Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
SDB
Pétion-Ville (Agenzia Fides) - From IT to construction, from plumbing to electricity, from tiling to Windows platforms, from cooking to cutting and sewing and cosmetology: 94 young Haitians received their certificates in the Don Bosco chapel in Pétion-Ville, after having been trained in various manual trades at the non-profit ‘Timoun Kap Teke Chans’ (TIMKATEC) vocational school. While Haiti faces growing insecurity, where many young people are recruited by gangs, the diplomas made possible by TIMKATEC were a moment of hope and celebration, showing that even with little, much can be done.
The ongoing gang violence that has plagued the country since last year continues unabated. The latest news reports a bloody massacre perpetrated between September 11 and 12 in the fishing village of Labodrie, located north of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. According to local media, at least 50 people were killed during an attack by armed gangs. Immediately after the attack, the assailants set the village ablaze, terrorizing the population and forcing many residents to flee. The Salesian missionaries' initiative aims to escape the grips of juvenile delinquency.
The 19th edition called “Les éclaireurs de demain”(The explorers of tomorrow), brought together young participants mainly from Pétion-Ville and the surrounding areas, trained to be ready to integrate into the labour market. The year was a difficult one, but filled with satisfaction and hope for the future. The young people received their diplomas in the Don Bosco chapel in Pétion-Ville, where they also participated in the Eucharistic celebration in the Salesian chapel alongside several hundred parents and friends.
TIMKATEC is a Haitian NGO founded in 1996 by Fr Joseph Simon, a Haitian Salesian priest (1929-2023). This charitable organization supports and trains vulnerable children and young people, mainly in Pétion-Ville, offering them vocational training, basic education, shelter, food and essential care. Fr Grégoire Laguerre, SDB, is the current head of TIMKATEC.
Currently, several thousand children in Haiti do not attend school. According to the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention and UNICEF, 25-30% of gang members are minors. Unschooled or inadequately trained young people are, in fact, easy prey for criminal groups, victims of the precariousness and fragility of their environment, and many of them end up participating in illegal activities to ensure their daily livelihood. This is why TIMKATEC has always been committed to combating this danger through vocational training, despite limited support from state structures. Without great means, but with the help of charitable works, the non-profit organisation offers training in trades that can help save the boys and girls most at risk.
"State authority is crumbling," said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, through his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, "as armed groups tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and surrounding regions, forcing families to flee and disrupting daily life." (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 17/9/2025)
