Fr. George Chempakathinal Receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Youth-at-Risk Ministry

NEW DELHI, Oct 3, 2026: Fr George Chempakathinal, Director of Don Bosco Ashalayam, Kolkata, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of service to children and young people facing poverty, neglect, homelessness and social exclusion.

The award was presented in New Delhi by the national body working in the field of Youth at Risk (YaR), recognising Fr George’s sustained contribution to the care, rehabilitation and empowerment of vulnerable children and youth.

Fr George’s ministry has been closely associated with Don Bosco Ashalayam, a Salesian initiative established in Kolkata in 1985 to support children and young people in vulnerable situations. The programme combines residential care with education, counselling, life-skills formation and vocational training.

Having served Ashalayam in various capacities over several decades, Fr George returned to the institution as Executive Director in 2021 after nearly a decade of academic and administrative service at Salesian College, Darjeeling. He had then drawn attention to the growing vulnerability of children in remote villages, urban slums and on the streets.

His involvement in youth-at-risk ministry has extended to the wider Salesian network. He has been associated with the Salesian Youth at Risk network in India and served as coordinator of YaR for the Kolkata Province. The national Salesian YaR Forum brings together practitioners working with vulnerable children and young people across the country.

Under his leadership, Ashalayam has continued programmes in educational rehabilitation, vocational preparation and community-based intervention, reaching children from slums and other vulnerable communities in Kolkata.

The institution's work has evolved from providing care and protection to a broader child-development approach focused on restoring access to education, relationships, skills and opportunities for a dignified future.

Fr George combines academic scholarship with grassroots engagement. He holds a doctorate in child care and has taught sociology and social work at Salesian College, Sonada and Siliguri, before returning to youth services.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises his long-standing commitment to accompanying, educating, protecting and empowering young people at risk, particularly those affected by poverty and social exclusion.

The recognition in New Delhi also highlights the wider work of Ashalayam and the Salesian youth-at-risk ministry in providing vulnerable young people with opportunities to rebuild their lives and develop their potential.Fr George Chempakathinal Receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Youth-at-Risk Ministry

NEW DELHI, September 30, 2026: Fr George Chempakathinal, Director of Don Bosco Ashalayam, Kolkata, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of service to children and young people facing poverty, neglect, homelessness and social exclusion.

The award was presented in New Delhi by the national body working in the field of Youth at Risk (YaR), recognising Fr George’s sustained contribution to the care, rehabilitation and empowerment of vulnerable children and youth.

Fr George’s ministry has been closely associated with Don Bosco Ashalayam, a Salesian initiative established in Kolkata in 1985 to support children and young people in vulnerable situations. The programme combines residential care with education, counselling, life-skills formation and vocational training.

Having served Ashalayam in various capacities over several decades, Fr George returned to the institution as Executive Director in 2021 after nearly a decade of academic and administrative service at Salesian College, Darjeeling. He had then drawn attention to the growing vulnerability of children in remote villages, urban slums and on the streets.

His involvement in youth-at-risk ministry has extended to the wider Salesian network. He has been associated with the Salesian Youth at Risk network in India and served as coordinator of YaR for the Kolkata Province. The national Salesian YaR Forum brings together practitioners working with vulnerable children and young people across the country.

Under his leadership, Ashalayam has continued programmes in educational rehabilitation, vocational preparation and community-based intervention, reaching children from slums and other vulnerable communities in Kolkata.

The institution's work has evolved from providing care and protection to a broader child-development approach focused on restoring access to education, relationships, skills and opportunities for a dignified future.

Fr George combines academic scholarship with grassroots engagement. He holds a doctorate in child care and has taught sociology and social work at Salesian College, Sonada and Siliguri, before returning to youth services.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises his long-standing commitment to accompanying, educating, protecting and empowering young people at risk, particularly those affected by poverty and social exclusion.

The recognition in New Delhi also highlights the wider work of Ashalayam and the Salesian youth-at-risk ministry in providing vulnerable young people with opportunities to rebuild their lives and develop their potential.

By Fr. Santosh Digal