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Bolivia - The country's first suburban university established

07 July 2017

(ANS - La Paz) - The word "periphery" has taken on a deeper meaning in recent years. On many occasions Pope Francis has spoken of the "peripheries of the world", or "existential peripheries," a polyvalent expression full of meanings which indicate a judgment on the contemporary Church and, at the same time, a perspective, a direction for progress. Not only do the Bolivian Salesians have various works in the suburbs, but the same Salesian University has now come to the periphery in search of young people with specific needs.

The First Management Evaluation meeting of the Salesian University 2017 brought together 62 participants from the Main House in La Paz, and from all the other branches: Colcapirhua, Camiri, Sana Carlos, Yacuibi, Monteagudo. The meeting took place in June in the presence of the Provincial, Fr Javier Ortiz Rodríguez and the Provincial Council, with the aim of analyzing the objectives proposed and the results achieved at this early stage.

The Provincial, as the University's Grand Chancellor, said on the occasion: "We are one of the country's first universities to have opted for the periphery, for areas far from the center, with headquarters and branch offices that distinguish us as Salesians. The university was created to serve the disadvantaged. We have grown, but we mustn't stop here as there is always a need to do something new, to look for and give answers for development, always being mindful of those who need it most."

The Salesian University of Bolivia is an educational center that has provides teacher training at the national level for both public and private sectors; not only do the professors in formation receive an academic education but also in values.

The path now proceeds on course, Fr Gregorio Iriarte recalled pointing out that the Salesian University was created with a preferential option for the poor, as per Fr Esteban Bertolusso's dream, who would say: "We must reach out to the very last."

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