(ANS - Gressier) - In recent days, José Manuel García-Margallo, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, paid a visit to Haiti to sign a cooperation agreement for 129 million euros with the Haitian government to provide education, a water supply and public health services, and also to view what has been achieved in the reconstruction of the country after the earthquake of 2010. He also visited the Salesian Centre at Gressier which has been reborn better than before, thanks to a contribution from the Spanish Government.

 by Gian Francesco Romano

The Salesian Centre in Gressier is located on a large estate located just a few kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. In the past it housed a primary school and a small vocational training centre, as well as a boarding school to accommodate students. But after the earthquake nothing was left standing.

Many people got to work to help in the reconstruction in order to give young Haitians the chance of a good education. The Spanish government donated 2.5 million specifically for the work in Gressier through the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and its NGO Jóvenes y Desarrollo. The rebuilt Centre was formally opened less than two years after the earthquake, on the occasion of the visit of Queen Sofia of Spain.

Today it boasts a huge school consisting of two identical structures with a large courtyard in the middle. The boarding section for students was also rebuilt and a large multipurpose hall was added.

Published 17/06/2015