28.04.2014 - Rahiata Bamogo, a young woman in the first year of her training as a welder, already handles her blowlamp with ease. And yet, when she was deciding what training to undertake, she opted initially for an entirely different occupation - dressmaking. A lack of suitable facilities meant that this was no longer really a viable option, and she set about learning to join together plates of metal instead of pieces of cloth.

“The hardest thing is that I am the only girl in my area doing welding. In Burkina Faso, it’s still a man’s job”, she says. But Rahiata isn’t letting this get her down: “I want to complete my training no matter what. I would like to set up my own workshop”.

Rahiata’s example shows that those young people who did not attend state schools because they were already too old to go to school can also do vocational training. The schools supported by Enfants du Monde offer four years of quality basic education to children who have never been able to go to school.  

So today, Rahiata, aged 18, is an example to follow: “I am proud of having caught up on my basic education and being able to do this welding course, and my family is proud too. Only one of my four younger brothers and sisters goes to school. On top of that, making all sorts of things with the flame of my blowlamp is just magic!”