14 Salesian programs and schools across the country benefited from the donation.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (May 22, 2023) Students attending Salesian schools and programs in Haiti received donated tote bags from World Vision thanks to a partnership with Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The bags were provided in March 2022 to the Rinaldi Foundation, the Salesian planning and development office, and distributed to 14 Salesian programs and schools across the country.

One Salesian said, “The donation was distributed in our communities to our students, to people in great need, and to people who work with us. The students use the school bags to carry their stationery, schoolbooks and textbooks. Students can now take better care of their belongings. Also, members of the community and parents of the students may use the bags to carry goods to and from the market.”

OPEPB or the Little Schools of Fr. Bohnen, after its founder, was one of the recipients of the donation. In the distressed Port-au-Prince areas of La Saline and Cité Soleil, where most parents do not have the means to care for their children, Salesian missionaries operate this network of 192 primary schools.

One of the students who benefited from the donation was Erick-Ardy Alexandre, who is in second grade. He said, “I am very grateful for the bag that I received and will share it with my mom to use when she goes to the market.”

Salesian missionaries began working in Haiti in 1935 in response to the Haitian government’s request for a professional school. Since then, Salesian missionaries have expanded their work to include 11 main educational centers and more than 200 schools across the country.

Each of the main centers includes a number of primary and secondary schools, vocational training centers, and other programs for street children and youth in need. Salesian programs are located throughout Haiti, including in the cities of Port-au-Prince, Fort-Liberté, Cap-Haïtien, Les Cayes and Gressier. Today, Salesian missionaries in Haiti provide the largest source of education outside of the Haitian government with schools providing education to 25,500 primary and secondary school students.

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