Don Bosco Muhazi working to establish music workshop for vulnerable youth

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Muhazi is relaunching its musical training for students as part of its work with vulnerable youth in Rwanda. Salesians began their work in Muhazi starting with teaching reading and writing. Later, they opened short vocational training courses focused on helping poor and disenfranchised youth gain the skills for employment.

A Salesian noted, “The direct result of poverty and other family problems is associated with a range of emotional and behavioral problems in adolescence and adulthood. Salesians have joined other professional training programs to protect against all forms of violence and trauma rehabilitation through meetings on gender issues and modern and traditional music clubs.”

The Salesian added, “Music has a strong power to bring people together and to create good relationships and a positive sense of belonging. It can act very preventively on conflicts and clashes. Don Bosco was already aware of this and in his first oratory in Valdocco he had established a musical band.”

Salesians are working to establish a music workshop, but to do this they need musical instruments including a bass, two electric guitars, a pianola and modest electrical gear such as an amplifier, two microphones and two monitors. This music workshop will continue to evolve as Salesians are able to access the musical equipment they need.

Salesian missionaries provide a range of educational and social development services in Rwanda. Poor youth 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.

After bravely overcoming the trauma of the 1994 genocide, Rwandans looking to transform their country have made remarkable progress. Still, much remains to be done. Close to 39% of Rwandans live in poverty, according to the World Bank. Rwanda is a rural, agrarian country with about 35% of the population engaged in subsistence agriculture with some mineral and agro-processing. Many of the country’s orphaned children are the tragic result of a violent civil war. Half of all children drop out of primary school and 2.2 million people — 22% of the population — face critical food shortages.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Rwanda – Don Bosco centre in Muhazi relaunches musical training

Salesians of Don Bosco AGL Province Facebook

Salesian Missions – Rwanda

UNICEF – Rwanda