These particular cradles, like incubators, provide the heat, humidity and light suitable for the proper development of under-weight newborns who have low chances of survival especially in areas where hospitals have extremely basic structures and equipment. Fifteen cradles of this type are already in operation in hospitals in Cape Verde, Cameroon, Senegal, Mozambique, Congo and Bolivia.
The innovative project is being carried out by about 200 young people from eight Salesian Vocational Training Centers, accompanied by about thirty teachers. Students make these air-conditioned cribs using resources and methodologies typical of vocational training studies, and at the same time carry out social voluntary work in favor of the needy people.
At the same time, this project allows them to know and manage production techniques and technologies following industrial working methods that are not always common in the school environment. Thus, they develop on collaborative work, virtual learning environments, analysis of the efficiency of production processes, decision-making process shared between departments, data management even while they are in an educative ambiance.
In this project young people learn to collaborate with companies, voluntary organizations, administrations as well as with other young people from the different centers involved, scattered across the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Castile and Leon, La Rioja, Madrid, Navarre and Basque country.
The NGOs "Medicina abierta al Mundo" and "Ayuda a Contenedores", for their part, ensure that the cradles arrive at their destination and can be used to save the lives of these children born in difficult situations.
Alfonso Gordillo, head of the Mechanics Department of the Salesian center in Pamplona, the center where the first 15 cradles were built last year, already illustrated the project in the "Los Boscos" Salesian centers in Logroño on 21 October and in the “Padre Aramburu” center in Burgos on 28 October. He will now present it in the other participating centers according to the following schedule:
- 4 November in the “Atocha” center of Madrid and in Aranjuez;
- 11 November in the “Don Bosco” center in León;
- 18 November at the “Deusto” center in Bilbao;
- 25 November at the “Fundación Masaveu” center in Oviedo.
With this initiative, the Salesians of Spain reaffirm their commitment to quality technical training capable of producing positive change in the world.
