Our support to the students of the commune of Koubri, about 30 kilometers from the Burkinabe capital, continues. After the construction of a perimeter wall around the school, we launched the construction of two sports fields for the students and a needs study for the development of a high school.
Since its gradual opening in 2019, the courtyard of the college we built in the commune of Koubri in Burkina Faso remained open to the outside environment.
Over the months, the absence of a perimeter wall has proven to be a danger for the students but also for the good functioning of the school. Indeed, the inhabitants prefer to cross the courtyard rather than to go around it, it is close to a departmental road and accessible to stray dogs sometimes carrying rabies. It was therefore difficult for the educational and administrative staff to ensure a serene supervision of the children. Some worried parents saw this as an obstacle to enrolling their children in college.
We have now erected a 160-meter perimeter, 1.70-meter high fence wall with a gate facing the main facade of the school. This wall does not yet cover the entirety of the school, but it is a start for the protection and supervision of the students.
In addition, with the aim of developing physical activity for teenagers and to meet the requirements of the Ministry, we have launched the construction of two sports fields: a soccer field and a handball court. The work, carried out by a local company selected by tender, is now done at 80% with a desire to minimize the felling of trees and to replant some.
Finally, in order to encourage students to continue their studies, we have launched an analysis with a local firm for the development of a technical high school. The aim is to identify the most promising fields of study and to determine the most appropriate type of establishment in the locality. The first phase of the study is oriented towards a multi-purpose high school, offering courses in agri-food, animal production and plumbing. A second phase will begin to analyze in greater depth the availability of teachers in these fields, the opportunities and the costs of implementing the project.
These activities, supported by the Fondation Agir Pour les Enfants and the Orange Foundation, are part of more global projects for the protection and education of children in the commune. In 2023, thanks to our two partners, we will continue to provide meals in the canteen, academic support and awards for excellence to students, as well as build a water tower and a water supply system that will serve the elementary school and the junior high school, install solar energy in the elementary school and reinforce it in the junior high school and the health center.
