A reception for basic and vocational training for 600 children and young people from Port-au-Prince

Context

2,000 young Haitians are street children in Port-au-Prince. These children are affected by violence, malnutrition, drug use and sexually transmitted diseases. About 300,000 children live in domestic service in Haiti. Most of them are girls living in families where they are employed for purely domestic tasks. They are exploited and are often abused, ranging from moral and physical abuse to sexual abuse. Timkatec allows 600 of these children and young people to have the opportunity to escape these conditions through psychological and social support and quality education.

Action
TIMKATEC is the abbreviation for "Timoun Kap Teke Chans", which means "Every child has the right to his or her chance". 
Timkatec is organised into three centres that meet the support and training needs of 600 very vulnerable children and youth in Pétionville:

• Timkatec 1 has been in existence since 1995 and takes in 120 children, including 40 boarders, aged between 8 and 12 years. Children are welcomed, fed, cared for, supervised and follow a primary education programme, based on pedagogical tools developed by our partner
• Timkatec 2 opened its doors in 2004, thanks to funding from the Geomoun/DGD project. It welcomes 330 young people aged 12 to 18. Young people are also welcomed, fed and cared for where necessary and receive vocational training in one of 4 courses taught: masonry, plumbing, electricity and sewing.
• Timkatec 3 opened its doors in October 2009. This centre accommodates 180 girls and young women. A basic training (primary school certificate) is given to the youngest, and two vocational training courses are taught: sewing and cooking.

The National Institute of Professional Training recognises the professional training given in sewing, plumbing, electricity, masonry and hotel trade.
At night, 25 young people aged 14 to 18, in a street situation, can come to Timkatec 3 to sleep, while allowing them to sleep safely, wash, be fed and cared for, an awareness program is offered each evening. Those who wish to take charge of their lives and learn a trade at some point will be able to either follow the courses at Timkatec 2 or be supported in the search for training or employment.
An artistic and musical training programme has been running since 2012. Every weekend, children and young people learn to play a musical instrument, to dance, create floral art, ... 

Local partner
Timkatec is an NGO under Haitian law founded by Father Joseph Simon, Salesian, Haitian. Timkatec was created in 1996 and has been supported by Geomoun since 2001. Between 2001 and 2008, Timkatec developed two additional training centres to complement the initial centre, to provide support for anywhere between 100 and 600 children and young people, girls and boys, in basic and vocational training. Despite the socio-political and economic context of the country and the city of Port-au-Prince, Timkatec has always succeeded in fulfilling its mission. The operating costs associated with welcoming and training particularly vulnerable people, without any public assistance, make the continuation of the project a constant challenge!