Kigali, 11 February, 2023 / 1:30 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the Religious Institute of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in Rwanda are facilitating livelihoods for “young single mothers and at-risk youth” through vocational training initiatives being realized at the Don Bosco Technical and Vocational Training School in Rango in the country’s Butare Catholic Diocese.
In a Tuesday, February 7 report, officials of the SDB development arm, Salesian Missions, say, “Salesian missionaries launched projects for young single mothers and at-risk youth in Rango, with the support of Mission Don Bosco in Turin, Italy.”
“To date, 40 young mothers have taken training to learn tailoring skills,” officials of the New York-based entity say, adding that the young single mothers “have also received a sewing machine and some essential materials to start a simple tailoring or sewing business that will provide an income for their families.”
SDB members in Rwanda further say, “The rate of teen pregnancy has been growing in recent years and is beginning to create a major obstacle for social and economic development in the country, especially among the population’s poorer segments.”
“An unmarried young woman who becomes pregnant is excluded from society, leaving them alone, vulnerable, and facing financial, social, and health difficulties,” they add.
