Our girls all live in Ouagadougou, in town. We found that there were essentially two kinds of homes that we went to. Most were like this... Made of mud bricks and something smooth over it (more mud?), with a courtyard. The homes had 2 or 3 rooms, with very little furniture. If they had any, it was usually beds, and maybe a table against the wall where they stacked pots or other items. They cook over an open fire in the courtyard. The bathroom is a hole in the ground surrounded by a mud wall outside in the courtyard. Many had animals such as goats, chickens, or pigs, which they raise and sell. Almost all the homes we saw have a slate/blackboard on the wall for the kids to do homework on, as paper is scarce.
The other kind of home was a tiny home made of mudbricks. These were the poorest families we saw. They had little to no furniture, sleeping on mats on the floor. During the rainy season, these homes often fall down! When that happens, the families go stay in a nearby school building until the rains stop and they can re-build their home. They cook over a fire outside the home, and we didn't even see a wall for the bathroom. I think they just go out behind the house.
Seeing the homes showed me that the families are working very hard just to survive. Without sponsorship, these girls would probably not be going to school! So glad Her Star Scholars can help!
