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Day for Poverty Eradication: Salesians Highlight Initiatives to Vulnerable in Africa

Donor funding helps support day-to-day needs for the Salesian community in Lilongwe, Zambia. Credit: Salesian Missions

On the annual event of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, officials of the U.S.-based development arm of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Salesian Missions, have reviewed their initiatives that seek to support vulnerable persons across the globe, including Africa.

In a report published Tuesday, October 17, the day of the UN observance, the leadership of Salesian Missions has revisited life-changing education and social initiatives in education and social development in Madagascar and Zambia.

“Education is a primary pathway out of poverty,”  the interim Director of  Salesian Missions, Fr. Timothy Ploch says in the report, and adds,  “Salesian educational programs provide youth the opportunity to gain an education and the skills for later employment. This enables them to earn a living and become self-sufficient.”

“Programs also go beyond traditional education and help to support youth with basic needs, like offering feeding programs at school, so that they can do the hard work of focusing on their studies,” Fr. Ploch further says.

In the Indian Ocean Island-nation of Madagascar, Salesian missionaries provided support for 20 families in the Ivato district thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, he says.

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“With the funding, Salesians purchased rice, pulses, sugar and more to meet the daily food needs of the families, along with soap and candles. Salesians also taught the families about the importance of taking care of their bodies and health, with a focus on personal hygiene and nutrition,” SDB officials say in the October 17 report. 

They further say, Salesians provided psychological support to help families overcome the difficulties they encounter in their daily lives.

In Zambia, Salesian missionaries in Lilongwe had the funding they needed to support day-to-day living thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. 

In the October 17 Salesian Missions report, SDB officials say, “Donor funding was used to provide food, help maintain the house and pay for utilities, while also supporting the repair of a damaged borehole that provides clean water to the community.” 

“The Salesian community includes a technical school and the pre-novitiate house, where three pre-novitiates are preparing for the next phase of Salesian training,” Fr. Joseph Czerwinski, superior of the community has been quoted as saying.

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Fr. Czerwinski adds, “There are 25 people who live in the community and we really appreciate the donor support we received from Salesian Missions.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.