Visit of the Primavera Project "Don Bosco" in Colombia

As part of a private trip, Dr Helmut Schwarz - Vice Chairman of the Board of Primavera e.V. - and his wife visited the social project "Don Bosco" in Cali/Colombia in February 2013. The facility is located in the middle of a poor district with the simplest of dwellings and unpaved roads. Social problems and a high crime rate are unfortunately part of everyday life here. The Don Bosco project was founded in 2008 with the aim of getting young people off the streets and protecting them from drugs, prostitution and violence. Education and qualified training have been consistently pursued and implemented since then in order to give the young people a positive perspective on life. The extensive grounds include workshops (carpentry, welding, metalworking, car mechanics, etc.), classrooms and a training kitchen as well as dormitories and living quarters for young people who also live and are looked after here. With donations from Primavera, RBCO employees have set up four training courses on heating and air-conditioning technology, hydraulics and pneumatics, precision engineering and automotive technology. The training courses, each lasting 6 to 9 months for 45 young people, are certified by the Ministry of Education, two of them as the best in the province in their respective categories. The facility itself makes a clean and well-organised impression. The classrooms furnished by RBCO are not only attractive but also technically equipped with the latest machinery and equipment. Mr Schwarz, who visited the facility in February together with his wife, describes his impressions: "After a warm welcome by Father German Londono, the director of Don Bosco, and the introduction of other responsible persons, we were also able to meet some young people, ask questions and have conversations. They were all very friendly and open-minded. During our visit, we were also accompanied by Edivaldo Santos, director of Bosch Colombia (RBCO), and two of his co-workers who volunteer for the project. They all assured us that they are very enthusiastic about the Primavera project and would like to offer and support more training courses in the future. In this way, even more young people should have the chance to find a secure job and lead an independent life after completing their training. Finally, we received a detailed documentation of all expenses and how they were used. "We were very impressed by the commitment of the project supporters and the positive charisma of the young people." Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)