HELPING THEM FEED THEMSELVES

Lack of education and training is a major obstacle to poor people breaking free from the trap of poverty. To help equip the children we work with achieve self-sufficiency over the long term, all of our children's homes incorporate some component of life skills and job training .

After completing their basic education, older children have the opportunity to learn a variety of marketable trades , including mechanics, welding, sewing, computer skills, etc.

Some of these vocational programs have been so successful that they have attracted interest from the larger community. By charging a small fee, the children's homes have been able to turn their training facilities into cash flow generators.

Everybody wins:

• the youth and community members, who are gaining marketable skills ;
• the local economy, which is gaining a better-trained labor force ; and
• the children's homes, which are gaining additional income for the children they care for.

Costs for providing vocational training vary by program and country. In many cases, CHRF is able to provide donated equipment - e.g., computers, tools, sewing machines, etc. - for the cost of shipment from the US . This allows us to ship millions of dollars worth of equipment at a cost of pennies on the dollar.

YOUTH TRAINING – CARPENTRY WORKSHOP – MANAGUA, NICARAGUA

This program was created to teach and train young people that were involved in gang activity and heading down a dangerous path, a skill that would enable them to make an honest living.

The Project trains former street gang youth in life-skills and general carpentry skills. Their teacher and mentor – affectionately called “Abuelo” (Grandfather) – is a retired carpenter. He demonstrates skills and technique. His burly callused hands are a testament to a lifetime of working with wood and tools. The boys watch him skillfully plane wood, sketch a line, sharpen the tools or fit a hinge. Then he moves station-to-station answering questions from each young trainee.

Twelve teens are currently in the carpentry-training program. In the past year, 22 boys have

been trained, 20 of which are employed as carpenters.

The Carpentry Training Workshop is being relocated from Managua to a new facility at the Los Braziles Ministry Center. Mario Avilés, CHRF board member, inspects the nearly completed workshop.

This program has allowed 40 young men, formerly running wild in the streets, to be changed – many now married with their own families. The most important lessons these young men learn – aside from making an honest living – is the daily instruction they receive regarding principles, ethics, and living a life that glorifies God. This produces the changes, transformed lives, and living testimonies that impact the community and our nation.

EMMANUEL CHILDREN'S HOME IN JUAREZ , MEXICO

The Vocational Training Center at Emmanuel Children's Home in Juarez, Mexico is a key component of Director Josue Lopez' goal of truly transforming his city. After completing their basic education, the older children have the opportunity to learn a variety of productive trades, including mechanics, welding, and clothing design and fabrication. The Center has also recently opened a new computer skills lab, made possible by the gift of used computers and seed capital provided by our generous donors.

The Vocational Training Center has been a great success and we consider it to be a model program. Many students have started their own successful enterprises. Local businesses for their part are glad to have a supply of honest and skilled employees.

So many other Juarez residents inquired about the training programs that Emmanuel opened up its classes to outside students, who pay a modest fee to receive training. The goal is for the Center to support the Home's other programs, thus establishing a self-sustaining enterprise.