The Salesians take care of them through the Don Bosco Makululu work in the city of Kabwe. The city is one of the largest in the country and is located in the central province of Zambia; the Salesian mission is located in what is considered the largest informal settlement area in the country and one of the largest in Africa.
There were lead and copper mines in the area that made the soil, air and water highly polluted – the city is in fact among the ten most polluted in the world. Now the mines are closed and many people have lost their jobs because of it. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the nearby villages come to Kabwe because they are convinced that life is easier in the city, but once they arrive, they discover that they do not have a job and that they have to look for occasional jobs to live day by day.
Most families cannot meet the educational needs of their children, given the extreme poverty. Family breakdown, alcohol abuse, prostitution and high mortality caused by diseases such as HIV/AIDS, are the most common problems affecting this population. This is why so many children and young people run away from their families or are abandoned on the street.
The minors who arrive at Don Bosco Makululu are ten, twelve, fourteen years old... The youngest was only seven years old when he was found on the street. What do they need? Everything: first of all, home, care, security. And they find answers and warmth at "Ciloto", an orphanage for street children, part of the Salesian work. There they regain their childhood, although overcoming addictions and traumas is a time-consuming process.
"Our school welcomes all children in difficulty" say the Salesians active in Makululu, "Sometimes we get 14-year-olds who can't read and write. They would no longer be accepted in a public school. We create classes for them, so that they can start their education. We have more than a thousand students in the school. In the future, they will be able to find a job and not worry about their daily meals."
To tell their stories and bring out the work done by the Salesians with these boys and girls, the Don Bosco Foundation in Makululu has made the documentary "Saved from the Street", available in Italian and English on YouTube – and previously made in Polish by the Salesian Missionary Foundation “Don Bosco” in Warsaw.
For more information, visit: http://www.donboscomakululu.org/
