Salesians Empowering Hundreds of Young Refugees in Uganda with Vocational Skills

The recent introduction of upcoming courses brought together many people who are interested in what the center has to offer, SDB members in Uganda are quoted as saying in the December 17 report.

“This fact testifies that the young people of the refugee camp are hungry for an education that allows them to offer their families a better quality of life and to contribute to the reconstruction of their country,” the Rector of the Salesian community in Palabek, Fr. Ubaldino Andrade, has been quoted as saying.

Fr. Andrade adds, “At the technical and vocational level, many young refugees want to go out to work; they want to learn a trade, that in most cases, allows them to return to South Sudan and contribute to the reconstruction of the country, destroyed by many years of violence and war.”

He goes on to highlight a recent success saying, “We have the case of a student who learned mechanics and then took a driving course. She returned to South Sudan and is working as a driver in an agency, with a salary of $700 per month, far above the minimum wage in Uganda.”

Established in April 2016, SDB members say the “Palabek Refugee Resettlement Camp was set up to ease congestion in other refugee camps in the East African country. The Camp is home to more than 56,000 Refugees.”

According to SDB members in Uganda, “Several agencies are involved in providing food and education within the camp. While some have left because of the pandemic, Salesians have remained.”

They add, “Salesian missionaries at the settlement are offering much needed psychosocial support and pastoral care for thousands of Christian residents. They also operate four nursery schools that educate more than 1,000 children. In addition, there are children attending Salesian primary and secondary schools, and more than 700 families are supported by other initiatives.”

Salesians, SDB officials say, also run a “special sponsorship program to help youth attend school outside of the camp. Many children and older youth have to walk 10 to 15 kilometers (approximately 6.2 to 9.3 miles) each day to reach the schools.”

“The sponsorship program enables Salesians to take youth to boarding facilities outside of the camp closer to the schools. Youth are able to live and study there, as well as have access to healthy nutrition and recreational activities,” SDB members say in the December 17 report.