The École Normale Technique (ENTEC) is already a reality in Haiti. Inaugurated a few months ago, this center will help hundreds of young people receive quality formation and, in turn, be able to train other young people. The Salesians, with the support of the Spanish Salesian NGO "Jóvenes y Desarrollo" and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID), has managed to achieve what seemed a dream.
"This new center makes us continue to believe in the future and to dream of a different Haiti, rich in opportunities for young people and children," explained Fr Jean Paul Mésidor, Provincial of the Salesians of Haiti, on the day of the building's inauguration.
The initiative represents an important step forward in fostering Vocational Training through the improvement of teachers' skills and study programs.
ENTEC is the first center of its kind in Haiti and will help modernize approaches and study programs so that teachers can provide complete and quality education to Haitian youth.
The low level of education that young people receive and the lack of pedagogical resources of professional teachers are two major obstacles to the country's development and of its students. For this reason, it was decided to collaborate with the Spanish institutions and with the Haitian government.
A few weeks after the inauguration, the Spanish Ambassador in Haiti, Hon. Pedro José Sanz Serrano, visted the center; he underlined the importance of this education project and thanked the Salesians for their special dedication to vocational training, a line of work that helps the development of communities.
In fact, many young people find themselves facing difficult obstacles and situations to their studies due to the earthquake of 2010 and the passage of hurricane Matthew in 2016, which have wreaked havoc all across the country.
The district of La Saline, one of the most dangerous in Port-au-Prince, is the living face of poverty in which more than half of the 10 million Haitians live, and which drives thousands of young people to emigrate. Only in the last 3 years, around 300,000 Haitians have emigrated in search of a better future.
