Mary Help of Christians Parish in Comayagüela provides skills training for unemployed youth

(MissionNewswire) The Mary Help of Christians Parish in Comayagüela, Honduras, in collaboration with World Vision and the Mexico Fund – Youth Building the Future in Honduras, launched the NINIS project. It offers youth, ages 19-29 who do not study or work, the opportunity to acquire technical skills and financial support.

The project was founded based on social co-responsibility between the public and private sectors to help youth have employable skills. About 250 people have signed up for the program to date.

“Providing technical training to youth is the first step in helping them achieve self-sufficiency,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “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 youth as possible to ensure that they have access to long-term stable employment.”

The Salesians are regarded as the single largest provider of vocational and technical training in the world. They offer more than 1,000 vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools around the globe. This training provides youth the practical skills to prepare for employment and helps them lead productive lives while becoming contributing adults in their communities. These programs go beyond educating. They also assist youth with making connections within industries and preparing them for the process of searching, finding and retaining employment.

The second largest country in Central America, Honduras is one of the poorest and most crime-ridden countries in the Western Hemisphere with 60 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Rough geographic terrain in the country has limited the development of transportation, keeping much of the rural population isolated. Poverty and food scarcity are severe in rural areas and one out of every four Hondurans struggles with chronic malnutrition. In addition, one out of every five Hondurans lacks access to adequate health care.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Honduras for more than 100 years operating schools, youth centers, and medical clinics to help support and educate poor youth and their families. In addition, thanks to an ongoing partnership between Salesian Missions and Rise Against Hunger, an international relief organization that provides food and life‐saving aid to the world’s most vulnerable, thousands of people in need, from infants to seniors, are receiving crucial medical aid and nutritious food through Salesian programs in Honduras.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Honduras – A project in favor of young people launched

Salesian Missions – Honduras

World Bank – Honduras