"Being able to share and see on the ground the work being done by our partners is essential to continue working together and with new ideas in favor of the most vulnerable groups we work with," says Begoña Simal, Bosco Global's International Cooperation Coordinator, who along with Virginia Martín traveled to Senegal at the end of November.
Ms. Martín explains that "in the three Salesian presences - Dakar, Tambacounda, and Thiès - we had a meeting with the Salesian community, a visit to the presence, as well as some meetings with young people, educators, and people from the surrounding area, to gather their needs and concerns, as well as to plan what steps would be needed to improve the quality of life of the population."
During the trip, they were accompanied by Romeo Salami, Head of Bosco Action, the Planning and Development Office of the North West Africa Province (AON), and Eric Vassi, its Local Manager in Senegal.
"The trip allowed us to monitor the various projects in the area, but also to collaborate with the country's Salesians in the design phase of new proposals to help improve conditions for the local population," says Begoña Simal.
Elena Marín, the third member of the team, traveled instead to Ghana, visiting the presences of Sunyani and Ashaiman from November 21 to 28 to follow the project of reconstructing a student residence hall and, at the same time, verify the possibility of starting new projects. "The goal of the trip was to continue to strengthen ties with the new St. Joseph Province of Southern West Africa (AOS)," Ms. Marín explained. "For this reason, a stop was made at the Provincial headquarters in Ashaiman (Ghana), where the technical office for projects is located, and two technicians from the office accompanied me to visit them. Two new projects were identified that we hope to implement in 2023," she adds.
Looking more closely into the projects already present in Senegal, the one in Thiès, Tambacounda and Dakar should be mentioned. In the former, the vocational school offers quality training to young people to ensure their access to the world of work in decent conditions. In Tambacounda, on the other hand, an experimental grounds has been created and some 20 family gardens have been established using organic farming techniques. Finally, in Dakar, training courses in Cooking and Pastry-making and the Photovoltaic Energy training project have already been launched, both of which have been enthusiastically received by the young people.
In Ghana, instead, one must mention the presences of Ashaiman and Sunyani. In the former, there are two communities that run a technical school, the parish, and the "Children Protection Center," a temporary shelter for children rescued from child trafficking and other at-risk situations. In the second, there is a community that runs the Don Bosco Technical School, the Boys Home, a shelter and residence for abandoned or socially at-risk children, and the parish with the oratory. Another community then houses the Novitiate and runs oratories in small villages in the surrounding area.
