I have completed my first year in the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso! A lot of things about me have changed since I got here, the biggest one is that I've decided that my interest for my work life in the future is in literacy and early childhood education (I had thought I was going to be focused on sustainable agriculture). I am extremely happy in Silmidougou (my site) and so excited about all the work I'm doing with my community. My village and I have taken on a huge undertaking: to create a community-based preschool. This project is now getting support from my wonderful family and friends through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP)!
I would like to give a little background of how this project came about and the real support the community has put in to see this preschool become a reality. The parents in my community have always tried their best to support their kids in school, but the kids still struggle the first few years because they are not prepared for elementary school. When I started working with the younger kids (ages three to six) their parents were supportive but nervous because they know I will leave and that the children wouldn't be getting the support anymore. After discussing the different options of how to prepare the children of Silmidougou they decided that starting a community-based preschool (called a bisongo here) would be the best thing for the kids and feasible in our community. Three community members quickly offered to teach at the bisongo. The community offered an old building (with two rooms: one for a classroom and one for storage), an old permanent hangar (which they will be making all the repairs to including a new roof and add a wall and door), and food for the first month of school. They have also created a community group (similar to a PTA) that will manage the school and inform the community of what is going on. The community will be partnering with Catholic Relief Services and Action Sociale (a branch of the Burkinabe government). CRS and AS have paid to train the three teachers (and myself) in a ten day workshop that we attended in September. CRS will also be bringing outdoor toys, classroom materials and feeding the preschoolers lunch every day.
Now for the part that family and friends will be helping with, there are some things the community wants but cannot afford and are not a part of the budget of the partners we are working with. The old building is in need of repair before it can be used and while the community is in the process of fixing up the hangar, the funds for the old building seem unlikely to come from Silmidougou. It needs a roof, windows and some small repairs. The majority of the money will go into fixing up this building so that food and materials can be stored and there can be a large classroom for classes.
The next largest section of the money will go to additional learning materials. After seeing other preschools, I've realized that even with the donations of CRS, educational materials are still lacking. There is a great handicap association that makes a variety of puzzles for a wide span of ages. I would like to get a large set of these so the children can work on the motor skills and critical thinking skills individually or in small groups. I'm working with a group of other Peace Corps Volunteers that have been collecting, translating and illustrating stories for kids. These books will allow the preschoolers to be introduced to books in a fun environment.
This project is a really big undertaking by the community and I am so glad from the help my community has received! The development of Silmidougou could drastically change with children being better educated and giving the community the chance to put the education of their children into their own hands. All of your support has been greatly appreciated!
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