RWANDA: Don Bosco Gatenga offers train-the-teacher model of education in renewable energies
Center responding to region’s energy challenges
RWANDA
(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Gatenga Vocational Training Center, located in Gatenga, in the Kicukiro District of Kigali, Rwanda, is working to multiply the impact of renewable energy in educational centers. It regularly hosts education programs in photovoltaic solar energy for vocational training educators and teachers. Initiatives combine technological innovation, sustainability and educational commitment to respond to the region’s energy challenges.
Don Bosco Gatenga has established itself as a benchmark in technical education, particularly in the field of renewable energy, for the entire East African region. Through programs based on the train-the-teacher model, the center creates a network of educators who can replicate what they have learned in their respective countries and educational settings.
Courses are developed in collaboration with other Salesian vocational training centers in the region and German Engineers Without Borders with the support of international organizations. Teachers learn the fundamentals of direct and alternating current systems, the sizing of structures for residential and institutional environments, cabling techniques, safety regulations, hybrid and isolated configurations, and mounting structures adapted to different environments and remote monitoring systems.
A Salesian explained, “The aim of these courses is not only to install solar panels, but to train those who can teach and support other young people on this path toward sustainable energy. We want every qualified teacher to become an agent of change in their own community.”
There is both classroom and hands-on learning. Participants install solar systems that power spaces such as dormitories, laboratories or classrooms, improving the energy autonomy of the centers. In addition, solar street lights are being implemented in access areas to enhance security, especially in residential areas, and conventional lighting is being replaced with LED technology, significantly reducing the energy consumption of those communities.
One of the teachers said, “Now we not only know how a solar system works, but we also know how to size it correctly, install it and troubleshoot it. This transforms the way we teach and offers new opportunities for our students.”
The commitment to solar energy at the Don Bosco Gatenga is part of an educational vision that responds to current environmental, social and economic challenges. Education in renewable energy not only improves the employability of youth, but also promotes a more equitable and sustainable model of development.
Salesian missionaries provide a range of educational and social development services in Rwanda. Youth who are poor are able to access programs including health services, nutrition, education and general support services that help them to lead healthy productive lives. Salesians first arrived in the country in 1953. Today, there are six Salesian centers in Rwanda.
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Sources:
Photo courtesy of Misiones Salesianas
Salesian Missions – Rwanda
UNICEF – Rwanda
