DON BOSCO IRINGA Institution s profile 9/8/2011 DON BOSCO DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Prepared by: Yvonne Monja
DON BOSCO IRINGA YOUTH CENTRE BACKGROUND INFORMATION Don Bosco Our Founder Don Bosco was born on the 16 th of August 1815. He came from a very poor family, and joined priest hood in the year 1841. Later he started an association of Salesians with an aim of educating poor youth. Now, the Salesians are working in 125 different countries worldwide. Currently the Salesians are working in 125 countries worldwide. The Salesians arrived at Iringa, in the year 1980. They started a center for the youth and a technical school. The technical school has seven trades and is examined by VETA. A percentage of 85% who were qualified is selfemployed and/or is employed. Our vision We the Salesians of teachers and workers of Don Bosco Youth Training Centre believe that we are sent by God to help and educate the youth, especially those from poor families and the marginalized in the society Don Bosco Iringa Youth Centre has the following aims and activities; To provide vocational training to primary school leavers and disadvantaged groups (dropouts, Orphans, people with no formal education) so as to enable them acquire skills which will enhance their opportunities for employment and for self-employment To provide continuous skill upgrading and re-training in the light of technological changes and the market demand to those already in self-employment and in the informal sector To provide technical support to the self-employed in the informal sector Scheduled Map Don Bosco Iringa is located in the suburbs of Iringa Town, which is both the regional and District s headquarters. Geographical Environment The zone in which the district is located is characterized by a mountainous and undulating topography. Iringa district itself generally lies between 2700 meters above sea level to the East, Mufindi district in the south and Mbeya Region to the West borders the district. 2
Temperatures range from 14C to 20C. The district receives high rainfall ranging between 1000mm and 1600mm per year. The rainfall regime is unimodal consisting of rainy season from November through May. Vegetation consists of humid forest remnants, extensive grasslands and Miombo woodlands. Agriculture Maize is the major staple food and is widely cultivated. Other crops grown include; Cabbages, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, peas, beans, fruits and vegetables. Cash crops cultivated in the region which consists of tobacco, pyrethrum, tea, sunflower, coffee and onions. Livestock Rearing Iringa has the largest number of livestock consisting of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Most of these are reared under the indigenous method leading to low productivity, within the Iringa urban area, there is no wide pastured land, and therefore animals graze within the farm areas, and are normally few in number. Dairy cattle are done on a small scale. The marketing of the milk is still underdeveloped as there is neither proper market, nor proper handling & storage of facilities. Regional Economy-Productive Sectors Iringa district is endowed with vast agriculture potential. Arable land accounts for 58% of the total district area yet only a meager 120.6 sq. km (7.2%) is cultivated. The district has a monoculture centered mainly on maize. Maize is both food and cash crop for the households. Productivity level is very low due to obsolete farming methods and equipment, soil exhaustion and increasing soil fertility. Agriculture is also the major economic activity contributing more than 85% of region s GDP and employing more than 90% of the population. Industries Existing manufacturing industries engage in primary processing on a small scale. There are two broad categories of manufacturing industries: medium scale and small scale. The later include brick making, grain milling, seed oil processing, carpentry, local brewing, fish smoking, and tobacco curing and metal works. 3
Medium scale industries include food processing such as mineral water, juices and sauces. Although the per capita income of the district is higher than the national average, the people in Iringa are still very poor. Population Iringa urban has a density population of 26 inhabitants per km^2. With an average growth rate of 2.7%, the population is established to be 1.6 million people in the year 2000. Both Iringa districts had a total population of 448,465 people in 1988, constituting 37% of the total population of the whole region. Children aged between 5-14 and youth constitute 47% of the total population. Education Iringa region has a primary school enrolment rate of 81.9%. Girls have a slight edge over boys. Transition rates from primary to secondary and from secondary to tertiary level are very low. Most men and women are often left out for a variety of reasons. Vocational training is dominated by males. The enrolment of girls is very poor in many trades. This is due to cultural attitudes that perceive that certain trades are specifically meant for males. The discrepancy in the enrolment is also attributed to a number of other reasons, which include parents low awareness of the need for their children undertake vocational training. There is also lack of general information and career guidance and counseling for the students. Employment Opportunities In Iringa, the prospects of employment in the manufacturing sector are dwindling due to the fact that many manufacturing companies have closed down or moved outside the region. Job opportunities have immensely declined, with youth and women being forced to low income businesses. According to the 1988 Iringa Regional Population Profile, the total number of unemployed was 232,963 people with women commanding 52% of that figure. A further observation indicates that more people would have been in the agricultural sector would it be more productive. 4
The declining productivity of this sector has been exacerbated by pest infestation and less reliable rainfall in some areas. Profile of the informal Sector (IS) In 1991 there were about 2.4million people in the sector. It accounts for 15% in rural areas, and 56% in urban areas about 28% of employed males and 15% of employed females are engaged in the informal sector, at some time of the year. There is a large degree of self-employment in the casual sector with about three-quarters in the IS being operators, with the remainder 26% being employees. This proportion applies both mean age of 34 for both males and females. The rural workforce is older, with an average of 36 compared to 32 in the urban workforce, 51% of people engaged in the informal sector have completed primary school, but only 4% have an education level above primary 56% males have completed primary education compared to 43%. Conversely, 32% of females have no education compared to 17% of males. All the courses are offered to both boys and girls. The students we selected are from poor families in the region. Most of the families do not have enough land to cultivate. We also provide them with lunch every day, and a good number of them eat only once in a day. Our results are always very encouraging and will help the students to acquire good jobs in various companies in Dar es Salaam and other small towns. We have set up a Job Placement Office in Dar es Salaam for our past pupils. Our staff are well qualified enough to train the students to get good results. The following trades are offered in the institutions 1. Printing In this department, the following courses are offered; Offset Printing Desktop Publishing (Computer) 5
The courses are taken for a period of three to four years, and the students who are eligible are students who have completed their form four level. 2. Tailoring 3. Welding & Fabrication 4. Motor Vehicle Mechanics 5. Electrical Wiring 6. Masonry 7. Carpentry & Joinery Other Activities Apart from following the daily curriculum, of attending classes, the students also participate in sporting activities among others, like drama, life choices, and debate. Iringa as an institutional seeks to offer, quality training, and ensure that the students not only complete their courses successfully but also embrace, leadership skills, integrity, and competence in all they wish to achieve, in their prospective businesses and employment. 6