This year’s theme is #AccelerateAction for gender equality. The theme “emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.” Data from the World Economic Forum has noted that at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity.
Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries are focused on empowering young women and girls with targeted programs. These programs provide opportunities for education and training that lead to livable wage employment.
“Salesians care about the inclusion of girls and young women in education to ensure they gain the skills needed to become self-sufficient,” said Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions. “The goal is to empower them to make good life choices for themselves, have hope for the future and achieve their dreams.”
In honor of International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions is proud to share Salesian programs around the globe that educate and empower girls and women.
ECUADOR
The María Auxiliadora Formation Center in Ecuador held training initiatives for more than 270 people in 2024, up from more than 130 participants in 2023. Most of the training was aimed at women in Esmeraldas who face unemployment, lack of resources, gender violence and abandonment, or who are heads of household. The training was taught by three lay professionals and includes 12 courses over six employment sectors.
A Salesian explained, “Providing this training has allowed women to gain the skills needed for employment. Some are able to find jobs after the training while others start a small business of their own. Most importantly, they are able to earn an income to become self-sufficient.”
The center was launched 10 years ago in the San Rafael Valley, in the province of Esmeraldas, with the collaboration of the Salesian Ecuador Project and the Salesian San Juan Bosco Community in Esmeraldas. The mission was to support vulnerable populations in a a place marked by violence, drug trafficking, poverty and lack of opportunities.
INDIA
Seven women were provided e-autos as part of the WE Auto (Women Empowerment through Electric Autos) initiative in Kollam, Kerala, India. The program, which has assisted 34 women from the local fishing community, is supported by BREADS – the Salesian Bangalore Rural Education and Development Society and its partner the Fishermen Community Development Program.
Johncy Alex, a 30-year-old single mother, has faced tremendous challenges in her life. She is separated from her husband and shoulders the full responsibility of housing, feeding and educating her two children. Alex reached out to the Fishermen Community Development Program for assistance and enrolled in its comprehensive training program for WE Autos.
A Salesian explained, “Johncy was diligent in acquiring the necessary skills and license, and eventually procured an auto through seed capital and other financial assistance through the WE Auto program. The e-auto is now her lifeline, allowing her to earn a daily income that enables her to meet her daily expenses, empowers her to gradually settle outstanding debts, all the while ensuring that her children receive the education they deserve.”
The financial, technical and moral support provided by the program and the cost benefits of the low-maintenance electric autos make the journey to ownership an achievable goal for the women.
SIERRA LEONE
Don Bosco Fambul in Freetown, one of Sierra Leone’s leading child-welfare organizations, has added staffing support thanks to a grant from the Flora Family Foundation secured by Salesian Missions. Don Bosco Fambul provides a range of programs to help support youth who are living on the streets, girls who have faced sexual abuse, young women who have been forced into prostitution and youth in trouble with the law. With the funding, Don Bosco Fambul was able to add a program manager, advocacy officer and communications officer.
Don Bosco Fambul is operating a shelter for young girls who have faced sexual abuse and are in need of support and education. Recognizing the specific need for girls who had been forced into prostitution, Father Jorge Crisafulli, former director of Don Bosco Fambul, created the Girls OS+ (Hope Plus) program inside a therapeutic center. Since the program launched six years ago, it has changed the lives of more than 600 girls.
Fr. Crisafulli said, “The main aim of the Girls Shelter OS+ program is to reach out to underage girls who are involved in prostitution and help them off the streets, offering a safe environment where they can access holistic rehabilitation and physical, psychological, and spiritual healing. The goal is to help them recover their dignity through education and skills training and reintegrate back into their community.”
UGANDA
Salesian missionaries living and working among the refugees at Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in the border town of Palabek, Uganda, aim to focus some of their programmatic efforts on young mothers. The camp is currently home to nearly 72,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from South Sudan, and 60% are under age 13. Salesians have been supporting refugees since the opening of the camp in 2016.
A Salesian explained, “If they do go to school, they usually stop breastfeeding because they do not have facilities to have their babies nearby when they are in class. This is something unthinkable for many of these young mothers, who do not have other means to feed their babies.”
The Salesian added, “Almost all of these teenage mothers in Palabek have fled war and have not had the time or support they need to develop, improve their self-esteem, or learn how to look after children. They need training and information on how to care for their babies and themselves. It is difficult for them to maintain basic hygiene routines and healthy habits due to the lack of external supports available to them.”
Salesians want to create a safe space for babies to stay while mothers are in class. This would make it easier for these mothers to continue breastfeeding and would give them peace of mind. The goal is to be able to provide skills training and emotional education to promote healthy habits, good hygiene, and higher self-esteem.
Source: Salesian Missions
