Salesian programs open new doors for youth in Ghana who might otherwise be left behind. Children find hope through basic primary education and support. Older youth take part in programs designed to help them remain in their home regions as they develop skills to earn a living — benefiting both them and their communities.

As more children attend primary school in Ghana, classrooms are facing massive overcrowding, according to UNICEF. In rural areas, one teacher may be expected to handle up to 100 students. Since arriving in Ghana in 1992, Salesian Missions has grown to meet the educational needs of children and youth through the development of primary and secondary schools and the Don Bosco Vocational and Technical Institute where older youth learn employment skills.

Salesian Missions helps makes education a reality for all children — even those in areas where no government schools are present.

Salesian missionaries in Ghana focus on education and the growing demand for skills training to help youth gain the skills needed to find and retain stable employment. The Don Bosco Technical Institute in Ashaiman, a large town in the Greater Accra region of south Ghana, has been developing new programs to meet the needs of local youth. Early on, the center expanded to include training in a wide range of skills from carpentry and metal work to graphic arts. Salesian missionaries have also developed a credit program to aid training center alumni in financing new businesses.

Salesian missionaries have awarded diplomas to 93 students who completed organic farming courses at the Salesian Agricultural School in Sunyani since the program was launched in 2016. Many of these students are returning migrants who have decided to stay in the country, learn a skill and trade, and contribute back to their community.

Students taking the courses have learned to grow organically and to use greenhouses. This solution increases the harvest since crops can be cultivated even during the dry season, and the annual distribution of produce can be better managed. Greenhouse crops are also an excellent deterrent against deforestation and climate change, as they do not need much space and do not require forests to be cut down to cultivate the land.

In addition, Salesian missionaries established a Solar Training Center at Don Bosco Technical Institute Ashaiman for training trainers in West Africa. The courses are offered in both English and French. The project is offering training for trainees at Don Bosco Technical Institute Ashaiman, Don Bosco Technical Institute Sunyani, Don Bosco Centre Tatale and Don Bosco Technical High School Monrovia. The project is expected to last from July 2018 and December 2021.

Salesian missionaries in Blessed Artemide Zatti province in Ashaiman, a large town in the greater Accra region of south Ghana, have developed the Don Bosco Child Protection Center to provide services to victims of child trafficking. The Center is part of a collaboration between missionaries, the local police department and Ghana’s Ministry for Social Welfare.

In Ghana, child victims of trafficking are among the most neglected by society. Many are children who have been abandoned or sent by their parents to live with relatives in the city with the promise they will go to school but instead are put to work. Others are children who have been sold by their own family for a monthly fee. Instead of spending their childhood studying and playing, these children work full-time on plantations or in illegal mines, risking their lives. Other trafficked children suffer sexual abuse and prostitution.

The Child Protection Center offers shelter, counseling and education to help children make the transition out of trafficking and into long-term recovery. Often arriving at the Center injured and with low self-esteem and little hope for the future, many become comfortable and settled into their new surroundings within a few weeks. Academic classes are offered in the morning after which students are able to participate in group activities with their peers such as theater, music, dance, sports and games. Through the program, participants learn life skills, gain confidence and prepare for a happy, healthy future.

The Don Bosco Child Protection Center in Ashaiman has started a new program called Empower Women of Ghana. The program is for young women between the ages of 18 and 23. It was started with the help of the Don Bosco mission in Turin, Italy.

The program is designed to assist young women who face many adversities and challenges, and are vulnerable to migration and human trafficking. Almost all are living in conditions of poverty and have been deprived of basic education, with little or no support in learning to become independent young women in society. The young women in the program have been rescued from various vulnerable situations from all over Ghana.

Once in the program young women are able to take part in group and individual therapy and behavior management—all focused on helping these women gain better self-esteem and feel empowered to take back control in their lives. There are also workshops that address personal hygiene, self-love, the importance of relationships and etiquette in a professional setting.

After young women complete that stage of the program, they are able to advance to vocational training, which is designed to help them learn a skill for stable employment. Skills-training is provided in such areas as hairdressing, catering, beads-making and fashion design.

In addition, at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Ashaiman a development project—which was funded by the German International Development Cooperation, Korea International Cooperation Agency and Samsung Ltd, and supported by the Council for Technical and Vocational Educational Training—is assisting young women looking to study electronics. A state-of-the-art facility has been established fully equipped with all the necessary tools to enhance learning. As a result, more women have become interested in the program.

More girls at the Don Bosco Institute have also been trained in mobile phone repairs. These classes are carried out in collaboration with Ghana Telecom University.

Both of these programs are designed to assist young women who face adversity and are vulnerable to migration and human trafficking. Almost all are living in conditions of poverty, have been deprived of a basic education and have little or no support to learn how to become independent young women in society. Program participants have been rescued from various vulnerable situations all over Ghana.

In Ghana, a special sports camp brings together Muslim and Christian children to learn about each other in an open atmosphere. The Zongo Holiday Camp features sports, education and leadership activities so that children can interact with each other and simply become friends. The Camp was named after Zongo, a community, which has grown from a garbage dump. Many children in Zongo are immigrants from the countryside who come from various backgrounds of tribes and languages, as well as religions. The Camp is organized with Salesian missionaries, the Imam and other community elders.

Salesian missionaries operate four centers across Ghana that serve poor youth who are at risk of child labor and human trafficking. There are two centers in the urban area of Accra, a new center in the town of Tatale and a center in the city of Sunyani, the first place Salesian missionaries launched programs in the country more than 25 years ago.

A Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative” recently provided funding for water projects in Sunyani and Tatale to give residents access to clean drinking water. Many had been using creeks and waterways for drinking water which can lead to sickness and waterborne diseases. In total, four boreholes have been dug and a water tank provided, resulting in clean drinking water for residents. An additional five boreholes are still needed and Salesian missionaries await additional donor funding to cover the expense.

In 2021, close to 5,000 people in villages across the Bono region received access to clean water thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The seven projects, part of the Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative,” provided new boreholes, hand pumps, and in a few of the projects, water tanks to the villages.

Water remains one of the main challenges in the Bono region. Access to the nearest available water sources is several miles from these villages. The residents, mostly farmers, who live in the region depend on stream water for all their needs and have to share it with grazing animals. The health and social implications of utilizing this water are having devastating effects on the community. Residents have waited for a long time for a better and cleaner water source for drinking, cooking, and other activities, and they are appreciative of the support and assistance.

Don Bosco Technical Institute, located in Ashaiman, has new computers to aid the education and career development of students thanks to funding from Salesian Missions. With the funding, the institute was able to purchase new laptops with software for the computer laboratory. Students at the institute are between the ages of 17-25 and are studying to gain skills for later employment or higher education.

One of the students who benefited is Noah Ahiabu, who struggled with completing assignments before the new computers. He says that in the span of just a few weeks, the students were working with the new computers, which provided faster internet speeds, up-to-date software, and the necessary tools to bring learning to life.

Salesian missionaries in Ghana have launched a new project to ensure youth with physical disabilities who are facing situations of social disadvantage have access to vocational education. The four-year project is sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Africa Action/Deutschland and Engagement Global.

The goal is to create better and more suitable infrastructure, training, school management and educational engagement in communities in order to provide equal access for youth with disabilities in Northern Ghana. To date, infrastructure improvements at four schools have been completed and one school is in process. In addition, training programs have also been held for school managers and teachers on children with disabilities and inclusive education. Awareness campaigns and an international meeting on inclusive education have also been launched.

There are six schools who are engaged in the project including St. Basilide’s Technical/Vocational Institute, St. Mary’s Vocational Training Institute, Sawla Girls Vocational Training Institute, St. John’s Integrated School, St. Bernadette’s Technical Institute, Sandema Senior High/Technical Institute. All of these schools are located in communities within Northern Ghana.