Don Bosco Kalaburagi, India
For many years, ASMOAF has walked alongside the Salesians of Don Bosco in India, supporting education, care and development initiatives that place young people at the centre. One such work is the Don Bosco Program for Young at Risk (PYAR) in Kalaburagi.
For more than two decades, the PYAR in Kalaburagi has been a place of safety and hope for vulnerable children and youth. Established in 2002, the program responds to the harsh realities faced by children living in poverty, on the streets, in child labour, or within unstable and crisis‑affected family situations. Many arrive having missed years of schooling and basic care, carrying the weight of trauma, neglect and uncertainty about their future.
PYAR provides rescue, temporary shelter and a pathway back into education through its residential bridge school and rehabilitation programs. Since 2002, the centre has helped over 1,200 children return to schooling and move toward more stable futures, while also supporting youth at risk, migrant workers and rural communities through education, skills training, and health and livelihood initiatives.
Today, the work continues, but the need is growing. The current building, an ageing structure, is no longer safe or suitable for ongoing use. Plans are now underway to construct a new, purpose‑built centre that will allow PYAR to continue and strengthen its mission. The new facility will provide young people with safe spaces to study, areas for skills training, and a stable environment where they can recover, learn and grow with dignity. By creating spaces designed specifically for education, care and rehabilitation, PYAR reflects the heart of Don Bosco’s mission in India, walking alongside vulnerable children with a steady, life‑giving presence at one of the most critical points in their lives.