(ANS – Kabwe) – They end up on the street when they’re still kids. Austin was poor, Felix was beaten by his drunk parents, Emmanuel was abandoned… They earn a living by transporting food, collecting plastic, and begging. They start sniffing glue to forget about loneliness and quickly become addicted. The street absorbs and destroys them. They are the poor and lonely young people of Kabwe who risk leading a life made entirely of tricks to survive unless they meet an outstretched hand to pick them up and offer them an opportunity. The documentary “Saved from the Street,” produced by the Don Bosco Foundation in Makululu, is dedicated to them and their stories of redemption.

The Salesians care for them through the Don Bosco Makululu work in Kabwe, one of the largest cities in the country. It is in the central province of Zambia, and the city is located in the Salesian mission, 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 them. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the nearby villages come to Kabwe because they are convinced that life is easier in the city. Still, once they arrive, they discover that they do not have a job and 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, and fourteen years old… The youngest was only seven when he was found on the street. What do they need? Everything. First of all, they need a home, care, and security. 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,” says 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 can 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/