Don Bosco Fambul is one of Sierra Leone’s leading child-welfare organizations

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries had donor funding to support 131 boys in the Child Care Center in Sierra Leone. The center is part of Don Bosco Fambul’s temporary shelter and rehabilitation facility for vulnerable boys aged 5-16 who have suffered severe violations of their fundamental rights or endured harmful conditions on the streets. Don Bosco Fambul, located in Freetown, is one of Sierra Leone’s leading child-welfare organizations. The donor funding came from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The funding supported 131 boys with residential care services. In addition, 88 families and caregivers had access to reunification, counseling, and follow-up support; 17 highly vulnerable households received targeted financial assistance; and 128 youth were able to access education.

The center provides immediate protection and structured care for youth who have suffered abuse, neglect, trafficking, family rejection, forced labor, substance misuse, and other forms of exploitation. Referrals come through established national child protection pathways, including the ChildLine 525, Don Bosco Mobil outreach teams, the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police, partner organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens.

The center operates 24 hours a day and delivers comprehensive services aimed at stabilizing, rehabilitating, and reintegrating each child back with their family or caregiver. Salesians provide safe accommodation, nutritious meals, medical and psychosocial care, trauma counseling, spiritual support, structured educational and recreational activities, legal and protection services, and a family tracing and reunification program. The goal is to prepare each youth for reintegration into a safe and nurturing family environment — whether biological, extended or foster-based. For boys whose home situation remains unsafe or unviable, the center refers them to the Don Bosco Group Home for long-term residential care and skills development.

John, aged 13, is one of the youth who benefited from the center. Before accessing the center’s services, John’s life was disappearing under the weight of poverty. He said, “My life stopped being about a future and started being a daily, exhausting struggle just to stay alive. My dreams were slipping away, hidden under the weight of hunger and the constant ‘hustle’ of the streets.”

John said that the turning point was not just the outreach, but his own decision to trust the process provided by Don Bosco Fambul. He explained, “When I first walked through their doors, I was a mix of fear, uncertainty and a very fragile kind of hope. But I chose to stay. And that choice changed everything. In that nurturing environment, I started to remember who I was. I stopped just surviving and started participating. I went from a boy struggling to survive alone on the streets to a young man preparing for a life filled with possibility.”

John made significant strides in his education. He has taken the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. John noted, “It is a milestone that reflects more than just my grades. It reflects my resilience and the fact that someone believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.”

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Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Don Bosco Fambul

Salesian Missions – Sierra Leone

UNICEF – Sierra Leone