In Malawi and Mozambique, Salesian missionaries have partnered with a leading global energy corporation to teach underprivileged youth relevant and in-demand skills to lead the way forward. Since 2009, the Salesians have collaborated with Schneider Electric Corporation to provide hands-on, cutting-edge practical education for students across the developing world.

Both organizations share a common goal and vision—to generate sustainable development while creating advancement opportunities for disadvantaged youth. More than 10,000 students enrolled in Salesian-led electricity programs in India, Latin America, and Europe have already benefitted from this partnership.

Schneider Electric specializes in electricity distribution, management and automation, and has long valued opportunities to alleviate poverty and protect the environment in innovative and economically viable ways. Investing in workforce training in the countries where they operate is a win-win for Schneider and the youth they help empower.

“Around the world, more than one billion people still don’t have electricity,” explains Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions. “When students in these communities learn how to build, manage and maintain that infrastructure, they can directly help address this issue and raise the standard of living for themselves, their families, and ultimately even their countries.”

Students at the Don Bosco Malawi and the Don Bosco Mozambique vocational schools hope to be part of that movement—and they’re one step closer to achieving their goal thanks to Schneider Electric, which recently provided training equipment for both schools’ electricity programs.

“Our management, staff and students are excited about the newly installed training equipment,” says Father Martin Nguyen, principal of the Don Bosco Youth Technical Institute in Malawi. “The Institute foresees high-quality training and an increased number of students with hands-on experience in the field.”

We can’t wait to see what they accomplish!

Learn more about our work in Malawi and our work in Mozambique.

Our mission empowers disadvantaged youth to transform their lives—and the world—through relevant skills matched to local workforce needs. What’s your mission?