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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