Burkina Faso's Political Troubles

Violence in Burkina Faso

Biba, the Her Star Scholars local contact in Burkina Faso, has been writing since the end of March to ask for prayers for peace in her country. Apparently these nightly shootings in Ouagadougou have been going on sporadically since the ned of March, but in the past weeks have become an almost nightly affair. I've been told that people are now afraid to leave their homes after dark or to travel home from work after dark. Please keep Biba, the children, the city and the nation of Burkina Faso in your thoughts or prayers.

Ellen

Ellen is 8 years old and hoping to enter the second grade this May. She lives with her mother, father, and six siblings aged 1-14 in a one room home in the middle of a rice field. In rainy season the house frequently floods. Ellen helps her mother by sweeping the floor, folding the family blankets in the morning, and running errands. At night the family sleeps on the floor with 4 sleeping mats, 9 blankets, and 8 pillows.

By growing rice her father earns approximately US$50 per month. Her mother also helps with farming when she is able to do so. This family is described as generous and helpful; they attend their Catholic church weekly.

Neither of Ellen's parents were able to complete their educations; her father attended some high school and her mother some elementary school. They know that education is the key to a better future for their children, but are struggling to send their three oldest children to school.  Ellen loves math and English and hopes to be a teacher some day.

$4,655

Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 11:59AM

With the first school year successfully completed we're now planning for the session which begins in June. 

Last year we were able to help 45 children in the Philippines attend school. This year we want to do more. We will continue to support 45 children at the Alviola UCCP Learning Center, but we also want to send at least 6 girls to elementary school. These are the six girls that graduated from Kinder 2 last week. The cost for that is $4,655 which is a bargain if you think of everything these girls and their families receive by participating with Her Star Scholars. We need to raise that $4,655 by the middle of May. 

Are you able to help us? For the cost of two large cappuccinos you could buy a child a pair of shoes; a week's worth of large lattes could buy a uniform and basic school supplies.

You can donate at www.herstarscholars.org, on our facebook cause page, or by sending a check to Her Star Scholars, 8783 GH Taylor Memorial Drive, Hammondsport, NY 14840. 

100% of your donation goes directly to support the education of these young girls and girls like them.

There are 50 more girls on the waiting list who would love to attend school this year. Anything we raise above the $4,655 could help more girls start their educations!

 Unfortunately last year we didn't raise enough money to buy shoes for all of the girls. We really hope we can this year. 

New Logo

Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 11:27AM

 Many thanks to Janet Brent of byjanet.net for designing a logo for Her Star Scholars. Janet has many talents and we're thankful that she shared them with us. 

Closing Ceremonies

Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 05:01PM

It's hard to believe that the first year of cooperation between Her Star Scholars and Alviola UCCP Learning Center has come to an end! We were able to provide scholarships to 45 children to provide them with tuition, books, uniforms, scholarships, and for several months 3 meals each week. 

Last week the children attended closing ceremonies. Each class put on a performance. The nursery school and kinder-1 students dressed as flowers and butterflies. The kinder-2 students told a story with costumes including volcanoes and turtles. There was much singing and dancing.

Each child was presented with a certificate of completion by the president of the school board and the local pastor. The children received awards for excellent work throughout the course of the year. 

5 girls have graduated from the Learning Center and will be moving on to elementary school in June. 

  

Joys and Sorrows of Fundraising

Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 09:30AM

Today we placed an announcement on our donation web page that we will be unable to accept donations from North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia. Hopefully this will just be the situation for this year, but I wanted to explain briefly why this is.

To become a non-profit Her Star Scholars incorporated in New York State, then received an employer identification number, then we applied for tax exempt status from the IRS. Piles of paperwork and a number of hefty fees considering the size of our organization. However, we made it through on the first try because our mission is clear, nobody is taking home a salary, we have a strong conflict of interest policy, we are accountable, and our process is transparent. 

Then comes the tricky part. Each state has its own standards, fees, and paperwork requirements for registering non-profits and licensing them to fund-raise. In some states we had to evaluate whether the cost of registration was ultimately higher than the amount of money we were likely to raise within that particular state. 

If you happen to reside in one of the states where we cannot accept donations, please let us know. We can then take that in to account when we are re-register with the states for 2012. 

Foundation Day

Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 08:26AM

During the last weekend of February the Alviola Kindergarten - Obod-Obod Christian Learning Center - celebrated its 25th birthday. The Little Star Scholars participated by performing several dances with pompoms which were handmade from recycled market bags. During the invocation they sang "Teach Me Your Way, O Lord". We're hoping that a video will soon be available of the children performing. As soon as it is we will post it here! The local UCCP Church (United Church of Christ in the Philippines) helped with the costs of buying the children new shirts.

Earning a living on the road

Friday, March 4, 2011 at 03:53PM

The fathers of a number of our young scholars in the Philippines work as drivers. Incomes for drivers are entirely dependent on the number of passengers they can transport during the day.

None of the fathers in our community own their own vehicles which means at the end of the day they need to subtract the cost of rental from their earnings. Rental costs are usually equal to or more than half of daily driver's wages. They are also responsible for re-feuling throughout the day; as of today the cost of 1 gallon of gas in the Philippines is $5.58.

The orange vehicle to the left is called a tricycle or a pedicab. (In this picture it is filled with mothers of some Her Star's students) Unlike some other forms of transportation, pedicabs are allowed to drive within the city limits. This gives them the chance of earning a slightly higher income because there are more passengers at all times of day. Pedicabs can also carry a surprising number of passengers at one time.  

 The other common vehicle driven by the fathers is a motorized sikad. Sikads are bicycles with side cars. These are adapted to run on the engine of a water pump. Unlike pedicabs, the sikads are only permitted to travel within barangays (residential areas) and not on major roads. Most of their passengers are in the morning, mid-day, and evening. Mr. Eddie Rebojo, father of one of our kindergarten girls, is seen here with the sikad he rents. He earns 7 pesos (approximately 8 cents) for each passenger. After the costs of rental and gas are paid, in a twelve hour work day, Mr. Rebojo earns an average of US$2.38. 

Jeepneys are brightly colored and elaborately decorated mini-buses seen all over the Philippines. They are permitted to travel within the city limits or between towns depending upon their assigned route. A jeepney ride within the city costs 8 pesos (roughly 8 1/2 cents). In Manila during rush hour a jeepney could carry 24 passengers - sometimes more. However, jeepneys also are more expensive to rent and use more fuel making the income of a jeepney driver comparable to that of all other drivers. 

 This is the jeepney which Mr. Cabidog rents. Rain flaps have been lowered over the windows.

These men work hard, often 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

It's raining. Again!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 10:48AM

Since the end of December much of the Philippines has been experiencing heavy rains. Rains that have caused flooding, damaged property and livelihood, brought sickness, and caused loss of life. Schools have been canceled several times as it was too dangerous for the children to walk to school. This is another week when heavy rains are expected.

The children and families supported by Her Star Scholars were all unharmed. Those living by the rivers and creeks evacuated for a time to stay with friends and family in higher areas. Between the flooding, the heavy rains, and the strong winds, many homes did sustain damage. 

In this home you the green mold reveals how high the waters reached. The water came up through the floor and washed some belongings away - you can spot some of the items alongside the house in the mud. If you look at the roof you will see that the father placed large pieces of wood to try and hold the roof in place. They also stuffed used rice sacks under the ceiling to try and stop the water from pouring in to the home.  

 Seven children between 1 and 13 years live here with their parents on a small lot in the center of rice fields. The father is a farmer earning $52 a month, but he doesn't own any of the actual rice fields. Having a home in the center of rice fields means his home floods regularly. Two slim boards and a group of 3 large rocks provide a bridge over the mud and water.

 

  Because of the risks of flooding, land along rivers and creeks may remain undeveloped. Aware of the risks, but left with few options families may choose to squat on the land and build homes. You can see the erosion along the edges of the creek. This water is not safe for human consumption under the best of circumstances, but as it floods it becomes further contaminated and even more dangerous. 

Some Realities in the Philippines

Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 01:53PM

All of the families with which Her Star Scholars works fall below their national poverty threshold. In the Philippines a family of six earning less than US$177.08 per month is living in poverty.

Yet most of the families in our program have incomes of little more than $60 a month. Let's look at what that can buy. 

4 1/2 pounds of rice - (ideally a family would have 1 pound of rice per person daily) - $4.74 

6 cups of powdered milk - $6.25                              

2 pieces of sardines - 50 cents

1 pound of chicken - $2.11

1 month Pediasure for malnourished child - $42.64

Bananas (per pound) - 45 cents

School shoes and socks - $20.83

T-shirt (with no brand) - $3.79

Pair of Jeans (no brand name) - $12.20

4 cups of water buffalo milk - $2.21

Bottle of 50 acetaminophen - $10.00

1 Tablet of antibiotic - $11.62 - $46.51

Enrollment fee for elementary school - $9.50

Mandatory school PTA fee - $12.00

Book bag - $8.00

I can't imagine trying to raise well-nourished, well-educated children on only $60 a month. Can you?

Burkina Faso

When Her Star Scholars first opened its doors, the Philippines seemed the perfect location for starting a starting a school sponsorship. Three of the Board Members had spent a number of years living in the Philippines and had excellent contacts with professionals who were in a position to oversee the pilot program. From the start we had hoped we would be able to expand to South America and Africa, but we anticipated it would take a number of years before that was possible. Then a mere six-months after our start-up, one of Her Star's supporters introduced us to a woman named  Biba Foadey who lived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in Western Africa.  

Biba had volunteered as the local organizer of a school sponsorship program for a non-profit from the USA until that program was forced to close its doors when its founder had to devote more time to her own child's special needs. Because she had only been able to finish school through the 5th grade due to poverty, Biba was determined to keep as many of the sponsored children in school as she possibly could. She wrote many hundreds of letters and emails to programs and individuals around the world asking for help. One of those letters reached Lee, a generous and compassionate woman, who had been a sponsor to a good many of the children in Burkina Faso. Lee then introduced Her Star Scholars to Biba. 

Her Star conducted a needs assessment and developed a small pilot program by building on to the framework built by our predecessors. Lee had offered to sponsor the first group of children in our pilot program in Burkina Faso and it is with great joy that we kicked off the program this past Sunday. 

A total of seven children between the ages of 8 and 17 will now be attending school. There are two girls in high school and 5 in elementary school. All of the children live in Burkina Faso's capital city, Ouagadougou. (I have been told that in Burkina Faso the city is called by a nickname which is pronounced as Wah-gah) A bike is being purchased for each of the children so that they can travel safely to school and each family will be given a large bag of beans to feed them for at least one month. 

Biba is a remarkable woman and deeply devoted to the education of these children. Though she only went to school through the fifth grade, she was able to teach herself English and business skills. She opened successful company where she produces lovely hand-crafted fabrics. She is also a youth advisor and active volunteer in her local church. We are so excited to have her volunteering with us in this program! 

Undernourished and malnourished

Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 04:19PM

Early in the school year it was reported that many of the children were too tired and hungry to pay attention in class. The teacher also noted that some of the school children were rooting through the garbage pit outside to try to find something to eat. We knew when we started sponsoring the kindergarten in the Philippines that malnutrition was a problem in the communities where we would be working. Receiving a text message telling you that a child is crying in the corner because she is hungry makes the situation more distressing and critical. 

The reality for the majority of children we sponsor is that they do not have enough food to eat on a daily basis. Some of them eat twice a day; some of them eat only once. There are children whose parents beg for food from neighbors and relatives; there are parents who are never sure when they will next have money to buy food. Most parents working with extremely small food budgets will purchase rice which is the most filling food available, as much rice as possible. If it is possible to buy patis (a salty fish sauce) or bagoong (a fermented shrimp paste) with which to flavor the rice they will do so. Fruits and vegetables are scarce. Meat of any kind is almost never available to these children.

What I hadn't realized was that there was a difference between a child who was under-nourished and a child who is malnourished. A child who is under-nourished lacks a sufficient amount of food to eat. They will normally report feeling hunger. Often they present as very thin. A child who is malnourished is lacking the correct balance of vitamins, proteins, and energy sources to be healthy. Children who are malnourished may or may not feel hungry. In fact a person can be over-weight and malnourished - an increasing problem with people in the US. It appears that most of the girls who have been sponsored are under-nourished as well as being chronically malnourished. 

As soon as it was possible Her Star Scholars started a Healthy Feeding program for the children at the kindergarten. This provides healthy meals to the children three days a week. The mothers of the girls take turns going to the market, preparing the food, setting up and cleaning up. Also, the families decided among themselves that they would each donate a piece of fire wood each week to help with the cooking fire. On meal days, if a child is home sick, a mother will volunteer to deliver the child her portion for the day. Meals include rice, meat or fish, and at least one vegetable and one fruit. The mothers were given lessons on meal preparation and nutritious diets and many have reported that they can now apply those lessons at home to the extent that their budgets allow. 

Is it enough? No, obviously not. We'd like to have food daily for all of the children. There is also a highly nutritious milk powder prescribed for malnourished children that could be served alongside the meal. Ultimately we seek to provide skills training opportunities for the mothers that will help them to earn more and enable them to provide better nutrition for their entire family. In the meantime we will do what we can to see that the children do not go hungry.

Thanks to Janet of www.byjanet.net for the picture of the vegetable stand. Janet also sells her work on etsy.com as Solitary Panda.

The Uniforms

Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 04:54PM

Uniforms aren't always a part of the educational experience in North America, but they are required by schools in many parts of the world. The costs of uniforms alone can make education very expensive for parents who struggle financially. So why are they required?

I've asked that same question in many countries and been given many different answers. However, one explanation remains consistent around the world - uniforms are for the benefit of the poorest children. In uniforms the poorest children don't stand out as much. They look like all of the other children.

Keep in mind many of the children we sponsor only have one set of clothes. As Edgardo, our incredible volunteer social worker, explained to me "it raises the children's self-esteem because they feel proud to have something new to wear and happier because they no longer look so poor."

The mission of Her Star Scholars is to help girls reach their academic potential so that they can make a difference in their own lives, the lives of their families, and in their communities. Purchasing the uniforms for our kindergarten students also helped a grandmother in the local community with her business. This woman cares for her young grand-daughter alone and works as a seamstress to support her. The school hired her to sew all of the uniforms for the year; she is so thankful for the help given her grandchild that she very generously offered a discount from her normal prices. 

I think the girls look just lovely in their new uniforms!

501(c)3 Tax Exempt

Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 05:02PM

Today we received our notice from the IRS that Her Star Scholars, Inc. is officially a 501(c)3 organization. That means that donations are now tax deductible! It's very exciting to have been approved so quickly and on our first attempt.