The missionary trip has several meanings: the closeness of the entire Congregation to the confreres who are the vanguard of Don Bosco’s charism in the most peripheral situations of the world and the observation in person of the works made possible thanks to the help of thousands of benefactors in Italy.
The Salesians arrived in Liberia in 1979 and also suffered the tragedy of civil war (1989-2003) and the Ebola epidemic (2014). Their efforts to help young people build a better future for themselves and their country have had to contend with material and moral devastation, encountering the situation of a growing number of orphans. The Don Bosco Missions delegation will visit the house in Monrovia, the capital, which is the driving force behind other presences, such as the one in Tappita in the forest area.
The visit to Sierra Leone will be more complex, as the Salesians arrived there in 1986 and also encountered civil war (1991-2002), at the end of which they were finally able to play an important role in addressing the educational emergency.
Fr Barone will visit the communities of Bo, Freetown and Lungi. In the capital, the “Don Bosco Fambul” centre is particularly significant for the Salesians, as it also houses a refuge for young victims of prostitution. In Lungi, there is a new installation to provide the community with a safe, clean and renewable source of electricity.
Two collaborators from Missioni Don Bosco are travelling with the president: Lucia Brigiati for projects and Ester Negro for audiovisual documentation. Coordination between the various skills of the Salesian missionary organisation and meetings in the field are essential for the support to be as effective as possible.
For further information, visit: www.missionidonbosco.org
