Lucy In Burkina Faso

Another week another blog

Another week another blog things here seem to be slowing down quite a lot which is frustrating we have reached a point where having spent nearly 6 weeks applying for funding we have received nothing in response which is quite de-motivating. So now we have the choice do we continue applying for funding and grants for the rest of our time here with the chance of probably hearing nothing and going home feeling as though we didn’t do anything or should we try and find something more achievable to fill our time?

So the decision I have made is to focus on two main goals for the rest of my time those are making the sponsor a Espace Bambino child to go to school a reality and the second goal to try and get Tigoung Nonma some sort of certification or affiliation to a fair trade organization.

Sponsor a child is still at the idea stage at the moment as were not quite sure how to put the idea into reality. The main issue is getting the money here and making sure that the people giving feel confident that there money will be going where they want it to. Bank transfers in Burkina are expensive and HSB don’t have a just giving page or anything similar. International Service are unwilling to help which is very frustrating as there happy to spend the governments money sending us to Burkina Faso but then are unwilling to help us turn our ideas into realities. The majority of monetary transactions in Burkina Faso are done through the western union so this may be our only option on the money front.

The beginner’s English lessons seem to have stopped, we plan them then nobody from Tigoung Nonma turns up which I find a bit annoying as much as I try not to. It’s difficult to try not putting your own standards on somebody with a different cultural background as in Burkina it isn’t seen as a problem to miss something because you’re tired or something else comes up. For this reason I,m trying to not take the lack of attendance to heart as learning English isn’t a particularly useful skill for day to day life in Burkina Faso.

To try and break up the monotony of waiting for the slow internet too load we had a day cleaning the office walls and choosing photos to make some new displays to try and create a nicer brighter work environment for HSB. HSB’s landlord is very difficult and refuses to let them re paint the walls as he says he will do it which obviously hasn’t happened yet. Their landlord also refuses to let HSB install grab rails and other aids to help them get about and use the toilet which I find completely ridiculous.

Our little helpers with cleaning the walls.

Introductions

So the department of international development tell me Burkina Faso are 'trail blazers' in working toward the millennium development goals. They now have 50% of girls in primary education which is an achievement but I still think they have a long way to go especially regarding disabled children. In this weeks blog I've decided to share with you some of the stories of the disabled children I've been working with at Espace Bambino. As my experience leads me to believe that Burkina Faso still have a long way to go before they achieve the millennium development goals.

Faridatou Nikiema – age 8

Faridatou has been suffering from mobility problems since she fell out of a tree at the age of four. She had a severe break in her left leg but her parents couldn't afford to pay for her to have hospital treatment or even see a doctor. As a result her leg became infected and she developed septicaemia. Her parents brought her to HSB, where they were given enough money to take her to hospital and receive medication for the infection. Unfortunately by this stage not much could be done for her leg, which had healed into a club foot. She manages to move around quite well but would benefit from further physiotherapy. Faridatou is currently in her second year of school, where she is doing well, and her favourite subject is maths.

Abdoul Razak Tapsoba – aged 7

Abdoul has suffered from mobility problems and frequent epileptic fits since birth. He is one of four children and his parents are extremely poor, and cannot afford to provide him with much care. His epilepsy prevents him from attending school, as he regularly has fits and has been injured from falling over when he loses consciousness. The injury to his right arm above was due to falling down and burning himself on a cooking fire. In spite of his lack of education he is very intelligent, and enjoys the books and toy cars at Espace Bambino. When he first started attending he was nervous and quiet, but his confidence has grown and he now enjoys interacting in group activities and playing with the other children. Abdoul needs to take medicine daily at a cost of 5,500 francs (£8) per week, paid for by HSB. His parents are trying to raise money to buy him orthopaedic shoes to help him walk, and a specially adapted chair for their home.

Kristine – aged 3

Kristine suffers from hydrocephalus, which is a condition where her brain is unable to expel fluid, causing her head to be enlarged. She also has spina bifida, which prevents her from walking, and suffers hearing problems which has led to underdeveloped speech. She had an operation at a young age to help her spine, and in the future will require a second operation to drain the fluid from her brain and insert a shunt, which will hopefully prevent re-occurance. Kristine is one of six children, and the family are extremely poor, her father is unemployed and her mother makes 500 francs (around 80p) for 3 days work helping a local woman brew beer. Mainly the family eat millet, or the neighbours might provide them with food, but some days they won’t eat at all.

Abdoul Dera – aged 3

Abdoul suffers from albinism and has had multiple mobility problems since birth. He is partially deaf and is unable to walk or speak, and also has trouble being in the sun as his skin burns easily. He has some problems with his sight and occasionally suffers from seizures. In the rural parts of Burkina Faso it is a traditional belief that an albino person is created by a spirit, and is sub-human. It is not unheard of for Burkinabe witch doctors in the countryside to buy albino children and kill them as sacrifices, which makes them a target for being snatched. Abdoul’s parents can’t let him play outside unless one of them can go out and watch him.

Bit of a heart wrencher this week but I feel that these children’s stories should be shared I’d like to introduce more of the children but that would be a very long blog.

Safari

Last weekend I went on my very first safari which was pretty awesome. The safari took place in Nazinga ranch which has around 700 elephants in it. On the way to Nazinga ranch we visited a village called tiebele where they have a hill on which they place women’s placentas after they’ve given birth as this is meant to give the child good health.