This will be the last blog for this trip. Friday we will be back in The Netherlands if everything goes well with our trip.
After almost 3 months here, the feeling I have is sadness to go away from the people here and happiness to see the people in the Netherlands and very soon our children in the US.
The container sent in March arrived last Friday. This is keeping us busy on the last days of our stay.
Lanscape around Banfora with borassus (ronier). They make palm wine out of this palm tree.
Example of project not well thought of
On Tuesday we went to visit a professional training school close to the border with Ivory Coast. This school was financed by an Austrian, Danish and Japanese collaboration for development.
The objective was to offer 2 sorts of training: agriculture and traditional medicines. So far no problem. The school is in small village and the target group was children from the whole region. They would be fully boarded.
The school opened in 2009 with 350 children. Last year they were 53 and this year they are 75. The huge investment (we estimate it to around 1.000.000 euro) is almost not in use. Empty buildings, equipment not used. The bigger the budget the bigger chance to keep some of it for the people in charge.
One of the 5 dormitories. Only 2 are half used.
What went wrong?
The target group of students where coming mainly from the cities. They had no interest in learning agriculture or traditional medications, they wanted to learn welding, carpentry, masonry. Students left the school and then new students were difficult to find.
The buildings are also not in equation with the local use. For example the kitchen. It is very nice, but not used. It uses gas which is very difficult to get it and costs a lot of money.
Left the kitchen with tiles not in use, below the kitchen in use.
I am sure that there are a lot of this type of projects all over Burkina Faso.
News from the LAP
Thursday was the parents meeting to communicate the results of the second trimester. 105 of them have shown up.
The 214 students of the LAP with some of their teachers.
Above the almost ready nursing post of the LAP
Below and right a rig drilling a new water well at the LAP
Girls playing volley ball
Birds
Small bird
Quiz
What is this?
Proverbs of the week
Make some money but don’t let money make you. ~ Tanzania
Faites de l’argent mais ne laissez pas l’argent vous faire. Tanzanie
Return to old watering holes for more than water; friends and dreams are there to meet you. ~ African proverb
Retourne aux anciens points d’eau pour plus que de l’eau; des amis et des rêves sont là pour te rencontrer. ~ Proverbe africain
Hope you enjoyed the blogs.
Next trip to Burkina at the end of June.
Amitiés,
Hervé