Salesian programs focus on youth and their families.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (June 1, 2025) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and the international community in celebrating June 1 as the Global Day of Parents. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, the day honors parents throughout the world and provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents for their commitment to children.

The United Nations has noted, “Families, parents and caregivers play a central role in child well-being and development. They offer identity, love, care, provision and protection to children and adolescents as well as economic security and stability. In keeping with the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, family and parenting support is increasingly recognized as an important part of national social policies and social investment packages aimed at reducing poverty, decreasing inequality and promoting positive parental and child well-being.

In their work in more than 130 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries provide support to the parents of the children in their programs. Salesians want to ensure that youth have a stable environment and that their needs are met. They do this in their schools and centers by helping their parents succeed.

Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, said, “Whether it’s providing education so young single mothers can learn a skill for employment, providing feeding programs to ensure children have at least one meal a day at school or even providing health clinics, Salesians are not only taking care of youth but the whole family.”

In honor of the Global Day of Parents, Salesian Missions is proud to share Salesian programs around the globe that provide support for parents.

ECUADOR

The María Auxiliadora Reference Center in Mount Sinai, one of the most vulnerable areas of Guayaquil, Ecuador, helps more than 120 youth with their basic needs and ensuring they gain an education. The Guayaquil Salesian Project Foundation, which runs the center, receives funding from the German Salesian Jugendhilfe Weltweit Juwe organization.

A Salesian explained, “Youth receive comprehensive assistance that allows them to develop all their skills. In two daily sessions, morning and afternoon, youth are given school support, balanced nutrition and a wide range of workshops that promote their skills and talents. From guitar, soccer, chess, dance and arts classes, youth find a safe space to learn, have fun and grow.”

In addition, the foundation offers technical courses for parents, such as baking, which allow them to generate their own income and improve the quality of life in their homes. This offers better outcomes for the entire family.

NIGER

Salesian missionaries in Niamey, Niger, have funding to support 250 families displaced from the communities of Makalondi and Torodi thanks to funding from Salesian Missions. Salesians are feeding 350 children who are at risk of dying from starvation. They have also been able to establish an emergency fund for the immediate needs of displaced persons.

A Salesian explained, “Being displaced from their communities, parents found it difficult to provide food for their children over the weeks of terrorist displacement. This lack of food was already degenerating to starvation and death until the support was provided. Since the provision of the support, the children have been cared for and nourished.”

Salesians are also providing a range of other services for families including temporary shelter for 61 families; water and kitchen items for cooking; and medical tests and treatments, especially for malnourished children and elderly people. Salesians are also ensuring access to education with preschool activities for children, literacy training for out-of-school adolescents, and awareness programs around personal hygiene, safety, first aid and security. Those who need extra support are also able to access counseling.

RWANDA

The Don Bosco School of Technical and Vocational Education in Muhazi, Rwanda, has held its first graduation ceremony for an agriculture course focused on women’s education. The graduating class was made up of 21 young mothers, all of whom came from vulnerable situations.

During the six-month course, the young women learned to produce soap and tofu to sell as a source of income. They also had the opportunity to participate in an internship and connect with mentors from various companies and cooperatives. Upon completing the class, each woman received a toolkit to help them begin  employment.

One of the objectives of this course was to promote gender equality and eradicate poverty among the young mothers. Another one of its primary objectives was to enable women to diversify their professional skills, thus ensuring they had more than one activity to depend on for income, if necessary.

UGANDA

Salesian missionaries living and working among the refugees at Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp in the border town of Palabek, Uganda, aim to focus some of their programmatic efforts on young mothers. The camp is currently home to nearly 72,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from South Sudan, and 60% are under age 13. Salesians have been supporting refugees since the opening of the camp in 2016.

According to the rules of the education system in Uganda, students who are pregnant or nursing mothers cannot attend school, which means that many of these young women do not receive the education and training they need.

A Salesian explained, “If they do go to school, they usually stop breastfeeding because they do not have facilities to have their babies nearby when they are in class. This is something unthinkable for many of these young mothers, who do not have other means to feed their babies.”

The Salesian added, “Almost all of these teenage mothers in Palabek have fled war and have not had the time or support they need to develop, improve their self-esteem, or learn how to look after children. They need training and information on how to care for their babies and themselves. It is difficult for them to maintain basic hygiene routines and healthy habits due to the lack of external supports available to them.”

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Contact: media@salesianmissions.org