Inspiring Education in Burkina Faso – ICCV

Welcome to the second part of a two-part series on Burkina Faso. In this installment we will focus on an inspirational story of one man and the important role he plays in hundreds of children’s lives.

You will gain an overview of some of the tough challenges that affect children in Burkina Faso – and insight into how the founder of ICCV not only supports children but also impacts a whole community. For more on Burkina Faso and the challenges women face check out last month´s blog.

Being citizens of a nation hit hard by poverty, it goes without saying that children are particularly vulnerable members of society. Factors that put children at risk in Burkina Faso include:

• The climate of Burkina Faso is harsh and susceptible to drought. For many, food security and living conditions are strongly impacted by the vitality of the agricultural sector.
• An estimated 60% of the population lives in poverty, which makes schooling difficult. In rural areas, only 25% attend primary school. [1]
• Malnutrition is an important issue. 26% of the children are underweight [2]
• An estimated 770,000 children are growing up without parental care. [1]

With statistics like this, it is easy to imagine the seemingly insurmountable mountain of challenges ahead and fundamental change required to shift the futures of many children in Burkina Faso. The good news is that there are committed individuals and organizations making steps forward.

Creating Sustainable Change

ICCV is an organization that has a plan to create a better world for one community.  ICCV stands for Initiative Communautaire Changer la Vie and also goes by ICCV-Nazemce[3]. In English its equivalent is the Community Initiative to Change Lives. And that is exactly what it does. This nonprofit organization has been impacting the community of Cissin, in Ouagadougou, since 2002. ICCV is committed to combating poverty and supporting vulnerable members of the community through active participation. ICCV focuses on health, education and socioeconomic development of women. Just some of its projects include a community library, pre-school education and support with micro-finance projects for women in the community.

Building a Bridge for the Future

Simon Nacoulma is the coordinator of ICCV-Nazemce. His personal journey is not only inspirational, it has also prepared him perfectly to lead ICCV through its challenges and onto its community successes.  Simon was born in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, but he was raised by a parent who grew up in a village. Even as a very young boy he showed a keen interest in education. In an interview this month, Simon admitted that even as an eight-year-old boy he would sit in the classroom and observe the teachers. He would take mental notes of what he would do the day he became a teacher. That list included a broad spectrum of dos and don´ts ranging from “Don´t hit the students” to “Be more active in your teaching approach”. There was obviously a deep sense of knowing that the classroom could be a different place of learning. After finishing school, Simon attended the University of Ouagadougou to become a teacher as well as earn a degree in Sociolinguistics.

Simon is an intelligent, multi-lingual, internationally-minded individual. He could likely pick any career path and be successful – in Burkina or abroad. He has chosen to dedicate his life to education and in this way give back to his local community. When I asked him how he made this choice, he credits the strong influence of his mother. In local culture, Simon says, the man represents the economic base of the family. Simon´s father died when he was born, and in alignment with cultural tradition, the father´s side of the family took everything that had material value. This left the mother with eight children and no financial security. What remained, however, was a fierce ambition to send her children to school. In her words, “If you have education, you can be free.” With this mindset, she managed to not only find a way to feed her family, she was able to support her children with education.

For many people who are distanced from life in developing countries, it may be difficult to grasp just how hard life can be for families – and how that impacts the children´s chance to get an education. Here is what Simon has to say:

Simon: Education is not a big priority for the families.

Sundae: So, tell us, what is the priority?

Simon: To survive.

Just let that sink in. These families struggle every day just to keep their children fed and healthy. In this sense, education is a luxury and ironically a potential ticket out of poverty.

Simon goes on to explain one problem with the current educational system in Burkina Faso, as he sees it (paraphrased from English and French): Our educational system is the same as France. It has been transplanted. We need education but it is not easy to go to school. You need books, paper, and you pay school fees. There is also a wall between the school and the families. In the current system, there is no link between the families and the school. In the families you [likely] speak Moore. And in school, it is French. This is a huge disadvantage.

ICCV has provided this link in its community through the establishment of a pre-school in operation since April 2012. An estimated 3% of children can go to pre-school in Burkina Faso due the priority government and international organizations place on primary school. What is more, pre-school is unaffordable for the vast majority of families. In fact in his ethnic dialect, Moore, it is called the rich person´s school. Simon sees these factors as a missed opportunity to prepare young children for success in primary school, and thus set the course for the remainder of their education. ICCV pre-school supports disadvantaged children in acquiring linguistic capacity and academic competencies before entrance into the French-style school system. The school´s program provides a bridge between the family and the school through inclusion of traditional songs, dance and stories as well as direct involvement from the family.

Culture Change through Inclusive Education

What makes ICCV pre-school even more special is its commitment to inclusive education, enrolling children with mental or physical disabilities. Handicapped International puts into context the challenges people with disabilities face:

Offering integrative education is very progressive in this context, as Simon has shared, especially considering that traditionally local culture used to refer to children with disabilities as “snakes.”

Simon has played a key role in speaking with the elders of the community to raise awareness and gain acceptance. The benefits of this labor of love can be seen in the enrolment and full acceptance of the 4 children with disabilities. Simon is hopeful for the future when he walks through the preschool and sees a child with a disability playing joyfully with his or her classmates. In response to my question of what he is most optimistic about, Simon said, “Hope can come. Inclusion can one day be neutral.” These words emphasize a desire for inclusion to be the norm in Burkina Faso rather than a progressive approach.

In is an understatement to say that running a pre-school in Burkina Faso is challenging. ICCV – and Simon in particular – are committed to overcoming the hurdles to keep the school within the community.

I asked Simon how he manages to keep motivated in the face of it all. He replied: “I have a mountain of patience to help children. For me it´s important to change the life of a child.”

Take the inspiration from his story and decide today what you are commited to changing. It´s possible – one person at a time.

 

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[1] https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/where-we-help/africa/burkina-faso

[2]https://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6149715/k.95BB/Burkina_Faso.htm

[3] https://www.facebook.com/iccv.nazemse

[4] https://www.handicapinternational.be/fr/burkina-faso

All photos used with permission from ICCV.