Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) - In a context where the humanitarian and social crisis seems to have no end, the Salesian missionaries are committed to ensuring adequate nutrition for adolescent boys and girls.
In collaboration with the humanitarian organization "Rise Against Hunger," whose goal is to create a global movement to combat hunger in the world, the Salesians have been able to provide at least one healthy meal a day to more than 2,300 boys and girls in three missionary centers scattered across the island (Don Bosco Technique, Lakay Don Bosco, and Vincent Foundation).
These three centers operate in an environment characterized by extreme poverty. The "Vincent Foundation" center is located south of the city of Cap-Haïtien, in the suburb of Vertières. It is the only place in the neighborhood where the young people can play safely and socialize. Their families are often unable to guarantee them a regular and balanced diet.
The same applies to the Lakay Don Bosco center, which Jeannot has been attending for several months. He lived with his mother and grandmother. When he was five years old, his mother died. He was still a young boy when he left his grandmother and joined youth gangs that committed armed robberies and other forms of violence. Then he met the missionaries. Today, Jeannot is 15, a boy scout, and is training to be a mechanic.
Regular meals also help improve the learning level of the boys and girls: "Before, it was difficult to teach them anything because hunger leads to concentration problems," explains Lourdena Bien-Aime Pierre, educator and food manager at the Lakay Don Bosco center.
The Salesians have been working in Haiti since 1935, when they arrived in response to the Haitian government's request to take care of a vocational school. Since then, they have expanded their work to include 11 larger institutions (including schools and training centers) and over 200 smaller training centers throughout the country. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 29/5/2025)
