(ANS - Yaoundé) - Six years after the first edition, conducted in Kenya in April 2017, the Regional Congress of Salesian Brothers of the Africa-Madagascar Region is renewed for a second edition. Hosted this time by the Salesians of Yaoundé, Cameroon, in the VP "Our Lady of Africa" of Equatorial Tropical Africa (ATE), and accompanied by the Regional Councilor, Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, the participants will experience five days, from May 24-29, 2023, of sharing, Salesianism and deepening of the charism, under the general topic of the Congress: "Walking with Raphael and Tobias, Cycling with Artemide."
(ANS) – Today Wasium and Peter are two young people who, through education, have built a solid present and have a bright future ahead of them. But it was not always this way. And getting to where they are today required the help of many people, including the Sons of Don Bosco.
(ANS - Rome) - Making Vocational Education and Training in Africa a flywheel of growth for the socioeconomic development of the entire continent is one of the fronts on which the Sons of Don Bosco are investing a great deal; accompanying young people in building a sustainable future, moreover, is among the Congregation's priorities for this six-year period; and it is proper to the Salesian charism to give priority attention to the young people most in need. This is why the news of the participation of the Centro Nazionale Opere Salesiane - Formazione e Aggiornamento Professionale (CNOS-FAP, the vocational training sector of Italian Salesian works) in the first transcontinental program of Vocational Training and Innovation in Eco-sustainable Waste Management in Africa, featuring 100 unemployed young people from two African countries, seems coherent, timely and relevant.
(ANS – Dar es Salaam) – Don Bosco Tech Africa Annual Stakeholders assembly 2023 kicked off on 20th March in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This years’ meeting is guided by the theme ‘Transforming TVET for successful employment and quality of life for youth in Africa’.
(ANS) – An online meeting of all the Social Communication Delegates of Africa – Madagascar was held on 23rd February 2023. All the delegates of all the region were present for the meeting. As well as Fr. Roland Mintsa, the newly appointed provincial in-charge of communication of the Provincials of the Africa – Madagascar Region (CIVAM). Fr. Gildasio Mendes, the General Councilor for Social Communication and Fr. Maciej Makula from the sector of communication were also present.
(ANS - Turin) - From February 1 to 3, 2023, the Provincial Delegates for Missionary Animation (DIAM) of the Salesian Africa-Madagascar Region gathered for their annual meeting in Valdocco, at the Salesian Motherhouse, to reflect on the situation of missionary animation in various Provinces and Vice-Provinces. The Regional Coordinator for Missionary Animation, Fr. Privat Fouda, animated the meeting with the collaboration of the Missions Sector team. Everyone appreciated that the common path has been clearly progressing; at the same time, challenges remain, especially regarding missionary formation, the accompaniment of Salesian youth, and the involvement of local communities.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: "Being close counts, words come later"(ANS - Rome) - As he tells with a gentleness that does not seem to come from horror, he is "resting a little bit" in Rome these days. Fr Oleh Ladnyuk is a Ukrainian Salesian priest who is a military chaplain at the front, among the soldiers who fight in defence of their country and among the civilians who for over two years have seen their lives wiped out. He brings humanitarian aid where the missiles fall and from those places he helps with the evacuation of young people and adults - so far at least 500 people, but there are probably many more. These days the Salesian – who carries out his ministry in Dnipro and teaches History in a state school in the city – is in Rome to take part with two other priests and a dozen lay people from his country in the "Accompanying when Trauma Hits" course hosted by the Pontifical Salesian University in collaboration with the Faculty of Educational Sciences, with the DON BOSCO NEL MONDO Foundation and the Don Bosco Network. A project that aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to deal with the traumas caused by war.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of protection and prevention models": PGS conference with UPS(ANS – Rome) – The synergy between the Salesian Youth Sports Centres (PGS) and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome gave rise to the conference on "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of models of protection and prevention", which will take place on 13 April, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., at the UPS facilities in Rome.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – INT’L DAY FOR STREET CHILDREN: Salesian Missions highlights programs that provide shelter and support(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian and international organizations around the globe in highlighting the plight of homeless children on the International Day for Street Children. The day provides organizations and the millions of street children in countries worldwide with an opportunity to have their voices heard while ensuring that their rights are not ignored.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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I’M A SALESIAN AND I’M A BOROROTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
Diary of a Happy and Blessed Missionary Day
Dear friends , I’m writing to you from Meruri in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I write this greeting almost as if it were a journalistic report, because it has been only 24 hours since I arrived in the middle of this Brazilian state.