Clean Water for Rural Villagers in Burkina Faso

Greetings from Burkina Faso BARKA Friends,

You may have heard about the recent terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou. Although we were only 1km away from it and even heard the explosion, all BARKA staff are well and now safe in Fada, out of harm's way.

We've been working non-stop for the past 4 months to increase the efficiency between NGOs working in the water sector. BARKA Foundation is working with the Ministry of Water, the largest water NGOs in the country, and the US Embassy to address Burkina Faso's water crisis.
As a close advisor once said to us, there are many water-related NGOs doing good work here in Burkina, but no one knows what the others are doing-- imagine what we could accomplish if we worked together. This basic idea of facilitating greater cooperation to achieve a more sustainable collective impact is the theme and point of inspiration for this event.

BARKA has assembled a Dream Team of partners to help implement this Herculean task:
The Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Initative:Eau, Eau Vive, Wateraid, Global Water Partnership, Regional Chamber of Agriculture, Agence de l'Eau, the Water Museum, the Governor of Fada, the Mayor of Fada, and IRC WASH.

There are also a host of Dignitaries involved:
The Minister of Water, Niouga Ambroise Ouédraogo, is the High Patron of the Event
The Minister of Mines, Omarou Idani, is the Co-Patron
The US Ambassador, Andrew Young is the "Godfather" of the Event
Minister of Culture, Abdoul Karim Sango is a Special Guest
And UNICEF is our Major Sponsor.

The event website is now live. Check it out!

WHAT IS THE WATER FAIR?

1. We start things off on the eve of World Water Day with a Walk for Water to engage the youth and the population of Fada N'Gourma
2. On March 22nd, World Water Day, the Dignitaries will speak at an Opening Ceremony, followed by a walking tour of the murals on the walls of the Royal Palace and an audience with His Majesty King of Gourma
3. From March 22-25 is a huge open-air Exhibition where NGOs and Businesses working in the water sector will have booths to promote their work
4. From March 22-24 there will be a conference for NGOs to roll up their sleeves and figure out how to work together more effectively, share best practices (and failures), and to contemplate this year's World Water Day theme: The Answer is in Nature.
5. Each night of the Fair there will be cultural events including a live concert by Sana Bob, one of Burkina's brightest stars, plus the local traditional artists for which the Eastern region is known
6. On the last night of the Fair, we will host a Gala Dinner to launch the International Water Fund... this will finance 4 incredible projects: drilling 5 wells in 5 villages, supporting 10,000 girls and women through Menstrual Hygiene Management, ensuring clean water and sanitation in all of Fada's 161 schools, and the Water Fair itself.

BE WITH US BY HAVING YOUR NAME READ ALOUD AT THE GALA!
Even though it's not possible to transport all of BARKA's supporters to Fada N'Gourma to enjoy this event with us in person, we will read aloud the names of ALL DONORS who make an inaugural donation to help launch the International Water Fund at the Gala Dinner event.

Click here to make a donation to the International Water Fund, and let us share your generous support with all of Burkina! Barka!!!