New Rectory Built with Funding from Salesian Missions
(ANS – Rundu, Namibia – Feb. 27, 2024) – Salesians in Rundu, Namibia, have a new house thanks to funding from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. The house will directly benefit 11 Salesians, 5 of whom will be there full-time. The house will also benefit more than 5,000 people in the community who will be accessing youth programs and the parish.
A Salesian said, “The Salesian community in
Rundu is grateful to be able to have a Salesian house, where the growing number
of Catholics in Rundu can find spiritual assistance and counseling as needs
arise.”
The Don Bosco Parish opened in 2019. At the
time, local business people and the community constructed a hall to be used as
a church. Over the years, administration space was added. Priests were driving
to the church daily for Masses and other pastoral activities, which was
expensive for the parish. Salesians needed a local house where they could live while
providing for members of the community. The house also reduces overcrowding
where the Salesians had been staying.
The most recent phase of construction began in
April 2023. It included finalizing internal parts of the home, including 6
bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a sitting area, an entertainment area, a dining room, a
kitchen, a storeroom, an office, and a waiting room. Salesians also finished
the roof, walls, and installation of windows in the chapel, and the sacristy.
In addition, plumbing and electrical work were completed. The Salesian added,
“The house that has been constructed with the funding from Salesian Missions
will make the pastoral activities of the Salesians easier, especially allowing
them to be near the youths who come to the parish for meetings, counseling, and
sporting activities.”
According to the World Bank, Namibia is one of
9 countries in Africa considered as upper-middle income, but poverty is still
prevalent with extreme wealth imbalances. Namibia’s poverty rate is 32% with an
unemployment rate of 29.6%. Poverty in Namibia is acute in the northern regions
of Kavango, Oshikoto, Zambezi, Kunene, and Ohangwena, where upwards of
one-third of the population lives in poverty. HIV prevalence in the country is
16.9%.
Salesian programs across Namibia are primarily
focused on education. Salesian primary and secondary education in the country
helps youths prepare for later technical, vocational, or university study.
Other programs help to support poor youths and their families by meeting the
basic needs of shelter, proper nutrition, and medical care.
Source: Salesian Missions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia
No comments:
Post a Comment