About Us

Salesians of Don Bosco

Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), is an international organisation dedicated to the service of young people, especially the vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised. Salesians of Don Bosco was founded in the 1850’s by Saint John Bosco, an Italian priest and educator.

Saint John Bosco is popularly known as Don Bosco, “Don” being the Italian equivalent of “Father”. He named his organisation ‘Salesians’ because Don Bosco took as the patron of his organisation, Saint Francis de Sales, the 17thcentury bishop of Geneva, whose gentleness and kindness in all things, he wanted his followers to emulate.

Today the Salesians number over 13,600 SDBs working in 134 countries. In India 3000+ SDBs working through 400+ institutions and organisations, coordinated from 9 hubs or “Provinces” located at Bengaluru, Chennai, Dimapur, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Panjim, Shillong, Trichy, reach out to over a million young people and their families each year through a variety of interventions ranging from schools, colleges and universities, technical education centres, and parishes to engagement with the underprivileged and marginalised and community and social development interventions.