Last week, the WAVS community gathered to celebrate an exciting milestone: 50 students graduated from our vocational programs in Guinea-Bissau. The ceremony was held inside the new WAVS training center, marking the first graduation to take place in this expanded space. It was a joyful and meaningful day, filled with pride, music, and hope for […]
This September marked an exciting milestone: the opening of our new 16,000-square-foot training center at the WAVS flagship campus in the capital of Guinea-Bissau. This is the largest infrastructure project in our history. Its completion marks the start of a new chapter — not only in the story of WAVS, but also in the stories […]
What Holistic Ministry Looks Like: How to Share the Good News While Serving the Poor In June, Pope Leo XIV shared a message on the 2025 World Day of the Poor that captured the twin callings of holistic ministry for how Christians (whether Catholic or Protestant) should serve the poor. “The worst discrimination which the […]
I first met Vladimir while he stood outside the English classroom, waiting for his class to start. Vladimir always arrives early to class. Transportation can be tricky in Guinea-Bissau, so he always makes sure to give himself plenty of time in case the taxi or Toka Toka he uses to get to class ends up […]
WAVS’ 4-Part Model for Running Sustainable Christian Vocational Schools in Africa Recently, a report released jointly by the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, and UNESCO concluded that there will be “exponential” growth in skills training programs in low and middle-income countries over the next two decades. But the report also highlights all the ways […]
When I first heard that many people in West Africa live on less than $2 a day, I felt overwhelmed. Poverty is a complex challenge, and at times, overcoming it can seem like an impossible task. But at WAVS, we believe that real change happens one student at a time. Through the support of generous […]
A Difficult Childhood Dalton Da Silva was forced to grow up quickly. As a young boy, his parents separated. His mom and baby sister moved out, and they had no one to care for them. Concerned for their survival, Dalton gathered dried grass and carefully tied it together to make traditional sweeping brooms. He sold […]
What happens when someone living in poverty is given the chance to learn a new job skill? Just ask Ivanildo and Vanov. They met last year while studying welding in the same class at a WAVS vocational school in Guinea-Bissau, a tiny country in West Africa. They discovered that they worked well together. In fact, […]
When we opened the new WAVS flagship campus in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, we knew we were taking a risk. We were new to Bissau. People in the neighborhood weren’t familiar with us. And the campus wasn’t exactly easy to get to for anyone not living in the immediate vicinity. It’s located on 28 […]
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