Burkina Faso is classified by the UN as one of the 5 poorest countries in the world, is located in West Africa, north of the Gulf of Guinea, Mali and Niger.
The seven participants of this trip solidarity arrived on 4 April at its capital Ouagadougou, being caught at an early stage by the appearance of a city with little lighting, unpaved streets, the large number of people who roamed the streets with the appearance of not having a place to stay overnight and the 37 degree heat with which the country was undoubtedly a very warm welcome.
After living situations quite common in these latitudes, as was the loss of 5 bags, the retention of all passports in the airport for 3 days, or peculiar aspects such as taxis only 1 liter of diesel refueling or hotels in which of course Air conditioning was a mere object of décor, in rooms within it reached 35 degrees, the components of these clubs, went to visit Banfora Region, the southwestern most of the country, bordering Ivory Coast, the wettest part of the country, where the only agricultural intensive farms, cotton and sugar cane, owned by Swiss-owned companies, where their workers are paid slightly less than 3 euros a day for 10 hours.
While hearing what they charge these employees would think that the standard of living is substantially lower than in Spain, it is surprising to see how a liter of diesel costs $ 1.20, which improved water meter, which is not potable, it costs almost 2 euros, or that the price of all medicines is higher than we have in our country.
In southern latitudes you can find Western dreamy landscapes with mango and mahogany forests that are lost in the sky by its altitude and lakes surrounded by palm trees where hippos live in complete freedom with little pressure from foreign visitors.
Then we visited Bobo, 2 nd largest city in this country of 11 million inhabitants, this city, capital of the region of the same name where people reside Bobo, people who take Gala one of the few that were not invaded in past centuries by the great kingdom of Mossi, highlights of this city and its old quarter of the eleventh century Mosque, one of the oldest in Africa and a really curious and spectacular architecture.
After returning to the capital, days after it went to the Kaya Region, northeast of the country a region close to Niger and last border before entering the domains of the Sahara desert, temperatures reach in these days of 50 degree day off at any time not to fall below 32 degrees overnight.
In this region we come to the town of Balsargo where we share both a memorable days as a very different Easter week with Father Eugene Valladolid missionary belonging to the congregation of the White Fathers.
Solidarity activities of this trip began in the city of Bobo, where she contacted a local NGO called Jed Burkina, the NGO, composed of 25 young people in this country and other similar groups in other West African countries, activities undertaken voluntarily prevention of AIDS transmission in neighborhoods and villages in the region and educational institutes of Grade 2.
On the other hand were carrying out recovery support to students in public schools failed to pass their courses in the ordinary course, also engaged in environmental activities of recovery of native flora and cleanups plastic bags, that in a country where there is no solid waste collection becomes a serious environmental problem.
In this city we visited a public school where he won a lot of school and sports.
It was amazing for all the plight of public education in this country, specifically in the school of SIA, in Bobo, in the classrooms had between 90 and 131 students per classroom in double desks sat 4 children and in some classes in the halls placed wooden planks for not caught on desks to sit somewhere.
The children lacked any school supplies, just a 1-page board book and a piece of chalk for every 4 students.
The lighting and ventilation were truly the ideal conditions for this to be the country is where most cases of meningitis occur.
The president of the Parents' Association commented that the APA was in college which was to instruct the maintenance of the center, children had to pay 5 euros a year, and only 45% of the population was enrolled in primary school, mostly because more than half the population did not have 5 euros per year for the education of your child and less of his daughter, since the illiteracy rate for women exceeds 92% in Burkina Faso.
A part of the donation of sports equipment economically collaborated with the APA in this public school.
The solidarity contribution on this trip, continued on successive days in the capital, where we visited another Spanish priest belonging to the brothers of Lasalle, who had a school and a private institute, where conditions of children was substantially better than the public school.
Salvador's father accompanied the Murcia to the headquarters of 2 burkinanas widows' associations, women who lost all forms of support his family after the death of their husbands, and supported by some Spanish organizations have undertaken a self-employment program that is taking the deepest pit of poverty.
Also contributed financially to these 2 associations with which altruistic had contact.
Finally in the Village of Balsargo in the Kaya Region, where even the Spanish missionary himself acknowledged that a hole was lost in the world, which had only received a Spanish family visit in 27 years of residence, where the only white surely they have ever seen are these priests, who offer all their health and their lives to selfless action in social promotion post and the conversion of men and women of Burkina, to this remote village and brought the walker totaneros lumbrenses a bit of help.
The total contributions of this trip to visit various organizations amounted to 6200 euros and 50 kilos of school supplies, provision of people and institutions who have worked selflessly in Totana, Alhama and Puerto Lumbreras.
Without doubt the greatest potential this country has is social peace they are enjoying for centuries and its good people, so good that even the guidebooks dare to say that tourists can stroll through the capital to any time of day and night, as good people as our driver as the Father Eugenio cars were left open and the keys in any room with the full assurance that nothing would happen, in some things as you are, as education of its inhabitants, as in the permanent smile despite their harsh living conditions have on your face, and a myriad of details were sometimes believe that these travelers burkina solidarity not only not on this continent but it seemed like a country that was not on this planet.
On Thursday May 14 at the Hall of socio-cultural center "Jail" of Totana, there will be a more detailed explanation of the trip, with the presentation of photographs and an invitation to the AMPAS colleges of Totana, for the possible development of a collaborative project with the public school of some people of Burkina Faso.
See photo essay:
http://www.murcia.com/region/fotos/2009/solidario-burkina-faso/
