Students have more energy, can better engage with studies.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (May 20, 2025) More than 1,600 students attending Don Bosco high schools in Ngozi and Buterere, Burundi*, had access to better nutrition during the second half of 2024 as a result of a partnership between Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and Rise Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization growing a global movement to end hunger.
The feeding program created positive changes at the schools. At Don Bosco Ngozi, students had more energy and better engaged with their studies. During the period, Don Bosco Ngozi organized summer camps for youth to offer them positive activities during the break. Once school started, there were various sporting and cultural activities organized during this time, including a soccer tournament.
One of the recipients at Don Bosco Ngozi was Jean Nixon Ndemeye, aged 13. He said, “I feel very happy and encouraged. In the future, I would like to become a doctor in medicine to help other people. Since the Rise Against Hunger meals, I am enjoying eating with my classmates and I have more energy for sports.”
He added, “When I hear about other people who are committing themselves to doing good, like those making it possible for us to eat these meals, I feel confident that I can do something for others.”
In Buterere, the economic situation is dire. There is a lack of fuel for vehicles and an unstable communication network. During a three-month period, the price of almost all items tripled. This situation has increased the number of school dropouts as families require youth to work to pay for food and other necessities of family life.
The meals offered an incentive to keep students at Don Bosco Buterere, which provides a youth center, a technical and vocational training center, a secondary school, a parish, and a shrine. More than 600 youth attend programs at the oratory each day. Salesians offer sports, games and cultural programs. The school has roughly 700 students and the parish is one of the most popular in the area.
Burundi has seen more than a decade of violence and conflict, contributing to widespread poverty according to UNICEF. Children are some of the most severely affected by the country’s rampant poverty. Fifty-three percent of children under the age of 5 suffer from growth stunting caused by inadequate food, low-quality diet, poor infant feeding practices, poor household management of childhood diseases and the general decline of the country’s health system.
*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
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About Salesian Missions USA
Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.