2014-09-12 14:05:00

SIERRA LEONE: The Salesians of Don Bosco Open a Reception Centre for Children Orphaned by the Ebola virus


The Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime has commended the Salesian community in Sierra Leone’s capital for opening a reception centre to help children who have lost their parents to the Ebola virus.  Speaking to the members of the community in Freetown via Skype on the inaugural day on 8th of September, the superior general of the Salesians expressed his closeness and that of the entire congregation to those who are committed to addressing the problems caused by the virus. He said this closeness to the community headed by Fr Jose Andrade Ubaldino is motivated by the fact that their heroic deeds represent "the face and hands of the congregation" in that area. "You are doing what Don Bosco himself would have done, thank you for being there and helping the young people in need," said the Rector Major.

He said together with the confreres in the General House of the congregation, they will continue to support the Salesians in the forefront in dealing with the Ebola emergency financially and also through prayers, as they continue to help the young and the needy people in this difficult condition.

Fr Fernández Artime recommended that as they tirelessly take care of others, especially the young, they should also take care of themselves because, he said, their well-being depends on a better service. He conveyed best wishes to the confreres, the lay collaborators and the children of the community.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa which was first reported in March has killed more than 2000 people in the worst affected countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Meanwhile, an organization in Sierra Leone run by the Salesians of Don Bosco recently launched an initiative to guarantee a fair trial for inmates at the country’s maximum prison. The Don Bosco Fambul Legal Support Project for inmates at Pademba Road Prisons aims at providing support to inmates who can’t afford to pay for legal services and ensure that their cases are heard. The year-long project which also includes counselling and rehabilitation work with the prisoners commenced on 1st of September. The project which is targeting young people in particular is being  implemented in collaboration with the Caritas office of the Archdiocese of Freetown. Speaking at the launching of the project in Freetown, Salesian Brother Lother Wanger said, “Most of the inmates are very poor and do not have legal representation and some do not even have files to go to court.” He said Don Bosco Fambul will strive to provide essential services to some one hundred inmates during the course of the implementation period of the project.

Speaking also during the presentation, the Director of Caritas Freetown, Father Peter Konteh said the initiative is not meant to encourage criminals in prisons but to give the inmates the justice they deserve. He said the Catholic church’s initiative will complement the efforts of the government in terms of reaching out to disadvantaged and marginalized young inmates and to guarantee them a better future.

He thanked the Sierra Leone Prison Service for giving them access to work within the prison. “Our staff are going to listen to them in there and find out their crime rates after which we will provide the legal services” said Fr. Konteh adding that “some inmates do not even need the service of any lawyer but just ordinary paralegal support based on our findings”.

The Salesians of Don Bosco through their organization Don Bosco Fambul in Sierra Leone run many programmes including a Girls Shelter and a project for street children.

(This story is an adaptation of articles published in the online edition of ANS, the news agency of the Salesians and the Awareness Times Newspaper of Freetown). 








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