Mission News
In February, we highlighted the early efforts of our missionaries serving in Uganda’s Palabek refugee settlement. In the few short months since, four Salesian priests have made remarkable strides: equipping residents to live dignified, productive lives both within, and eventually outside, the camp — through education, health and hygiene programs, social and pastoral care, and advocacy…
A Legacy of Care in Guatemala
August 21, 2018
Recently, a diabetic woman with a seriously infected leg showed up at the Zatti Clinic in San Benito Petén, Guatemala for a second opinion after having been seen at the local hospital. “The hospital doctor told her he would have to amputate,” recalls Father Giampiero de Nardi, the clinic’s director. “But she came to our…
Shattering Gender Stereotypes in Tanzania
July 18, 2018
“Many people think that only boys can become electricians,” says 21-year-old Grace. “I am happy to disappoint them.” With help from Salesian missionaries in Dodoma, Tanzania, a growing number of young women like Grace are shattering gender stereotypes through their participation in vocational training and workforce development programs. This hasn’t always been the case. As…
Training Unemployed Youth in Laos
July 17, 2018
Despite boasting one of East Asia’s fastest-growing economies, Laos struggles to offer adequate and meaningful employment opportunities for its youth. According to the World Bank, as many as 96,000 young people are in search of jobs in a given year. This is why, in the rural community of Vieng Kham, Salesian missionaries have launched a…
Rebuilding the Dreams of Former Child Soldiers
July 17, 2018
According to the United Nations, more than a dozen countries around the world continue to recruit, enlist and exploit children in armed conflict — with devastating results. Psychologically traumatized by atrocities they’ve participated in and witnessed, these innocent child soldiers are deprived of their human rights, stripped of their childhood wonder, and robbed of their…
Feeding Starving Street Children around the Globe
May 17, 2018
Due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, recession in Europe, natural disasters in Asia and Africa, and many other factors, more and more children have nowhere else to live but on the street. In more than 130 countries around the world, Salesian missionaries have vowed to rescue as many homeless youth as they can.…
A New Generation of Environmentally Committed Citizens
May 17, 2018
What can we do to protect and respect God’s astonishing creation…the planet Earth? At times, any effort seems futile; the constant barrage of bad news — worsening smog, melting polar ice, floating islands of plastic waste — is disheartening. In India, the “Don Bosco Green Alliance” is countering this narrative with a message of hope,…
Cradling the Dreams of Indigenous Children
May 17, 2018
Nestled in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the indigenous region of Iaureatê, Brazil may be remote — but the afflictions of civilization certainly are not: alcohol smuggling, drug trafficking and substance abuse regularly threaten traditional values and destroy the family structure. Here, Father Roberto Cappelletti dedicates himself to providing hope, and the chance for…
Empowering Women to Build Better Lives
May 4, 2018
To be born female in Burundi is to be born an inferior citizen: one likely to suffer a lifetime of poverty and oppression from which it is virtually impossible to escape. Motivated by the conviction that all people deserve a chance for a better life, Salesian missionaries in the rural northern community of Rugako have…
Opening Their Hearts to a Promising Future
April 12, 2018
In picturesque Nkhotakota, Malawi, Africa — a community of 33,000 nestled on the shores of Lake Malawi — local children spend their free time wandering the city streets. Drawn by their bright smiles, Polish volunteer Patrycja Nabor recently introduced herself to a group of these girls and boys. Here’s what happened. Patrycja served in the…