Like any devoted parent, Angelo Regazzo rises each morning at 4:00am to have breakfast with the children before he goes to work. Unlike many parents, however, his family is comprised of quite a few kids: 400, to be exact.

You see, this man is their father—just not in the typical sense. Angelo Regazzo is a Salesian missionary serving in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where—for the past ten years—he and a dedicated group of staff and volunteers have offered a caring home to thousands of girls and boys who otherwise would be living on the streets, far away from the love and protection of a caring adult.

In recent years, the numbers of these children have been on the rise. The root causes of their plight are complex and stem from eroding socio-economic security, family breakdown, ethnic conflicts and the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. But their needs are simple: the opportunity to experience a normal childhood, and have the physical, emotional and educational support they need to thrive.

That’s where the Bosco Children Project comes in. Here, children as young as seven years old receive shelter, meals, warm clothing, psychosocial counseling and access to basic education and literacy classes. When they are older and ready, they can participate in a skills training orientation that offers them an opportunity to sample a variety of vocational courses, including automotive repair, carpentry and culinary arts. Once the students find a field they like and are willing to commit to it, they enter a program that teaches job-ready skills needed to live as independent adults.

For most kids, Fr. Angelo is their first point of contact with the Bosco Children Project—and their ongoing presence. After breakfast every day, he heads to his “office,” which is really a 30-seat bus that he drives around the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Along the way, he gathers the little girls and boys who struggle to stay safe and warm in what he calls the “pungent cold” of the highlands. And each day, thanks in part to friends like you, he brings more of them into that bustling morning cafeteria—where, over a hearty and nutritious meal, they dare to begin dreaming of a future filled with hope.

Our mission gives hope and opportunity to vulnerable children in Ethiopia and around the globe. What’s your mission?