Program impacts youth who are vulnerable, at risk

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries operating the Children’s Home, part of Don Bosco Makululu, located in Kabwe, Zambia, had donor funding for its feeding program thanks to Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The program impacted orphans and youth who are vulnerable or at risk.

A Salesian noted, “These youth, particularly those working as street vendors, need a lot of encouragement, follow up, and monitoring to persevere and go back to school. Most who complete primary education at our school would find it extremely difficult and, in many cases, impossible to continue secondary education in existing government schools, so they need the extra support.”

The Makululu compound, where the Children’s Home is located, is considered Zambia’s largest informal settlement area. It was a farm belonging to a mining company, which at one time had housing for its workers. Now, there is a lack of adequate infrastructure such as water and sanitation facilities. Most of the houses in Makululu are constructed with low-quality building materials and by unqualified builders and owners.

The Salesian added, “Most of the families are broken families and youth do not get proper care. There is a lot of alcohol and drug abuse which affects the welfare of the children. It has been estimated that there could be as much as 96% illiteracy in adults so they do not see the need for youth to be educated.”

He concluded, “Youth in such situations do not have any future so we try to rescue them and meet their basic needs including education. We cannot expect the families to help us to run the center so we need to find financial resources. Food support is critical to the success of the center and the youth, so they can be healthy and grow properly. We appreciate the support from the donors of Salesian Missions.”

Salesians in Zambia provide a range of social development programs and education to aid youth who are poor and at risk so they can have a healthy productive life. Early education helps youth gain a foundation to allow them to later advance to skills training for employment. Basic needs are met along the way ensuring youth focus on their education.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Don Bosco Makululu

Salesian Missions – Zambia

UNICEF – Zambia