A Salesian center in north-eastern India has held a series of training to help improve their employment opportunities.
The Anma Integrated Development Association (AIDA) held the training in five villages, with a focus on mushroom cultivation and food processing. The women were part of self-help groups facilitated by the Don Bosco Campus in Dimapur, the commercial capital of Nagaland state.
The training aimed to pro-vide skills training for unemployed youth and women. Self-help groups are set up to help women have better employment opportunities. Women attended hands-on training and had a chance to meet with different organizations and departments for cross-sharing of information in a real-work environment.
The mushroom cultivation training was held at the Mush-room Farmers’ Club in Bade village. It was supported by the Mushroom Development Foundation of Guwahati, Assam. The food processing training on meat and pickles was held at the Ministry Learning Center.
The 50 participants of the mushroom training were taught about the construction of the mushroom house, preparation of straw, incubation and spawning and casing soil. The 27 participants in the food processing training learned about food quality assurance, quality control, and preservation for meat and pickles.
“Salesian missionaries in India and around the globe provide educational programs for women so they can find employment and become self-sufficient, which aids their families and communities,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.