At first glance, the country of Guinea-Bissau doesn’t seem like much more than just a tiny speck on the map. In fact, it may be the most forgotten country in Africa. But take a closer look, and you’ll discover a land bursting with rich cultural heritage, an economy centered around buttery cashews and sweet mangoes, […]
Graduate Stories
Four examples of how vocational schools use practical job skills training to help young people in West Africa
10
Jun
Jun
West African Vocational Schools has equipped more than 1,400 young people with life-changing job skills through practical training programs at locally-led vocational schools. After completing their courses, more than three out of four graduates find employment, start their own business, or continue with their studies. And most of them see a significant increase in their […]
21
Apr
Apr
Today, we’re announcing a new donation to WAVS: an existing vocational school in Guinea-Bissau. That’s right – an entire school in Guinea-Bissau has been donated to WAVS. Here’s how it happened. More than a decade ago, an organization called Servants to Missions built a vocational school on a 2.5-acre compound in a city called Gabu, […]
12
Apr
Apr
What do you do after drinking a can of soda? Maybe you rinse out the can, flatten it out, and toss it in the recycling bin. Once that can is out of sight, you probably don’t think much about it. But for students enrolled in the WAVS welding program, a can is more than just […]
22
Mar
Mar
Opportunity builds on itself. One opportunity leads to another. Its impact is exponential. In a nearly forgotten corner of the world called Guinea-Bissau, there are thousands of young people waiting for their first opportunity in life.
27
Aug
Aug
Opportunity builds on itself. One opportunity leads to another. Its impact is exponential. In a nearly forgotten corner of the world called Guinea-Bissau, there are thousands of young people waiting for their first opportunity in life.
Graduate Stories, Welding
‘None of us are professors, secretaries or doctors – but I thank God for the profession he’s given us.’
20
May
May
Cirilo grew up in a country where most people live on less than $2 a day. As a kid, he dreamed about becoming a doctor or lawyer. With a career like that, he thought, he’d leave his life of poverty behind. Now as an adult, Cirilo shows up to work every day ready to direct […]
20
Apr
Apr
A new way for you to equip young West Africans with job skills every month. We live in difficult and uncertain times. Here at home, each of us is making daily sacrifices to care for our families and loved ones. And all around the world, people face the same fears and unknowns. Perhaps never before has the world been more […]
19
Mar
Mar
For the latest number of cases in Guinea-Bissau click here. September 14, 2020: The WAVS Schools resumed classes, with extra protocols in place like wearing masks, for those students who were enrolled in the Spring term that was cut short by the state of emergency which closed all schools. These classes will go until September […]
17
Mar
Mar
An American nonprofit. A government ministry in a tiny country in West Africa. A grant funded by the government of Japan. All of these organizations came together last month to make something special happen: Launch a new vocational school campus that will equip hundreds of young women and men with life-changing job skills. On February […]
