Post secondary Education for Girls in Burkina Faso

“No society can achieve its potential with half of its population marginalized and disempowered”.  Melinda Gates (Gates Foundation).

Melinda Gates echoes the reason we provide scholarships to qualified young women in northern Burkina Faso for postsecondary education and training.

Edith and Mamounata are two of 14 outstanding young women in northern Burkina Faso who will not be held back in their desire to create better lives for themselves, their families, their community and their country. Thanks to the generosity of GlobalGiving donors, these two young women, profiled at the bottom of this email, are among this year’s recipients of scholarships and are enrolled in primary school teacher training.  Both young women thank GlobalGiving donors for their scholarships and they promise to succeed in their studies and make you proud of their success.

At the Friends of Burkina Faso, we also thank you for your support of this year’s teacher trainees! And we ask you to consider supporting more young Burkinabe women’s career aspirations by participating in GlobalGiving’s bonus day tomorrow, December 2.

Bonus Day Details:  Tomorrow, December 2, is #GivingTuesday on GlobalGiving.  On this day, Microsoft will offer 100% matching funds on donations of up to $500 per donor to our project, Postsecondary Education for Girls in Burkina Faso, while funds last.There is $350,000 USD available to the organizations that best mobilize their donor communities. 

Make a generous donation tomorrow and double your investment in girls’ education in northern Burkina Faso!

Competition among GlobalGiving eligible projects will be high for these generous matching funds.  In past competitions, the matching funds have been claimed within the first 10 minutes after release.  So timely action is required if we are to succeed!

Mark your calendar for tomorrow, December 2, and the timeframes below so that you can make your generous donation as soon as the clock strikes these hours!   

•  $175,000 USD will be released at 9:00 AM (EST) / 6:00AM (PST)
•  $175,000 USD will be released at 3:00 PM (EST) / 12:00 PM (PST)

 Please note that only online donations (credit card or PayPal) are eligible for matching funds on GlobalGiving.org. 

To donate on December 2, go to:

 http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/post-secondary-education-for-girls-in-burkina-faso  

In addition to the matching of your donations, there will be bonus prizes available for scholarships if we secure the most donors and/or are one of the top fundraisers for the day--so please be generous AND encourage your family and friends to do the same.

 On behalf of this year’s scholarship recipients, thank you for your continued support!

 The fundraising team at the Friends of Burkina Faso

A word about Edith and Mamounata:

Edith, from the small village of Boulma, has eight siblings and a daughter of her own.  Her parents are subsistence farmers.  Edith is excited about becoming a teacher because it will give her the opportunity to educate the men and women of tomorrow and thereby contribute to the development of her country.   As a future teacher, she also looks forward to encouraging mothers to support their daughters’ education and emphasizes the importance of women being able to take care of their personal and family needs.  Edith sees herself as a model student and a young woman capable of taking care of her family.   Edith is committed to encouraging the education of all children so that they can become the leaders of tomorrow. 

Mamounata, from the village of Seguenega, has a brother and a sister who are both subsistent farmers as is her mother.  Her father is deceased.  Mamounata is committed to the education of children wherever the government may place her.  She hopes to encourage mothers to help out at school and to be advocates for the education of all children.