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NEPAL: Salesian Missionaries Launch New Don Bosco Institute and Social Programs for Disadvantaged Youth

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have just launched the Don Bosco Institute, a new technical training center, in Biratnagar, Nepal. The training center offers three-month courses in hotel management and in trades for electricians, plumbers and welders. The aim is to provide education and skills training to poor youth in Nepal in trades where they can easily access work. The school started classes on April 2 with 55 students.

The Salesian Province of Kolkata initially started construction on the school two years ago under the guidance of Father PV Jose. The responsibility was then handed over to Father Jacob Thenganakunnel, who is also the present director of the Don Bosco Institute. The training institute aims to target poor and disadvantaged youth in Morang Dt and Biratnagar.

“We are grateful to the benefactors, especially to the citizens of Germany who contributed to Don Bosco Mondo to help us build this new training institute for students in Biratnagar,” say Fr. Thenganakunnel. “Providing technical training to youth who might not otherwise have access ensures that they can become contributing members of the community and helps local businesses have a skilled workforce.”

After completion of the three-month course, students are able to access on the job training for one month. The goal is to help students take the information learned in the classroom and apply it in a real working environment. This will also help students make an easy transition from the training institute into the workforce. After successful completion of the training, graduates are then assigned a job from their respective trades. Admission to the school is open all year and provides a fee structure that allows even the poorest students to be able to attend.

New computer literacy and English language classes for youth from the surrounding neighborhoods have also been launched, with classes held each afternoon until early evening. A student center has been made available after school so youth can relax and have a safe and quiet place to focus on their homework and evening studies. Don Bosco Institute is also focusing on helping women become more independent through the launch of a new Social Service Group, which women can join to raise funds to manage community projects.

The Don Bosco Institute is also looking to upgrade its hotel management course to a four-year degree program, which would make the Don Bosco Institute only the second institute to offer a degree course in hotel management under the University of Purvanchal in Nepal. Salesian missionaries are also in the planning stages for a new polytechnic institute, which would offer degree programs in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and civil engineering.

Salesian missionaries are working to rebuild schools in Nepal after the two earthquakes in 2015 caused massive destruction in the country. A devastating 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, followed by a second earthquake that struck on May 12. More than 8,000 died and close to 20,000 were injured as a result of the earthquakes and their aftermath. Forty of Nepal’s 75 districts were affected, 16 of them severely, with homes, schools, buildings, cattle, fields ready for harvest and other property destroyed. More than 500,000 people were displaced and were in need of shelter and other assistance. The United Nations has reported that more than 1,300 schools were destroyed during the earthquakes.

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Sources:

ANS – Nepal – Don Bosco Institute Biratnagar Nepal Forging ahead

World Bank – Nepal