Many Salesian programs encompass whole family unit.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (FOR RELEASE May 15, 2026) 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, “Salesians understand that youth 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 initiatives that provide education and services to support poor youth and their families.
ETHIOPIA
More than 2,500 families across eight communities in Ethiopia* had access to better nutrition thanks to a partnership between Salesian Missions and Feed My Starving Children. The families have been impacted by the ongoing strife in the Tigray region of the country.
A Salesian explained, “The war started in November 2020. Until the peace agreement was reached in November 2022, there were active clashes between the federal military and the regional force, and hundreds of thousands of people died on both sides. The food shortage began around November 2020, coinciding with the start of the conflict in Tigray. As the war unfolded, it worsened food access and contributed to the broader humanitarian crisis.”
Salesians have also organized and distributed food baskets containing essentials like wheat, rice and oil to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons and families facing food shortage-like conditions. They are running programs for the most vulnerable, especially malnourished children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, providing high-nutrient food like fortified flour to combat acute malnutrition. They are also providing non-food items like blankets, mattresses and other items.
INDIA
Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra, located in Maharashtra, India, implemented the “Solar Home Lighting” initiative to address energy deprivation among migrant households. To facilitate the initiative, Salesians received donor funding from Salesian Missions.
Through the project, 55 migrant families were provided with solar home lighting systems. These families now have safe, reliable and affordable access to electricity and are no longer dependent on unsafe and illegal power connections.
Before the use of solar lights, the migrant community living along Arangaon Road resided in temporary, modest shelters in a semi-rural environment with limited infrastructure. They faced a lack of reliable lighting, which made it difficult to continue work or household activities after dark and affected children’s ability to study.
A Salesian noted, “Since the implementation of the solar lighting, there has been a significant reduction in energy costs, enabling increased household savings. Families are experiencing improved night-time quality of life, with better lighting for children to study and women have greater convenience for household chores and small income-generating activities. They also now have enhanced safety and security of households by reducing the use of kerosene lamps and unsafe power tapping.”
NIGERIA
Salesian missionaries with the Mary Help of Christians community have received the funding to support the Don Bosco Stitches project in Lagos, Nigeria. The donor funding is from Salesian Missions. The project is teaching young women an employable skill that they can utilize in seeking a job or starting their own business.
Donor funding was utilized to buy the necessary equipment for the classroom, which allows for hands-on experience to teach the students the sewing skills they need. Once they are ready to graduate, each student has a portfolio of samples to showcase their work. Each year, up to 45 young women will be prepared for the workforce.
One of the students said, “I’ve been here for four weeks and my experience so far with Don Bosco Stitches has been supportive and educational. Our teachers teach us with love. They are professional with everything they do, and they are calm when they instruct us. What some people learn in one year with other programs, we have learned in a month. We have achieved a lot, and the fear I once had about the future is gone. This is a great opportunity for all of us.”
VENEZUELA
The Madre Mazzarello Industrial Technical School, located in Coro, Venezuela*, has a new meeting space thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The space, designed for more than 100 people, includes a multipurpose room and an open, shaded area with natural vegetation. Funding was also utilized for training materials.
A Salesian explained, “The hall will be used as a training and community space for a wide range of activities, including pastoral and educational uses. This new space will bolster the pride our students have and increase the emotional well-being of the young people in the school and in the nearby communities.”
Activities that will be held in the new space include pastoral education; gatherings for students and parents; student organization meetings; inter-congregational meetings of the parish, archdiocese and community; youth ministry and volunteer activities; vocational orientation; and spiritual formation and catechesis of first communion and confirmation.
The entire educational community, made up of 342 youth as well as their families, will benefit from the space. It will also be available on Saturdays and Sundays, allowing continuous use for training and recreational activities.
*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.
