Esmeraldas, Ecuador – May 2024 - Ten years ago, in the San Rafael Valley in the Province of Esmeraldas – a place marked by violence, drug trafficking, poverty and lack of opportunities – the María Auxiliadora Formation Centre (CEFORMAX in Spanish) came into being. The Centre has the support and collaboration of the Salesian Ecuador Project and the Salesian San Juan Bosco Community in Esmeraldas, which guarantees the recognition of the Pichincha Artisan Chamber for the courses and supports the Salesian identity of the proposal. Inspired by Don Bosco's work and Salesian values, its mission is to form vulnerable populations, especially those who aspire to forge a life plan and create their own activity. CEFORMAX currently maintains its formation offer thanks to the support of the Fundación del Valle and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID in Spanish) through the Inclusive economy for the women of Esmeraldas Project, as well as the Association for Cultural, Technical and Educational Cooperation (ACTEC in Spanish) with the Opening horizons to the vulnerable population of the Coast region Project. These initiatives allowed more than 130 participants to enroll in the courses in 2023, and until April 2024 the number of beneficiaries increased to over 270 people. The formation offered by three lay professionals consists of six sectors, with twelve courses, and is mainly aimed at women in Esmeraldas who face unemployment, lack of resources, gender violence, abandonment or who are heads of household.