The Mater Ecclesiae Skills Training Center is transforming lives and future for teenage mothers and school dropouts in Kwaekese in Ghana’s Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom.
Established by the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC), this apostolate has become what can be described as a beacon of hope in a region grappling with poverty and high dropout rates.
Founding Mistress of the Center, Sr. Cecilia Clare Kudexa, SMMC told Catholic Trends that the Center first started as a hub for baking but soon began to experience a dwindling number of trainees because almost every young girl in the area had the same skill and sold same to a limited business market.
The Center had to change plans as the need arose. Hence, the Center added on sewing, bead making and soap making among others to be able to continue to be of help to the people in the area.

With a vision to empower young women through skills training, the center addresses the pressing needs of those who have faced significant challenges. Many of these young mothers find themselves without employable skills, left to care for their children while their partners remain jobless and irresponsible.
Despite the gains, Current Mistress, Sr. Francisca Kumevor, SMMC notes that the Center is struggling with space, training tools, and food among others.
This dire need Sr. Kumevor explains is because the training, feeding and accommodation for the trainees come at no cost to them. What this means is that the young girls go through training for two years without paying fees.
The Center currently has 23 trainees with 10 of them in their first year of studies with the other 13 in their second (Final) year. After two years of studies, the trainees take the NVTI examination which qualifies them for further studies.
TO SUPPORT THE MATER ECCLESIAE SKILLS TRAINING CENTRE, PLEASE CALL +233247766561 or +233200129717