Italian NGO VIS Hosts Crucial Project Management Workshop for African Salesian Provinces in Kigali

KIGALI, RWANDA — A delegation from Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo (VIS) arrived in Kigali to facilitate a major capacity-building workshop for Planning and Development Office (PDO) staff from across Africa. Organized in partnership with the Salesians of Don Bosco, the training focuses on strengthening skills in budgeting, project management, and administration.

According to including Emanuela Chiang and other team members, the workshop is designed to support the administrative and development offices of nine African Salesian provinces.

However, participation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was affected by the ongoing Ebola Outbreak in DRC. Despite these difficulties, delegates from the remaining provinces are actively taking part in the sessions underway in Rwanda.

During the official opening of the training, Father UFITAMAHORO Servilien, Director of the Salesian Planning and Development Office serving Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, expressed gratitude to VIS for choosing Rwanda as the host country for the continental workshop.

He emphasized that the opportunity should not be taken for granted, encouraging participants to fully engage in the training and apply the acquired knowledge in their daily work for the benefit of young people across Africa.

“This training is not taken for granted, but rather as an opportunity to learn and put into practice for the benefit of the young people across the continent,” Father Servilien noted during his remarks.

The Kigali workshop forms part of a broader long-term initiative aimed at strengthening project management capacities within Salesian institutions in Africa. According to Chiang, the program began with an online Project Cycle Management (PCM) course and was followed by a practical workshop on advanced project writing held last December in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Actually we started with four online sessions in project budgeting and now we are at the practical part,” Chiang explained.

To accommodate participants from different linguistic backgrounds, the practical exercises in Kigali are being conducted in both English-speaking and French-speaking groups.

The first day of the training also provided participants with an opportunity to showcase and share cultural products from the various countries represented at the workshop.

The exchange created an atmosphere of unity and intercultural collaboration among delegates from across the continent.

Participants expressed enthusiasm about acquiring practical knowledge and technical skills that will strengthen the effectiveness of their respective Planning and Development Offices. Many noted that the training is expected to improve project implementation, accountability, and service delivery for the benefit of vulnerable children and young people served by Salesian institutions across Africa.

Beyond classroom sessions, the workshop will also include field visits to Salesian community projects in Rwanda. Participants are expected to visit the Don Bosco Technical Vocational Training Center located in Muhazi, where they will observe firsthand the work being done to support children and young people through vocational education and community initiatives.

Before concluding next Friday, participants will also tour central Kigali and pay tribute at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.