Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO) is a voluntary organization working with street and working children in Bangalore city for the last thirty years, we derive our inspiration from BOSCO the priest Don Bosco of Turin (1815 – 1888), an educationalist who worked tirelessly for the betterment of destitute and needy youth who lived on the streets during his lifetime.

How it all began….

It was in the year 1980 that some Salesian students of Kristu Jyoti College, Bangalore felt a strong inclination to reach out to the neglected children and youth on the streets of Bangalore. In the process, they discovered the harsh reality of the thousands of children/youth who struggled on the streets for survival and felt compelled to start an initiative called Project outreach. The initial weekly programme grew to daily interactions with ad hoc service components like recreation, study, outings etc.

The next logical step was to set up a permanent shelter – to serve as a nodal point for all activities and where caring adults could build better relationships with street children. Five years later, in July 1985, the Bangalore Salesian Society bought a small two-storey building at Magadi Road, located two kilometres from the City Bus Stand and Railway station to serve as a contact point, night shelter and doubled up as a training unit as well. Fr. George Kollashany SDB patronised the project for the first nine long years and laid the foundation for the success that BOSCO is today. In the year 1986, BOSCO was registered as the Society.