There are no facilities in Angola for young people who have broken the law. Some are sent to detoxification centres, others are followed by social services, many return to the streets and after a short time they return to make the same mistakes. The peculiarity of the Salesian “Um novo começo” program is that Salesian missionaries actively involve families, not only trying to bring children back to their family home, with personal development, educational and school activities, but also offering parents psychological support and the possibility of following professional courses.
Last year, 209 children (186 boys and 23 girls) and their families benefited in Luanda from the Salesian initiative, developed by Dom Bosco Angola, with funding from the European Union and the support of the Angolan government and UNICEF.
Francisco, 16, is one of the beneficiaries of the Salesian program. He was part of a group of teenagers who, during a brawl, had stabbed another young man, who was in danger of dying. The judge granted him six months of probation and he served the sentence in the Salesian centre through the “Un novo começo” project.
"When I came to the Salesians, I immediately liked the educators and the conversation they had with me about my friends, about quitting smoking and drinking... So much so that I even brought a friend with me to follow the course ”he explains. Francisco participated in the painting and drawing workshop and one on Reference people, Gender and Sexuality. The aim of all the courses is to promote the inclusion of adolescents in the groups and projects developed by the municipality, strengthen their self-esteem and social responsibility, encourage their participation in artistic and cultural groups and contribute significantly to the construction and strengthening of their identity.
Project managers assist and guide families in the necessary attention to adolescents in the processes of behavioural change. In addition, they promote health and education, provide the necessary opportunities for their development processes, as well as access to culture, sport and well-used leisure time; all things that help the youngsters reintegrate into society and live with joy and a sense of fulfilment.
“My family was very happy to see me take these courses and participate in these activities. With the help of the project educators and my family, who supported me from the beginning, I really decided to start my life anew ”explains Francisco.
Marquinha Pires is the mother of one of the project's beneficiaries. “My son has been here for nine months, he is a new person and he behaves well. I thank the Salesians in Angola for the work they have done with us and with our children who, due to the circumstances of life, have ended up before the juvenile judge. The ‘Um novo começo’ project has helped us a lot in the re-education process ”she testifies.
She herself attended one of the courses offered by the Salesians, on parenting, and reports how it has been very useful for families with children who have broken the law, because it allows them to re-educate their children "through various topics, such as assertive and positive communication, recovery and reintegration into society, teaching for primary school and psychological and medical assistance".
“The impossible became possible, because we thought that the pandemic would ruin the accompaniment of our children and that they would not continue the vocational courses provided by the project. But to our great joy this did not happen, ”the woman concludes with satisfaction.
