Kigali, Rwanda - December 2023 - 18 December at the Don Bosco Muhazi Vocational Training Centre was a day of celebration due to the arrival of materials needed for various activities financed by the ACTEC project - a development programme co-financed by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid. The Rector of Don Bosco Muhazi, Fr Bavumiragiye Raymond, SDB, expressed his gratitude to the ACTEC donors who made this project possible and emphasised the importance of the day for the school. One of the clubs benefiting from the ACTEC project is the environmental club, which focuses on nature protection. The materials provided will enable its members to continue in the important work of protecting the environment. With these resources, students can explore their creativity and expand their artistic skills. In addition, the sports club received the necessary equipment that will enable them to improve their training and participate confidently in competitions. The donation also aimed to support entrepreneurship among the students. The provision of equipment for the young people trained in the recently completed welding course will enable them to participate in the practical training that will be provided in cooperation with the renowned 'Manumetal' Rwandan metal factory . The trainees who have completed the welding course will be able to gain valuable practical experience and further improve their skills thanks to the ACTEC extra-curriculum courses.

San Salvador, El Salvador - December 2023 - The priestly ordination of Salesian Guillermo Ernesto Escobar Castillo was celebrated in María Auxiliadora, Don Rúa Parish on 16 December. The ordaining prelate was Bishop Oswaldo Escobar, bishop of the Diocese of Chalatenango, in the presence of Fr Julio Navarro, Superior of the Salesian Province of Central America (CAM), and a considerable number of Salesians from the works in this country.

Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil - December 2023 - The Don Bosco Educational Centre of Jaboatão dos Guararapes organised a Christmas event for the children who participate in the Festive Oratory activities on 17 December. Each week throughout the year they have been accompanied by recreational activities, snacks and lots of fun. The event took place at the conclusion of the Oratory's festive activities and over one hundred children together with their families benefited from toys, school supplies and clothes. In addition to the distribution of gifts, food baskets with basic necessities were also handed out, consisting of generous donations from students attending the Salesian educational centre. The initiative saw the active participation of more than 20 volunteers, including students, past pupils, employees and novices of the Salesian Colônia of Jaboatão dos Guararapes.

Siliguri, India – December 2023 – Don Bosco Siliguri, one of the best known institutions in northern Bengal, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary by staging the famous musical "The Lion King", a great event to teach the value of nature and the animal kingdom. The event, which took place over the course of two days, was attended by a total of 12,000 people, including school children with their guardians, students and teachers from Siliguri. The production of the musical, with the famous music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, is based on the 1994 Walt Disney film of the same name. For the fifty years of Don Bosco Siliguri, 1,200 boys from the school took to the stage: 19 students played the main roles, 600 dancers played the various animals, insects, herbs and plants and the songs were entrusted to a choir of 500 members, supported by an ensemble of 70 members of the student orchestra. The masks and other props were created under the direction of Jadumani Singh, professor at the Sangeet Natya Academy in Imphal. Enthusiastic about the event, the Principal of the school, Fr V.C. Joseph, stressed how "The Lion King" speaks of the delicate balance between us and Mother Earth. 

Salamanca, Spain - December 2023 - "They are our best young people, they are the ones God has given us." With these words the General Councillor for Youth Ministry, Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, addressed the participants at the meeting held on 16 December at the Salesian work in Pizarrales, Salamanca. The event was part of the activities organised on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the arrival of Don Bosco's Salesians in Salamanca, and was attended by a broad representation of the various Salesian environments, the educational communities of the city's Salesian centres, Salesian Cooperators, and members of the Youth Centres. During his address, the General Councillor recalled the essence and roots of the Salesian spirit inherited from Don Bosco, paying particular attention to the dedication of this Salesian community to young people. He emphasised that even if the generations and customs of young people change, they are the best young people because they are the ones God has given us. After the reflection and sharing of the work carried out by the different Salesian environments in Salamanca, a more informal meeting took place, and then the event closed with the Eucharist.

Crystal River, United States - December 2023 - The new Salesian Cooperator Anna Grosso took her promise and, together with her, the other members of the Santo Domingo Savio Centre in Hernando, Florida, renewed their apostolic promise in St Benito's Church in Crystal River. The Eucharist was celebrated by Fr Dominic Tran, Superior of the Salesian Province of the Eastern United States and Canada (SUE) and his Vice-Provincial Fr Franco Pinto. After the Mass, the Salesian Cooperators met with the Provincial and Vice-Provincial, and took the opportunity to present the foster children apostolate that the ASCs carry out at St. Benito's Church. Pat Sobel, coordinator of the Santo Domingo Savio centre, said that they work with Leslie Hosmer from Kids Central in the search for foster parents. The evening ended by sharing food. There were 27 participants, including Salesian Cooperators, aspirants, volunteers and some children from the Don Bosco Children's Home.