22 Aug 2024
It has been a productive summer so far at the Chevalier Training Centre in Wainadoi, Fiji, with various workshops and renovations keeping the CTC team busy.
Established by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Chevalier Training Centre opened its doors in 1992 with the aim of bringing practical skills and a useful education to underprivileged young men between the ages of 16 and 21. Every year, the centre welcomes up to 75 young men from disadvantaged backgrounds, improving their chances of employment and enabling them to make a valuable contribution to their communities and societies.
“Our mission is to help these young men to face life with confidence and dignity,” says the CTC community. “Our priority is to assist those who have the least hope.”
Many students at the centre would not have had the opportunity for a comprehensive education, for several reasons including poverty and challenging family backgrounds, while others are struggling with unemployment while lacking the necessary skill sets to find work. As such, CTC students learn important life skills such as time management and financial management, while also taking on a curriculum of subjects including cabinet making, carpentry, welding and fabrication, motor mechanics, farm management, and animal husbandry.
The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has a long-standing friendship with the community at the Chevalier Training Centre, with our mission friends and benefactors here helping to raise funds for the centre most recently in our 2022 and 2023 World Projects Appeals. The students themselves also generate income for the centre, through local carpentry and construction jobs, selling their farm produce, and an annual bazaar where goods created during school workshops are sold.
The Facebook page for the Chevalier Training Centre has been keeping us up to date with the latest happenings at the school, with July proving particularly productive for staff and students alike. At the beginning of the month, CTC students attended a talk focusing on the dangers of drug abuse, eradicating sexual violence, and the importance of mental wellness. The talk took place at the Holy Spirit Parish, and was facilitated by members of the police force and the Ministry of Health. The CTC Facebook page shared a picture of participants on the day, with the motto “Be Responsible, make the right choice, stay away from drugs”.
July also saw the completion of renovations to the carpentry workshop at the Chevalier Training Centre. The workshop itself has been refurbished, and equipped with new tools for lessons.
“We are forever grateful to APTC Country Manager and their Operation Team whom are in partnership with our Institution,” reads a post on the CTC Facebook page. “They have refurbished our Carpentry Workshop. Today we witnessed the handingover ceremony and they also equipped the newly refurbished workshop with basic relevant tools. These opportunities have immensely contributed to our needs to education and skills development especially in the TVET section.”
Congratulations and well done to all involved with the latest achievements at the Chevalier Training Centre, and we look forward to hearing about further successes and community achievements in the coming months.
Images via the Facebook page for the Chevalier Training Centre.
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