(ANS - Armenia) - To meet the needs of the young people of the "coffee belt" of Colombia, the Salesians decided to build the Don Bosco Training Centre in theLa Cecilia district in Armenia-Quindio. The first phase of the work is now complete. It will be a gift to the city for the Year of the Bicentenary of Don Bosco. The Salesians have been in the city of Armenia since 24 January 1999, exactly one day before an earthquake partly destroyed the city.

By Andrés Felipe Loaiza, SDB

In that region of Colombia there are many factors that adversely affect children and young people. As a result of tourism there is a high rate of prostitution, which mainly affects children and young people.  For the same reason crime and drug dealing are also widespread. Unemployment, especially among young people, is another problem in the region because there are no large industrial activities.

According to the report of the Hogar San Juan Bosco Projects Office, "over 50% of the  population of the region is under 25 years old and 35% between 26 and 60. The over-sixties are only 15%."  Supported by the Leopold Bachmann Foundation and by Jugendhilfe Weltweit of Switzerland, and thanks to the collaboration of the Municipality of Armenia who provided the land on which the centre is being built done, the Salesians felt it was time to build the Don Bosco Training Centre.

The work is in two stages, the first of which ended on Saturday 22 November when it was officially opened by Father John Jairo Gomez, Salesian Provincial of Colombia-Medellin. The centre already offers a suitable space for technical courses for workers in the areas of tourism, cookery, accounting, information technology, beauticians, mechanics and welders There is also a sports field and rooms for a library, bar and staff room, plus the administrative block and classrooms.

The second phase of work is still at the planning and fundraising stage. It will provide facilities for courses for electricians, tailors, graphic artists, cabinetmakers and workers in Guadua - a special type of bamboo which is plentiful in the area and much in demand by the market. In this second phase, if the project proceeds as planned, it is also hoped to build a multipurpose room, six additional classrooms and other sports areas.

Through all these courses, the project hopes to meet the demand for professional training in the city and surrounding areas. The idea is that each technical course lasting 1200 hours is carried out twice a year. Some of these are already in progress. The certification of the various programmes is recognized by the National Apprenticeship Service, the state body that certifies the skills acquired in the different fields of vocational training.

Further information is available on the site of the Salesians in Armenia-Quindío.

Published 12/12/2014