Freetown, Sierra Leone - February 2021 - The Salesian house "Don Bosco Fambul", under the guidance of Fr Jorge Mario Crisafulli, is promoting the activities of the newly graduated women of Freetown, distributing a job starter kit to them. The young people, recovered from situations of extreme vulnerability, have received training in the tailoring, tourism, catering and hair care sectors thanks to Salesian programs. "Don Bosco Fambul" is now sponsoring the activities of these women, so that they continue to carry out their new jobs, without having to return to their previous occupations, detrimental to their dignity.
(ANS – Freetown) – Salesian missionaries with St. Augustine’s Parish, located in the Dworzark community within Freetown, Sierra Leone, have partially completed construction of a new church thanks to donor funding provided by “Salesian Missions”, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. As the number of parishioners and the size of the community have increased, Salesian missionaries embarked on a multi-phase project to expand their outgrown church.
(ANS – Freetown) – Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries on earth. More than 60 percent of the population live on less than €1.06 per day. Thirteen years of war and the Ebola epidemic wreaked havoc on the country. More than 500,000 people were displaced, and more than 60,000 children orphaned and left homeless. The Salesians arrived in Freetown in 1994 and had set themselves to witness God’s love for the country’s young people by developing the various works typical of Don Bosco’s spirit — shelters for street children, schools, youth centres and parishes.
Freetown, Sierra Leone - November 2020 - The Salesians of “Don Bosco Fambul” conducted a workshop entitled “Youth4Life” on 20 November on issues concerning the well-being and integral development of young people in Sierra Leone. During the event, which was attended by ten schools in Freetown, various topics were touched upon, including: ecology and the need to preserve the ecosystem; taking care of animals in their environment and stopping unnecessary killings; the importance of the gift of one's life and the adoration of God; the presentation of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) and the importance of learning a trade by attending one of the "Don Bosco Fambul" courses.
Lungi, Sierra Leone - October 2020 - On 3 October, in the church of Mary Help of Christians, parish of the Holy Cross, the Salesian Samuel Sorie Sesay was ordained priest by the laying of hands and the consecratory prayer of Msgr. Natale Paganelli, S.X., Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Makeni.
(ANS - Freetown) - Coronavirus infections in Sierra Leone have been well under control: there are few positive cases and few deaths. The government has lifted restrictions on mobility, but the main concern is that 47% of the population does not have access to running water and social distancing is very difficult to achieve due to the overcrowding in which most of the slum population lives. In this context, where the most serious consequence of the pandemic is poverty, Don Bosco Fambul continues to serve the people most in need.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Democratic Republic of Congo – Fr Owoudou on the situation in the eastern parts of the country: “No matter how dark the night may seem, dawn will inevitably come”
(ANS - Goma) - During his latest phase of the Extraordinary Visit to the "Mary Most Holy Assumption" Province of Central Africa (AFC), Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, Councillor for the Africa Madagascar Region, conducted an interview with the magazine "JAMBO VIJANA," representing the youth engaged in the Salesian works of the Province's Eastern Delegation. Addressing the ongoing violence and conflicts in the region, Fr. Owoudou expressed hope, saying: "No matter the length of the night, dawn will inevitably come."
EDITORIAL
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“Speaking with the Heart”: A great Antidote for the Ills of today’s world
‘Revolutionize the world with your kindness, by speaking with your heart’, is the dream that Pope Francis envisions for humanity through his 57th World Communication Day message, that falls on this Ascension Sunday, 21st May 2023. ‘Speak with your heart in truth and charity’, and this is the best antidote that can cure the ills of today’s society.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Labs To Future": the final event of the "Labs To Learn" project in Valdocco
(ANS – Turin) – The final event of the "Labs to Learn" project was held on Tuesday, 5 March 2024, entitled "Labs To Future: The path – The results – The challenges" . The project was selected by the "Con i Bambini" social enterprise within the framework of the Foundation for the Fight against Child Educational Poverty and came into being with the intention of combating early school leaving and preventing educational poverty, increasing the number of young people with difficulties who fulfil their school obligation, access higher education and/or job placement, and opening the way for personal growth according to their inclinations and aspirations.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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Peru – Centenary of the High Altar of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima
(ANS – Lima) – The centenary of the consecration of the high altar in the Crypt of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima was celebrated on 19 March, on the feast of St Joseph and in homage to Fr José Calasanz Marqués, then Provincial of the Salesians in Peru and Bolivia – now recognised as Blessed by the Church – on account of his name.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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DREAMS THAT KEEP COMING TRUE!
THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Card. Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
When reflecting on all this, I feel I have a little authority to say: “Dear Don Bosco, your Dream is still VERY ALIVE.”