The supported projects are many and diversified, both by type and by economic commitment. In the German Province alone, there were over 1.5 million euro with programs ranging from the purchase of a table tennis table for the Sannerz youth assistance centre to emergency aid for the hail-damaged Benediktbeuern monastery. One of the particularly substantial grants, on the other hand, was 80,000 euro for the restructuring of the second "family life group" in the Don Bosco youth cente in Penzberg; and attention was focused on facilitating common activities and creating meeting spaces for young people.
Some projects are supported by a single foundation, while for others up to nine foundations have joined together, for example for the work program open to young people at the Don Bosco Centre in Regensburg.
The "family" of benefactors in Salesian Germany is also committed to the world: last year it donated over 550,000 euro in 32 countries, from Argentina to the West Bank. Over 110,000 euro went to Ukraine alone and almost 90,000 euro to India. Small and large projects have also been supported around the world, from the purchase of musical instruments to the earthquake-proofing of school buildings in Istanbul.
According to their statutes, individual foundations also dedicate a part of their funds to external projects for young people: in 2023, these grants amounted to 200,000 euro.
Another positive note recorded during the year is the growth in the endowments of the foundations under the umbrella of Don Bosco Stiftungszentrum: thanks to their credibility and the quality of their work, more and more benefactors are bequeathing assets or properties to the foundation.
Finally, the number of foundations belonging to Don Bosco Stiftungszentrum is also growing: in 2023, two more were added, bringing the total to almost 200.
"We have chosen the title ‘The warmth of the heart in figures’ for our annual report because it underlines the emotional link with quantitative successes – explained Fr Claudius Amann, SDB, Chairman of the Board of the Don Bosco Foundation –. "Behind the figures, in fact, there is genuine commitment and compassion. And the desire of all our benefactors is the same that inspires us Salesians: to make the lives of young people a success."
For more information, please visit: https://www.donbosco-stiftungszentrum.de/
