By Sisters Esther, Donana, Luzia, and Verónica, with partner-in-mission Daniel, Sister M. Susan Chia Vocational Training Center, Angola
In May 2026, the Sister M. Susan Chia Vocational Training Center in Luanda, Angola, marked ten years of accompanying people as they develop practical skills, strengthen their confidence, and work toward more secure futures.
Supported in its work by sisters and partners-in-mission, this Good Shepherd ministry is located in the municipality of Belas, a socially diverse area of Luanda where families experience very different economic realities.
Its programs include literacy education, sewing and dressmaking, computer skills, English, advanced Excel, academic support, hairstyling, and makeup. Through these courses, the Center offers participants – who come from a wide range of backgrounds – a welcoming environment in which they can discover their abilities, renew their confidence, and prepare for new opportunities.
During the recent closing ceremony for the sewing and dressmaking course, participants, families, sisters, partners-in-mission, and other guests gathered to celebrate the completion of the training and the progress achieved by each member of the group.
During the ceremony, participants received their certificates and presented garments they had created throughout the course. Dresses, matching outfits, children’s clothing, and other original designs demonstrated both the practical techniques they had learned and the creativity they had developed.
The pieces reflected months of dedication, patience, and perseverance. For those attending the ceremony, they also offered a visible reminder of what becomes possible when people have access to training, encouragement, and sustained support.
Several participants shared personal testimonies about their experiences. Some had arrived at the Center without any previous knowledge of sewing or even knowing how to operate a sewing machine. By the end of the course, they were able to design and produce quality garments and were beginning to imagine how their new skills might support them and their families.
Their plans include opening small tailoring studios, establishing family businesses, and earning an independent income through sewing. While each participant’s ambitions are different, their stories share a renewed sense of possibility.
Among the testimonies was that of Domingas, whose determination deeply moved those present. She first enrolled in the course several years ago but had to interrupt her training because of health difficulties. Although she was unable to continue at that time, she did not abandon her desire to learn.
Domingas eventually returned to the Center, encouraged by the quality of the training and the welcome she had previously experienced. After completing her journey, she became an enthusiastic advocate for the program within her community. She now encourages neighbors and members of her own family to consider enrolling in the sewing and dressmaking course.
Her story reflects the wider purpose of the Sister M. Susan Chia Vocational Training Center. Through education and professional formation, the Center creates concrete opportunities for empowerment, particularly for women and young people who may face economic or social barriers.
The training is not limited to preparing participants for employment. It also helps them rebuild confidence, recognize their talents, strengthen their self-esteem, and take practical steps toward a more dignified and hopeful future.
The joyful closing ceremony echoed the experience of many people who have passed through the Center during its first ten years. Their journeys demonstrate how skills, accompaniment, courage, and perseverance can come together to transform personal aspirations into achievable goals.
As the Center celebrates this anniversary, its experience offers encouragement to the Good Shepherd mission throughout the world. Each ministry responds to its local reality in a different way, but all participate in the Congregation’s shared commitment to dignity, compassion, and transformation.
As the Constitutions remind us, each community makes the mission of the Congregation visible in its own particular context (Cont No. 39). In Luanda, fabric is being transformed into clothing—and opportunities are being transformed into new paths for life.
