2025 is 30th anniversary of observance day.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (May 15, 2025) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian and other international organizations in honoring the International Day of Families celebrated each year on May 15. The day is organized by the International Federation for Family Development in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages International and in collaboration with UNICEF and the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. This year is the 30th anniversary of the day.
Salesian missionaries around the globe provide for youth and their families who are facing challenges related to poverty, lack of education, hunger, and homelessness. Many Salesian programs encompass the whole family unit.
Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, said, “While education is our focus, we know that children cannot thrive in an unstable family environment. Children facing abuse, lack of food or no parental support struggle in their studies. This is why Salesians work with families to provide education, meet basic needs, and offer wrap-around support services to ensure that the family has what they need to meet the physical and emotional needs of youth.”
In honor of the International Day of Families, Salesian Missions is proud to share Salesian programs that provide education and services to support poor youth and their families.
DR CONGO
People who have been internally displaced and are living at Camp Don Bosco, located at the Don Bosco Ngangi Youth Center in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo*, had access to healthy nutrition thanks to a partnership between Salesian Missions, and Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit Christian organization committed to “feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit.”
The donation, sent in partnership with Flexport.org, which managed the logistics and sponsored the shipping costs for two containers, helped 2,780 people over three months in 2023.
“The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo does not receive much attention and resources globally. Being able to support this underfunded emergency response and help those in dire needs is precisely why we established the Flexport.org Fund,” said Kristen Czapar Dohnt, head of Flexport.org. “Partnering with Salesian Missions to transport this life-saving food is a true honor.”
ECUADOR
The Salesian Project Ecuador provides services and support to positively impact more than 6,000 people in need in seven cities in the country. Salesians operate 28 care facilities focusing on people who are marginalized in Ambato, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Quito, San Lorenzo and Santo Domingo.
Programs include support for people seeking work, children engaged in child labor, and people who are Indigenous and Afro-descendants. Salesians also offer ongoing psychological support, school reinforcement, parenting skills workshops, dining services, and human and spiritual development.
In Esmeraldas, San Lorenzo, Santo Domingo and Guayaquil, Salesian staff work along with the Afro-descendants communities, promoting access to quality education and the defense of their rights in environments marked by poverty, social risks and armed conflicts. Through street educators, Salesian staff identify and support youth who are living in vulnerable situations while ensuring they can access education.
SIERRE LEONE
People who were victims of a devastating fire in Bo City, Sierra Leone, received support and resources to ensure their safety, thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. Many of the people have a disability, such as blindness, and do not have jobs.
With donor funding, Salesians were able to provide shelter, health and hygiene support, education, and livelihood resources for 34 people including 15 children. Salesians were able to help the children enroll in school, cover their tuition and help with school supplies.
Mariama, who is blind and in her 40s, has spent most of her life asking for money on the streets of Bo City to help support her family. After the fire destroyed her home, she and her two children were left homeless and forced to seek shelter in an unfinished school with other families. The living conditions were poor, and they were at risk of violence. Salesians were able to provide immediate aid with nutrition for her family and medical support.
UKRAINE
Salesian missionaries in Zhytomyr, Ukraine*, received 12,000 boxes of infant formula for families in need, thanks to the support of the Don Bosco Foundation in Paris. The donation was made possible through a partnership with the Laboratoire Modilac brand, which has been producing and distributing infant formula to pharmacies and supermarkets for 40 years.
The shipment of almost five tons of cargo arrived in mid-October 2024 and was received by Father Michel Wocial, who is responsible for the Salesian center in Zhytomyr. Don Bosco Foundation has made other donations to help support the Salesians in Ukraine. In 2022, the Don Bosco Foundation provided support for the Salesian Center Odessa, which housed those displaced due to the war. In 2023, the Don Bosco Foundation supported about 30 projects.
“Salesians have been on the front lines of the war in Ukraine since the beginning,” explained Fr. Conway. “They have been helping those displaced with shelter, food, clothing, medical care and education. Salesians have also been supporting refugees in countries like Poland and Slovakia. While ensuring basic needs and safety has been a priority, Salesians are also focused on the long-term for these families, acclimating to new realities with education and skills training to find and maintain employment.”
*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
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.