The Commitment of “Missioni Don Bosco”
“Concern, suffering and disorientation are the emotions I perceived while listening to the voices of my confreres—Fr. Simon from Beirut, Fr. Emanuele from Jerusalem and Fr. Pier from Aleppo—who are currently in this terrible theatre of war,” testified Fr. Luca Barone, President of Missioni Don Bosco, the Salesian Mission Office based in Turin. “They are the voices of those who deeply love their people, who have become one with those lands where Salesian houses are now becoming refuges for those fleeing, shelters where people can receive food and medicine, homes where they can be welcomed, and places of prayer where they can find faith and consolation. I responded to my confreres that Missioni Don Bosco is here to give voice to them.”
The Situation in the Different Territories
In the Holy Land, schools in Nazareth and Bethlehem have been closed and the population has been forced to seek refuge. In Damascus, in Syria, fragments of rockets falling in the area of Jaramana caused explosions, leading to the precautionary closure of the Salesian center. In Lebanon, raids struck Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and several areas in the north and south. Numerous victims and injured people have already been reported, along with tens of thousands of newly displaced persons, adding to an already precarious humanitarian situation. The activities of the two schools, the Don Bosco Technique and the Angels of Peace, have been suspended.
Immediate Assistance to the Displaced in Lebanon
In Lebanon, from the very first hours the Salesians intervened to provide initial shelter in the houses that remained open, offering help to the displaced, to those who lost their homes and to those searching for a safe place. As happened during the 2024 war, the Salesian house of El Houssoun has already welcomed about 116 displaced people, including two newborns, a mother who has just given birth and twelve elderly persons. Many of these families arrived after a 16-hour journey covering 110 kilometers because of the enormous traffic congestion caused by the mass exodus of people fleeing the bombings.
The Needs of Families and Children
At present this group also includes 45 children who fled during the night from the southern regions. Almost all the displaced have arrived without clothes or personal belongings in a place where winter temperatures drop to about 3°C. “We must guarantee the basic conditions for all these people—warm clothing, food and water—and this is what we are focusing on,” explained Joe Attalla, Director of the Don Bosco work in Lebanon. The families reached the Salesian center exhausted and with very few personal items, therefore the priority was to ensure dignified conditions from the very beginning.
Classrooms Transformed into Emergency Shelters
“The classrooms of the center were quickly transformed into welcoming spaces with mattresses, blankets and basic humanitarian aid kits, but we need help. The displaced need food, blankets, warm clothes and essential goods, especially for children and the elderly,” testified the coordinators of this emergency response.
International Solidarity and Emergency Aid Campaign
In this context, Missioni Don Bosco immediately launched a specific campaign to gather resources in order to provide immediate assistance to displaced people, offer psychological support to the most fragile and sustain the Salesians working on the ground so that they can face this new emergency in the best possible way. For more information, visit: www.missionidonbosco.org.
