Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - January 2018 - From 8 to 14 January the meeting of African Provincial Job Service Officers (P-JSOs in English) was held with 26 participants representing 33 African countries and Madagascar. At the end of the meeting, organized by "Don Bosco Tech Africa", a draft of the "Quality Manual for the JSO" was produced.

Lubumbashi, R.D. Congo - January 2018 - On January 14, at the Imara Salesian College, the feast of Don Bosco was celebrated, inspired by the theme of the Rector Major's Strenna 2018 "Lord, give me this water. We cultivate the art of listening and accompanying."

Mužlja, Serbia - 12 January 2018 - The Hungarian Cultural Federation of Vojvodina awarded "The Hungarian Tree of Life" to Fr Stojan Kalapiš, Director of the Salesian Youth Institute "Emmaus" of Mužlja, Serbia. The Salesian community, which belongs to the Province of Slovenia, animates the parish and boarding school for young people attending vocational schools in the nearby town of Zrenjanin, in the heart of the Vojvodina region. The young are of various nationalities, the Hungarians being the largest. In the great economic and social poverty of this area of the former Yugoslavia, Fr. Kalapiš and the Salesian community continue to carry out the mission of welcoming and accompanying young people. The educational work and the promotion of Hungarian culture among the minority was also acknowledged by the Hungarian state: the Secretary of the Hungary's Ministry of Culture thanked the Salesian community and emphasized the importance of a strong Christian and cultural identity for young Hungarians living abroad.

Iloilo, Philippines - January 2018 - On 11 January, Fr Godofredo Atienza, Provincial of the Salesian Province of the South Philippines, and his Provincial Council, travelled to Iloilo, on the island of Panay, to meet with Salesian past pupils. During the meeting the Salesians gave precious indications for the realization of the dream of expanding the Salesian presence at the service of the young people of Iloilo and Panay.

Tokyo, Japan - January 2018 - On 7 and 8 January, the first meeting of Salesians and lay collaborators of the mission took place, organized with the aim of listening, sharing dreams and problems and looking for a way to support each other in order to put into practice and fulfill the Salesian mission. 12 Salesian centers of Japan were represented at the meeting - 5 schools, 3 kindergartens, 1 kindergarten, 2 social assistance institutions for children and a publishing house - with 20 representatives of the lay collaborators of the mission and 14 Salesians, including Fr Mario Yamanouchi, Salesian Provincial of Japan.

Gwangju, South Korea - January 2018 - From 12 to 14 January, the 53rd edition of the Don Bosco Basketball Tournament took place, organized by the Salesian community of aspirants and post-novitiate of Shin An Dong, Gwangju. The event brought together 60 teams with over 600 young people.