On 1 February, started the project of Construction of a nursery school in Garango in Burkina Faso, funded by the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (CEI), with one aim: to give even the youngest children the chance to create happy memories and give them the basis for continuing their education.

The town of Garango is located in the central eastern region of Burkina Faso, which is considered one of the poorest areas of the country. There are many problems: from the health problems to those concerning education, particularly affected by the lack of infrastructure and the extreme poverty of the country. In recent years, the government has tried by all means to overcome this condition, which also presents obstacles of a cultural nature.

In particular, the fact that there are no educational structures suitable for pre-school training is worrying: children aged 3 to 5 years are not adequately followedand supported towards elementary learning. This is the background to the desire of Salute e Sviluppo, in collaboration with the Diocese of Tenkodogo, to build these bases, which are sorely lacking in a country that absolutely needs them.

Three large classrooms, a rest room, a room for administration, toilets and school canteen, will be all the environments in which will be housed 100 children aged 3 to 5 yearswho will benefit from the construction of the kindergarten.

The educators who will have the task of looking after the children will be local workers who will also have a much more complex task: raising awareness among adults about education and schooling. One of the obstacles encountered in Burkina Faso in the fight for literacy is the reluctance of families to send their children to school, sometimes because of the remoteness of the facilities, but also because there is an ingrained mentality that sees children as labour resources from an early age. The kindergarten project aims to disrupt this system and involve parents in their children’s activities, to make them understand the extreme importance that continuous education will have in their children’s future lives.

The profound desire behind the project is to create a general awareness that will push the new generations towards more education and greater trust in educational institutions.

Salute e Sviluppo is committed to pursuing this initiative thanks to the collaboration of the Diocese of Tenkodogo, local partner, which for years has been involved in many projects aimed at improving the living conditions and education of the populations of the central eastern region of Burkina Faso, managing both primary and secondary training institutes. Beyond the Diocese the project enjoys the full support of the Ministry of Education Burkinabé, as well as the governor of the central-eastern region

All this support, including institutional support, makes the project a long-term intervention. The children, their parents and the communities surrounding the families directly involved will be the beneficiaries of a project that aims to remain a cornerstone of education for the youngest children in that part of the country. The importance that we want to give also to the awareness, and not only to the simple education of children,aims to make all the population more aware, attentive and cohesive,ready to overcome the new challenges that the world constantly imposes especially on the new generations.

The project will last one year, we will keep you updated on the results we will get!