(ANS - Madrid) – On 15 January, in the Great Hall of the Banco Popular of Madrid, the Salesian NGO for developmentJóvenes y Desarrollo (JyD) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its foundation. It marked a quarter of a century characterized by cooperation for sustainable human development, and social and economic progress in combating poverty.
The President of JyD, Manuel de Castro, described the extensive work of the NGO in recent years as something wonderful. He then thanked "the real people who have made this possible with their competence and human sensitivity" and concluded by indicating the way forward: "We must continue like this."
The ceremony was also attended by the former President of JyD, Isaac Díez, and the Provincial of the Salesians of Bilbao, Fr Félix Urra. Mr Díez recalled the birth of the NGO in 1988 as "a combination of response and support to the Salesian mission" for the centenary of the death of Don Bosco, while Don Urra expressed his congratulations to "this organization for its work on behalf of poor youth”.
The moderator was Laura López de Cerain from the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development. She said that 25 years "is a long enough time to have a good perspective on an institution" and that "an NGO with the professionalism, dedication and programme of action as clear as those of JyD is guaranteed success."
Two videos were screened during the ceremony. The first was one made by CEUMEDIA to commemorate the 25th anniversary of JyD. The second, made by ADHOC.Films, was a promotional video inviting people to collaborate with the NGO.
The Cuban writer Marieta Alonso directed the opening ceremony, while some members of the band Liricallejeros performed the closing act.
Founded in 1988 on the initiative of a group of past pupils from Salesian centres, with the nameAsociación de Jóvenes of Tercer Mundo, the Salesian NGO for development became a foundation in 2000 and in 2009, on the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, was renamed Jóvenes y Desarrollo, the name by which it is still known. It is now part of the Don Bosco Network of Salesian NGOs.
In accordance with the Salesian charism, JyD is committed to serving children and young people, particularly the most disadvantaged. It provides Christian formation and professional training in an effort to help to eliminate poverty through education.
In the past 25 years JyD has worked in more than 1,200 educational development projects in countries of the South hemisphere. More than 3 million young people have benefitted from their activities. Spain has 20 centres including headquarters and offices, divided into five geographic areas: Bilbao, Valencia, Córdoba, León and Madrid. The work of JyD has been recognized by several institutions.
Published 17/01/2014
