Event on Friday, January 26, 2024, in Vienna | Guest Father Linus Valentine Onyenagubor talks about his important work in the streets of Lagos
Vienna (OTS) – On the occasion of the traditional “Day of Street Children”, the Austrian development organization Jugend Eine Welt welcomes a street worker who works for street children in Nigeria every day – despite great danger to his own life. Father Linus Valentine Onyenagubor will report on his everyday life in the streets of the megacity Lagos and also provide personal insights at the event on Friday, January 26, 2024, in the Curhaus on Stephansplatz in Vienna. Jugend Eine Welt managing director Reinhard Heiserer, together with honorary ambassador Chris Lohner, leads through an exciting afternoon about the important work of Don Bosco in Nigeria. Afterwards we look forward to a friendly exchange.
Dedicated street worker
With around 218 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. A good 15 million people live in the megacity of Lagos alone, including 100,000 street children. It is estimated that around 13 million children across the country are unable to attend school. Father Linus, Salesian of Don Bosco, is out and about in the streets of Lagos and looks after the children and young people. He speaks to them, tries to be their friend and supporter. His mission is to give them hope and prevent them from slipping into crime. Like Don Bosco once did, Fr. Linus works for these children; he gives them confidence, provides them with food as best he can and, if possible, enables them to receive an education. He invites them to come to the Child Protection Center once a week to spend a few hours carefree.
Urgent support for street children
Fr. Linus is on site as head of the Salesians of Don Bosco’s child protection center and supports the children and young people as best he can with the few resources available. Once a week, young people in the “Child Protection Center” can shower, receive a healthy, warm meal, receive medical care and are offered a space for conversations and games for a few hours. But then they have to go back to the streets, where abuse, beatings, hunger, disease and drugs are omnipresent.
Construction of a new child protection center in Lagos
Currently only around 15 children can live permanently in the existing child protection center. An additional and much larger one is therefore urgently needed. Thanks to the support of Jugend Eine Welt, donations were used to purchase a piece of land and the shell construction could already begin. There is still a lot to do, but once it is completed, over 100 children will be regularly accommodated in a protected place and prepared for a life of their own with education and training.
You can find further information about “Street Children’s Day” and the work of Jugend Eine Welt in Nigeria here.
Interview opportunity: Linus Valentine Onyenagubor is available for interviews during his stay in Austria. Please send inquiries by email to thomas.zach@jugendeinewelt.at or by telephone on +43 664 886 32 574.
Photos of Linus Valentine Onyenagubor working on the streets of Lagos and of the child protection center under construction are being made available free of charge for editorial reporting.
Please register for the event by email to press by January 22, 2024@jugendeinewelt.at
Youth One World | “Street Children’s Day 2024”
Datum: January 26, 2024, 3:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m
Ort: Curhaus
Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Url: https://www.jugendeinewelt.at/news-presse/termine/2024/tag-der-strassenkinder-2024/
Questions & Contact:
Mag. Thomas Zach, MA
Youth One World | Press and public relations
Tel. +43 664 886 325 74 | thomas.zach@jugendeinewelt.at