The Belgian food group Puratos and VIA Don Bosco have decided to join forces to create a new two-year training course in baking, pastry-making and chocolate-making at the Don Bosco training centre in Santa Ana, El Salvador. It is a very natural partnership, given that Puratos is a benchmark supplier in this sector.
25 additional graduates per year
In addition to the supply of raw materials, this partnership involves the creation of two additional classrooms at the San José school in Santa Ana: a room for theory classes and a fully equipped kitchen for practical work in optimum conditions.
The new facilities will be officially inaugurated on 18 December in the presence of the Belgian Consul in El Salvador, the school management and, of course, the students. However, the new student intake did not wait for the inauguration of the new premises before starting their training. Indeed, as early as September, the students were able to use Puratos’ production facilities in El Salvador. Every year, this new training programme will enable 25 girls and boys to obtain a diploma, with the guarantee of obtaining a proper job at the end of their course.
“This collaboration is a dream come true,” explained Tony Cnudde, Head of Fundraising at VIA Don Bosco. “This project shows how businesses and NGOs can work together to have a positive impact on the world. There are many potential synergies between Puratos and VIA Don Bosco, and we’re not stopping here. We are already thinking about replicating this operation in other countries.”