vocational training for streetchildren in Maputo, Mozambique

Vocational training for boys and girls who graduated from the school for streetchildren in Maputo, Mozambique
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For some people in Mozambique the economic situation has improved but for many there is little change in the situation is still troublesome. Kidnapping and robberies happen every day and they are becoming more violent. Lately there has also been more religious unrest between muslims and chistians . A lot of people are afraid for a return to a civil was state. In these somber times centro de encontro is trying to be a safe haven for the poorest children of the city of Maputo. Through education but also sports , dance and Music centro de encontro is trying to give the children a happier youth and moments of joy.

Vocational training for boys and girls Centro de Encontro has developed many projects in Maputo over the past 18 years for streetchildren. Among them a school for the very poor children that live in the streets of Maputo, their only chance for an education. The school follows the required state curriculum with a final exam after fifth grade high school. Unfortunately statistics have shown that for young people between the age of 14 and 20 yrs it is very hard to find a job. Even the highschool equivalent exam does not ensure finding a job for these children. For them it is still very hard to land a job. To get a job one must have the right contacts inside the government or even bribery of the chef. For the boys they chose to start a school for mechanics.There are more and more cars in Maputo nowadays and it is easy to start your own business. For the girls they started a beauticians/hairdressers school. Haircare and appearance is very important these days in Maputo. And again it is relatively easy to set such a business up by yourself. Thanks to the donations it was possible to invest in supplies for both the girls and boys training centres. The hairdressers/beauticians shop where the girls learn the skills on the job can now generate enough money to stand on its own but there is no profit in it as this modest shop cannot compete with the many luxury hairdressers shops in the centre of the city. And because people are helped by the students (with an experienced supervisor) they can't charge the normal fee for a treament. Nevertheless this part of the project does financially stand on its own. For the garage there have been some hiccups as the customers stayed away in the beginning. This had to do with the remote location of the school on the outskirts of the cityline. Many people did not know it was there iand therefore the school has moved the garage for the practical training to an area closer to the center of town , right next to the soccerfield and an area where there are some shops already, so more customers are generated.The theorylessons are still done in the old location. Even though at this point it is still costing money to keep this school running it is still the goal to have this vocational training also financially standing on its own feet.

We still believe these vocational trainingcentres are a good investment for the education of young people in order to make them independent and secure a future with hope for a better life.

Vocational training for street children in Maputo, Mozambique, from 500 Euro

Centro de Encontro is an independent NGO and has organised many activities for street children in Maputo over the past 15 years. Rene Boezaard from the Netherlands started this project in 1994 en was able to hand the organisation of the project over to a local staff who were trained by himself. The staff works together with many volunteers from the area.

Centro de Encontro has developed many projects in Maputo over the past 17 years for street children in Maputo. Among them a school for the extremely poor children that live in the streets of Maputo; this is their only chance for an education. The school follows the required state curriculum with a final exam after fifth grade high school. Unfortunately statistics have shown that for young people between the age of 16 and 20 yrs it is very hard to find a job. Even the high school equivalent exam does not ensure finding a job for these children. For them it is still very hard to land a job and the best chance for getting a job is still to have the right contacts inside the government or even bribery of the chef.
Centro de Encontro wants to focus on a practical vocational training for these school graduates with a lot of practical skills and a good prospective to start a business of their own.

For the boys they chose to start a school for auto mechanics. There are more and more cars in Maputo nowadays and it is easy to start your own business. For the girls a beauticians/hairdressers school was started. Appearance is very important these days in Maputo, so beauticians and hair care shops are very popular. And again it is relatively easy to set such a business up by yourself.

The organisation wants the vocational school to grow slowly without taking too much financial risks. The plan is to educate/train about ten girls and ten boys per year. Of course it is more expensive to fund a vocational school as opposed to a grade school but there has been more then enough grounds for making the decision to start such a vocational school close to the already existing grade school.
The school expects to welcome ex students, boys and girls, from the school for street children from the same area that has already been set up by Centro de Encontro. The age limit for the school will be for children between the age of 16 and 21 years of age.
After the curriculum has been completed the students will get an official certificate from the vocational school.

Continuity
The project offers a space and materials for experienced auto mechanics and hairdressers/beauticians who are signed on to train the students of the school in exchange for paying utilities (energy and water) and to pay for the materials they have used from the supplies of the school. What they earn for the work they do is for themselves. So the teachers are not paid by the school or the organisation. It is a classic win-win situation. Our school can train students in a trade at very low cost while the teachers get a chance to earn a living while doing their job without having to invest in a new business or working for someone who pays them less then minimum wages for the same work. It also stimulates the teachers to be very good at their jobs because they are a role models for the students

What is needed for the auto mechanics school?
At first the people of Centro de Encontro tried to find a plot nearby a convenient road or a market but land prices have risen tremendously over the past year. A piece of land that would suit the project would come to a total of € 4500 .
A better alternative was found. The organisation still owned a piece of land (20 x 43 m) that wasn’t used, and it was close to the school for the poor in the Mahotas area.. There used to be an orchard until the flooding of 2000 destroyed it. The plot has been cleared, and resurfaced so cars can be placed on the terrain. A generator, electricity supplies and fuse boxes have already been installed.

The road out there has already been prepared and restored. For safety the plot needs walls, to prevent thieves from entering. The wall has been put up but still needs finishing (this is called “rebocar um muro” in Portugese ). Materials needed are 15 bags of cement x 350 meticais = 5250 mts, 1 load of fine sand at 2.000 mts and labourhours = 2.500 mts (the euro is now at 37 meticais per euro) this totals at 9750 meticais which comes to 264 euro. That would be the cost for a wall of 30 meters.

On the premises there is a building that used to be for overnight stays for the boys but this will be transformed to an extra instruction / classroom. The work that needs to be done is mostly improving the structure such as window-frames, doors, locks, roofing etc. The costs for these improvements would come to 1500 euro for building materials and labour.
.Total Cost: 1764 euro

Hairdressers school / beauticians school
This school has already started. A building has been rented. It was too expensive to build a new building as buildingmaterials and land are extremely expensive. Apart from the land being expensive it is also difficult to get water and energy hooked up at a reasonable price. The chosen option to rent is the most cost effective.
The school is up and running already at no extra cost, at the same principles as the mechanics school, therefore running budgetneutral.
What is needed for this school is a unit for the hairdressers school (hairdryer, blow-dryer, mirrors, chairs and hairproducts etc.)
Total cost: 500 euros.

 for the hairdressers school  € 500
for the carmechanics school € 1765