Namibia: New desks, new chairs, new dreams for the future
Huare lives with her mother and four older siblings in a two-room house built from corrugated iron and some tarps. Her family joins more than 76,000 people who live in Ndama—an informal settlement without running water or electricity nestled in the shadow of a garbage dump.
Huare’s mother works hard as a cleaning lady at the hospital in nearby Rundu, but providing for her family as a single parent remains a daily struggle. That’s why she sends her children to school—because she knows that education serves as a crucial stepping stone out of poverty.
Every day, Huare gets up early and walks a mile with her mother to attend classes at Don Bosco Primary School, which enrolls children ages 2-10 whose families are desperately poor. Operating on a limited budget by Salesian missionaries and a dedicated teaching staff, the school often goes without basics. Until recently, Huare and her classmates usually sat on the floor for their lessons.
That changed last month thanks to the kindness of friends like you—whose support helped fund the delivery of student desks, chairs and teachers’ tables donated by Furniture Reuse Solutions. A sustainability-focused charitable partner of Salesian Missions, Furniture Reuse Solutions sources unused and unwanted equipment and donates it to organizations who can put it to good use.
As one Salesian missionary reports from Namibia, the furniture truly makes a difference.
“Going to school at Don Bosco has shaped Huare’s mindset to love life, to love learning, and to aim for her dream of becoming a doctor one day,” he says. “The donated furniture has helped create a different world view and environment for Haure apart from her living conditions. It allows her to forget the struggles that she encounters every day … and get to her happy place (school) where she can sit on a comfortable chair with a desk to write on.”
All told, the donation benefits 230 students (and 16 teachers) who are happy that they now have chairs and desks to support their success in school ... and beyond.
Haiti: Nourishing bodies, feeding hope
Before, their bellies were empty and their minds unfocused. Now, thanks to an ongoing partnership with Rise Against Hunger, nearly 13,000 children and young adults in seven Salesian-run schools and centers throughout Haiti receive a hearty, nutritious meal, five days a week.
Now more than ever, this food relief is critical. Haiti has long struggled with endemic poverty, worsened by its vulnerability to natural disaster. Most recently, and on top of it all, growing political insecurity sparked widespread danger for everyday citizens, including looting and hostage-taking. Inflation skyrocketed; fuel became unavailable; and more and more families plunged into hunger as they stayed home in fear and their financial resources evaporated.
Daily feeding programs at Salesian-run schools make a tangible difference for children and their families, including 14-year-old Dorcilien who lives with his parents and two sisters in Cap-Haïtien. He can often see the pain in his parents’ eyes as they struggle to put food on the table and make ends meet.
Now, he says, “I no longer worry about food because I receive a hot dish every day and I can eat until I am full. Sometimes, I can bring something for my sisters. Without this food, students cannot work in the classrooms. We arrive at school without eating, and we have a stomachache or a headache. When we eat something, we are happy and able to follow along with the teacher. When I go home, even if I don’t find anything to eat, I have no worries because at school they already gave me a filling meal.”
Thanks to our many caring friends—who help pay the shipping costs of these donated meals—students like Dorcilien can remain in school and are no longer hungry. They can now focus on building the foundations they need for a much brighter future.
For these girls and boys, just a few dollars has truly been a miracle.
