Addis Ababa (Fides Service)- “Ever year 100 young people learn a trade or craft at our Professional Training Institute at Soddo, 400 km south of Addis Ababa” said Father Gianfranco, head of the Capuchin Marche Province which directs Capuchin missions in Ethiopia. “This is made possible thanks to support from the Italian Confederation of Craftsmen whose members, former craftsmen, come to teach the local young people” the priest told Fides.
“Our confreres have taught at the centre in Soddo since 1970. To enter Ethiopia Catholic missionaries must exhibit a work permit for a socially useful job. Catholic missions run various programmes for education, social assistance and health care” Father Gianfranco told Fides. “The intervention of specialised persons finds a social soil well prepared by our confreres. With the contribution of these experts we are able to offer even better training ”.
The school stands next to the Capuchin mission on an area of 10,000 sq., mt. There are five different workshops: carpentry, car mechanics, iron and aluminium work, tailoring, shoe designing. We hope to train 200 young workers by 2006 and to provide equipment to at least 20 of these to open their own business.
We have 100 Italian teachers. The school was opened with the help of the Confederazione artigiana italiana, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development and “Africa 3000” Association. During the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the school was donated to Pope John Paul II with the symbolic gift of a brick.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Soddo-Hosanna, has an area of 65,000 sq km and a population of 7 million including at least 200,000 Catholics. 70% of the population is young. The Vicariate has 29 parishes, 59 priests (diocesan and religious), 306 full time catechists and 814 itinerant catechists, 80 Brothers and 158 women religious. The Church runs 50 infant schools with the Italian Montessori programme; 14 primary schools and 6 middle schools, for a total of 15,000 pupils. It also runs one hospital, 9 medical centres ( including 2 for eye and dental care) one dispensary ad centre for the rehabilitation of children with disabilities. The Bishop is Capuchin Domenico Crescentino Marinozzi (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/7/2004 righe 38 parole 446)