(ANS - Madrid) - "Misiones Salesianas", the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, presented yesterday, 4 April, the documentary "Love", directed by Raúl de la Fuente. The film presents the tragic reality of dozens of underage girls, between 9 and 17 years old, living on the streets of Freetown and forced into prostitution to survive. Something that might seem "normal" in a poor country like Sierra Leone has ceased to be such, thanks to the efforts of the Salesians who, in the 19 months of activity in this specific area, have already taken 149 girls off the streets and away from prostitution, thanks to education.
(ANS - Madrid) - "Misiones Salesianas", the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, will present a preview of its new documentary entitled "Love", directed by Raúl de la Fuente, in Madrid. It addresses the exploitation of minors forced to prostitute themselves and the work of the Salesians to take them away from the streets, to help them, protect them and offer them an education in order to return them to their families.
Freetown, Sierra Leone - March 2018 - In 2017 over 140 girls benefited from the "Girls Shelter" program at Don Bosco Fambul. The girls, all victims of various abuses, were welcomed and hosted to start a rehabilitation process focused on religious, moral and spiritual dimensions. The girls pray every day, participate in religious celebrations together with the community and feel again that God loves them and takes care of them.
Freetown, Sierra Leone - March 2018 – On 23 February, after being stopped for a time due to mechanical problems, the "Don Bosco Mobil", a bus of the Salesian center "Don Bosco Fambul", directed by Fr Jorge Crisafulli, SDB, resumed its program to help young girls involved in prostitution in the areas of Congo Water and Grafton in Freetown. The program offers the young women medical and psychological assistance oriented towards social reintegration, as well as accommodation, food, clothing, non-formal education and vocational training. Since the opening of the "Girl Shelter", 126 girls have left the streets and many of them have reunited with their families, returning to school or vocational training.
Freetown, Sierra Leone - March 2018 - 52 young people who were living on the streets of Freetown were welcomed on February 12th at the Salesian "Don Bosco Fambul" by the coordinator of the Center for Assistance for street children, Joe Conteh, and Salesian Fr Jose Valiplacckel. The 52 beneficiaries are following a five-month rehabilitative program.
(ANS - Freetown) – Good news doesn't often come from Sierra Leone, a country wounded by war, disease and poverty. But what happened to Osman is good, interesting, almost a premonition of what Sierra Leone can become in the not too distant future.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – “Do Elderly Salesians have a role in the Digital Culture?”The answer in the letter “Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture” from the General Councillor for Social Communication
(ANS – Rome) – In view of the current digital reality, and due to the presence, especially in some regions of the Salesian world, of a large number of elderly Salesians, the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes, has decided to dedicate a special letter to them, entitled: "Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture". Here is how he explains to ANS readers today the origins, significance and perspectives of this document.
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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Latin America – Strengthening Vocational and Educational Commitment Today: 30 Years of the Salesian School in Latin America(ANS) – Since the first meeting in Cumbayá (Ecuador), 30 years ago, educational processes on the continent have found a collaborative epicentre which has given rise to the Salesian School in (Latin) America – ESA, in Spanish – as a forum for reflection and a common path. Many Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and other groups of the Salesian Family (SF) have enriched this synodal journey, focusing on young people and their integral development. What are today's demands of us in the educational field? How are we building the Salesian School of the future? Can we further strengthen this great Salesian educational network in America? Some FMAs and Salesians who were at the first meeting in 1994, share their experience and their vision of how this journey has allowed a growth in the understanding of the youth reality, in the strategic decisions within the Provinces themselves and in the challenges that emerge for Salesian education.
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.