Salesian training gives participants knowledge to create sustainable income source

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian-run Anma Integrated Development Association (AIDA) in India held a one-day mushroom cultivation workshop for 22 participants, according to an article in The Morung Express. Through classroom and hands-on instruction, the workshop provided participants with the knowledge to create sustainable mushroom cultivation for employment. The training also emphasized the significance of sustainable agricultural practices.

According to the article, Father Roy George, AIDA’s executive director, expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to empower community members. He highlighted the workshop’s role in providing participants with the ability to develop a sustainable income source. It also was a means of fostering camaraderie among the participants for mutual learning and growth.

This training follows mushroom cultivation training that AIDA held for women’s self-help groups. In 2023, AIDA held a series in five villages with the goal of providing skills training for unemployed youth and women. The self-help groups were set up to help women have better employment opportunities. Fifty participants were taught about the construction of the mushroom house, preparation of straw, incubation/spawning and casing soil.

“Salesian missionaries in India provide educational programs to help ensure that those in poverty and with little access to education have the skills needed for employment,” said Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The goal is to help people become self-sufficient, which aids their families and communities.”

India has the world’s fourth largest economy but more than 22% of the country lives in poverty. About 31% of the world’s multidimensionally poor children live in India, according to a report by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.

India’s youth face a lack of educational opportunities due to issues of caste, class and gender. Almost 44% of the workforce is illiterate and less than 10% of the working-age population has completed a secondary education. In addition, many secondary school graduates do not have the knowledge and skills to compete in today’s changing job market.

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Sources:

Photo of women’s self-help group training courtesy of Don Bosco Tech

Anma Integrated Development Association

The Morung Express – AIDA Don Bosco imparts mushroom cultivation workshop

Salesian Missions – India

World Bank – India