Vocational Training for Young Girls April 1997 - March 1998 Sibate, Colombia Implemented by: ICA Japan and local people
PROJECT OVERVIEW Sibate village is an hour's drive from Bogota. A growing inflow to the metropolitan area of young people seeking jobs is now emerging as a serious problem. In this village, 128 girls between the ages of 6 and 14 who were street children due to child abuse, are living in a community facility with 11 nuns who provide the girls with basic education. They are forced to leave when they complete primary school education due to the lack of funds. Unless they also receive job skill training, it is extremely difficult for these girls to make a living when they leave. This project is giving the girls wide-ranging vocational skills, from ceramics to weaving and dressmaking, so that they can be self-supporting. We are providing sewing, pottery and wool spinning materials, and vocational instructors. The girls are now making efforts to become independent by utilizing their newly acquired skills.
	1. She is keenly working on her piece after receiving embroidery training. Girls are trying to acquire skills to be self-sufficient in the future.
	2. 128 girls live in the dormitory. They have regular school in the morning, and vocational training in the afternoon.
Wool
	3. They have prepared this wool for making non-woven fabric.
	4. The instructor is demonstrating cross-layering the wool for making non-woven fabric.
	5. The Sisters begin training the girls from basic spinning skills.
	6. They are spinning wool with spinning wheels.
Tapestry
	7. They are making tapestries with spun yarn. Their skills are improving, and they are hoping to continue their training.
Knitting
	8. Learning to knit helps girls who suffered mentally to become stable.
Sewing
	9. First they learn how to use needles and threads, and basic sewing.
	10. Soon they will learn advanced skills after basic training.
	11. A school uniform. They learned how to cut cloth using a dress pattern, and how to use sewing machines.
	12. One of the Sisters displays a school uniform.
Ceramics
	13. Ceramic training is on Thursdays and Fridays. The first step is to learn how to handle clay.
	14. The girls' pieces in the early stage shows how much work they put into their projects.