History

ABOUT THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE

Rev. P. A. Panner, an American Mennonite missionary working in Champa, started an asylum for leprosy patients who begged for a living, in 1902. Eventually, the asylum was converted into a hospital-cum-home.  The Mission to Lepers (now, The Leprosy Mission Trust India) took over its management in 1903.

The Chhattisgarh Vocational Training Centre, Champa was started in 1998 to offer Job oriented Vocational training to young men and women cured of leprosy , dependants of persons affected by leprosy and Persons with Disablities. In a year approximately 120 students are provided Institutional Based skills training and 200 are trained in the community in job oriented market driven trades. Placement support in self and wage employment is provided. The recent evaluation shows that this training and placement support is  crucial for young boys and girls from leprosy background to live a dignified life. Hence Vocational Education through Community Based(CB)  and Institutional Based(IB) Training is relevant and should be continued . Moreover there is no other Institute in the state of Chathisgarh catering to the skills training and placement needs of persons affected by leprosy in a holistic manner.