Photo Caption: Cesia (the woman in the photo) graduated the YouthBuild program and owns her own business. Her business revolves around feed for livestock. She used to believe that she would end up some of them women that she has grown up with. Not doing much and just staying in the house most of the time. But with the help of the YouthBuild program she was able to turn her life around for the better. During the time the photo was taken, Cesia is wearing a red t-shirt as she stands for the picture. To the left of the photo are five ropes two of which are yellow and red and one that is orange. On the other side of the photo is a wooden stand that is holding some of Cesia’s products. On the top shelf are a couple of bags of livestock feed as well as jars of honey. Underneath this shelf is another that is comprised entirely of livestock feed.
In the world there are places were adults and kids have living conditions that some people might consider to be perfect. Food that seems to be plentiful, clothes that are easy to buy, access to water, the ability to find a job and keep it and many more. However, there are parts of the world were the opposite is true. Some places have crime rates that are high and don’t have the same amount of job opportunities. As a matter of fact, Central America is one of those areas in the world were this applies. In some places street gangs are on the lookout to recruit young teens into their ranks every day. This is especially true for those kids who don’t have an education, job and last but not least financial stability. However the Catholic Relief Services will teach them a different way through the CRS YouthBuild Program.
Firstly the Catholic Relief Services has its YouthBuild program teach the young kids many different things based on their needs. The YouthBuild program provides educational opportunities, vocational training, community support and job placement help. Furthermore, the YouthBuild will provide entrepreneurial training for those who show that spirit. The Youth Build program will engage with the young kids in community support projects through two ways. Both of the two ways take six months to complete. First is the part-time option which requires 400 training hours. The second is the full-time option requires 800 hours of training. Not only will this help the kids get off the street, it will also give them a better tomorrow.
Together with their desire to help and those in need, the CRS will serve 8,370 at-risk youth in Central America. Furthermore, there is already a place in Central America that the Catholic Relief Services has the YouthBuild program. The place in Central America is none other than the country Nicaragua. Coupled with street gangs and violence there are a number of kids who need help. In Nicaragua, there are multiple kids who are changing their lives for the better. Likewise, the Catholic Relief Services will track and maintain the program. They will make sure that there is at least 80% of their kids have a job, enrolled into school or started a business. Furthermore, the CRS will make multiple visits to monitor the progress and to ensure financial stability.
To find out more about the CRS Youth Build, please visit their website.