Post secondary Education for Girls in Burkina Faso

All of our scholarship recipients come from indigent village families.  In nearly all cases, fathers are subsistence farmers in the Sahel.  In several cases, the father is deceased.   In all cases, mothers are “housewives” which means that they walk miles every day to find wood to cook with and water for drinking, cooking and bathing for their families; and they work in their husbands’ fields.  Most students have between 4 and 8 siblings.  In many cases, these young women are the first in their families to attend school.  In a short while, thanks to you, our generous GlobalGiving partners, they will be teachers for the next generation of village children in the region they came from. 

 These young village women have earned their access to primary school teacher training by being at the top of their class.  Once trained, they will be assigned as teachers in village primary schools. 

 Receiving primary school teacher training is not only rewarding and productive for the individual scholarship recipients but for villages as well.  In addition to our students’ commitment to become the best teachers they can be, these young women have a strong commitment to serve as positive role models to village parents and children.  The presence of an increasing number of young women teachers in village primary schools in northern Burkina Faso is already beginning to have a positive effect on villagers’ perceptions of women’s roles and of the future of young girls whose parents support their education.  

 Among this year’s scholarship recipients, nearly all cite two secondary roles once they become teachers.  First, advocating with village parents to send their children to school.  Second, helping village women acquire skills to enable them to develop small markets for local goods.

We are contributing to the training of a remarkable group of young women who are dedicated to the future of both the younger generation and to the improvement of living conditions of their families.  These young teacher trainees are profoundly grateful for your support in this endeavor and hope that you will lend a generous hand to next year’s girls qualifying for postsecondary education.