“Many youths are living on the streets in Lagos and fighting to survive” because of “the high rate of domestic violence, child abuse, poverty and negative environmental influences,” the officials of SDB entity say.
On the streets of Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous city, many of the young people who “have been denied the opportunity of proper parental training, family love and even education” turn to “crime, drug abuse and other risky behavior,” SDB officials further note in the report.
“Because Lagos is a major city, there are many youths who come looking for greener pastures including some who have run away and think they will find work and money,” the Director of the Don Bosco Child Protection Center, Fr. Augustine Okeke has been quoted as saying in the February 9 report.
Making reference to the young people, Fr. Okeke adds, “Once they get to Lagos, they realize they have nothing and end up living on the streets. We help them by creating a family for them so they feel loved and supported. They have a safe place to live and gain an education and skills.”
Through the Don Bosco Child Protection Center, SDB members support the young people by removing them from the streets, giving them access to education and skills training, and instilling hope for a brighter future.
The rehabilitation of the street boys starts with members of SDB visiting them “in their own environment (on the streets)” and offering them moral and psychological support, the Salesians say in the report.
In subsequent contact with the street boys, members of the St. John Bosco-founded Religious Institute collaborate with a rescue team comprising police officers, the child protection officers, welfare and the court officers, to take these youth to the Center.
“Once youth are in the Don Bosco Child Protection Center, they are provided counseling, skills training and daily support. The goal is to help prepare them for the next stage of life,” officials of SDB note.
They add, “Family reunification takes place later if it is possible. Salesian staff work with the family and each boy to help reintegrate him into family life and then follow up with the family to ensure that all is well and address ongoing challenges.”
Established in 2014 by SDB leadership, the Lagos-based Don Bosco Child Protection Center has a mission of working through the principles lived by St. John Bosco in order to ensure security, good health, education and skills development of children at risk, by focusing on their integral transformation, creating a home for the victims of poverty.
