In Burkina Faso, a Personal Mission To Make a Difference in One Community - Seite 2

-Cathy Hoath

Because remote villages like Konkourona are often referred to in development efforts as "the last mile," they named their effort "The First Mile Development Program." The people of Konkourona are KAFO's highest priorities.

KAFO builds foundation for education

Millogo and Hoath have met many like-minded people - both within our company and beyond - who have become supporters of KAFO since its founding. And they've made good progress in Konkourona.

KAFO has built three new classrooms - reducing class sizes from approximately 90 to 45 students - as well as an office and housing for teachers. It also renovated an existing building for use as a library.

Approximately 400 students are now receiving assistance, from books and tutoring to tuition and bicycles so older students can make the two-hour journey to the closest upper-level school.

Students are making educational progress

Previously, only one or two students per year progressed to middle school. Now, in just a couple of years, over 80 students are continuing their education at middle school and beyond.

"In 2020, we began providing books for each child because there were not nearly enough. We also opened the school at night - the only place in the village with electricity - and offered tutoring services. That year, 20 children passed the middle school entrance exam - which is unheard of in any school in this sub-region," said Hoath. "In the past two years, 63 additional students have progressed to middle school."

One of those students is Eric, who couldn't afford tuition for middle school. His father died, and he had to help his mother, so he got a job on Millogo's brother's farm. Now, through KAFO's sponsorship, he's going to high school. He's also helping to sustain the program long term by mentoring younger children and working with the team on the ground to secure books and bicycles.

He's now thinking about what he may want to study in college - a dream that would not have existed just several years ago.

"We have high hopes for this thoughtful young man," said Millogo.

Improving access to health care and clean water

The maternal and child mortality rates in Burkina Faso are among the highest in the world. In addition to a lack of health care resources, the villagers also had very little access to clean water.

"One of the biggest problems we face in Konkourona is water-borne diseases," said Millogo. "People drink water from wherever they can find it - open ponds or other sources contaminated with human and animal waste and other pathogens."