(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Oysterbay, located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is reopening. Tanzanian authorities have said it’s safe for boarding schools and vocational training centers to resume activities with safety measures in place.

Don Bosco Oysterbay offers training in five technical courses including carpentry, electrical, mechanics, secretarial and welding together with aluminum works. All of the courses are three years in length except for the secretarial course, which is for two years. The school has also started a six-month tailoring course.

In addition, Don Bosco Oysterbay received funding from Misereor, a German Catholic Bishops’ Organization for Development Cooperation, to help advance training capacity in renewable energy. The funding provided the center with tools, training materials and enough equipment to provide education to 120 students every year. The program, which started in 2017, trains vulnerable youth in technical skills that will help them become change makers in their communities as innovators, technicians and entrepreneurs.

To prepare them for the workforce, trainees benefit from career guidance and entrepreneurship skills provided by Don Bosco’s job placement office. The job placement office empowers youth to realize their full potential by connecting them with employers and entrepreneurship opportunities. In addition, trainees can access soft skills training to build their self-confidence and communication skills.

The first 35 trainees who completed the three-year electrical course at Don Bosco Oysterbay were enrolled in a six-month specialization course which consisted of both electronics and solar system training. The specialization course was designed to provide a technical foundation for solar technologies and reinforce classroom learning with hands-on demonstrations. In 2019, 35 trainees graduated from the program with 70 percent securing work solar technicians right after graduation.

“The training has been a great platform for me to learn and acquire new skills, enabling me to explore the use of solar energy. I hope to maximize my skills, empower the community to take advantage of solar power and, in the process, make the world a better place to live in,” said Imani Mwasonga, one of the 2019 graduates.

Now that Don Bosco Oysterbay is reopening, the renewable energy course and other courses can continue, ensuring that at-risk and poor youth have a chance at an education and a secure future.

In Tanzania, 67.9 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. While the country has seen some economic growth in tourism, mining, trade and communication, the number of Tanzanians living below the poverty line has marginally increased due to rapid population growth. In some regions, up to half of the population struggles to meet the cost of essential food and shelter and other basic necessities like clothing, health care and education.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Tanzania – Reopening of VTC “Don Bosco Oysterbay”

Salesian Missions – Tanzania

TANZANIA: Solar training at Don Bosco Oysterbay offers hope for Tanzania’s jobless youth

UNICEF – Tanzania