Kouba is currently in the second construction phase of the large socio-educational, cultural and sporting complex for children, girls and young people that the FMA have planned over a period of 5-10 years. The complete project will include a nursery school, primary and secondary schools, a shelter for girls with limited resources, an oratory open to the neighborhood with sports facilities and educational workshops of various kinds and, of course, the Women's Center offering apprenticeships and fostering literacy.
This center was born to address the precarious situation experienced by many women and young people by providing qualified skills and professional training in sectors such as catering, tailoring, information technology and hairdressing. The project includes courses of literacy, support for work placement, education in values, attention to the use of free time; its main objective is to train girls and women so they can work and get out of poverty.
As for the Women's Center, work started in December 2017 and should be completed in 10 months.
The global project has the support of the Spanish Salesian NGOs "Solidaridad Don Bosco", "VOLS" and "Jóvenes y Desarrollo", of the "MadreSelva" Foundation, of the FMA, and of the Austrian NGO "Jugend Eine Welt-Don Bosco", and the support of various public bodies.
The educative-pastoral community of the "Spain-Mary Help of Christians" Province, of the Salesians of Don Bosco, played a key role in supporting this project - and to other Salesians in Burkina Faso - through the "Sowing opportunities in Burkina" campaign, thanks to which over 50,000 euros were collected and sent.
To date, a first phase of the project has been completed with the construction of a tower water tank, which has the ability to supply the entire complex, and a training course in horticultural techniques for a hundred women in the area, a land particularly arid where the optimization of resources is essential to ensure good and proper nutrition for the local families.
