The African child project association in Téma-Bokin organised a ceremony to hand out school kits to the children of internally displaced persons at the Gounghin nord C school in Ouagadougou. The ceremony took place on 20 October 2022.
There are around forty of these pupils at the school. They received free kits containing notebooks, pens, pencils, slates, chalk, bags and other items.
This first phase marks the launch of a series of donations of school kits for internally displaced pupils. For the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, the association plans to help 200 internally displaced pupils. A total of 1.5 million CFA francs has been raised to achieve this objective.
This series of donations was made possible thanks to the financial support of partners. According to Ibrahim Simporé, founder of the African child project association in Téma-Bokin, there was an urgent need for action in view of the impact of the security crisis on schoolchildren.
"Education is the fatal weapon for change. As an artist who cares about society, I have decided, along with the entire executive committee of the association, to mobilise funds. With what Burkina Faso is going through today, we need to take action to curb this scourge in the long term. When these children turn 18, they will need to live like everyone else. This need can drive them to insecurity. In reality, this initiative aims to combat insecurity in the future", he explained. He added that education is a formidable weapon against insecurity, hence the importance of supporting internally displaced pupils.
The ceremony was attended by Abdoul Kader Zerbo, Chief Inspector of Ouagadougou's No. 1 basic education district. He congratulated such initiatives, which give hope to these destitute children. "Thank you to the association that thought of the Gounghin Nord C school. For several years now, our country has been facing a security challenge that has led to the closure of classes. Almost all the schools in Burkina Faso have internally displaced children," he said.
The African child project association in Téma-Bokin has been in existence since 2015. It works to promote education for all, provides food for the needy and regularly organises charity events. The association has over fifty members.