Angola. The teachers of the UNIFATEA Association participate in the volunteer project “Educators Without Borders” in Angola.
During vacation in July, a group of 12 teachers from the Salesian Network and the Teresa of Avila University Center, belonging to the St. Catherine Province of Siena, arrived in Angola to share joy and knowledge. The group “Educators Without Borders” held a seminar for teachers and leaders of the Salesian community in Angola.
The international seminar on the spirituality and pedagogy of Salesian education was held from 17 to 25 July 2019 in the cities of Luena, Province of Moxico and Cacuaco, Province of Luanda. There were moments of reflection and sharing of experiences between Brazil and Angola, exploring different topics on teaching and learning.
Proposals for the new methodologies were presented and practical workshops were carried out by sharing teachers’ classroom experiences. The focus of the discussions continued on the intentions of Spirituality and Pedagogy, which is the main objective of the volunteers’ mission.
The testimony of the UNIFATEA teachers who participated is reported:
“It was a strong experience, every moment lived and enjoyed in a unique way. I return with the certainty that there is nothing more beautiful than encounters, to perceive and be perceived by the other. “There is always a little scent in the hands that offer roses, in the hands that are generous (Alberto Costa)”. – Prof. Mara Filomena Falavigna
“We have come with the intention of being formators, today I start from here as a formed person, in Salesian affection, in fraternal love, and in humanity. We work here with many people in different ways, a different culture, and I start today with a vision completely changed and with joy in my heart ”. – Prof. Marco Aurélio Tupinambá
“After the seminar, we concluded with the exchange of experiences of Brazilian and Angolan teachers; it was a unique possibility for mutual growth in the knowledge of cultures, values, and territory. The Angolan people are a happy and hopeful people. We discover that we can live joy and hope, that life follows the rhythm of daily life in a simple and fraternal way. The gestures of acceptance and universal brotherhood have united us in love. I learned that we can embrace the world through small actions of kindness and sharing the little we are and have. I learned that the richness of interculturality strengthens us and makes us more humanizing. Participation in the volunteer experience with teachers was a moment rich in sharing, knowledge, and experiences of fraternity and unity with the Angolan teachers. The group committed itself with generosity, availability, and love, preparing everything with great commitment and dedication. The result of this dedication and love has meant gathering many fruits in the mission we shared in Angola. The teachers and directors welcomed the training proposal, assessed everything that the volunteers were proposing during the training. In the end we received many expressions of gratitude “. – Silvana Soares
“Experience has confirmed the innumerable capacities of our educators, who, together with generosity, Salesian values, and the witness of personal life, left a great mark on Angolan teachers. Leaving Angola, we will be available to continue the project, because education has no borders or time limits ”. – Sr. Metka Kastelic
