After Launch of First-Ever Integral Ecology Plan in Kenya, Salesians Lauded for “being an inspiration”

Nairobi, 12 October, 2025 / 8:55 PM

The Coordinator of Don Bosco Green Alliance, a global network comprising over 600 Salesian institutions across 90 countries, has lauded  Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in East Africa for spearheading the first-ever Integral Ecology Plan (2026-2030) for the Congregation’s institutions in Kenya.

In his keynote address during the launch on Thursday, October 9 at Don Bosco Church Hall in Nairobi’s Upper Hill, Fr. Savio Silveira also lauded SDB in the East African Province for heeding the Don Bosco Green Alliance’s call for every province worldwide to develop an Integral Ecology Plan.

“I’m happy that Don Bosco, Nairobi, is a clear front-runner in this field. To the best of my understanding, this would be one of the first Provinces, first Salesian Provinces in the world, to officially have and launch an Integral Ecology Plan,” Fr. Silveira said.

He thanked Salesians in the East African Province, which comprises Kenya, Sudan, and South Sudan, “for being an inspiration and a model to the rest of the Don Bosco world.”

In an interview with ACI Africa ahead of the launch, the Executive Director of the Don Bosco Development Outreach Network (DBDON), Fr. Sahaya G. Selvam,  said that the initiative that seeks to end the “piecemeal” approach to projects across their institutions in the East African nation drew inspiration from Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical Letter on the care for our common home, Laudato Si’.

The launched Plan is to guide the implementation of projects across the 14 Don Bosco institutions in Kenya, and is anchored on six pillars: energy, carbon, water and waste management, sustainable agriculture, and ecological conversion.

Several activities, including a tree planting session and discussions around the six pillars were carried out at the October 9 launch, during which SDB members appealed for more partners to come on board and help in the implementation of the plan.

In his address, which he delivered virtually, Fr. Silveira, who was recently appointed to coordinate Integral Ecology in the Salesian Youth Ministry Sector for the 2025–2031 term, explained that the launch is part of the Salesians’ broader efforts to address the growing anxiety among young people regarding environmental issues.

“A phrase that we are hearing quite often these days, which is unfortunately becoming popular across the world, is the term eco-anxiety. We talk about eco-anxiety among young people. That means children, youth, having eco-anxiety,” he said.

Eco-anxiety, the Coordinator of Don Bosco Green Alliance explained, “is defined as young people having a consistent fear and anxiety about their health, about their education, about their jobs, about their future, in the context of what is happening with regard to the environmental crisis.”

“How is the climate crisis? How is air pollution? What are other factors that make up the environmental crisis? How is all this going to affect them and their future? This is what we call eco-anxiety among young people,” Fr. Silveira said.

The Indian-born Salesian Priest said that the young people in different countries of the African continent are experiencing eco-anxiety as they are worried about the future due to climate change and because of the environmental crisis.

“If the environmental crisis is causing serious concern to young people, not only does this become a concern for the Don Bosco Society, it also becomes for us an immediate call to action,” he said.

“In the face of the environmental crisis, young people demand change,” he further said, adding that youths find it hard to understand “how anyone can claim to be building and living a better future without thinking about the environmental crisis.”

Fr. Silveira went on to highlight other initiatives that Salesians worldwide have spearheaded, including global youth movements, which focus on advocacy and environmental justice.

“Over the last decade, we have begun greening these youth movements, bringing in an entire green dimension to our youth work and to the youth movements,” he said in his October 9 address, and added, “We have been mobilizing youngsters to play an active role in environmental advocacy; we have been encouraging young people to join awareness campaigns.”

Additionally, Fr. Silveira continued, SDB members “have been fostering and encouraging youngsters even in our schools, parishes, and other places to join global networks that advocate for the environment.”

“Salesians are using digital platforms in all our international Salesian networks to spread the message of ecological responsibility,” he further said.

“We have had our young people, for example, participating in a variety of world events, be it World Environment Day, Earth Hour,” he said, referring to the September 1 to October 4 Season of Creation.

In his address, Fr. Silveira clarified about stakeholders and areas of focus, saying, “We don't only work in institutions; we also work in communities, and we know that, particularly, poor and marginalized communities worldwide are largely affected by climate change, water contamination, and air pollution.”

“We are working very seriously in so many parts of the world in helping local communities, especially poor and marginalized communities, by promoting environmental and sustainable practices,” he shared.

Fr. Silveira said that aspects like organic farming, afforestation, deforestation techniques, watershed management projects, and climate change adaptation for farmers are not only projects aimed at protecting the environment but also aimed at protecting livelihoods.

Salesians globally are also focusing on environmental education, green skills, aimed at moving the Congregation’s institutions to renewable energy.