The first request for a missionary presence in Mato Grosso was sent directly to Don Bosco, but, for organizational reasons, it was Fr Michele Rua who sent the first expedition. Reaching Cuiabá on June 18, 1894, it was led by Mons. Luigi Lasagna, who was appointed bishop of the indios of Brazil.
Then, in 1902, in a place called Tachos, the first meeting of the Salesians with the indigenous Bororo took place, preceded by an apparition of Our Lady. She appeared in a dream to the leader of the indigenous people, just before they approached the Sons of Don Bosco with the intention of killing them. But when the cacique saw the image of Mary in the Salesian hut, the same as the one that had appeared to him in a dream, he no longer gave the agreed signal to slaughter the missionaries.
Today, in Rondonopolis, the Oratory of the Sons of Don Bosco sees in the Preventive System the fundamental element for the human formation of the children and young people who attend it. It is located in a very needy region, crossed by all the phenomena aforementioned, where young people and their families live in serious situations of social and economic vulnerability. The Salesians work to transform this reality through knowledge, culture and sports. But that's not all: in a context of great economic deprivation, they want to guarantee a balanced and nutritious daily meal, to be consumed on-site, to the 250 children enrolled between the morning and afternoon sessions.
For this reason, Missioni Don Bosco, the Turin Mission Office, has launched a project to guarantee a balanced meal in the oratory. The "Health and Nutrition" fund guarantees adequate nutrition for children and young people in the most disadvantaged countries and guarantees them the right to grow up healthy.
For more information on the project, please visit the Missioni Don Bosco website.