"We know that access to education lays the foundation for a better future for all youth and that work must continue even as we face a global health crisis," said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. "In many countries around the globe where poverty is high and access to education is not universal, it is crucial that Salesian missionaries continue to offer technical and vocational training to as many youths as possible to ensure that they have access to long-term stable employment."
The theme for this year’s World Youth Skills Day is “Transforming youth skills for the future.” This is properly what Salesians do in so many places in the world.
Don Bosco Vocational Center, located in Mimboman, Cameroon, provides education for vulnerable youth in the Mimboman neighborhood of Yaoundé. A three-story building includes 12 classrooms, laboratories, and offices. A newer school building added in 2021 allows more students to attend and provides space for additional educational programs including a bachelor's level course. Last year, the school was able to buy 55 new computers, which enabled more students to enroll in the computer science class. “This is the first time that our students are learning computer science using a computer,” said Father Sabé José Maria, economer at the college, said at the time.
Don Bosco Ngangi, located in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is working to transform the lives of youth who are at high risk of becoming victims of communal violence. In addition to the life skills and technical and vocational skills training youth receive, Don Bosco Ngangi also provides a suitable environment for forming good Christians and honest, upright citizens. Since August 2021, 74 young ex-combatants and young girls and women who were collateral victims of community violence have been trained to become plumbers, bricklayers, hairdressers, and beauticians. The goal is to reduce violence in the community and give young men a chance at a prosperous future through legitimate means so that they do not join armed groups to earn a living. Young girls and women are given a second chance at life after being victims of violence. At the end of the three months of training, these students will be citizens with a focus on reconciliation, peace, and development.
Salesians have launched new short-term training courses for young men and women in Haiti who want to find employment in the construction industry to help rebuild collapsed houses after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,000 people and left thousands injured and homeless on Aug. 14, 2021.
Spurce: Salesian Missions
