Salesians Set Up Vocational Training in Georgia

Salesians Work to Establish Vocational Training Center in Georgia
Also includes boarding arrangement

(ANS – Tbilisi, Georgia – July 21, 2025) – Salesian missionaries in Tbilisi, capital of the republic of Georgia, are working to establish a vocational training center and residence for youths who are vulnerable. This project is supported in part by funding from Salesian Missions in New Rochelle. The center will offer education for 60-100 students older than age 16 who are want to gain employment skills. Up to 30 youths will live at the residence center while they complete their education.

[Editor’s note: In the early 1870s, Don Bosco considered taking up a work in Savannah in the U.S. state of Georgia.  That did not work out.  From 1974 to 1990, the Salesians had a presence in Fr. Mario Balbi, who was chaplain at the port.]

A Salesian explained, “The vocational courses will be short and oriented to students engaging and completing an internship. They will have the opportunity to live in the residence center for up to 5 years. Our goal is to ensure that poor and vulnerable youths are able to gain the skills for employment so they can become self-sufficient.”

The construction is still underway. With the funding from Salesian Missions, Salesians have installed an elevator to accommodate individuals with disabilities, made several significant improvements in the yard, installed a fire reservoir with a pumping station and piping, and put in place sewage and storm drainage systems. Once the construction of the vocational training center is completed, the Salesian community will need funds for furniture and equipment.

4 of the SDBs missioned to Tbilisi (October 2024 photo)
with Fr. Alfred Maravilla (center),
general councilor for missions at the time

Georgia borders Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and gained its independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. The country’s transition to a free-market economy allowed for persistent growth between 2010 and 2015 and a considerable reduction in poverty rates.

In 2022, Georgia’s poverty rate was at 15.6%, the lowest in its history, but those in poverty are still suffering. The World Bank reports that there are limited high-quality jobs and 1/3 of the population still relies on low-productivity agriculture for income. Many youths are not able to access secondary education. Only 50% of rural students and 43% for students from poor backgrounds complete their education, leaving them few opportunities for a stable future.

Source: Salesian Missions