Walk for Water and 5-Week Reciprocity Program
Beginning World Water Day, March 22, 2021, BARKA and education partner Wyoming Seminary (“Sem”) are kicking off an innovative 5-week service learning and reciprocity program. Our goal is to provide clean water to 423 students in Burkina Faso who are in desperate need of water to drink, bathe and cook.
Last year, Namoungou’s public middle and high school closed due to terrorist attacks in their village. More than 20 people were killed, and teachers were threatened. Yet students and parents were determined to continue their education. The school was displaced (twice) to Fada, 45km away. Students are now living on their own in small shacks in groups with no adult supervision, no funds, little food and water. They commute several miles to school each day, some of them on foot, some with bikes that barely work.
Late last year as BARKA distributed masks to these vulnerable students, they complained about their situation. We were compelled to act, and when Sem heard about the need, they felt compelled as well. We moved quickly, Sem having a series of meetings within its Upper and Lower Schools, and BARKA staff meeting the Namoungou school principal, faculty and parents to determine the best way to assist.
On World Water Day, all students’ water needs for the coming month were paid for, and this support will continue through the end of school year, thanks to Sem, their students, faculty, parents, and alumni.
Expanded Impact: In addition, BARKA reached out to the Ministry of Social Action and the Regional Direction of Education to seek further support for this school that slipped through the administration’s cracks. Through BARKA’s efforts, Social Action has pledged to provide a canteen beginning in April for a school lunch program and Regional Direction donated backpacks full of notebooks and pens to all students. This would not have happened without our efforts on behalf of the school.
To support this effort at home, Sem will lead a robust series of activities between World Water Day and Earth Day, including:
- A penpal correspondence between Namoungou students and the Sem French Students
- Live discussions about Burkina Faso and BARKA’s water projects with BARKA Board member Adam Ruderman and Sem students
- Screenings and discussion of several new BARKA videos depicting the lives of Namoungou students (links below), and,
- A Walk for Water which will be held virtually during Earth Week.
- The event will be open to all students and their families, as well as alumni and friends of Sem. For a donation of $6 – the cost of water for one student for three months – participants will walk (or ride their bicycle) any distance with the option of sharing a photo of themselves on their walk. Each participating Sem student will be paired with the name of a Namoungou student to personalize the connection.
BARKA and Sem are laying the groundwork for a long-term collaboration to facilitate reciprocity and engage students both in Burkina and the US as global citizens.
Related Links:
Video Explaining the Dire Situation the Namoungou Middle and High Schools Are Experiencing
Video of a Day in the Lives of Several Namoungou Students