Salesians in Haiti: supporting young people with food, education and hope.

In the midst of the humanitarian crisis that Haiti is going through, marked by violence and hunger, the work of Salesian missionaries has represented a vital livelihood for thousands of young people. The Salesian congregation, present in the country since 1935, maintains its commitment to social, educational and spiritual assistance.

According to The Vatican Fides Agency reportsthis help came to the Caribbean country thanks to the collaboration with the humanitarian organization Rise Against Hunger. Food shipments were received by the Salesians of Don Bosco, who distribute them mainly in three centers throughout the island, where more than 2,300 young people receive a healthy meal per day.

These centers are: “Don Bosco Technique”, An educational complex with a professional training center located in Fort-Liberté, in the northeastern region of Haiti;“ Lakay Don Bosco ”, a project present in several areas of the country that serves minors; and the“ Vincent Foundation ”, located in Cabo Haitiano, which offers education and training to children with disabilities in Haiti.

“Most Haitian families cannot guarantee regular and balanced food, so these centers represent a blessing and a sign of the love of God active in social justice,” says Fides.

It should be noted that these centers are not limited to offering school feeding, but also develop other activities such as family reinercorciones, professional training, primary and secondary education, labor practices, catechesis and pastoral programs.

Hunger in Haiti in figures

This occurs in a context in which violence in Haiti has climbed alarmingly in recent years.

According to the UN Human Rights Officeat least 5,601 people were killed in 2024 as a result of the violence of the gangs, which represents a significant increase with respect to 2023. In addition, 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 were kidnapped.

The increase in armed violence has caused massive displacements and aggravation of hunger, As he warned The World Food Program (PMA). In a report of the Integrated Food Safety Classification (CIF), it is indicated that around 5.7 million people, “more than half of the population of Haiti, experience acute food insecurity for June 2025”.

“Of that population, more than two million will face emergency food insecurity, while some 8,400 people will face a catastrophic situation, the most critical level of food insecurity, characterized by extreme shortage of food, severe acute malnutrition and risk of famine,” says the UN not by the UN.

In this context, the testimony of beneficiaries such as Jeannot, a 15 -year -old orphan who studies in Lakay Don Boscoshows the impact of Salesian work. According to FIDES, thanks to his participation in training programs and food support, “Jeannot has been able to improve his destiny, now aspiring to become a mechanic.”

“Before it was difficult to teach them something, because a hungry belly has no ears,” said Fides Lourdena Bien-Aime Pierre, in charge of food in Lakay Don Bosco.

The presence of Salesians in Haiti

According to ANSthe Salesians began their work in Haiti in 1935, in response to the government’s request from a professional school. Since then, “Don Bosco’s children have expanded their work to include eleven main educational centers and more than two hundred small schools throughout the country.”

These eleven centers include primary and secondary schools, professional training centers and “other programs for street children and young people in vulnerability.”

Salesian programs are mainly in the cities of Puerto Príncipe, Fort-Liberté, Cap-Haïtien, Les Cayes and Gressier. Today, Salesian missionaries represent the largest educational institution outside the Haitian government.