| Haiti – The Salesian Family remembers the victims of the earthquake |
| Haiti – On alert for the epidemic |
| Italy – The III in the series of “Saints’ Race” |
As Christmas approaches, the Don Bosco in the World Foundation has launched a fund-raising campaign for the Salesian work in Cap Haitien. The project is to re-roof the elementary school, strengthen the buildings and support the education and social programmes of the centre, which like the other Salesian centres in Haiti, provides food for the pupils and work for the many lay people involved with them.
The “Haiti calling for reconstruction” campaign already under way is linked with the traditional Christmas Concert produced by Prime Time Promotions and broadcast on the television channel of RAI2 on the evening of 24 December. Now in its XVIII year, the Concert was taken up by the Government of Malta which in previous months had already contributed to the appeal by the Salesians for Haiti. The stage of the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta was the setting for the performances by Italian, Maltese and International artists happy to support such a humanitarian cause.
A telephone number for all Italian companies will be activated between 23 and 31 December for contributions. On the site of the Foundation, in addition to information about the various ways of making contributions, an informative multimedia section is available concerning current Salesian activities in Haiti.
The earthquake on 12 January was a hard blow for the Salesians who had been in Haiti since 1935. Many of their institutions and works were seriously damaged and put out of action. The most serious loss however was the death of 3 Salesians, 250 youngsters from the Little Schools of Father Bohnen (OPEPB) and their teachers and of about the same number buried under the rubble of private or public buildings where they were at the time of the earthquake.
The Don Bosco in the World Foundation provides for the support and development of Salesian works and missions in many countries through donations and fund-raising events.
Continuing the work of Don Bosco, their founder, the Salesians are present in over 130 countries working especially for poor and abandoned youth. With their efforts especially through education, they collaborate in building a better world. Their work is made possible thanks also to the generosity of people inspired by Don Bosco himself: benefactors who support the Salesians in their work of education with needy young people in a variety of social and cultural contexts around the world.
In recent years collaboration between Prime Time Promotions and the Don Bosco in the World Foundation with the help of events such as the “Christmas Concert” and the “Saints Run”, has made it possible to fund projects for young refugees in Darfur, “Mamma Margaret” family homes in Lubumbashi and the “Foyer Lakay” in Haiti.
Published 21/12/2010
