austraLasia 1542
'Arigato, Tanaka san' for Rural Training Centre Tetere's first sack of rice
TETERE (SI): April 28th 2006 -- The Don Bosco Tetere RTC on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, is just 14 months old. Eighty young people from nearby villages have had the joy and honour of being its first students. The only prerequisite for joining the Centre, explains Brother Tanaka, the Salesian Brother who runs the Centre, is a love of life's virtues and a turning away from its vices. "If you are tired of doing nothing and living in idleness in your villages, and you want to build a better future, then come", is his invitation.
Love for the land and for agriculture is a precious gift to be cultivated. Land in Melanesia is a mother, it is not something one can buy or sell; it gives life, sustains one, supports one till the end of one's life.
This is the first time these students have had the joy of planting and gathering rice. On the large island of Guadalcanal, vegetation is abundant - the forest supports the villages, the gardens are full of root crops: cassava, yam, taro, kumara (sweet potato). The problem though this year has been the overabundant rains which have destroyed most of the root crops, but it made a difference to the rice crop! Rice had previously been grown by a company but not by private individuals.
With healthy pride the young people from the Tetere RTC brought their produce to the market just at the moment when the political disturbances and resulting violence had meant the destruction of China Town. These good young men have shown others of their peers that work offers dignity and that new agricultural technologies can help out in times of crisis.
The first sack of rice has been something of a victory for 'Don Bosco', for the 80 young villagers involved, but thanks of a special kind must also go to 'Tanaka san'.
If you wish to add further information of make a comment on this news item, please do so at BoscoWiki austraLasia page.
__________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml
'Arigato, Tanaka san' for Rural Training Centre Tetere's first sack of rice
TETERE (SI): April 28th 2006 -- The Don Bosco Tetere RTC on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, is just 14 months old. Eighty young people from nearby villages have had the joy and honour of being its first students. The only prerequisite for joining the Centre, explains Brother Tanaka, the Salesian Brother who runs the Centre, is a love of life's virtues and a turning away from its vices. "If you are tired of doing nothing and living in idleness in your villages, and you want to build a better future, then come", is his invitation.
Love for the land and for agriculture is a precious gift to be cultivated. Land in Melanesia is a mother, it is not something one can buy or sell; it gives life, sustains one, supports one till the end of one's life.
This is the first time these students have had the joy of planting and gathering rice. On the large island of Guadalcanal, vegetation is abundant - the forest supports the villages, the gardens are full of root crops: cassava, yam, taro, kumara (sweet potato). The problem though this year has been the overabundant rains which have destroyed most of the root crops, but it made a difference to the rice crop! Rice had previously been grown by a company but not by private individuals.
With healthy pride the young people from the Tetere RTC brought their produce to the market just at the moment when the political disturbances and resulting violence had meant the destruction of China Town. These good young men have shown others of their peers that work offers dignity and that new agricultural technologies can help out in times of crisis.
The first sack of rice has been something of a victory for 'Don Bosco', for the 80 young villagers involved, but thanks of a special kind must also go to 'Tanaka san'.
If you wish to add further information of make a comment on this news item, please do so at BoscoWiki austraLasia page.
__________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml
