operate as usual in institutions like the Don Bosco School in Ngozi, a large Salesian boarding school. Also fully operational is the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center Gatenga, located in the city of Ruyigi in eastern Burundi, where students are learning the craft of wood making. The wood making program is part of local Salesian missionaries’ efforts to provide training in trade skills as well as valuable work experience in an effort to increase future employment opportunities for youth in the area.

Even students living and studying in Salesian programs far from the capital are struggling to concentrate on their studies for fear of the chaos and violence reaching them. Many families have had to take in relatives who fled from Bujumbura resulting in additional people straining accommodations, available food and supplies. Salesian missionaries are currently monitoring and assessing the situation day by day.

Burundi, located in the heart of the African Great Lakes region, has experienced more than a decade of violence and conflict which has contributed to widespread poverty, according to UNICEF. Burundi ranks 180 out 187 countries on the 2014 UN Human Development Index and close to 70 percent of its residents live below the poverty line.

Children are some of the most severely affected by the country’s rampant poverty. Fifty-three percent of children under the age of five suffer from growth stunting caused by inadequate food, low-quality diet, poor infant feeding practices, poor household management of childhood diseases and the general decline of the country’s health system.

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Sources:

ANS – Burundi – “It is hard to know what will happen tomorrow, never mind the day after”

UN – Burundi: UN urges return to political dialogue amid ongoing tensions, humanitarian crisis

UNICEF – Burundi

*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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According to UNICEF, Burundi, which is located in the heart of the African Great Lakes region, has seen more than a decade of violence and conflict which has contributed to widespread poverty. Burundi ranks 167 out 177 countries on the 2008 UN Human Development Index, and close to 70 percent of its residents live below the poverty line.

Children are some of the most severely affected by this rampant poverty. Fifty-three percent of children under the age of five suffer from growth stunting caused by inadequate food, low-quality diet, poor infant feeding practices, poor household management of childhood diseases and the general decline of the country’s health system.

Don Bosco High School, Ngozi was the primary recipient of the donation from Stop Hunger Now. The school has close to 750 students gaining a secondary education and the necessary foundation to help them pursue advanced studies. Students both live and learn at the school and are eligible to receive three balanced meals while in the program.

“Many of the youth who participate in Salesian programs in Burundi are malnourished,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “When youth receive nutritious meals, they are better prepared to take part in educational programs being offered.”

Don Bosco Buterere Youth Center was another recipient of the Stop Hunger Now donation. Here, Salesians care for at-risk youth and orphans once living on the streets, providing them food, shelter and an education. For some of the youth, the fortified-rice meals are the only balanced meal they receive in a day. The Salesian Professional Center, Rukago also received the fortified-rice meals. This trade school helps poor youth learn professional trades that lead to livable wage employment.

“Access to nutritious meals allows youth to be better prepared to take part in school activities and focus on their education,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Prepared students are more likely to learn valuable skills that will help them gain employment, break the cycle of poverty in their lives and enable them to give back to their communities.”

“The partnership with Stop Hunger Now allows Salesian Missions to expand the scope of services to youth in need,” says Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “Operating feeding programs for youth in Salesian schools whose families cannot afford to feed them is very important and integral to the success of our students and their ability to gain an education.”

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Sources:

UNICEF – Poverty in Burundi

Stop Hunger Now

*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 BURUNDI: Fortified Rice Meals from Stop Hunger Now Feed 800 Hungry Youth at Salesian School first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Salesian emphasis on fighting poverty through education and skills training has served Mozambique well. The school, Don Bosco Higher Institute at Maputo, was built with partial funding from the Spanish Cooperation and is the only teacher training center in Mozambique recognized by the Ministry of Education for the training of teachers of Professional Schools.

“Professional teacher training fosters and develops well trained educators who are the foundation for strong academic programs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This Salesian program provides important instruction to future educators who go on to teach and provide critical job skills to poor youth.”

Developed through a collaboration between the Salesians, the Spanish foreign ministry, the government of Mozambique and Youth of the Third World organization, classes are educating new generations of professional educators. Currently, Don Bosco Higher Institute provides 632 students both traditional professional training courses and a course for the qualification of teachers in professional subjects.

In addition to classroom learning, online classes are available for specialized areas such as industry, tourism, agriculture and administration.

“Teachers are the backbone of educational systems,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The value of strong teacher training is seen in the success of the youth that graduate. Teacher training creates more effective educators who are better able to instill good behavior and academic excellence in their students.”

The training program was developed in the 2006-2007 academic year and began with the construction of the building which houses all classrooms. In addition to overseeing the construction of the school building, the program’s founders, Spanish Salesian Father Angel Miranda and the late Father Valentín de Pablo were responsible for the rebuilding of a local elementary school in Maputo which is run by the Franciscan Sisters today.

Educating poor youth is the main focus of the Salesians in Mozambique and in more than 130 countries around the globe. In addition to the teacher training program, the Salesians provide education and technical training to nearly one hundred youth at the “Rifugio di Languene” in the capital of Mozambique and at the Salesian Training School in Oamba where youth have access to education and shelter in the student hostel.

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Sources:

ANS – Mozambique – Queen Sophia of Spain visits the Don Bosco Higher Institute

World Bank – Mozambique

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