Funding also provides medicines, balanced nutrition

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Venezuela* were able to cover three months of the Salesian medical insurance thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. It includes medical consultations, hospitalizations, and necessary procedures for unforeseen health situations for 209 people, including youth in formation, coadjutor Salesians, and Salesian priests, as well as their parents. In addition, the funding provided medicines and adequate, balanced nutrition.

The community is suffering from a severe economic crisis where purchasing power is insufficient to meet basic needs. This forces communities, especially those in low-income neighborhoods, to rely on external support to ensure three meals a day.

Father Carlos da Franca, the San Lucas Province treasurer, emphasized that the project has been a cornerstone for the survival and dignity of the brothers. He noted that the local income isn’t even enough to feed them properly for a week.

He said, “The impact of this support is integral. On the one hand, it guarantees balanced nutrition that acts as preventive medicine. Those who eat better have a stronger immune system. It also ensures vital health insurance in a country where hospitals don’t function. On an administrative level, the project provides critical stability that allows us to cope with the high incidence of illness among the older brothers who have exhausted themselves on the mission.”

Fr. Franca added, “The greatest transformation is the peace and serenity of knowing that the Salesians will have food to eat and receive decent medical care until the end, sparing them the trauma that many Venezuelan families have endured and allowing the community to continue its work in working-class neighborhoods without the risk of drastic complications arising from precarious living conditions.”

Salesian missionaries have been living and working in Venezuela long before the country’s political and economic crisis began. They operate schools, youth centers, and other programs that support youth and their families.

An estimated 50% of Venezuela’s 28 million people are currently living in poverty, and essential goods such as food and medicine are scarce. Since 2014, 7.9 million people have fled as refugees to neighboring countries to find work and a more stable way of life.

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Venezuela

UNHCR – Venezuela situation 

*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.