Girls at risk in Zambia find residency, skills training with Salesian sisters

"I am blessed to be among the youths awarded a bursary through the Constituency Development Fund, [a scholarship] to enable me acquire a skill at this training center," Banda told GSR. "My focus on studies has really kept me away from engaging in illicit activities."

She is upbeat about pursuing studies in hotel management at the sisters' Auxilium Skills Training Center, located 10 kilometers south of Lusaka city in the suburb of Makeni. While the sisters' residency is for at-risk girls, the center caters to a broader population and is renowned for rebuilding young people's lives through training in skills such as general hospitality, information and communication technologies, hotel management, tailoring, and general agriculture, among others.

The religious sisters at the training center also counsel young people about the dangers of engaging in illicit sexual activities and gender-based violence.

"We educate youths, especially the vulnerable in society, to become better citizens," Sr. Margaret Mutale, principal of the Auxilium Skills Training Center, told GSR. "Apart from skills development, we also provide them with lifelong moral guidance to ease their stable lifestyle. Our aim is to usher young people into the job market or become self-employed."

Like Banda, more than 150 other at-risk girls have been introduced to stay at the City of Hope by stakeholders who are in charge of taking care of the needy in society. The home aims for the girls to feel secure and loved, to grow in self-esteem, and to rejoin society.

"The sisters' mentorship has transformed me," Banda said. "I can't wait to establish my own restaurant once I graduate. Thanks to school management and tutors for reshaping my life."

One of the leading providers of technical, vocational and entrepreneurship training to young women and men in Lusaka, the Auxilium Skills Training Center is rated among the best in the country by Zambia's Technical Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority. The center collaborates with the government, along with community and development organizations, to address problems of poverty, lack of skills training, and high unemployment in the Southern African country of about 20 million people.

Based on their charism — "to promote education for underprivileged young people and women by uplifting their standards of living" — the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco have over the years built strong ties with the local community. 

With the motto "sure successful future through skills," the skills training center aims to move the youth out of poverty and help them provide for their families, who live in the most severe poverty-stricken areas of Lusaka and beyond.

For this reason, more than 150 vulnerable youths have been enrolled for the 2024 academic year to pursue various skills at the center, thanks to the Salesian sisters' commitment to realign young people's future aspirations.

While there has been some progress toward job creation in Zambia in recent years, unemployment remains deeply rooted within the social structures of most communities. Childhood marriage, lack of access to education, and barriers to economic emancipation are some of the daily realities for many youths in the Southern African country.

Mutale is optimistic about the effectiveness of giving youths the option to be self-sustaining and to contribute to an important aspect of a healthy city, instead of engaging in illicit activities that may endanger their lives. 

Since its establishment in 1995, the Auxilium Skills Training Center has continued to yield hundreds of graduates per year who, upon graduation, mostly rely on the training to get employed in restaurants, hotels and lodges, while others become self-employed.

The center is also renowned for providing education and women development interventions (such as counseling and business cooperatives) for vulnerable people, not only in Lusaka but in other districts, including Luwingu, Kasama, Mansa and Mazabuka.

Mutale expressed joy that the positive response from her learners is overwhelming despite the financial challenges to pay for their tertiary training, as the school depends on their tuition fees to operate.

She bubbled with conviction and shared how her missionary work started from humble beginnings in Kasama district in the northern province of Zambia where she grew up.

"I was inspired by the Salesian sisters' passion to uplift young people's lives, and since I share the same desire to help young people thrive, I ended up joining them so that I can equally contribute effectively to the sisters' charism," said Mutale, who has been at the helm of the institution as the school's principal since late 2023.

"Each time I see young people succeed in whatever skill of their choice, I feel happy because what drives me is the desire to serve souls," she continued. "It's humbling to see many youths look forward to becoming self-reliant upon graduation in readiness to take care of themselves and family members."

Bupe Kalumba, one of the students pursuing general hospitality at the center, said getting trained for the fashion and hospitality industries in the country is exciting.

Kalumba, 25, said sisters are leading the way on journeys previously unimaginable, as serving souls is not only preparing someone to go to heaven, but also to prepare someone now to contribute to their own livelihood, she said.

Meanwhile, Ruth Mukuma, 24, one of the students at the training school, said her dream to one day become a fashion designer is slowly unfolding as she takes a tailoring course at the skills training center.

"I can't wait to finish my course because my passion has always been to become a fashion designer," she said. "Thank you to this institution for adding value to what I want to become, as I can't wait to live my dream and lift myself out of poverty."