Salesian Missions Supports 131 Vulnerable Boys at Sierra Leone Child Care Center
(ANS – Freetown, Sierra Leone – June 17, 2026) – Salesian missionaries had donor funding to support 131 boys in the Child Care Center in Sierra Leone. The center is part of Don Bosco Fambul’s temporary shelter and rehabilitation facility for vulnerable boys aged 5-16 who have suffered severe violations of their fundamental rights or endured harmful conditions on the streets. Don Bosco Fambul, located in Freetown, is one of Sierra Leone’s leading child-welfare organizations. The donor funding came from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle.
The funding supported 131 boys with residential care
services. In addition, 88 families and caregivers had access to reunification,
counseling, and follow-up support; 17 highly vulnerable households received
targeted financial assistance; and 128 youths were able to access education.
The center provides immediate protection and structured care
for youths who have suffered abuse, neglect, trafficking, family rejection,
forced labor, substance misuse, and other forms of exploitation. Referrals come
through established national child protection pathways, including the ChildLine
525, Don Bosco Mobil outreach teams, the Ministry of Social Welfare, the
Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Family Support Unit of the
Sierra Leone Police, partner organizations, community leaders, and concerned
citizens.
The center operates 24 hours a day and delivers
comprehensive services aimed at stabilizing, rehabilitating, and reintegrating
each child back with his family or caregiver. Salesians provide safe
accommodation, nutritious meals, medical and psychosocial care, trauma
counseling, spiritual support, structured educational and recreational
activities, legal and protection services, and a family tracing and
reunification program. The goal is to prepare each youth for reintegration into
a safe and nurturing family environment — whether biological, extended or
foster-based. For boys whose home situation remains unsafe or unviable, the
center refers them to the Don Bosco Group Home for long-term residential care
and skills development.
John, aged 13, is one of the youths who benefited from
the center. Before accessing the center’s services, John’s life was
disappearing under the weight of poverty. He said: “My life stopped being about
a future and started being a daily, exhausting struggle just to stay alive. My
dreams were slipping away, hidden under the weight of hunger and the constant
‘hustle’ of the streets.”
John said that the turning point was not just the outreach,
but his own decision to trust the process provided by Don Bosco Fambul. He
explained: “When I first walked through their doors, I was a mix of fear,
uncertainty, and a very fragile kind of hope. But I chose to stay. And that
choice changed everything. In that nurturing environment, I started to remember
who I was. I stopped just surviving and started participating. I went from a
boy struggling to survive alone on the streets to a young man preparing for a
life filled with possibility.”
John has made significant strides in his education. He has
taken the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. John noted: “It
is a milestone that reflects more than just my grades. It reflects my
resilience and the fact that someone believed in me when I couldn’t believe in
myself.”
