(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and the international community in honoring World Refugee Day, held each year since 2001 on June 20. The day, which is coordinated by the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other international organizations, honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes.

This year the theme for the day is “Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety” and focuses on how people forced to flee should be treated with dignity. UNHCR has noted that safety is a basic human right and that anyone should be able to seek protection, regardless of who they are or what they believe. No matter where people come from, people who have been forced to flee should be welcomed. Further, whenever people are forced to flee — be it war, violence or persecution — everyone deserves protection.

UNHCR has noted that a record of more than 84 million people had been forcibly displaced by mid-2021, not including the more than 6.5 million Ukrainians who have fled the country since March 2022. Not accounting for Ukraine, 68 percent of those displaced come from the five countries of Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. An estimated 35 million of the refugees are children and more than 1 million have been born as refugees.

“Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine, and natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian programs provide refugees much-needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care, and nutrition.”

Fr. Baek added, “For Ukrainian refugees, Salesians have set up special fundraising appeals and shipped material goods, and they are opening their centers and programs to families fleeing. Salesians are also sending supplies to Salesians who have remained in Ukraine and are sheltering those displaced there. Recently, Salesian Missions was able to send medical supplies thanks to our partnership with MedShare.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2022, 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.

UKRAINE

A teacher and psychologist from Ukraine run programs at the Salesian Youth Center in the Czech Republic for children fleeing war.

The Salesian Youth Center, located in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, has been providing services for Ukrainian children who fled when the war erupted. These children and their families are refugees seeking shelter and safety away from their home country. The center employs two Ukrainian women to run programs for Ukrainian children. Masha Shumkova is a teacher and Olena Halushka is a psychologist. Both of them used to work at a children’s center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Halushka said, “I came to the Czech Republic in the second week of March. Our friend told us about the Salesian Youth Center. We were surprised when we came here because, in our city in Ukraine, we don’t have anything like this. Czech children must be so happy because they have this program, and they may come here for free, get attention, and stay at a comfortable, safe place. I decided to be a volunteer in this Salesian Youth Center because I like kids. Really, for me it’s so easy to be with kids. They give me energy.”

The Ukrainian children are making connections with the children already in the program. It has been a fairly smooth transition even for Halushka and Shumkova. They seek out activities the children enjoy and bond with them over sports and other activities. It’s not all games though. Many of the activities are educational to ensure children are still learning.

EGYPT

Refugees finish technical skills training for stable employment through a Salesian Missions project in Cairo.

Salesian missionaries continued offering training to assist refugees in gaining the skills needed for employment or self-employment in Egypt through the Sunrise Project for Cairo’s Urban Refugees and Vulnerable Hosts. The project is possible thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) through a Salesian technical and vocational training center in Cairo.

The project was first funded through Salesian Missions in 2014. To date, the project has improved the livelihoods and quality of life of more than 3,000 Sub-Saharan African, Yemeni and Syrian refugees and vulnerable Egyptians.

The Sunrise Project is popular among refugees with more than 2,000 applicants trying for the limited number of trainee openings. From the over 700 who were accepted and who completed baseline assessments, more than 500 received technical and vocational training. This led to 426 successful graduates from September 2020 to September 2021. In addition, 65 trainees received a seed grant and one-on-one mentoring, and 16 microentrepreneurs and past alumni received small business development grants.

In addition to financial support, the project also rented tables at three local bazaars so that microentrepreneurs could market their wares and services. These bazaars were particularly helpful for female microentrepreneurs who could display their sewing and handicrafts products or offer hairdressing or henna services. Fifteen beneficiaries participated across the three bazaars. Additionally, the markets enabled beneficiaries to distribute their business cards for networking and potential future customer sales.

KENYA

To help refugees gain skills for employment while at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, Salesians operate the Don Bosco Technical Institute in the camp with the help of UNHCR.

Kakuma Refugee Camp was established in 1992 near Kenya’s border with South Sudan. It was a place of refuge for unaccompanied minors fleeing warring factions in what was then southern Sudan. Today, Kakuma Refugee Camp has more than 225,000 refugees from nine countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of refugees are youth and children.

Operated by the UNHCR in collaboration with Salesian missionaries and several other humanitarian organizations, Kakuma Refugee Camp offers refugees safety, security, and life-saving services such as housing, health care, clean water and sanitation.

Over the years, Salesian missionaries have developed a number of programs and services for the refugees in the camp. The Salesian Holy Cross Catholic Parish provides spiritual services at 10 out-stations spread across the camp. Salesians also launched the Savio Club in 2014 to provide character development for children in the camp. Today, there are more than 1,000 children involved in club activities.

PAKISTAN

Salesians in Quetta and Lahore, Pakistan, offer support to Afghan refugees.

The Salesian community in Quetta, Pakistan has offered shelter and basic necessities to Afghan refugees thanks to support from the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid. More than 100 refugees, mostly children, received tents, blankets, food and medicines. The Christian community of Quetta felt proud to be able to help people of other religions in a spirit of brotherhood.

This initiative was launched because of extremely cold weather in the region. Salesians are also working to provide ongoing support including education for children and medical and psychological assistance.

In the second week of December, Don Bosco Lahore distributed humanitarian aid to 200 Afghan refugee families in Peshawar. This activity was carried out with the collaboration and coordination of local authorities, the police, and the city administration, which facilitated the distribution. This effort was supported by the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid, Salesian Missions, Don Bosco Switzerland and Salesians in Berlin.

UGANDA

More than 600 youth have gained an education at Don Bosco Vocational Center in the Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in Uganda.

Don Bosco Vocational Center, operating inside Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in Uganda, offers education and vocational training to help young refugees prepare for employment. There are courses in mechanics, sewing, construction, agriculture, hairdressing and solar energy. The center provides support for 56,000 refugees and 11,000 Ugandans from the northern region.

Don Bosco Vocational Center has become a place where youth are nurtured, and they can access the skills to achieve self-sustainability. To date, the center has trained more than 600 youth, most of them refugees who have returned to South Sudan to contribute to their country.

The December introduction of upcoming courses brought together many people who are interested in what the center has to offer. Father Ubaldino Andrade, rector of the Salesian community in Palabek, said, “This fact testifies that the young people of the refugee camp are hungry for an education that allows them to offer their families a better quality of life and to contribute to the reconstruction of their country.”

Fr. Andrade added, “At the technical and vocational level, many young refugees want to go out to work, they want to learn a trade, that in most cases, allows them to return to South Sudan.”

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Sources:

UKRAINE: Ukrainian teacher, psychologist run programs for children fleeing war/Photo courtesy of Salesian emergency response coordinator

EGYPT: 426 refugees finish technical skills training for stable employment through a Salesian Missions project in Cairo/Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

KENYA: More than 225,000 refugees receive support and education/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

PAKISTAN: Salesians in Quetta and Lahore offer support to Afghan refugees/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

Salesian Missions

UGANDA: Young refugees prepare for employment/ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

UNHCR Refugee Statistics

World Refugee Day

*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 and social programs that aid refugees first appeared on MissionNewswire.

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and the international community in honoring World Refugee Day, held each year since 2001 on June 20. The day, which is coordinated by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other international organizations, honors the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes.

This year the theme for the day is “Together we heal, learn and shine” with a focus on how everyone needs to work together with refugees to help them access the services they need to build better futures. UNHCR noted, “People who have been forced to flee often struggle to find a doctor when they are sick. Far from home, they struggle to find schools for their children or even a place for them to run around and play.”

UNHCR has noted that a record of more than 80 million people had been forcibly displaced by mid-2020. Among them are nearly 26.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Sixty-seven percent of those displaced come from the five countries of Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees, with 3.6 million people. Colombia is second with 1.8 million, including Venezuelans displaced abroad.

“In countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine and natural disasters such as floods, droughts and earthquakes,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian programs provide refugees much-needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care, and nutrition.”

To mark World Refugee Day 2021, 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.

REFUGEES IN EGYPT

Salesian missionaries are able to offer training to assist refugees in gaining the skills needed for employment or self-employment in Egypt.

Salesian missionaries are able to offer training to assist refugees in gaining the skills needed for employment or self-employment in Egypt, thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) through a Salesian technical and vocational training center in Cairo. In 2020, 629 individuals were registered for technical and vocational courses and 60 for the micro-enterprise part of the project.

The project was first funded through Salesian Missions in 2014. To date, the project has improved the livelihoods and quality of life of more than 3,000 Sub-Saharan African and Syrian refugees and vulnerable Egyptians.

Rimonda Nadi, a sewing course student from Egypt, said, “After the course, I started to buy fabrics and make baby clothes. Then I started to put my products in different clothes shops for sale. This is something that brought me extreme happiness and pride because I can finally depend on myself and start to work.”

The project also provides life skills training, health awareness, entrepreneurship literacy workshops, job panels, seed grants, and violence prevention training to help refugees build the skills needed to succeed in the workplace and adjust in their new urban environments. One of the great successes of the project is the addition of social services, including transportation vouchers for travel to and from courses, fully funded for participants. Those engaged in the training are also provided vouchers to purchase groceries and other essentials from a local store. This helps to ensure that basic needs like nutrition are met.

Each participant also receives a primary care checkup and eye exam with a doctor who comes to the school. Some medicine prescriptions are included as are referrals for secondary care as needed.

REFUGEES IN PERU

Salesian missionaries in Lima, Peru, are working to accommodate migrants and refugees from Venezuela.

Salesian missionaries in Lima, Peru, are working to accommodate migrants and refugees from Venezuela. In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Salesian missionaries to sign an agreement to set up temporary migrant assistance offices at the Salesian Institute, which is located in the Breña neighborhood of Lima.

Salesian Father José Valdivia, provincial economer of Peru, explained that the cooperation agreement was made through UNHCR. UNHCR has noted, “People continue to leave Venezuela to escape violence, insecurity and threats as well as lack of food, medicine and essential services. With over 4.5 million Venezuelans now living abroad, the vast majority in countries within Latin America and the Caribbean, this is the largest exodus in the region’s recent history.”

A total of 4.5 million Venezuelans had left their country as of mid-2020, according to UNHCR. This number includes 138,600 refugees, 808,200 asylum seekers and 3.6 million Venezuelans displaced abroad.

Salesian missionaries in Magdalena del Mar, Lima, opened the Don Bosco House for youth who arrive in Peru. They are offered food and accommodation. In support of the migrant assistance offices, youth from the Don Bosco House joined other young Venezuelan migrants and refugees who live in the Magdalena del Mar neighborhood to help set up the spaces. They worked with representatives from UNHCR.

REFUGEES IN UGANDA

Salesian missionaries living and working at Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in Uganda have been able to provide food aid to 800 people at the camp thanks to funding from Salesian Missions.

Salesian missionaries living and working at Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in Uganda have been able to provide food aid to 800 people at the camp thanks to funding from Salesian Missions.

Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp is currently home to more than 56,000 refugees and asylum seekers. It was officially set up in April 2016 to reduce congestion in larger refugee camps in the northwestern corner of Uganda. Several agencies are involved in providing food and education within Palabek. While some have left because of the pandemic, Salesians have remained.

Even before COVID-19, living conditions in Palabek were not easy. Food distribution was scarce and there were difficulties in accessing drinking water. With the arrival of the pandemic, everything has become even more complicated. The amount of food delivered to refugees once a month has been reduced by 30 percent, and classes and activities were suspended. UNHCR warns that unless urgent action is taken to address the situation, levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anemia are expected to rise, especially among children.

In addition to providing food directly, Salesian missionaries are working to counter the food shortage through the cultivation of food including cereals, vegetables, and if possible, some cash crops such as sim sim, groundnuts and sunflower. The goals are to promote kitchen gardens of vegetables and fruits, hire land from the local Ugandans, and create agreements to work together with the host community. Salesians have provided several hundred kilos of maize, beans, soya beans, sim sim, groundnuts and many assorted vegetable seeds. They have also provided tons of cassava cuttings.

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Sources:

EGYPT: Refugees gain employment skills

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

PERU: Salesian missionaries sign agreement to set up temporary migrant assistance offices in support of Venezuela migrants and refugees

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

Salesian Missions

UGANDA: Refugees receive critical food aid, support for farming

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

UNHCR Refugee Statistics

World Refugee Day

The post WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Educational and social programs aid refugees around the globe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

UGANDA

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Mission Office Madrid and the Salesian Jóvenes y Desarrollo Foundation presented a new documentary “Palabek: Refuge of Hope” from award-winning filmmaker Raúl de la Fuente on Oct. 17, in Madrid, Spain. Other screening locations will follow in Spain and other European cities in the coming weeks.

Uganda has become home for more than 1.3 million refugees—82 percent of whom are women and children—in the wake of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, according to the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. Millions have fled the country and nearly 400,000 have died as a result of armed clashes. Many of those who have fled to Uganda have taken refuge at the Palabek Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda.

The Palabek Refugee Settlement is currently home to 34,000 people. It was officially set up in April 2016 to reduce congestion in larger refugee camps in the northwestern corner of Uganda. Several agencies are involved in providing food and education within Palabek.

Salesian missionaries at the settlement are offering much needed psycho-social support and pastoral care for thousands of Christian residents. They also operate four nursery schools that educate more than 1,000 children. In addition, there are over 700 children attending Salesian primary and secondary schools and more than 700 families that are supported by various other initiatives.

Young refugees are also able to attend vocational training courses for free. Depending on the discipline, some courses will run for 3-6 months while others will run as long as a year. Salesian missionaries have also set up a job placement office that will help students make contact with companies that are hiring, prepare resumes and prep for interviews, and find internships and onsite training opportunities.

Ordinary life in the camp is the main theme of the documentary, with a focus on the daily difficulties and uncertainty of the future of these people. The film offers moving stories of refugees arriving from all over the world and shows the dreams that keep them alive, along with the work that the Salesians do with them, offering education, support and hope.

Alice and Gladys, two young refugees and mothers, have started a new life in the settlement of Palabek thanks to the study opportunities offered to them by the Salesians. Thanks to a scholarship, Alice is finishing high school in a village near Palabek, while Gladys is the only girl who attends the Motorcycle Repair course of the Don Bosco Technical School.

“This new documentary sheds light on the realities faced by those who have had to leave everything behind to save their own lives and now live with the painful difficulties of being separated from their families and waiting for peace to be able to return home,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Close to 67 percent of Ugandans are either poor or highly vulnerable to poverty, according to UNICEF. While the country has seen some economic growth, as well as improvement in its Human Development Index ranking over the last 20 years, the country still ranks near the bottom at 163 out of 188 countries. After decades of war left many displaced, the people of Uganda face many significant challenges as they work to rebuild their country.

Uganda’s literacy rate has improved with 73 percent of the population literate but only 23 percent of Ugandans go on to acquire a secondary education. According to UNICEF, one of the biggest challenges in the country is combating the serious increase of HIV/AIDS that has left millions of children orphaned.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – “Palabek. Refugio de esperanza”, documentary about refugees’ life and dreams

Don Bosco Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp

Salesian Missions – Uganda

Salesian Missions – Spain

UGANDA: Young women from South Sudan are learning the skills needed to earn a living at Palabek Refugee Settlement

The post UGANDA: Salesian Mission Office Madrid and Salesian Jóvenes y Desarrollo Foundation present the new documentary “Palabek: Refuge of Hope” first appeared on MissionNewswire.