Giving hope to millions of youth around the globe
Giving hope to millions of youth around the globe
Sharing a 500-mile-long border with Syria, southeastern Turkey has more than 3 million Syrian refugees, as reported by the United Nations. Salesian missionaries are providing services at three sites within Syria while also providing for Syrian refugees in Turkey. While many Syrian refugees stay in towns on the Turkey-Syrian border, many find their way to big cities like Istanbul where Salesian missionaries operate the Don Bosco Center.
The majority of people in poverty in Turkey live in rural areas, where the rate is over 35 percent below the poverty threshold compared to merely 22 percent in urban areas.
The Don Bosco Center in Istanbul, led by Salesian Father Andres Calleja Ruiz, is the only Salesian presence in the country. The center provides special programs for young refugees from Syria, as well as a number of families who fled ISIS persecution in Iraq. Because most refugees do not speak the local language, it is difficult for children to attend school and adults to find work. For this reason, the Don Bosco Center makes teaching the English language a primary focus of its programs.
The Don Bosco Center opened its doors more than 20 years ago as a temporary response to a wave of refugees from Iraq. With conflict continuing in the region today, new refugees and asylum seekers arrive every day. The center is sustained by donations and allows families to send their children there for free. More than 120 students, 90 percent of whom are Iraqi Christians, are currently attending programs there. Students have access to sports and dance programs intended to help them connect with their peers and find enjoyment and comfort in their new surroundings. In addition, the program provides counseling both for youth and their families to help them overcome the challenges and traumas they may have faced.
From Turkey
From Turkey
Salesian missionaries work in conflict-ridden places across the globe. NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Sept. 21, 2024) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries aro
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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.