Donated equipment includes desktop and laptop computers, computer accessories, printers, and a smart TV.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (March 7, 2022) Students from the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center in Koko, in the Kebbi State of Nigeria, have access to new computer equipment thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Each year, 60 students receive an education at the training center.

Donor funding helped provide the purchase and installation of desktop and laptop computers, computer accessories, printers, and a smart TV. The school trains students in classes with 15 students each, and now every student in the class will be able to use computer equipment for learning. The school caters to students who come from vulnerable groups including at-risk youth and migrants.

The students will bring their knowledge back to 30 villages that make up the local Koko region and are home to the students and their families. Indirectly, this project can impact up to thousands of village residents.

“It’s important that students are able to access technology in their studies so they are prepared for the workforce,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “We appreciate our donors who are able to make projects like this possible, especially in remote areas where students might not otherwise have access to the same education and technology.”

According to UNICEF, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and the ninth most populous country in the world. By United Nations estimates, Nigeria will be one of the countries responsible for most of the world’s total population increase by 2050. While Nigeria has the second strongest economy in Africa, it also has extreme rates of poverty with 100 million people living on less than $1 a day.

About 64 percent of households in Nigeria consider themselves to be poor while 32 percent of households say their economic situation had worsened over a period of one year, according to UNICEF. Poverty still remains one of the most critical challenges facing the country and population growth rates have meant a steady increase in the number of people living in conditions of poverty.

###

Contact: [email protected]