On International Charity Day, Salesians Highlight Programs for Vulnerable Youth in Benin

In the West African nation of Benin, SDB members say, “Children at Foyer Don Bosco, a home for abused and abandoned children in Kandi, Benin, have received food support thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions.”

“The funding provided food support for 36 children, as well as cleaning products and medicines for the infirmary,” Salesian officials in Benin say in the September 5 report, adding, “Ten girls and boys have also benefited from the purchase of toolboxes for various trades.”

Officials of Salesian Missions further report that “Foyer Don Bosco serves boys and girls in very complex situations, including those who have been abandoned by their families, victims of abuse, and victims of forced marriages.”

“The area of Kandi often has an influx of children who are on their own. Children are sometimes sold on the black market and exploited in the workforce,” officials of Salesian Missions say.

They note that a “transit home was started with the support of UNICEF to host these children, while guiding them to other homes or trying to find their families.”

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“Foyer Don Bosco was created for children who have nowhere else to go or need to stay for long periods of time,” Salesian Missions officials say.

In collaboration with the juvenile courts of Benin, SDB members report that “minors who are in conflict with the law and in high-risk situations are assisted by the Salesians.”

“The border police also intercept children being trafficked from Niger and Burkina Faso,” the SDB members further say in the September 5 report.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.