Download Our World - Plan International USA

Survey
yes no Was this document useful for you?
   Thank you for your participation!

* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project

Document related concepts

Sources of sharia wikipedia , lookup

Soviet Orientalist studies in Islam wikipedia , lookup

Criticism of Islamism wikipedia , lookup

Islam and secularism wikipedia , lookup

Dhimmi wikipedia , lookup

International reactions to Fitna wikipedia , lookup

Muslim world wikipedia , lookup

Political aspects of Islam wikipedia , lookup

Islam and Mormonism wikipedia , lookup

Islam and violence wikipedia , lookup

Islam in Sudan wikipedia , lookup

Islam and Sikhism wikipedia , lookup

War against Islam wikipedia , lookup

Ramadan wikipedia , lookup

Islam in the United Kingdom wikipedia , lookup

Islam in Bangladesh wikipedia , lookup

Islam and war wikipedia , lookup

Schools of Islamic theology wikipedia , lookup

Islam and modernity wikipedia , lookup

Islam in Indonesia wikipedia , lookup

Islam in Europe wikipedia , lookup

Islamic culture wikipedia , lookup

Islamic schools and branches wikipedia , lookup

Islam and other religions wikipedia , lookup

Transcript
Holidays
January 1
New Year’s Day
Date varies Ramadan
March/April*
Easter
May 1
Labor Day
December 25
Christmas
*date varies
Religion in Burkina Faso
Roughly half of the people of Burkina Faso are Muslim.
Another 40 percent follow indigenous religions, and 10
percent of the population are Christian (mostly Catholic).
Muslims are followers of Islam. Islam is an Arabic word
meaning “submission to the will of Allah (God).” Muslims
believe that Allah’s will was revealed to the prophet
Muhammad more than 14 centuries ago and was
captured in the Islamic holy book, the Koran (Qur’an).
Together with the Sunnah, a collection of sayings
attributed to Muhammad, these texts provide a firm
basis for religious and social life for all Muslims, including
rules for diet, dress, hygiene, and more. Islam is a religion
Animism is the term used to categorize the plethora
of localized indigenous religions throughout the world.
Animists live in a world dominated by a complex interplay
of spiritual powers. The manipulation of such powers
through magic, to benefit humans, is subject to strict rules,
including rituals, sacrifices, and trance. Animists believe
that when people die their life force (soul) leaves the body,
joining the invisible world of ancestors. The invisible world
is also populated by nature spirits of the wind, rain, forest,
animals, and earth. Many indigenous adherents in Burkina
Faso celebrate the Yam Festival each August, during which
yams, the first crop to be harvested, are offered to gods
and ancestors as a way of giving thanks to the spirits.
Christians are followers of Jesus, a carpenter and a Jew
from the city of Nazareth in present-day Israel. Christians
believe that Jesus is the only son of God, born of a virgin
woman (Mary) in a stable in Bethlehem. His story is told in
the New Testament of the Christian holy book, the Bible.
Additional sources include the CIA World Factbook and State Department websites.
Plan International USA is part of a global organization that works side by side with communities in 50 developing countries to
end the cycle of poverty for children. We develop solutions community by community to ensure long-term sustainability. Our
level of community engagement, long-term outlook, and constant focus on the needs and priorities of children is unique among
international development organizations. Our solutions are designed up-front to be owned by the community for generations to
come, and range from clean water and health-care programs to education projects and child-protection initiatives.
Promising Futures,
Community by Community
Plan International USA
155 Plan Way • Warwick, RI 02886
1-800-556-7918 • planusa.org
Population
Capital City
16.4 million
Ouagadougou
Official Language
French
Per Capita Income
US$670/year
Youth Literacy Rate
47% male/33% female
Access to Safe Water
96% urban/74% rural
Under 5 Mortality Rate
102/1,000 live births
Source: The State of the World’s Children 2014 (UNICEF)
Burkina Faso is a completely landlocked West African country. The country lies
about 600 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and is nestled between Mali, Niger, Benin,
Togo, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast (Côte d’ Ivoire). Slightly larger than the state of
Colorado, the country is also known as Burkinabe. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest
countries in the developing world. The region consists of mostly wooded, grassy
plains atop a large plateau. Only a small percentage of the land is cultivable; as a
result, crop yields are extremely poor. The climate of Burkina Faso is tropical and
varies greatly with the hot desert winds that accentuate the dryness of the terrain.
The dry season lasts from mid-November to mid-April; the rainy season lasts from
June to September. Unfortunately, in recent years drought has been a persistent
problem for the people of Burkina Faso.
burkina faso
Holidays are very important to your sponsored child
and family. The most important ones have religious
significance:
of peace and prayerfulness. A devout Muslim prays five
times daily. If possible, Muslims pray in a mosque, and on
Friday do so with common prayer and a sermon. Islam also
requires that Muslims make a pilgrimage, called the Hajj,
to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Islamic holidays include Ramadan, the holiest month
of the Muslim calendar that commemorates the month
Muhammad received the revelations that became the
Koran. Eid al-Fitr is a joyous feast celebrating the end of
Ramadan and the month of fasting. Al-Hijra celebrates the
Islamic New Year.
A Brief History
Burkina Faso (known as Upper Volta until 1984) has had
a turbulent political history. The Mossi people have a
long and rich culture among the people of Burkina Faso.
The Mossi tribe began in Gambaga and established itself
as a well-organized kingdom in the late 1300s, moving
to the present-day capital in the late 1400s. The Mossi
kingdom had a strong military force that defended the
land for more than 300 years from warring tribes to
the east in present-day Mali. Most Europeans did not
hear of Burkina Faso until the late 1800s, when the
French began to colonize the territory. France captured
Ouagadougou in 1897, and the colony of Upper Volta
was established 20 years later as an official colony of the
French government. Roughly 40 years later, the people
of Burkina Faso gained independence and political
freedom but, as with many developing countries, the
country faces economic, social, and cultural difficulties.
These challenges have led to a series of coups d’etats,
the most recent occurring in 1987. The vast majority
of the population is illiterate, so active political life is
enjoyed by an elite educated minority. The masses
are only consulted when the weight of their voices is
needed, especially during election years.
Plan’s work in Burkina Faso covers
four core areas, all of which are
rooted in the rights of the child:
Good quality education
Maternal and child health care
Safe drinking water and sanitation
Protecting children against the effects of HIV
Basic education
This priority program aims to improve access to quality
formal and nonformal education. A great number of
children have been enrolled in schools thanks to an
increase in school infrastructure building projects,
repairs, furnishings, and supplies by Plan. We also
support the capacity building of community and
institutional structures in charge of education.
Maternal and child health care
This program is dedicated to supporting a responsive
health-care system, which will ensure the good health
of young children. It focuses on trying to eliminate
the main causes of death in children such as acute
respiratory infections, diarrhea-related diseases, and
malaria; immunization of all children under 5 years of
age from major diseases; and pre- and post-natal care.
Safe drinking water and sanitation
Plan seeks to ensure that all inhabitants of villages have
sanitation facilities, as well as access to a safe drinking
water point within less than 1,000 meters.
Protecting children against the
effects of HIV
Through this program, Plan focuses on promoting HIV
voluntary testing and counseling, raising awareness of
the spread of HIV, while working with associations of
people living with the disease and affected children.
Economic Security
Agriculture is the base of the economy in Burkina Faso.
More than half of the population works the land as
either owners or day laborers, and principal exports
include livestock, cotton, and peanuts. The primary
agricultural practice is slash and burn, in which the land
is cleared of vegetation and debris is burned. The soil,
fertilized by the resulting ash, is then cultivated for a
number of years until the weeds become too oppressive
or the harvest is no longer viable. The farmer then shifts
to another location and repeats the process. Fields are
laid fallow for seven to eight years, during which time
the soil will be naturally regenerated. However, as the
population has increased, so has the need for more
food, and the length of the fallow period has become
shorter. The end result has been a dramatic decrease in
the fertility of the country’s soils. The average villager
lives outside the cash economy as a subsistence farmer,
growing most of his/her own food. Most households
have goats, sheep, and chickens. Wealthier families may
also have a few cattle. Livestock is mainly viewed as a
form of savings. A family will sell an animal (or use it as
collateral) when cash is needed.
Family Structure
Most sponsored children and families live in an
extended family environment. The eldest male is the
head of a family consisting of his wives and children,
as well as his brothers and their families. Children are
the responsibility of their mothers and live with them
until they are teenagers. Although it can be difficult
to improve individual economic prospects within the
context of a large family structure, the extended family
is also seen as a source of social security. All families
have a distinct division of labor: women are responsible
for raising the children, cleaning, cooking, fetching
water, and marketing produce; men are responsible for
farm work and also participate in construction projects;
and young children are expected to assist in these tasks.
Language
French is the official language in Burkina Faso, but the
majority of the population speaks Moore or other tribal
languages. The common languages such as Moore,
Dioula, Gourmantche, and Fulani are spoken with
greater frequency in the rural areas. It is very likely that
you will encounter a language barrier in communicating
with your sponsored child, as the majority of the
children do not know enough English to write a letter.
Those who cannot write will be assigned community
workers and volunteers who will explain your letters and
help the children compose their responses.
Here are a few phrases in Moore that you might
want to use in your correspondence with your
sponsored child:
Ney yi beogo Good day
If kiemame?
How are you?
If zaak raamba?
How is your family?
Wend na taase
Goodbye
Puus neba faa konma
Say hello to everybody