Marie Dominique Center helps women gain access to labor market

(MissionNewswire) At the Marie Dominique Center, located in the Koumassi suburb near Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, 236 young women started professional training to help them improve their skills and living conditions. The center is run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to improve women’s access to work in an area that has high levels of illiteracy. Young women receive high-quality education and recreational options in the Koumassi district.

The educational project is known as “Guaranteeing access to the labor market through vocational training for young women at the Marie Dominique Center in the district of Koumassi, Abidjan, Ivory Coast” and aims to respond to the needs of young women. The project is facilitated by Bosco Global.

Virginia Martín Lorenzo, with Salesian Bosco Global, said, “Thanks to this quality training as beauticians, hairdressers, seamstresses, cooks, and in the hotel disciplines, young women have access to the labor market and now have the opportunity to generate their own income, which benefits them as well as their families and communities.”

Lorenzo added, “Links will be established with local companies and employers, which will facilitate the integration of young graduates into the labor market, creating a bridge between training and employment.”

The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians settled in Koumassi in October 1993 to respond to Bishop Akichi’s call to provide educational support for the many women in the region who lacked educational options and faced social isolation and exclusion. In 1995, a socio-educational complex for youth was built. This complex includes a Center for the Promotion of Women and Vocational Training and a Youth Center, which offers socio-cultural and sports activities.

According to the World Bank, 46% of those living in the Ivory Coast live in conditions of poverty — with 12% of the population living in severe poverty on less than $1.25 a day. The Ivory Coast has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in West Africa. While a wide range of national and international initiatives focus on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and testing, the collapse of public health facilities in the north as a result of years of conflict has made the situation worse.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Ivory Coast – Providing formation and development opportunities to young women in need

Salesian Missions – Ivory Coast

World Bank – Ivory Coast