Children receive immediate medical care, preventative care.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (July 14, 2025) Salesian missionaries were able to establish a sick bay for children who are ill at Don Bosco CALM Nursery and Primary School in Uganda thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The sick bay will provide services to more than 700 children.
Uganda faces significant challenges in providing health care, particularly to vulnerable populations, including children from low-income backgrounds. Limited access to health care facilities, a high disease prevalence and limited financial resources make it difficult for children to receive timely and adequate medical care.
A Salesian explained, “Establishing a sick bay at Don Bosco CALM ensures that children have the immediate medical care that they need, ensuring that minor injuries and illness are treated properly. This will also help manage chronic conditions, provide first aid, and offer preventive care like vaccinations, hygiene education and nutritional support that children need. Further, this will help cut down on time lost from school due to illness, allowing children to grow up healthy and have a better quality of life.”
Nine-year-old Daniel is one of the children who has received care in the new area. He used to be frequently sick and missed many days of school. He said, “I used to stay in bed for days when I got sick. At the sick bay, the nurse is kind and I don’t fear being sick anymore.”
The sick bay is staffed by a nurse who assess and treats the children. She said, “When Daniel first came in, he was scared and in pain. But soon, he was back to playing soccer with his friends.”
Don Bosco CALM rescues, rehabilitates and reintegrates children who have been living on the street back into society. Salesians meet basic needs and provide education, socio-cultural activities, and recreation such as sports programming to help youth have a bright future.
Salesians work primarily with boys without homes and those who have been orphaned, battered, and neglected. Salesians also provide support for other vulnerable youth and children, including those with HIV/AIDS. All of the children are in school with some attending Don Bosco Primary School, Salesian secondary schools and vocational training institutes.
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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.
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