Increasing need prompts opening of new facility

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Institute is a recognized welfare and charitable organization which comprises 50 facilities and services, mainly in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. Committed to helping youth who are vulnerable, it devotes particular attention to children and older youth facing social difficulties. More than 1,200 staff members are involved in these social care homes for children.

Most recently, the organization has opened a social care home for children, named Don Bosco 87, in Saint-Junien, in the western part of the Haute-Vienne department.

In France, of the 392,000 youth receiving support from Child Welfare Services, 57% are placed outside their family home. In Haute-Vienne, the number of placements, up by 45 % since 2014, has prompted the department to fund Don Bosco 87.

The facility comprises three separate sites, located in the municipalities of Saint-Junien and Saint-Brice-sur-Vienne. The first block was opened in February 2025 and with the new facility the Don Bosco Institute can now accommodate up to 34 children aged 3-18.

The children are divided into age groups with eight places for independent accommodations for older youth aged 16-21. There are also two foster families providing personalized support.

To enable youth to grow up in the best possible conditions, a team of 43 professionals supports them. These are educators, nurses, care workers, cleaners and others. Youth receive academic support, learn to live independently, develop social bonds and access mental health support.

Malick Kaouane, the center’s director, said, “Every child carries with them a unique story — sometimes difficult, often marked by upheaval, but always a source of hope. We believe that every child possesses within them resources, talents and an inner strength that asks for nothing more than to be expressed.”

Renan, a specialist educator, noted, “The Don Bosco 87 provides a special setting with its small units. Youth can grow up in the open air, just a stone’s throw from the school, and supported by a dynamic and committed educational team.”

Salesians held a special opening ceremony to launch the new center. Youth and educators were there with numerous political representatives, magistrates and social care professionals, alongside Caroline Ballon, president of the Don Bosco Institute.

Don Bosco Institute, which originally began as an orphanage in Gradignan has been caring for the most vulnerable children since its inception in 1856.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – France – Opening of the “Don Bosco 87” Children’s Home

Salesian Missions