Learning Lasts a Lifetime
Don Bosco once said, “To teach is to touch lives forever, for the lessons imparted by a teacher echo through eternity.” This month, we’re proud to recognize the countless Salesian educators around the world whose students are building brighter futures thanks to them—and your support of their work.
“Teachers truly are the backbone of Salesian schools,” explains Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions. “Despite living in some of the most challenging places and working under some of the most difficult circumstances, these dedicated men and women are laser-focused on providing high-quality education for their students.”
Many of these students wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to succeed in school—or even to go to school at all. Beyond their shared poverty, they’ve faced a lifetime of hurdles that are hard to fathom—they’ve lost parents to disaster or disease; they’ve endured forced labor; they’ve served as child soldiers; they’ve migrated to new countries all alone. They’ve been abused, trafficked or abandoned on the streets. Despite their backgrounds, our Salesian teachers welcome these youth into the classroom with warm smiles, open hearts, and expert guidance. And more than education, our educators provide something truly priceless—hope.
For the first time in a long time, it’s a feeling young Buuma understands.
Buuma lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Masisi Territory*—a place of ongoing violent conflict that’s already taken her father and three of her five siblings. Like many orphaned children in the area, Buuma deals with the anxiety and depression borne of war, loss and uncertainty. Her mother struggles to support the family on the meager wages she earns selling bananas.
Buuma feared she would have to drop out of school … until administrators and teachers at Don Bosco Shasha stepped in. Not only did they cover Buuma’s tuition and school fees, they also provided psychological counseling and wraparound social services so that she had the best possible chance to thrive.
“After my father died, I was told I had to leave school but the Salesians supported me,” she explains. “Father Kizito, director of Don Bosco Shasha, helped us a lot and he told us that there are benefactors from Salesian Missions who have supported us during this year, offering us free education. I thank all the benefactors who have supported us!”
“Teaching is a calling for our educators around the world, and often they do it for little pay, and in some cases, with inadequate resources, equipment or even proper classrooms,” Fr. Mike says. “That’s one of the many reasons I’m so grateful for our Salesian Missions donors, whose generosity fuels their passion to make a difference for students like Buuma.”
At Don Bosco Shasha and around the world, so many more children benefit from this generosity, too—and the lessons they learn from their dedicated teachers will touch their lives forever.
Learn more about our work in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Our mission supports Salesian teachers in their calling to empower vulnerable youth with education, skills and hope. What’s your mission?
