More than 200 young men and women are enrolled at the school to learn farming and other high demand trades. Courses are offered in planting and care of crops such as rice, corn, vegetables, root crops and fruit trees as well as basic fish farming and forestry. There are also courses in basic mechanics, carpentry, electrical work, computer skills and dressmaking. In addition, literacy and music classes are available in the evening.

The center recently marked its 10-year anniversary with a celebratory gathering that was attended by more than 500 young people. The event included talks on leadership and youth taking responsibility for the future of their nation, numerous sporting activities and a vibrant concert that showcased a variety of talents.

“Most of the students who attend the center are from poor families who have dropped out of traditional schools,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “At the Don Bosco Rural Training Center, these students are getting a second chance to acquire skills that will enable them to find a job and support themselves and their families.”

The center benefits from a partnership with the Rotary Club of North Balwyn, located on the outskirts of the city of Melbourne in Australia, which helps provides program and infrastructure support as well as encouragement to the Salesian missionaries and teachers who operate the center. The club’s support has injected new life and enthusiasm into the center through new ideas and practical suggestions.

Over the last few years, the Rotary Club of North Balwyn has made several donations to the Don Bosco Rural Training Center. This monetary support has funded a three-month intensive training course in rice cultivation for the center’s deputy principal as well as the installation of three new water pumps, a concrete rice-frying platform, 400 mosquito nets and timber for new bunks at the student boarding house.

One of the most important contributions to the center was the purchase and installation of a windmill in 2013, made possible by financial assistance from the Rotary Club, that ensures the supply of fresh water to the rice paddy fields that are integral to a feeding program for the students and teachers. Considered one of Don Bosco Rural Training Center’s greatest achievements is expanded rice production throughout the Solomon Islands by former students who applied the skills learned in Don Bosco programs in their home villages.

“Don Bosco Rural Training Center has the potential to be one of the Solomon Islands’ greatest producers of a new generation of youth who possess the energy, technical skills and integrity to help advance the country,” adds Fr. Hyde.

With almost 40 percent of the population living in poverty, the Solomon Islands is one of the poorest countries in the Pacific region, according to UNICEF. About 20 to 25 percent of youth in the country never attend primary school with 30 percent of those attending, never completing. Limited access to education and an adult literacy rate of less than 35 percent perpetuates the cycle of poverty from generation to generation.

Eighty-four percent of Solomon Islanders reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. Access to health and other social services is very limited and the poor to non-existent access to reliable transport, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure compounds already challenging economic conditions. With the majority of youth living in remote areas with limited educational and employment prospects, overcoming poverty is an uphill battle.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions Australia Province Newsletter – Year in Review 2015

Salesians – Australia – Pacific

UNICEF – Solomon Islands 

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: Don Bosco Rural Training Center Provides Education for More Than 200 Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Don Bosco Technical Institute has been providing education and skills training in the electrical, automotive, carpentry and machine fitting maintenance trades as well as life skills training and employment assistance for more 200 students over the last 13 years. Within the last year, the institute has added new workshop materials and built a basketball court for recreational activities and six apartments for staff members who require accommodation on campus.

While the majority of students are male, the institute has been working to increase enrollment of female students by encouraging them to take courses in more typically male-dominated trades as well as providing opportunities for those who previously left school due to marriage or pregnancy. Currently, most young women begin at the institute with life skills training followed by courses in teaching and nursing.

The Laura Vicuna Hostel, operated by Salesian Sisters, provides safe accommodation for 36 young women from economically deprived backgrounds who have come to Honiara to attend university. The hostel is at maximum capacity and has a growing waiting list of young women who wish to live at the hostel and study and at the Don Bosco Technical Institute.

Responding to local need and numerous requests, the Salesian Sisters have been providing a five-month home economics course for women from disadvantaged backgrounds who have had very little formal education. In the Solomon Islands, only 20 percent of female adults are literate. The home economics program offers classes in basic literacy, math, computing, dress making, cooking and health awareness. Students learn practical skills in sewing and textiles as well as home and small business management. Many choose additional classes in music, basket weaving and gardening as well.

In 2013, the technical school introduced new courses in the basics of hospitality and tourism for young men and women seeking employment in hotel management and the hospitality industry. The school’s curriculum continues to expand based on the employment needs of the local community and student interest.

“Most of the students at the Don Bosco Technical Institute are from poor families and many have dropped out of traditional schools,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “There, they are getting a second chance by learning skills that will enable them to find employment to support themselves and their families.”

The Solomon Islands is one of the poorest countries in the Pacific region with almost 40 percent of the population living in poverty, according to UNICEF. The majority of the country’s children live in remote areas where access to education is limited. Close to 25 percent of youth never attend primary school with 30 percent of those attending never completing. Limited access to education and an adult literacy rate of less than 35 percent perpetuates the cycle of poverty from generation to generation.

Eighty-four percent of Solomon Islanders reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. Limited access to health and other social services and a lack of transportation, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure compounds already challenging economic conditions. With the majority of youth living in remote areas with limited educational and employment prospects, overcoming poverty is an uphill battle.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Technical Institute, Solomon Islands

Salesian Missions Australia Province Newsletter – Year in Review 2015

UNICEF – Solomon Islands

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: Salesian Missionaries Help Youth Learn a Trade at Don Bosco Technical Institute first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Eighty-four percent of Solomon Islanders reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. Limited access to health and other social services and a lack of transportation, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure compounds already challenging economic conditions. With the majority of youth living in remote areas with limited educational and employment prospects, overcoming poverty is an uphill battle.

The Solomon Islands face devastating cyclones during monsoon season which runs from November through April. In early April of this year, two cyclones tore through the Solomon Islands leaving a wake of destruction in their path. The Australia News Network reports that 23 people have died and 9,000 were left homeless after the devastating floods, landslides and strong winds. According to the same report, the capital city of Honiara and the whole island of Guadalcanal have been declared a disaster zone. The chairman of the Solomon Islands National Disaster Council says Honiara needs reconstruction, not rehabilitation, for roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

There are also growing fears of an outbreak of disease due to damage to the sewerage system and water supplies, which in some areas are completely destroyed. The National Disaster Management Office says dysentery, malaria, dengue fever and other diseases related to poor sanitation are all a real risk. The Solomon Islands Water Authority says 40 percent of Honiara is still cut off from the water supply, including many of the evacuation centers where people went to take shelter.

Salesian programs in the Solomon Islands have been affected. The Salesian-run Don Bosco Technical Institute Henderson in Honiara, which has been providing education and skills training in the electrical, automotive, carpentry and machine fitting maintenance trades as well as life skills training and employment assistance for the past 10 years, has sustained damage and flooding. The agro-technical center and youth center have also been affected.

A donated ambulance used by the program was swept away while Salesians were trying to save several families and was rendered beyond repair. In the seminary and pastoral center, the flooding is deep and seminarians are confined to the second floor of the building. The water has also reached the library in the building. Within the surrounding community, bridges are failing and many people have taken shelter within the cathedral and other Salesian buildings.

“Working in more than 130 countries around the globe, Salesians face extreme weather and other disasters and are prepared to handle what happens within their programs and communities during times of crisis,” said Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Because Salesians were already working within these Solomon Island communities prior to the storms, they have been able to respond quickly to those in need, particularly those who have needed shelter,” he added.

In Tetere in the province of Makira, Salesians run the Don Bosco Rural Training Center where more than 120 young men and women are enrolled to learn farming and technical skills. After the cyclones hit, the local Salesian parish there was completely submerged in water. The hospital, school and the residence for the Salesian Sisters who run the school were saved thanks to the work of volunteers who raised embankments of gravel. However, with several bridges having been swept away, Tetere remains cut off from aid.

Salesians continue to work within their local communities in the Solomon Islands providing education and training to poor youth and assisting those in the community as best they can.

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Sources

ANS – Solomon Islands – Two Violent Cyclones in One Month

Australia News Network – Solomon Islands National Disaster Council issues all clear in wake of deadly Honiara floods

UNICEF – Solomon Islands

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: Salesian Programs Offer Shelter to Homeless Recovering from Devastating Cyclones first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In addition, limited access to health care, social services and reliable transportation, particularly in rural areas where close to 84 percent of the population reside, on top of a weak electricity and telecommunications infrastructure, compounds already challenging economic conditions.

The Salesian-run Don Bosco Technical Institute Henderson in the Solomon Islands’ capital city, Honiara, is bringing new opportunities to poor youth in the area. The institute has been providing education and skills training in the electrical, automotive, carpentry and machine fitting maintenance trades as well as life skills training and employment assistance, for the past 10 years.

While the majority of students are male, the institute is working to increase enrollment of female students by encouraging them to take courses in more typically male-dominated trades as well as providing opportunities for those who previously left school due to marriage or pregnancy. Currently, most young women begin at the institute with life skills training followed by courses in teaching and nursing.

The Laura Vicuna Hostel, operated by Salesian Sisters in Honiara, is home to 25 young girls from distant villages and surrounding islands who have come to the city to study at the Don Bosco Technical Institute and other local schools. In addition to their school studies, many of the young women here learn new skills such as music, sewing, basket weaving and gardening. A recent donation of sewing machines by the Rotary Club of North Balwyn in Australia, is helping students practice their new skills with the hope of future employment.

“Most of the students at the Don Bosco Technical Institute are from poor families and many have dropped out of traditional schools,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “There, they are getting a second chance by learning skills that will enable them to find employment to support themselves and their families.”

This past year, the institute introduced a new course in the basics of hospitality and tourism that provides training for young men and women seeking employment in hotel management and the hospitality industry.

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Sources

UNICEF – Solomon Islands

Salesians – Australia Pacific

Salesian Missions Australia Province Newsletter – Year in Review 2013

Don Bosco Technical Institute, Solomon Islands

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: Salesians Help Young Men Learn Trades, Find Stable Employment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Eighty-four percent of Solomon Islanders reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. There is very limited access to health and other social services and the poor to non-existent access to reliable transport, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure compounds already challenging economic conditions. With the majority of youth living in remote areas with limited educational and employment prospects, overcoming poverty is an uphill battle.

The Salesian-run Don Bosco Rural Training Center in Tetere, Solomon Islands is working to bring opportunities to poor youth in rural areas. More than 120 young men and women are enrolled at the school to learn farming and technical skills. Courses are offered in human development and ethics and the planting and care of crops such as rice, corn, vegetables, root crops and fruit trees as well as basic fish farming and forestry. There are also courses in basic mechanics, carpentry, electrical work, dressmaking and computer skills. In addition, students can study literacy and music in the evening.

Most of the students are from poor families and many have dropped out of traditional schools. At the Don Bosco Rural Training Center these students are getting a second chance to acquire skills that will enable them to find a job to support a family. And thanks to an on-going partnership with North Balwyn Rotary located in Vitoria, Australia, the Don Bosco Rural Training Center now has some much needed program and infrastructure support.

“We are very thankful for the help we receive from the Rotary. It has been a source of great encouragement for the Salesians, teachers and students,” says Father Joseph Cong Thanh, rector of Don Bosco Rural Training Center. “The Rotary’s support has injected new life and enthusiasm into Don Bosco Tetere with their ideas, knowhow and practical suggestions.”

Over the last few years, the Rotary has made several donations to the training center. This monetary support has funded a three-month intensive training course in rice cultivation for the center’s deputy principal as well as the installation of three new water pumps, a concrete rice-frying platform, 400 mosquito nets and timber for new bunks at the student boarding house.

Most important to the center was the Rotary’s assistance with the purchase and installation of a windmill to ensure the supply of fresh water to the rice paddy fields that are integral to a feeding program for the students and teachers. Considered one of Don Bosco Rural Training Center’s greatest achievements is expanded rice production throughout the Solomon Islands by former students who applied the skills learned in Don Bosco programs in their home villages.

“Don Bosco Rural Training Center is one of the best hopes in the Solomon Islands of producing a new generation of people with the energy, skills and integrity to turn the country around,” says Mr. Wayne Morris, Past District Governor of Rotary International.

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Sources

Salesians – Australia- Pacific

UNICEF – Solomon Islands 

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: Australian Rotary Brings Support to Don Bosco Rural Training Center, Hope to Students in Need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The majority of children living in the Solomon Islands live in remote areas where access to education is almost unheard of. Combined with few employment prospects, youth face an uphill climb out of poverty.

A new program at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Honiara is helping youth overcome these challenges, bringing hope and fresh opportunities. Recently, the Australia-Pacific Technical College—an Australian government program—chose the Salesian-run Don Bosco Technical Institute as the location for its new campus. Set up as a technical and professional training college for youth in the Pacific, the Australia-Pacific Technical College is sustained by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

Supporting investments in training and skills development is a key focus of the Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Development and, more widely in the Pacific, for AusAID. The Australia-Pacific Technical College was established in 2007 to increase the number of skilled workers in the Pacific, and improve employment opportunities for Pacific Islanders. More than 4,950 Pacific Islanders have graduated with new skills from the college’s four campuses in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

The new partnership with Don Bosco Technical Institute allows for many more students to receive critical job training, education and skills than previously had access. The partnership will fund tuition for students and support upgrades to Don Bosco’s facilities.

“Up to 300 students will now have the chance to gain internationally recognized qualifications in automotive repair and construction over the next three years,” says Peter Baxter, director general of the Australian Agency for International Development. “They will join more than 490 Solomon Islanders who have already graduated from Australia-Pacific Technical College and now have the skills, training and confidence to take advantage of job opportunities, either in Solomon Islands or in the region.”

Students from all over the Solomon Islands will have an opportunity to study and achieve internationally recognized certification in automotive repair or construction, engineering, hospitality and community services. The demand for these specialized skills means economic opportunities and brighter prospects for youth who come from generations of poverty.

“I am pleased that we are partnering with Don Bosco—an important institution of teaching, learning and training in Solomon Islands,” adds Baxter. “This partnership will give more Solomon Islanders the chance to learn new skills and secure a job.”

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Sources:

ANS – Solomon Islands – The Salesian Institute in Honiara will host an APTC campus

UNICEF – Solomon Islands

Don Bosco Technical Center

The post SOLOMON ISLANDS: New Salesian Partnership Paves Way for Poor Youth to Access Critical Technical Education first appeared on MissionNewswire.