WHAT WE DO
Congregation of St. Joseph / Josephites of Murialdo
We educate to life, to the consciousness,
we follow the example of St. Leonard Murialdo so that
every work that we do should be witnessed by love.
We do it by welcoming them, through solidarity and education.
Founded profoundly in faith, message of the Gospel to defend the most needy and fragile.
St. Leonard Murialdo
“Metti la tua perseveranza sotto la protezione di Maria; metti nelle sue mani onnipotenti, e quanto onnipotenti altrettanto misericordiose, il grande affare della tua santificazione.” (S. Leonardo Murialdo, Epistolario V, 2146)
Pubblications
Events
Vita Giuseppina
This issue is dedicated to MURIALDIAN VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND WORKERS, a cornerstone of the charism of St Leonard Murialdo since the days of the Industrial Revolution.
Today, in the age of artificial intelligence, vocational training is once again proving to be an essential tool for the integral development of the person.
We hope these pages will encourage reflection on the educational questions of our time.
PROJECTS
We have more than 140 years of history of projecting and promoting activities of solidarity in 16 nations, in Italy and around the world. We continue to do it like ambassadors of peace, fraternity and unity in the consciousness that the diversity unify and enrich us.
Comedor San José
Comedor San José: a table always set. In the heart of Salinas (Ecuador), Comedor San José is a beacon of hope for many. Every day, more than 40 elderly people from the area receive not only a warm meal, but also the comfort of constant spiritual support. This daily miracle is made possible thanks to the dedication of 15 volunteers who tirelessly offer their time in service to others. Despite the financial support of the Congregation of the Josephites of Murialdo, the needs remain great. To continue guaranteeing this essential service, we need your help.
- Ecuador
- Number of beneficieries: 40
Scholarship for Studies
Colombia has been living in civil war for more than 50 years. Although the conflict officially ended with the peace treaty in 2016, violence continues in many areas of the country, increasingly connected to drug trafficking. Parallel to the expansion of the conflict and the political violence, Colombian cities are severely hit by a new wave of criminal acts and selective murders against members of the weakest and most marginalized sections of society (poor people, street children, small drug dealers, drug addicts, prostitutes and homosexuals). with the term “limpieza social” (social cleansing), it is one of the major consequences of the serious social conflict and of the discriminating and excluding policies of the economic and political classes. General objective of the project Accompany and support young university students from the La Sierra and Villa Turbay neighborhoods, educating them to be committed to their neighborhood. Specific objectives of the project Support young university students in the La Sierra and Villa Turbay districts, offering them a supplementary scholarship, which allows them to support the costs of transport, food and teaching materials. Accompany young people in their studies, constantly monitoring their performance and supporting them in learning. Educating young university students to serve the community, suggesting volunteering as a return for the scholarship received.
- Colombia
- Number of beneficieries: 6
- FOM January 2019
Let us meet Youngsters
Why in Nigeria? Because, one could say, the Lord preceded us by sending us vocations from that country, in which we have not been present so far: next December 2014 the first two Nigerian Josephites will be ordained priests. We intend to establish a community of service. pastoral and charismatic Josephite, in which our theology students will be able to join. We want to be a concrete and significant help for many children and young people present in this land currently struck by strong socio-religious tensions and tormented by an internal conflict in the North of the country. Our presence will characterized by a simple beginning, made of essentiality; it will be an expression on the one hand of an attitude of flexibility and on the other of an insertion consistent with the local reality. The 3 keywords of the style with which we want to insert ourselves in this country are: effectiveness, flexibility, sobriety. So let's talk about economic sustainability, sustainability charismatic-pastoral and socialism according to the local point of view. General objectives of the project Establish a permanent community of Josephan missionary presence, which can soon become a point of reference for the locals, especially for those most in need. To be a concrete and significant help for many children and young people present in this land currently struck by strong socio-religious tensions and tormented by an internal conflict in the north of the country. Specific objectives of the project Characterize the new Josephan missionary presence under the banner of stability and sobriety. This means living in a rented house, modest for the Josephan community, equipped with an electric generator for light, a vegetable garden for self-production and some rooms for hospitality. Going to meet the most needy locals with a preference for young people to help them come out of marginalization for economic and / or illiteracy reasons. This means equipping the Josephan community with a car and one or two motorcycles and material for social, educational and post-school activities (computers, printers, books, notebooks, pens, etc.). Enhance existing spaces and structures owned by other public and religious bodies to try to carry out socio-educational activities while minimizing its costs. This will ensure the optimization of the economic resources used. See the brochure
- Nigeria
- Number of beneficieries: 100
- FOM January 2014
Distance Support –Brazil
Distance Support – EPESMEL, Londrina (Brazil) Active in Londrina for almost 50 years, EPESMEL is an educational and social centre that supports children, adolescents and young people living in situations of social vulnerability, offering protection, education and new opportunities for growth. Every day, the centre supports over 400 children and young people, aged 6 and above, through educational activities, socio-educational workshops and vocational guidance programmes inspired by the charism of Saint Leonard Murialdo. EPESMEL provides a safe and welcoming environment, with fully equipped classrooms, laboratories, sports and recreational areas, as well as daily breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks, which are essential to ensure school attendance and overall wellbeing. The project promotes the holistic development of each person, strengthening family and community ties, encouraging social inclusion and supporting young people in building their own future.
- Brasile
- Number of beneficieries: 400
- FOM
Nuova presenza missionaria - BENIN
Beneficiaries: 150 young people. Beneficiaries already reached: project completion expected in 2026. Project value: € 8,000 to purchase materials for the youth centre. The project aims to create a youth centre and a school in an area full of children, yet lacking adequate and equipped spaces where they can play, grow together and receive proper education. Benin is a country with a developing economy, but youth employment remains limited and largely informal. There is a clear need to improve educational infrastructure, services and pathways to regular employment. The project plans the construction of a youth centre and a Josephite school in Benin, specifically in its historic city of Ouidah. Reference community: Community of Ouidah. Reference missionary: Fr. Robert KOUNOUGBE, robertk281@gmail.com
- Africa
- Number of beneficieries: 150
- FOM October 2025
Add a Place at Table
It is a food, educational and recreational support project for children and young people in the poor neighborhoods of the city of Medellin, Colombia. For everyone a table to eat, a table to learn, a table to play. Colombia has been living in civil war for more than 40 years and is seeing a progressive increase in armed conflict and violence. In this context, the phenomenon of "street children" has developed and worsened more and more, children and adolescents who are victims of family and school abandonment, who live on alms and petty crime. General objectives of the project With the project "Add a seat at the table" the Giuseppini del Murialdo, with MURIALDO WORLD onlus, want to guarantee every day to hundreds of children and young people under the age of 14, welcome and assistance by offering them: a hot meal (a table to eat), educators who accompany them on their school journey (a table to learn), a space where you can play (a table to play), in order to offer opportunities for social integration and support to children and their families in order to counter the indices of violence, illegality and apathy in the area. Specific objectives of the project In particular, the project has as beneficiaries more than 200 poor children and young people for whom you want to: Improve food and health conditions. Promote basic education, raise the level of education and create the conditions for access to higher education. Promote integral development by carrying out prevention activities.
- Colombia
- Number of beneficieries: 200
- FOM August 2015
Distance Support
Food, education and medical care without uprooting children from their families MURIALDO WORLD wants to use the term SUPPORT rather than DISTANCE ADOPTION because adoption is a form of dependence, while support is contribution, collaboration, it is walking together towards the construction of a better future. Distance Support is an act of solidarity towards a minor in difficulty, his family and his community, aimed at promoting human and social development in the country where he lives. By becoming a supporter you can take care of a child without uprooting him from his country and his family, you will support a project through which you can offer him the opportunity to get out of the condition of emergency and misery in which he lives. Who do you help with Distance Support? Distance Support is giving a hand to children, teenagers and adolescents from the South of the world who attend day centers, vocational training centers, kindergartens, homes, families, parishes, schools or other activities managed by the Josephine Missionaries of Murialdo. With € 310 a year, about 85 cents a day, you can support a child. Postal bulletin on C / C n.1001330032 Name: Murialdo World onlus Reason: SaD + possible name of the preferred country Bank transfer to Poste Italiane Payable to: Murialdo World Onlus IBAN Code: IT 17 E 07601 03200 001001330032 Reason: SaD + possible name of the preferred country
- Mondo
- Number of beneficieries: 5600
- FOM January 2009
Beyond the Walls
Beneficiaries: 25 young people. Beneficiaries already reached: 70 young people. Project value: € 7,750 for 25 young people per year. The project provides food, education and medical care to children and families in need in Mexico, without uprooting them from their loved ones, culture or territory. The project aims to offer concrete support to children and young people in three different Mexican cities (Mexico City, Aguascalientes and Hermosillo) in the educational field (school fees, books, teaching materials, etc.), which receives 50% of the financial resources; in the health field (medicines, medical care, check-ups, etc.), which receives 25% of the financial resources; and in the socio-family field (support to the child's family, food programme, recreational activities, etc.), which receives 25% of the financial resources. Reference community: Community of Hermosillo. Reference missionary: Fr. Giorgio Gelmini, gelmicimo@hotmail.com
- Messico
- Number of beneficieries: 25
- FOM November 2018
Sonho de Aline
A mission of welcome and future: the “Sonho de Aline” project begins its transition in Maranhão The Congregation is steadily continuing negotiations for the “Sonho de Aline” project, located in São José do Ribamar (Northeastern Brazil, Maranhão). This project represents a new frontier for our mission in an area marked by high youth unemployment, where a work inspired by Saint Leonardo Murialdo can offer concrete answers and hope. Today, the project already welcomes 40 children through an after-school programme, providing them with a safe and educational environment. The goal of the Josephites is to strengthen and ensure continuity for this initiative, responding to the urgent need for education and job guidance for young people in the area.
- Brasile
- Number of beneficieries: 40
Suburbs in the Center
This project focuses on children and young people who find themselves in the peripheries of the poorest state of India: Bihar. The way identified to achieve this is that of literacy, education and socio-cultural training through construction of a school in an area lacking in educational offer and characterized by a high rate of poverty. General objectives of the project Ensure access to primary schooling for all children, including the poorest living in rural suburbs. Bridging the gap in adult illiteracy through the involvement of pupils' parents. Spread hope and culture also to the poorest young people, essential elements for the integral preparation of future generations. Specific objectives of the project The purchase of land in a village of Buxar (see blue oval in the map of Bihar) and the construction of a primary and secondary school with multipurpose spaces in which to also offer training courses for adults. The creation of places where the local population can gather for moments of confrontation, conviviality and recreational and sports activities. See the brochure
- India
- Number of beneficieries: 680
- FOM January 2017
The Well is Life
The project improves the living conditions of local communities in Sierra Leone through the construction of clean-water wells. Beneficiaries: 400 young people and adults per well. Beneficiaries already reached: 22,000 young people and adults. Project cost: € 4,550 to build a clean-water well. Water is the most essential element for every living being. Donating a well to a village truly means donating life. The project includes activities aimed at:<
- Sierra Leone
- Number of beneficieries: 22000
- FOM January 2012
Distance Support - Ecuador
Distance Support – Ubaldo Bonucelli Preventive Centre, Ecuador The Ubaldo Bonucelli Preventive Centre supports children and young people living in situations of extreme poverty, family hardship and school dropout. Many of them have never attended school and, in some cases, have never even been officially registered at birth, making them invisible and particularly exposed to abuse, exploitation and social exclusion. Through the Distance Support programme, the project protects fundamental rights to education, care, play and protection, offering personalised support paths based on regular monitoring of family, social and economic conditions. The centre provides concrete assistance to families by contributing to food, medical and school-related expenses, while accompanying children and adolescents in educational and personal development programmes aimed at autonomy and self-reliance. By offering guidance, training and long-term support, the project helps young people become active and positive protagonists of their own lives, enabling them to build a dignified future within their own country.
- Ecuador
Work Scholarship
Beneficiaries: 4 young people. Beneficiaries already reached: 240 young people. Project value: € 1,800 for 4 young people. The project aims to counter discomfort and school dropout by promoting work-based learning and vocational training. It is a work-based inclusion pathway designed for boys and girls at high risk of socio-educational dropout, particularly those with neurodivergence or cognitive disabilities. The main purpose of the project is to support young people attending vocational schools who, due to family, social or psycho-physical difficulties, struggle to continue and complete their educational journey, thus increasing their chances of entering the labour market in the short to medium term. The project also aims to raise awareness within the territory that young people — even those most at risk from a disciplinary or social point of view — can build a dignified an
- Italia
- Number of beneficieries: 240
- FOM January 2017
Distance Support – Santa Maria della Sierra, Medellín (Colombia)
Distance Support – Santa Maria della Sierra, Medellín (Colombia) The Santa Maria della Sierra project operates in the city of Medellín, in the central-eastern area of Commune 8, Villa Hermosa, one of the most fragile and complex districts of the city. Activities take place in the neighbourhoods of La Sierra, Villa Turbay and Villa Liliam, mountainous areas exposed to high environmental and social risk, marked by poverty, violence and forced displacement. Led by the Giuseppini of Murialdo, the project represents a vital point of reference for the local community and supports every day over 500 children under the age of 14, offering welcome, educational assistance and concrete support to families. Through community canteens, spaces for play and study, qualified educators and socio-educational activities, the centre provides a daily meal, school support and a safe, protected environment, essential to prevent school dropout and reduce vulnerability. The project promotes social inclusion, peaceful coexistence and personal development, strengthening community bonds and offering children and their families tangible tools to build a more stable and dignified future.
- Colombia
- Number of beneficieries: 500
Distance Support – India
Distance Support – India In India, Distance Support is delivered through two educational and social projects working in highly vulnerable contexts, responding to different yet closely connected needs: the right to education, child protection, and the opportunity for children and young people living in poverty and social fragility to build a viable future. The Giuseppini of Murialdo are present locally with a daily commitment that places the person at the centre, regardless of religion, gender, caste or social condition. These projects are shaped by listening to local communities and operate as spaces of welcome, educational growth and human accompaniment. Murialdo Evening Study Centre – Aranvoyal Kuppam The Murialdo Evening Study Centre works across the villages of Aranvoyal Kuppam, Koppur and Papparampakkam, in a predominantly rural area where many families rely on daily labour and children attend public schools with limited resources. The centre supports children who need educational guidance and school assistance, offering an afternoon programme that complements formal schooling. Activities include homework support, study guidance and recreational moments, which are essential for strengthening social skills, respect for rules and cooperation. The project is designed as a family-like and inclusive space, where children can discover and develop their talents, build self-confidence and form positive relationships. It offers a safe and calm environment in which the most disadvantaged children find listening, educational guidance and opportunities for holistic growth. Boys Home – Nampikai Illam The Nampikai Illam Boys Home, whose name means “house of hope”, was founded in 2016 in a rural area of the Archdiocese of Madras–Mylapore and was officially recognised by the Indian Government in 2017. The home welcomes boys who are orphaned or come from extremely poor families or severe social hardship, offering a protected, stable and structured environment. Whenever possible, the project supports reunification with the family of origin, always placing the child’s wellbeing and educational path at the centre. The boys actively take part in community life, combining study, sport, prayer and daily responsibilities. Alongside residential care, the home is also involved in humanitarian support for the poorest families in the area, distributing food and essential goods. The project also supports after-school activities in three nearby villages, ensuring educational support for children beyond the residential programme. Thanks to Distance Support, the project can provide continuous and qualified accompaniment focused on the boys’ academic, personal and emotional development.
- India
United and Different
This project is the result of the close collaboration between the Josephan bodies MURIALDO WORLD and ENGIM which has always distinguished their way of operating in cooperation and in society. In Italy, the migration scenario is rapidly evolving. Integration difficulties represent potential elements of social crisis. The increase in the migratory phenomenon makes it necessary to improve the reception and socio-working integration system for migrants in general, but above all for those of them who are in a particularly vulnerable condition. The project consists of a series of integrated interventions aimed at welcoming and social-working integration of refugees and asylum seekers. In particular, the integrated action of reception and socio-working insertion will be carried out in Rome in via degli Etruschi 7 at the headquarters of ENGIM international NGO through: Reception and orientation activities. Training activity. Training internships. Active job search activity. Educational / cultural visits. Awareness raising activities. Cultural insertion activities. General objectives of the project Affirm the rights / duties and promote the social and labor integration of young people, especially those who are socially weaker such as refugees and asylum seekers. To prevent the immigration problem from turning into a problem of violence and illegality. Spread culture of welcome and fraternity. Specific objectives of the project The project aims to welcome and accompany at least 20 young refugees and asylum seekers per year towards full social inclusion. This means removing from the danger of illegality people who are already in Italy but who, without this intervention, would find themselves unemployed and without prospects even to survive.
- Italia
- Number of beneficieries: 20
- FOM January 2017
For a new Missionary
Beneficiaries: 85 young seminarians. Beneficiaries already reached: 100 young people. Project value: € 2,400 per missionary student per year. The project aims to support young seminarians who wish to begin a journey of faith in their own land—our mission land—but who lack the financial resources to sustain their studies. Supporting a future Josephite missionary means creating an opportunity for self-sufficiency in mission territories, moving towards an approach that is increasingly less based on assistance. The project provides support for a seminarian during his formation to become a Josephite missionary at the service of the poorest. Reference missionary in India: Fr. Saji Paul Varghese, sajipaul200@gmail.com Reference missionary in Africa: Fr. Andrew Dumbuya, dumbs@playful.com Reference missionary in Mexico: Fr. Giorgio Gelmini, gelmicimo@hotmail.com How to support them? Postal payment slip to C/C no. 1001330032 Account holder: Murialdo World Onlus Reason for payment: For a new Missionary Bank transfer via Poste Italiane Account holder: Murialdo World Onlus IBAN: IT 17 E 07601 03200 001001330032 Reason for payment: For a new Missionary View the leaflet
- India, Messico, Africa
- Number of beneficieries: 40
- FOM January 2012
Distance Support – Albania
Distance Support – Albania In Albania, Distance Support is delivered through two active projects that respond to different yet complementary needs, sharing one goal: to accompany children, young people and families in vulnerable situations along a path of growth, education and social inclusion. Since 1993, the Giuseppini of Murialdo have been present in the country through the Qendra Sociale Murialdo (QSM), providing educational opportunities, training and practical support so that young people can build their future while remaining in their own land. Qendra Sociale Murialdo – Durrës The Durrës project supports children and young people from families in difficulty, living in the communities of Spitalla and Reparto Ushtarak, where the risk of school dropout increases due to economic and social hardship. Distance Support helps ensure a steady and positive educational journey, from compulsory schooling through to university, recognising education as a pathway to personal and social empowerment. The project contributes to school supplies, supports transport costs, provides a small snack, and offers educational accompaniment, reducing long walks from outlying areas. Qendra Sociale Murialdo – Fier The Fier project operates in a context of significant social vulnerability, with a particular focus on Roma children and families in the villages of Drizë and Mbrostar, where access to education remains a daily challenge. Distance Support sustains school and social inclusion activities, starting with an essential service: school transport, which enables many children to attend regularly. Alongside schooling, the project promotes educational, recreational and social activities within the Oratory and the Drizë Community Centre, creating a safe space where children, young people and families feel welcomed and supported. Through the involvement of educators, volunteers and local staff, the project strengthens interest in education as a key to a better future and supports the social inclusion of the most vulnerable families.
- Albania