Schools in Burkina Faso

(Heidi) On my trip to Burkina Faso, I was able to go to several of the schools that our sponsored children attend. Here are my observations about the schools.

The literacy rate is very low, like 25% of adults can actually read and write. There are a lot of reasons for that, the main one being that people are focused on survival, so school is second priority.  Many kids do not go to school, or often, the family can only choose to send one or two to school, as they can't afford to send them all. 

For kids who do go to school, the first option is government schools.  These cost about $10 a year. Sounds reasonable, right? But there are 120 kids per teacher/classroom, and the parents who had their kids in these schools said that the kids often can't even see the blackboard.  There were few to no textbooks, and if your parents are not educated, how would a child learn in that situation? 

The girls we sponsor all go to private schools.  These schools costs about $150/year.  In these classrooms, there are 60-80 kids per teacher.  It still seems like it would be hard to learn, but it is a better situation than the government schools.  The kids go to school from 7am-12pm, then they go home for lunch and a break during the heat of the day.  Then they come back from 3-5 pm.   We visited several of these schools.

Finally, we visited one private school that is a tier above. This school costs $300/year (double the others), but there are only 30 kids in the classrooms. What an amazing difference that made!  You have to apply for this school now for next year, so we are going to try to get at least a few of our girls moved into this school for next year.  The extra $150 seems well worth it to me. 

In school, the kids learn to read and write French.  All of the kids speak their tribal language at home, but French is the official language in schools. This is helpful since there are 230 some tribal languages in the country!

The kids wear uniforms if they have them, but some kids did not have them and it didn't seem to be a big deal.  We pay enough money for uniforms and books for our girls. 

Another thing we noticed in the classrooms was that there was hardly anyone absent. Most had 0 missing, or maybe 1 student. In a place where the kids get sick or have to work or don't have enough food, I found it amazing that they would make sure they got to school no matter what. It shows that education is valued when they are able to pursue it. 

So glad we are helping 19 kids this year. We hope to help 40 next year! 

Universal Children's Day

Universal Children's Day was celebrated on October 19th and 20th this year.

Each of the girls dresses in a costume to represent a different country in a parade through the local community and in performances at the school. 

(The costumes were donated to the school and do not come out of the sponsorships.)

Burkina Faso

This is the school attended by 2 of our sponsored girls in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Fousseina and Assana in class.

Fousseina

Assana

Music

Thank you to Katie Nyblom for purchasing a month's worth of music lessons for the Ninos!

Happy Feet

A Huge Thank You to Marcia Talbott for buying new shoes for all of the Ninos con Bendicion!

Chores

Novah watches as her father repairs his fishing net and then helps her mother wash clothes.

Matching Grant Challenge

A supporter of Her Star Scholars has offered us a matching grant challenge. If we raise $1500 by May 1, the donor will donate an additional $1500.

This is a great opportunity for us to help us support the children!

That means every dollar you donate will go twice as far.

Please consider using this opportunity to help us change the lives of girls through education!

Click here to donate through paypal.

Congratulations to our 1st Grade Scholars!

In the Philippines, Her Star Scholars' seven 1st Grade students have completed their year successfully.

Several of them even won special honors.

Congratulations to all of the girls and a Huge Thank You to all of our sponsors!

Aprilyn

Aprilyn is 19 years old and ready to go to college! Unfortunately her mother is a widow with 13 children so it will be a struggle for her to find the money to send her youngest daughter to continue with her education. Aprilyn's goal is to study computer education so that she can become a teacher of computer education. It will cost her $714 to attend college the first year.

Julio

12 year old Julio is one of 8 children. He enjoys soccer and social studies. This year he will be entering 5th grade, but he needs the assistance of another sponsor.

Banessa

Banessa is 11 years old and will be starting Grade 5 on January 16. 

She needs another sponsor to help her continue with her studies. 

Keihly

10 year old Keihly is starting 4th grade this January 16. She enjoys drawing and she loves to play the marimba. Keihly still needs 1 sponsor to help her through the 2012 school year. The cost for the year is $300 -  Ten friends willing to chip in $30 each or 3 friends at a $100 each? A Spanish club? Sunday School? Do you know somebody who can help keep Keihly in school?

Help Annabeth Go to College

Annabeth lives in the Philippines with her parents and seven brothers and sisters. Her father works as a blacksmith. She had excellent scores in high school and dreams of going on to college for a 4-year degree in business administration. The cost for her would be $833 per year. Can you donate to Her Star Scholars college scholarship fund to help girls like Annabeth?

Help Melisa Become a Music Teacher

Melisa, in Guatemala, will graduate from Basico in October. She would like to go to Diversificado so that she can become a music teacher. Melisa is very bright and acts as a tutor for younger children. She likes to read because she can learn more about the world, people, and places. Her older brother and sister never had a chance to go to school, but Melisa dreams about finishing Diversificado and perhaps even continuing on to higher levels. It will cost $1300 for her first year of studies.

Ninos con Bendicion Christmas Party Pictures

More Christmas Party Pics