Kinshasa, 20 June, 2023 / 8:50 pm (ACI Africa).
On the occasion of the annual World Refugee Day (WRD) marked on June 20 since 2001, the leadership of the U.S-based development arm of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Salesian Missions, has highlighted initiatives aimed at supporting refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the globe, including Africa.
In a Tuesday, June 20 report, the interim Director of Salesian Missions, Fr. Timothy Ploch, is quoted as saying, “Salesian missionaries live among the communities they work in and are on the front lines of the refugee crisis.”
“They provide support and services for refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine, and natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes,” Fr. Ploch says.
He adds, “Salesian programs provide much-needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care and nutrition.”
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the June 20 Salesian Missions report indicates, “While the province of North Kivu faces ongoing clashes that have been displacing thousands of people, Salesian missionaries continue with their work.”