Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centres Association (VRDTCA)
VRDCTA is a network of vocational based schools designed for young people who have been pushed out of the formal educational system and provides them with training in specific skills to improve the quality of life in rural areas.
- Headquarters: Port Vila
- Founding date: 1992
- Website: http://vrdtca.org.vu/wp/
- Mission: To empower school push-outs, youth and interested public through the provision of training in trade and vocational skills enabling self improvement, self-employment, entry into the workforce and development of active leaders and citizens .
VRDTCA’s vision is “Improved economy, leading to less poverty and malnutrition, better standard of living, improved status for women , better access to vocational training and improved governance and leadership in communities.”
Over the past 19 years, VRDTCA has grown from 12 to 40 Rural Training Centres (RTCs). Established under the Foundation for the People of the South Pacific (FSP), VRDTCA became independent of FSP and now works with 40 RTCs across Vanuatu's six provinces to create opportunities for income generation and self reliance.
Communities around RTCs are engaged in projects from their inception. They take part in the design of suitable courses: building, sourcing local materials, and managing infrastructure construction; and establishing groups to address health and hygiene and disaster risk reduction in their areas.
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| VRDTCA is providing commuities with the skills that will last them a lifetime. |
Objectives
The general objective of VRDTCA’s RTC Policy is to provide training in the skills needed to improve the quality of life in rural and urban areas. The specific objectives are:
- Develop further non-formal programmes with a holistic approach to training and which are needed as preparations for self-employment in the rural/urban sector
- Meet demands of the increasing numbers entering RTCs
- Ensure a more equal gender balance in RTCs and the provision of follow-up support for graduates.
Impact
The impact of RTCs on rural communities is an improved quality of life. RTCs raise the awareness of village health issues, income generation opportunities and use of local materials in non-traditional ways. RTCs are teaching the skills for creative, inexpensive solutions to many of the problems that rural areas face. Some examples are teaching students not only how to build ventilated toilets, but how they help improve village health by eliminating flies or drying manioc flour and other food preservation techniques that help families to be prepared for natural disasters.
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