Giving hope to millions of youth around the globe
Giving hope to millions of youth around the globe
With more than 46 percent of its population living in poverty, Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world, according to UNICEF. Low incomes and food deficiencies are commonplace, and ongoing violence and civil unrest exacerbate already harsh conditions. Despite these challenges, more youth are in school today than ever before with school attendance up to 73 percent compared to 68 percent in 2008. There remain, however, some 3.2 million children between the ages of 6 and 16 out of school with the highest rates among nomadic populations, those living in rural areas and in the poorest households.
School enrollment and retention is affected by weak curriculums in Sudanese schools and inadequate educational materials and teacher training (according to UNICEF, more than 40 percent of teachers are untrained). Ongoing conflict and the high cost of education, particularly in rural areas where parents have to pay school fees, also affect enrollment rates.
A primary school in Khartoum, the capital and second largest city of Sudan, is operated by Salesian sisters from the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and provides education and social development services to 400 children. Nearly 80 percent of the students in the school are victims of the war in South Sudan. Many are deeply wounded, scared, sick and above all very hungry. The Salesian sisters provide the students shelter, nutritious meals and education.
“Every child has a uniform and a hot meal every day, and the sick children are taken to the doctor,” said Sr. Teresa Roszkowska of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. “Visits are made to families living in very difficult conditions, in particular to young mothers. Some very poor families live close to our community, and we help them daily with supplies and food to eat.”
The school provides students a sense of normalcy and structure. Before classes begin the children have 15 minutes of gymnastics set to music. The exercises help the children to relax and calm down before classes. On Fridays and Sundays more than 300 children attend the youth center attached to the school, where children play games, watch a movie or just enjoy themselves with their peers. Some bathe and others wash their clothes, because where they live lacks water. Youth are also provided biscuits, sweets, soap or whatever other supplies have been donated.
Salesian missionaries at the Don Bosco Technical School in El Obeid, the capital city of the state of North Kordofan in southern Sudan, have been providing social development services and educational opportunities to poor youth since 2001. Since the technical school’s inception, thousands of youth have received education, employment training and workforce development services.
Currently, the school issues recognized certificates in several three-year courses including general mechanics, auto mechanics, welding, plumbing, carpentry, construction and electrical engineering. Career counseling and job placement services help students make the transition from the classroom into the workforce with more than 75 percent of graduates finding employment in their chosen field. Many students who attend the technical school are escaping the violence of a civil war that has torn apart South Sudan and disrupted its education system.
From Sudan
From Sudan
“Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty and hunger, and driving tens of millions of people from their homes,” says U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Our Salesian miss
2023 is also 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Sept. 21, 2023) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countrie
KHARTOUM, Sudan Nov. 14, 2022 (Excerpt) On the annual event of the World Day of the Poor marked November 13, the leadership of the U.S-based development arm of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Salesian
Day established by Pope Francis in 2016 at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in honor of the poor. NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Nov. 13, 2022) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins Catho
JUBA, South Sudan (July 13, 2011) - In a year that has been the most violent since the beginning of a peace treaty in 2005 – underscored with high levels of corruption and human rights violations – the people of South
Salesian Missions includes agriculture in its vocational training programs – to ensure that youth of Rwanda learn better agricultural practices as well as keep the school self-sustaining in the face of the country’s food shortages.
Salesian Missions includes agriculture in its vocational training programs – to ensure that youth of Rwanda learn better agricultural practices as well as keep the school self-sustaining in the face of the country’s food shortages.
Salesian Missions includes agriculture in its vocational training programs – to ensure that youth of Rwanda learn better agricultural practices as well as keep the school self-sustaining in the face of the country’s food shortages.