Building a better future…
In Goma, carpentry is one of the few reliable industries where help is always needed. Despite the ever-present threat of conflict and natural disaster, the city is on the rise, and new buildings and homes are being built constantly.
These homes and buildings need walls, doors, floors, tables, and chairs; CAMME has been there, giving youth the skills they needed to find jobs in carpentry, contributing not only to the city’s building boom, but also to their own future. In CAMME’s vocational program, more than 350 children learned a valuable skill, and were certified as professional carpenters by the Congolese government, a key step to stable, gainful employment.
A.S., then 17, came to CAMME after his father was killed by Rwandan militia forces in his home village. He and his mother arrived in Goma, where she found odd jobs carrying baggage at the bus station. Living on the street, he heard about CAMME through friends, and following 2 years of training, received state certification as a carpenter through CAMME’s program. In his time at the center, he also learned to read and write, worked with the Social Services team to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention, and other key life skills.
CAMME helped him to build his dreams. Today he works at a local carpentry workshop, and he helps support his mother.
As CAMME shifted to a model more focused on entrepreneurial and formal education, the Carpentry program was phased out, but leaves a legacy of young woodworkers across Goma, who have built their futures with CAMME’s help.
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