Tag: orphans

For the 12th year in a row ten young men and women followed the vocational training at the Eva Demaya Centre. In 3 to 6 months these young people are trained to become an independent professional tailor, tinsmith, bicycle repairman and carpenter.
 
 

 
 
 
 
The students are selected by the people in their own community. After the training they will return to their village to practice their new learned profession. This way a win-win situation is created: the young people have a good perspective to become economically independent as a professional worker and the community can profit from the services they offer.
 
 
After delivering their ‘masterpiece’ as proof of fitness, this year’s training was closed in November with an festive activity at the Centre. All participants receive a certificate which indicates they successfully followed the vocational programme at The Centre.
All students receive the coveted starters kit, which contains a basis set of tools and materials for their own discipline. This makes it possible to directly start their small business without the need for investing in inventory first.
 
 

 
 
The vocational program at the Centre ran its 12th year so up till now 120 young people has a solid foundation to develop themselves to become economically productive and independent but also to grow as a person. All these years the vocational program has been very succesfull and is very much appreciated by both the young people and the communities.
Expanding the program to train more people is not possible because the centre is limited to offer the young people housing during the program.
 
For next year’s vocational training a small change will be made in the selection and assignment criteria: the young men and women can freely choose the profession they feel fits them best, the traditional division in men’s and women’s jobs will be abandoned so Eva Demaya hopes to welcome the first female carpenter!

Every year the Eva Demaya Centre supports 35 young people attending secondary school by paying their school fees.
There is always very high demand from the community for this financial support. Eva Demaya gives priority to vulnerable young people, of whom there are many, such as children who have lost one or both parents and children with physical disabilities. In order to be chosen for school fees support, pupils must demonstrate an appetite for hard work and must take his or her studies seriously.

Recently there has been a move to give girls in particular greater access to secondary school education.
Girls, who often have to walk long distances to secondary schools, tend to drop out of the school system in greater numbers than boys. This is mainly because girls are needed to help at home, leaving little time for study; in addition, their long treks to and from school can be exhausting and sometimes dangerous.
Community schools are now trying to foster a greater spirit of belonging by building hostels that offer accommodation for students during the school year. For girls in particular this greatly increases the chancers of being able to complete their school education successfully.

The catchment area of the Eva Demaya Centre includes eight secondary schools and supported students are spread over all of these eight schools. This school year parents pay 55 Euros in school fees per child annually. It costs an additional 110 Euros to stay in the hostels. For many families – sometimes with more than one child – these are very large amounts.Up till now, the Centre has mainly supported students staying with their families. To increase the chances – especially for the girls – of getting a good education, Eva Demaya intends to start supporting selected pupils by also paying their hostel fees. Eva Demaya hopes for your financial support to make this possible and to help young people to work for a better future.

The photos show some of the young people who – with your help and the involvement of Eva Demaya – are being supported this year with their secondary education. Another photo shows one of the newly built hostels, where boys and girls can stay during term-time.