BOYS' AND GIRLS' TOWNS OF ITALY

Tijan's mother paid smugglers to take her 8-year-old son from his home in Sierra Leone to Italy. She feared that he would be kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier. After a harrowing trip across the Mediterranean, Tijan arrived at Boys’ Town in Rome.

For over 70 years our Towns in Italy have given a chance in life to children like Tijan. After graduating from Boys' and Girls' Towns of Italy, Tijan opened up his own cafe with the skills he acquired from the vocational training.

Our Towns in Italy have earned international recognition as vibrant examples of the capacity of children to assume responsibility for themselves and for each other. The experience of being a citizen, store keeper, banker and of being elected by one’s peers as mayor or judge, has offered thousands of boys and girls a unique opportunity for personal growth and development.

Boys' and Girls' Towns of Italy includes two locations. Both La Città dei Ragazzi in Rome and La Repubblica dei Ragazzi in Civitavecchia were founded by Monsignor John Patrick Carroll-Abbing in the 1950s.