Known as the “coffee belt” of Colombia, the region has more than half its population under 25 years of age. Unemployment, especially for youth, is commonplace because of a lack of industry in the region. The city of Armenia, largely supported by tourism, has a high rate of prostitution, drugs and other crime and young people are particularly vulnerable because of a lack of educational opportunities.

The Don Bosco Training Center is already making a difference in the lives of its graduates. Carol Tatiana Cuervo, age 22, entered the cosmetology program at the Center after overcoming some personal challenges. She received her certification to work as a hairdresser and has already found employment.

“Youth in Colombia struggle to gain an education and lead productive lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Because of conditions of poverty in the city of Armenia, youth are vulnerable to exploitation and criminal activity. Education provides a path out of poverty and helps youth gain the jobs skills necessary to find meaningfully livable wage employment.”

The Center was made possible through the financial support of the Leopold Bachmann Foundation and the Salesian NGO, Jugendhilfe Weltweit in Switzerland. The Municipality of Armenia provided the land where the Center resides.

The first phase of the Center’s construction was completed in November and includes classrooms, a library, a sports field and administrative space for staff. Technical courses are currently being offered in the areas of tourism, culinary arts, accounting, information technology, cosmetology, mechanics and welding.

Planning and fundraising is already underway for a second phase of construction. Once construction is completed, additional programs will be offered in electrical work, tailoring, graphic design, cabinet making and handcrafting in Guadua – a special type of bamboo which is plentiful in the area and has high market demand. Training programs have received certification and are recognized by the National Apprenticeship Service, the state body that certifies the skills acquired in the various fields of vocational training in Colombia.

“There are six new laboratories planned to offer additional training opportunities and work for young people,” says Father Jairo Gallo, director of the Don Bosco Training Center. “We always take into account the labor market and direct our training towards the needs of the business community and those industries where our students are likely to find work.”

Close to 33 percent of Colombians live in poverty, according to the World Bank. One in five children in the country have no access to education and 800,000 children reside in refugee camps. The number of street children has reached epidemic proportions and thousands of at-risk youth have been recruited as child soldiers.

Many orphaned youth in Colombia live in poverty and have lost their parents to natural disasters, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other diseases, war or domestic issues. Some children remain living with a single parent, struggling to survive and are often pulled out of school to earn income for the remaining family. Other youth live in shelters or on the streets.

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Sources:

ANS – Colombia – “Opportunities to get a decent job, for young people and their families”

World Bank – Colombia

Salesian Missions – Colombia

The post COLOMBIA: More than 250 Students Graduate from New Don Bosco Training Center first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Many orphaned youth in Colombia live in poverty and have lost their parents to natural disasters, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other diseases, war or domestic issues. Some children remain living with a single parent, struggling to survive and are often pulled out of school to earn income for the remaining family. Other youth live in shelters or on the streets.

Neglect, discrimination and malnutrition affect orphans more often than their non-orphaned peers. Research shows that these youth are more likely to live in conditions of poverty, be forced into child labor, recruited as child soldiers and subjected to exploitation and violence. Orphaned youth are also less likely to be enrolled in school.

Salesian missionaries have been working in the city of Armenia, in western Colombia, since 1999. The area, known as the “coffee belt” of Colombia, has more than 50 percent of its population under 25 years old. Unemployment, especially for youth, is commonplace because of the lack of industry in the region. The city, largely supported by tourism, has a high rate of prostitution, drugs and other crime. Youth are particularly vulnerable because they lack educational opportunities to better their lives and break the cycle of poverty.

To address the need for workforce development programs in the city of Armenia, Salesian missionaries are developing the Don Bosco Training Center which has already begun to offer professional and vocational training programs for disadvantaged youth. The Center was made possible through the financial support of the Leopold Bachmann Foundation and the Salesian NGO, Jugendhilfe Weltweit in Switzerland. The Municipality of Armenia provided the land where the Center is being built.

“Youth in Colombia struggle to gain an education and lead productive lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Because of conditions of poverty in the city of Armenia, youth are vulnerable to exploitation and criminal activity. Education provides a path out of poverty and helps youth gain the jobs skills necessary to find meaningfully livable wage employment.”

The first phase of the Center’s construction was completed in November and includes classrooms, a library, a sports field and administrative space for staff. Technical courses are currently being offered in the areas of tourism, culinary arts, accounting, information technology, cosmetology, mechanics and welding.

Planning and fundraising is underway for the second phase of construction. Once construction is completed, additional programs will be offered for electricians, tailors, graphic artists, cabinetmakers and workers in Guadua – a special type of bamboo which is plentiful in the area and has high market demand. Training programs have received certification and are recognized by the National Apprenticeship Service, the state body that certifies the skills acquired in the different fields of vocational training in Colombia.

“Don Bosco Training Center will be a win-win for the local economy and the students. Students will receive the employment training they need to lead productive lives while employers will gain access to highly skilled employees,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

ANS – Colombia – Completion of the first phase of the Don Bosco Training Centre

World Bank – Colombia

The post COLOMBIA: New Don Bosco Training Center Developed to Offer Professional and Vocational Training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The biomass, made up of forest residual matter like pine and eucalyptus bark and coffee plant leaves, is compacted into small tubes or cylinders, then used in varied industrial capacities and to generate heat for fireplaces, stoves or heaters.

“This project is a dream come true,” says Father Germán Londoño, director of the Don Bosco Formation Center. “It came into being a year ago when we decided to build a factory to make biomass cylinders. We carried out feasibility studies and now we are ready to export our first products to Switzerland.”

In an area covering 1,400 square meters, five young graduates of the Salesian Center are responsible for the collection of raw materials from forest plantations belonging to the ‘Smurfit Kappa Carton de Colombia’ and from local farmers who provide coffee plant leaves.

The young workers are responsible for cutting and drying wood and running the machines which came from Switzerland, thanks to a donation from the Leopold Bachmann Foundation, in collaboration with the Salesian NGO Jugendhilfe Weltweit. Planning and construction were carried out by Swiss engineer Walter Item, who personally saw to the installation of the plant and training of personnel from Villa Don Bosco.

According to UNICEF, one in five children in Colombia have no access to education and half the population live in poverty—including 6 million who are victims of extreme poverty. The Salesians are working hard to educate youth in Colombia and provide them a path out of poverty.

Currently, 600 youth are students at Villa Don Bosco, where the biomass production plant is located. They come from various communities in the area to study cabinetmaking, motorcycle mechanics and take courses in electrical skills, baking and systems analysis.

Production of the biomass cylinders helps support and educate close to 3,000 youth from Villa Don Bosco and the Don Bosco Formation Center in Cali as well as provide employment for farmers in the area.

It is estimated that around 3,000 tons of wood cuttings will be needed to produce around 1,560 tons of biomass cylinders. Diego Fernando Mogollón, systems technologist and welder, is a graduate of the Don Bosco Center and was trained how to run and maintain the machines in Switzerland. He notes that the possible re-use of bark from pine trees, which was left to rot, and the contributions being made to protect the environment is a cause of great pride for those engaged in the project.

The advantage of biomass lies in it being a one hundred percent natural product that has no need for preservatives or additives, gives off no smoke, produces less ash, is non-toxic and has a higher heat potential than traditional wood-burning.

“A 30 cm cylinder of biomass is able to generate heat for around 12 to 16 hours,” says Paula Andrea Vivas, coordinator of the plant and industrial mechanics technician who graduated a decade ago from the Salesian Center. “So, we are speaking of reduced logging to find wood. This is the coal of the future.”

The sale of biomass cylinders is guaranteed for five years by agreement with the Leopold Bachmann Foundation, which foresees that all production will be exported to Switzerland. After those five years, the market could then be opened for sale and consumption in Colombia.

Learn more about Salesian Misisons programs in Colombia >

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Sources:

ANS Photo

ANS – Colombia – The ’coal’ of the future manufactured at Villa Don Bosco, Cauca

Salesian Missions – Colombia

UNICEF – Colombia statistics

The post COLOMBIA: “Coal of the Future” Manufactured at Salesian Facility first appeared on MissionNewswire.