The Road to Life program was started by the Salesian International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) and is co-financed by the European Union. A recent theater production was performed by 10 participants in the program who shared their stories in front of an audience of more than 60 youth between the ages of 10 and 15. By performing their stories, these former street children are able to overcome the trauma they have suffered in the past.

“At-risk children, teenagers and young adults across Angola are achieving in the classroom and through alternative offerings like The Road to Life program,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The goal is to have youth participate in programs that promote social inclusion, emotional development and access to education.”

The Road to Life program helps young people share their stories including who they are, where they come from and how they have achieved success in their lives. The stories are performed as songs, plays, poems or other creative outlets chosen by each participant. By performing their stories, participants are aided in their recovery while helping to encourage other young people to succeed. Marco, one of The Road to Life participants, read a poem he had written about his experience living on the streets and his success finding shelter and education at a Salesian center resulting in renewed hope for a better life.

Five other participants put on a collaborative play about their past experiences, the challenges they have overcome and their hopes for the future. The play focused on their educational pursuits, the job training they have received and the support from Salesian missionaries, volunteers and educators from VIS.

Casa Magone provides shelter and a safe place for youth coming in off the streets. Salesian missionaries at the shelter work to meet the basic needs of the youth who live there while helping them access counseling and education and later job training and stable employment.

“Our programs for street youth go beyond providing shelter and meeting basic needs,” says Fr. Hyde. “Salesian centers like Casa Magone provide a stable, nurturing environment that enables former street youth to access education and find a way out of poverty.”

The people of Angola are still recovering from a civil war that ended 13 years ago. During the war, educational disparities were widespread but recent reforms have paved the way for more youth to have better access to education and social equality. According to UNICEF, more than 36 percent of the population lives in poverty. In addition, more than one in 10 children under the age of 14 has lost one or both parents and 43,000 are separated from their families. As a result, nearly a third of these youth are working and child trafficking has been an emerging problem in the country.

With a 67 percent illiteracy rate, the educational opportunities provided by Salesian programs can be truly life changing. Through these programs, both youth and adults have access to schools and educational programs. Classes range from simple lessons in reading and writing for adults in refugee camps to shelter and education for street children. Students are also able to access life skills training, workforce development opportunities and nutritional programs.

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Sources:

ANS – Angola – “Testemunarte” another initiative to take the children from the streets

UNICEF – Angola

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School enrollment and retention is affected by weak curriculums in Sudanese schools, inadequate training of teachers (41 percent are untrained, according to UNICEF) and inadequate educational materials for students. Ongoing conflict and the high cost of education, particularly in rural areas where parents have to pay school fees, also affect enrollment rates.

To meet the needs of the millions of out-of-school youth, Salesians in the Sudan work to educate poor youth and provide them a path out of poverty. The Salesian-run St. Joseph Technical School in Khartoum has been training poor and internally displaced youth since 1986. Shortly after its opening, enrollment at the school reached close to 900 students. Today, enrollment is just over 650 students and more than 50 are young offenders from local prisons working toward a second chance in life.

“Gaining an education can provide new opportunities young people never even imagined were possible,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “It’s more than just classroom training. Students have access to life skills that help them make better decisions and aid in later employment.”

Students at St. Joseph’s Technical School can choose from a range of programs including carpentry, electronics, auto mechanics and the operation of a printing press. Included in the programs are health services and food assistance. Career counseling and job placement services are also offered once students complete their studies.

“All youth deserve a chance at a better life,” adds Fr. Hyde. “At St. Joseph’s Technical School we help youth take responsibility for their own lives by providing them the skills to find and keep a job that will support themselves and help their communities.”

The Salesian commitment to teacher training as a critical indicator of student success is seen in the Sudan where educators are forced to tackle more than teaching basic coursework. The training helps educators address issues they are confronted with in their classrooms while advancing their professional skills.

Recently, 53 students enrolled in a three week Salesian-run teacher training program received nationally-recognized teacher certification. The course was run by Salesian International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) volunteers who trained students at the public centers for professional training in Khartoum and El Obeid. The training included theoretical education and practical hands-on training to impart the skills needed for technical training.

The newly certified teachers will work directly with Sudanese students in classroom settings, educating and training them in the hopes they will go on to find livable wage employment to break the cycle of poverty.

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Sources

Salesians of Don Bosco South Sudan– St. Joseph’s Technical School

UNICEF – Sudan Statistics

The post SUDAN: Students Gain Nationally-Recognized Teacher Certification at Salesian-run St. Joseph’s Technical School first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In early July, Salesian International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) volunteers conducted a training workshop on psycho-pedagogical techniques for teachers in primary schools and some junior secondary schools that collaborate with the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in El Obeid.

The training was created based on the expressed needs of teachers at the schools who had provided input based on their everyday work experience and specific issues that had arisen with their students. Out of the teachers’ self-assessments, four main themes were identified and highlighted during the training. The workshops focused on aspects of trauma counseling that foster skills in listening to students in high-risk situations, classroom management and teaching methods, communication and stress management.

Fifty teachers attended the week-long training consisting of five lessons of four hours each. Led by Nasreen Hassan, a psychologist and trainer with the Sudanese Ministry of Health and Jafar Mahmud, a psychologist and trainer with Jasmar, a local nongovernmental organization, the teachers participated in lectures, discussions, group work and role play centered on their individual experiences.

“Salesian educators have a very important job to do and play a very important role in their student’s lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Our students often have complicated backgrounds and complex needs. They come from very poor conditions and some have experienced violence and hardship children should never have to face.”

“Training like this helps prepare our teachers to be better educators and to better serve their students,” adds Fr. Hyde.

Salesian VIS volunteers have been working in the Sudan since 2006 and established themselves in El Obeid in early 2013 to improve the education and training offered by the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center and its network of partners.

VIS volunteers work in other areas of the Sudan as well, including Khartoum, Wau, Tonj and Nyala. They offer job-oriented, vocational training to youth from refugee camps in Khartoum and Darfur, improve access to schooling for returnee communities in Southern Sudan and empower women through livelihood skills training. The VIS volunteers, together with their primary partner, the Salesians of Don Bosco, are bringing hope for a brighter future to thousands of Sudanese people.

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Sources

ANS – Sudan – Psycho-pedagogical training for teachers

UNICEF – Sudan Statistics

Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in El Obeid

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