BURKINA FASO

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in the St. Francis of Assisi community of Burkina Faso have a new chapel thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The chapel is located in Bobo-Dioulasso, which is roughly 20% Catholic.

The community has nearly 300 people who lacked an adequate place for liturgical celebrations on Sundays or for on-site activities such as catechesis and spiritual meetings. The community only had a makeshift hangar that could not withstand bad weather, making it difficult to use at all times of the year.

A Salesian noted, “The construction of the chapel is stabilizing the Christian community and promoting a welcoming environment for families who have come to settle in the area. Catechesis and faith education activities will help the community grow and endure over time.”

Salesian missionaries have been working in Burkina Faso since March 1993. Missionaries first began their work in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. Salesian missionaries provide education and social development services designed to create a sense of family among the most vulnerable children and those most at risk of social exclusion.

According to the World Bank, more than 46% of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than $1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices, affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s, the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Burkina Faso

World Bank – Burkina Faso

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BURKINA FASO

(MissionNewswire) The Women’s Vocational Training Center, located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, trains more than 300 young women each year in specializations like tailoring, hairstyling, fabric design and pattern making, computer maintenance, and secretarial work. The center, which provides inclusive, equitable and quality education, receives funding from Bosco Global.

Recently, the cutting-tailoring and hairstyling workshops were equipped with supplies, and the spaces for theoretical-practical courses were expanded. Refresher courses were also provided for the center’s teaching staff. In addition, students in extremely vulnerable situations were provided with the necessary kits to carry out their courses of study.

Father Joseph Basson, director of the center, said, “There are many student stories that have touched my heart. One young woman pedaled 25 kilometers every day to get to the center to take classes, never arriving late. Today, she has achieved her dream of owning her own sewing workshop.”

The Women’s Vocational Training Center was developed to address the precarious situation experienced by many women and girls. It includes literacy courses, support for work placement, and education in values and time management. The main objective of the project is to train women and girls so they can work and earn an income while breaking free from a life of poverty.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Burkina Faso since March 1993. Missionaries first began their work in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. They settled in a neighborhood known as Ouezzin, an expanding area of the city. The nearby area is crossed by several rivers. On those riverbanks, crops are cultivated then sold in the city and exported to the city of Ouagadougou. Salesian missionaries provide education and social development services designed to create a sense of family among the most vulnerable children and those most at risk of social exclusion.

According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than $1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices, affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s, the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Burkina Faso – Salesian Women’s Vocational Training Center in Ouagadougou trains 300 young women each year

Salesian Missions – Burkina Faso

World Bank – Burkina Faso

The post BURKINA FASO: Women gain skills for better future first appeared on MissionNewswire.

BURKINA FASO

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Center in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, has clean drinking water powered by solar electricity thanks to funding from Salesian Missions “Clean Water Initiative.” Salesian Missions is the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The “Sun Helps Us Succeed” project is providing drinking water using a solar pump. There had been a borehole dug and water tower ready, but the pump was required to complete the project. Photovoltaic installations are very appropriate in the area because it is sunny the whole year.

Opened in October 1993, the Don Bosco Center includes a technical school with 306 students and a home, which has 25 young people between aged 15 and 24. The youth center is frequented by close to 600 youth each week. The Don Bosco Center is open in the evening as a place for youth to gather and study. The center uses 30 solar energy lamps because there are so many local power outages and electric bills are very high. Using solar energy is a huge cost savings for the center.

To help support the new water access long-term, Salesian missionaries are charging a small fee to those from outside of the center grounds who come for large amounts of water, exceeding 50 liters each day. This will ensure the maintenance of the water tower equipment.

Ballé Diane, a professor of electricity at the Don Bosco Center’s technical school, said, “The installation of the solar pump system has been of great benefit. The objective of this project was to achieve self-sufficiency in water and energy consumption. I can say that this goal has been achieved. Better still, our students took advantage of the installation of the system to practice and increase their knowledge because the company that was hired to do the work allowed them to participate in the work. This project has impacted 540 students from the Don Bosco Center and many families benefit from this installation for water and energy. Many thanks to Salesians Missions and benefactors.”

Salesian missionaries have been working in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, since March 1993. Missionaries first began their work in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. They settled in a neighborhood known as Ouezzin, an expanding area of the city. Salesian missionaries provide education and social development services designed to create a sense of family among the most vulnerable children and those most at risk of social exclusion.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 185 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index 2015. According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than $1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices, affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s, the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Burkina Faso

Salesian Missions – Clean Water Initiative

World Bank – Burkina Faso

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BURKINA FASO

(MissionNewswire) Sister Bernarda Garcia, with Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, recently received the “Walking Together” award from Manos Unidas (United Hands), a Spanish international nongovernmental organization for development cooperation. Sr. Garcia was honored for her work with young women in Burkina Faso and her commitment to working with poor youth in Africa for nearly 40 years.

For the first time in the history of the awards, Manos Unidas granted awards in 11 categories which represent the different areas of focus of the organization for the last 60 years. Receiving the award, Sr. Garcia said, “Together we can change the world a little.”

In a presentation at the awards ceremony, Sr. Garcia further added, “You (Manos Unidas) have saved these girls who previously roamed the streets and who are now dignified girls with a dignified life. Thousands of young people will continue to pass through our centers thanks to you, to your sacrifice. Together we can change the world a little, by feeding the hungry, but above all by giving them integral education, the basis of development.”

Sr. Garcia also delivered a batik fabric to Clara Pardo, president of Manos Unidas. The fabric represented the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, a miracle that continues to occur thanks to Manos Unidas. Concluding her speech, Sr. Garcia added, “This award will be given to girls who have become homeless in Abidjan because their homes and businesses have been demolished.”

Sr. Garcia works within a Women’s Center in Kouba, within the capital city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. The center is operated by the Salesian Daughters of Mary Help of Christians as part of a vast socio-educational project in the region.

The Women’s Center offers apprenticeships and fosters literacy. It was developed to address the precarious situation experienced by many women and young girls, and it provides qualified skills and professional training in sectors such as catering, tailoring, information technology and hairdressing. The project includes courses of literacy, support for work placement, education in values and time management. The main objective of the project is to train girls and women so they can work and earn an income while breaking free from a life of poverty.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, since March 1993. Missionaries first began their work in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. They settled in a neighborhood known as Ouezzin, an expanding area of the city. The nearby area is crossed by several rivers. On those riverbanks, crops are cultivated then sold in the city and exported to the city of Ouagadougou. Salesian missionaries provide education and social development services designed to create a sense of family among the most vulnerable children and those most at risk of social exclusion.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 185 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index 2015. According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than $1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices, affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s, the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Burkina Faso – Sister Bernarda Garcia, FMA, receives “Caminando juntos” award on 60th anniversary of “Manos Unidas”

Salesian Missions – Burkina Faso

World Bank – Burkina Faso

The post BURKINA FASO: Sister Bernarda Garcia receives award from Manos Unidas for her work with at-risk women in Ouagadougou first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian missionaries have been working in Burkina Faso since March 1993 when they began work in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. They settled in a neighborhood known as Ouezzin which is an expanding area of the city with nearby areas crossed by several rivers. On those riverbanks crops are cultivated then sold in the city and exported to Ouagadougou.

Bobo-Dioulasso’s many surrounding villages are filled with youth and adults who head to the city in search of better living conditions. The area also has many children who have been abandoned by their families or sent into the city alone in the hope of a better future resulting in a large population of children living in the streets. Most come from rural areas where they have left school or have not even had a chance to start.

Salesian missionaries living and working in the area have created programs that address the child welfare needs of youth living on the streets. A Salesian home accommodates 30 children who are offered an education, a place to sleep, food and medical care. If possible, they are assisted in reuniting with their families.

Recently, several Salesian organizations in Spain have joined together to help create a Salesian-run Women’s Promotion Center in Kouba, an area within Ouagadougou. The center will be operated by the Salesian Daughters of Mary Help of Christians as part of a vast socio-educational project. Work started in December 2017 and should be completed within 10 months.

This is the second construction phase of the large socio-educational, cultural and sporting complex for children and older youth, especially girls, that the Salesian sisters have planned for the next five to 10 years. The complete project will include a nursery school, primary and secondary schools, a shelter for girls with limited resources and an oratory open to the neighborhood that includes sports facilities and educational workshops of various kinds. The new Women’s Center will offer apprenticeships and foster literacy.

“Education is always our primary focus,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “But we know that youth in Burkina Faso are dealing with much more than just lacking access to education. Salesian programs are tailored to meet the needs of youth in the communities they serve. Having this new vehicle, thanks to our donors, ensures that missionaries are able to travel to meet families in remote villages and transport youth as needed.”

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 185 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index 2016. According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than USD 1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s, the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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BURKINA FASO: New Salesian complex underway to offer education, a women’s center and other programs for young girls and women

BURKINA FASO: Salesian Programs Address Social Development, Educational Needs of Youth Living on the Streets

Salesian Missions

The post BURKINA FASO: Salesian missionaries providing services to remote villages able to purchase off-road vehicle for transport thanks to Salesian Missions donor funding first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Each year, International Women’s Day focuses on a theme. This year the theme is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.” The United Nations notes that this year’s International Women’s Day comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. The United Nations highlights the global marches and campaigns, including #MeToo and #TimesUp in the United States and their counterparts in other countries, on issues ranging from sexual harassment and femicide to equal pay and women’s political representation.

This year’s theme echoes the priority theme of the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. It aims to draw attention to the rights and activism of rural women, who make up over a quarter of the world population and are being left behind in every measure of development, according to the United Nations.

Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries around the globe are focused on achieving gender equality through programs targeted specifically for young women and girls. These programs strive to empower young women and girls by providing opportunities for education and training that lead to livable wage employment.

“Salesian missionaries around the globe empower young girls and women through education and social development services to ensure that they have equal access to attend school and gain the skills needed for later employment,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Young women and girls face many disadvantages and barriers to accessing education and achieving financial independence despite their huge potential. Those who are able to access education are more often able to achieve financial independence and make better and healthier choices that affect not only themselves, but their families and communities as well.”

In honor of International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions is proud to share some of its programs around the globe that empower young women and girls.

BURKINA FASO

Thanks to the joint efforts of several Salesian organizations in Spain, a Women’s Promotion Center is taking shape in Kouba, within the capital city of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. The center will be operated by the Salesian Daughters of Mary Help of Christians as part of a vast socioeducational project. Work started in December 2017 and should be completed within 10 months.

This is the second construction phase of the large socioeducational, cultural and sporting complex for children and older youth, especially girls, that the Salesian sisters have planned for the next five to 10 years. The complete project will include a nursery school, primary and secondary schools, a shelter for girls with limited resources, an oratory open to the neighborhood with sports facilities and educational workshops of various kinds. The new Women’s Center will offer apprenticeships and foster literacy.

The Women’s Center was developed to address the precarious situation experienced by many women and young girls by providing qualified skills and professional training in sectors such as catering, tailoring, information technology and hairdressing. The project includes courses of literacy, support for work placement, education in values and time management. The main objective of the project is to train girls and women so they can work and earn an income while breaking free from a life of poverty. Read more about this program >

ETHIOPIA

In 2002, in the village of Abobo in western Ethiopia, a group of Italian and Spanish volunteers set up a local health clinic in collaboration with local Salesian missionaries. Today, the Abobo Health Center is the symbol of the community and provides health services for the more than 4,000 local villagers. Having expanded its reach over the years, the health clinic also serves the approximately 20,000 people living in the area and the 200,000 people in the entire region.

Two Spanish physicians, Tere and Maria, are the soul of the health center and aim to provide medical care for those who are affected by malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and various infections common in the region. Thanks to their passion and care, the clinic also has a special focus on maternal and child care, two of the most at-risk populations in the country.

Together they are engaged in providing wellness exams and regular screenings for pregnant women, as well as vaccinations to mothers during pregnancy. Tere and Maria are also focused on preventative care and routinely provide medical care to pregnant women to prevent diseases such as such as anemia, hypertension, malaria and various infections that also cause serious consequences to the newborn child. They provide an average of 40 maternal vaccinations per week and attend to 30 births per month.

For difficult pregnancies and childbirth, Tere and Maria are also well-connected to the larger hospital in the city of Gambella. For women who require more advanced medical care, they will provide ambulance services to transport these women to the hospital. After childbirth, Tere and Maria provide follow-up care to the mothers and newborn exams. Read more about this program >

INDIA

The Don Bosco Development Society held a two-day workshop on the candle making business for women in the Salesian-run Self-Help Group. Forty women from the slums of Mumbai completed the training course, which was also held as a flood relief project supported by Don Bosco Mondo in Germany. This training was held in association with Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education Development.

The participants learned how to make fancy candles in a cost-effective manner. During the workshop, participants were also taught about marketing, costing, budgeting, pricing and promoting their product. The participants were truly dedicated to learning the skills and determined to start a small business. Raw material was also distributed to participants to help them in starting their business. The workshop was designed as a way to reach out to families in Mumbai who had been affected by recent flooding and train them in skills that would help them earn some extra income for their families. Read more about this program >

SIERRA LEONE

Don Bosco Fambul, one of Sierra Leone’s leading child-welfare organizations located in Freetown, has been helping young women caught up in prostitution come in off the streets. Father Jorge Crisafulli began this work as part of Don Bosco Fambul’s Girls Shelter in September 2016, when he launched the program aimed at searching for girls in their workplaces where they are surrounded by alcohol and drugs and at risk of danger and exploitation. The goal is to offer them shelter, health, nutrition and education, and wherever possible, reintegrate them into their families.

Close to 200,000 young girls and older women were sexually assaulted during Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, according to UNICEF. And although the war has stopped, the sexual violence against women continues. Young women are at risk for sexual violence, trafficking and forced pregnancy, among other atrocities. Today, one third of girls are forced into marriage and often sexually assaulted by their husbands before their 15th birthday. In addition, 90 percent of girls are subjected to female genital mutilation. The Girls Shelter, which has been in operation for five years, was developed in response to this crisis.

Salesian missionaries, professional social workers and pastoral workers provide crisis intervention and follow-up care for girls and young women who have been victims of sexual assault. Girls that access the shelter services are also able to attend educational programs that are a part of the broader Don Bosco Fambul network of programs. These educational programs give young women the skills necessary to find and retain employment. Read more about this program >

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

UN Women – International Women’s Day

The post INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Salesian Missions highlights health, education programs that empower girls and young women first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This is the second construction phase of the large socio-educational, cultural and sporting complex for children and older youth, especially girls, that the Salesian sisters have planned for the next five to 10 years. The complete project will include a nursery school, primary and secondary schools, a shelter for girls with limited resources, an oratory open to the neighborhood with sports facilities and educational workshops of various kinds. The new Women’s Center will offer apprenticeships and foster literacy.

The Women’s Center was developed to address the precarious situation experienced by many women and young girls by providing qualified skills and professional training in sectors such as catering, tailoring, information technology and hairdressing. The project includes courses of literacy, support for work placement, education in values and time management. The main objective of the project is to train girls and women so they can work and earn an income while breaking free from a life of poverty.

To date, the first phase of the construction project has been completed with the construction of a tower water tank, which has the ability to supply the entire complex, as well as a training course in horticultural techniques for a hundred women in the area. This is particularly important as the land is arid and water resources are essential to ensure good and proper hygiene and proper nutrition for the local families.

The global project has the support of the Salesian organizations Solidaridad Don Bosco, VOLS, Jóvenes y Desarrollo, the MadreSelva Foundation and the Austrian Salesian organization Jugend Eine Welt-Don Bosco, as well as the support of various public bodies. The educative-pastoral community of the Mary Help of Christian Province in Spain has also played a key role in supporting this project as well as the “Sowing opportunities in Burkina” campaign, which donated more than 50,000 euros.

“Education is always our primary focus,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “But we know that youth and their families in Burkina Faso are dealing with much more than just having access to education. Salesian programs, like this new center, are tailored to meet the needs of the communities they serve in order to have maximum impact for the individual and the community.”

Salesian missionaries have been working in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, since March 1993. Missionaries first began their work in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country. They settled in a neighborhood known as Ouezzin, an expanding area of the city. The nearby area is crossed by several rivers. On those riverbanks crops are cultivated then sold in the city and exported to the city of Ouagadougou. Salesian missionaries provide education and social development services designed to create a sense of family among the most vulnerable children and those most at risk of social exclusion.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 185 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index 2015. According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than USD 1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s, the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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ANS – Burkina Faso – Construction of a Women’s Promotion Center started

World Bank – Burkina Faso

The post BURKINA FASO: New Salesian complex underway to offer education, a women’s center and other programs for young girls and women first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Bobo Dioulasso is the reference point for many surrounding villages where children, youth and adults head to in search of better living conditions. The area also has many children who have been abandoned by their family or sent into the city alone in the hope of a better future. As a result there is a high population of children living in the streets. Most come from rural areas where they have left school or have not even had a chance to start.

With no education or means for take care of themselves, many youth who end up living on the streets, turn to drugs, stealing, or are involved in prostitution, or begging. The situation of girls is particularly severe because many end up as domestic slaves, subjected to exploitation and abuse, and deprived of all their rights.

Salesian missionaries living and working in the area have created programs that address the child welfare needs of youth living on the streets. The Salesian home accommodates 30 children, who are offered education, a place to sleep, food and medical care. And, if possible, they are assisted in reuniting with their families.

“Education is always our primary focus,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “But we know youth in Burkina Faso are dealing with much more than just having access to education. Salesian programs are tailored to meet the needs of the youth in the communities they serve. Homeless and malnourished youth are simply not able to focus effectively on their studies while they struggle to meet their basic needs. Our services provide food and shelter so youth are able to focus on the education provided.”

In addition, Salesian students from France have been working with the Salesian Little Sisters of Holy Childhood to create the Bocage Foundation. In 2010, three of the students representing the foundation started a training college in Bobo Dioulasso to help increase the skills and employability of local older youth. Despite a difficult geopolitical situation in the country, the foundation is also working to create a water distribution network in collaboration with Plumbers without Borders to aid the development of a reception center for young people at risk in Bobo Dioulasso.

Access to water is essential in Burkina Faso as women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households. Children in these communities are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

“The activities of this foundation, along with the work of Salesian missionaries around the globe, are helping to ensure communities have access to clean water for drinking and agriculture. Salesian missionaries are always looking to expand their services to meet the needs of the poor youth and families they serve,” adds Fr. Hyde.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 183 out of 186 countries on the Human Development Index 2013. According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than USD 1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

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Sources:

ANS – Burkina Faso – Protecting Street Children

Newswire- Salesian Students Facilitate Projects Helping Poor Youth in Burkina Faso

World Bank – Burkina Faso

Salesian Missions

The post BURKINA FASO: Salesian Programs Address Social Development, Educational Needs of Youth Living on the Streets first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in Africa, ranking 183 out of 186 countries on the Human Development Index 2013. According to the World Bank, more than 46 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty on less than USD 1.25 per day. Burkina Faso has suffered from several serious droughts that have driven up food prices affecting the country’s food supply and causing malnutrition among the poorest residents and children. Up until the 1980s the country also dealt with devastating military coups.

One of the first projects initiated by the Costa De Beauregard students was a fundraising initiative to raise awareness of the food shortages in Burkina Faso and address the nutritional needs of its people. The students collaborated with Salesian Sisters at the Little Sisters of Holy Childhood based in Bobo Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso.

“Projects like these between Salesian students in France and the community in Burkina Faso, provide opportunities for our students to pay it forward and apply the skills they are learning,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Our students have so much to offer the world. Creating these initiatives is a win-win for both the students and the recipients.”

In 2007 and 2008, the French students took two trips to Burkina Faso and met with Sister Therese of the Little Sisters of Holy Childhood to learn more about the country, its people and the needs of its poor. At that time, the Salesian Sisters were buying seven acres of land and, with the help of Costa de Beauregard students who had participated in a horticultural program, agricultural operations began on the new acreage, providing a sustainable source of nutrition for the local community.

The Salesian students’ collaboration with the Little Sisters of Holy Childhood in Burkina Faso has since been formalized to create the Bocage Foundation. In 2010, three of the students representing the foundation decided to start a training college in the city of Bobo Dioulasso to help increase the skills and employ-ability of local Burkina Faso youth. Despite a difficult geopolitical situation in the country, the foundation is also working to create a water distribution network in collaboration with Plumbers without Borders to aid the development of a reception center for young people at risk in Bobo Dioulassoa. For this project, the Bocage Foundation has recently committed to drill a 140 foot well and construct a water well enclosure.

Access to water is essential in Burkina Faso as women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection in the majority of households. Children in these communities are forced to walk for hours to collect drinking water—water that often proves contaminated and seriously sickens those who consume it. Many others are unable to attend school regularly because they must spend time searching for distant wells.

“The activities of this foundation, along with the work of Salesian missionaries around the globe, is helping to ensure communities have access to clean water for drinking and agriculture. Salesian missionaries are always looking to expand their services to meet the needs of the poor youth and families they serve,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

ANS – France – A partnership of 10 years, to the benefit of all

World Bank – Burkina Faso Poverty

The post BURKINA FASO/FRANCE: Salesian Students Facilitate Projects Helping Poor Youth in Burkina Faso first appeared on MissionNewswire.