FULL UPDATE: BUSY DAYS

Day 1. On Sunday evening (January 9), we were invited to dinner by a friend of Romaric’s named Eric. Eric actually lives in Minneapolis, MN, where he works for a national bank. The team actually met Eric this past summer in Minnesota at a Learning Technologies’ end-of-year celebration, so it was very nice to see him again. When we arrived at his house, Eric’s entire family warmly greeted us. His mother, Anne, cooked a delicious Burkinabe meal that included couscous) with a tomato-based stew, chicken, and a platter of many vegetables. We were honored to share this meal with Eric’s family and enjoyed the company of his many friends that stopped by to greet us throughout the evening.

Day 2. After a short night’s sleep we were up early on Monday to visit the Ministry of Basic Education and Literacy. During our visit, we had the privilege of meeting the Minister of Education, Mrs. Mari Odile Bonkoungou. The Minister engaged in an interview with us for the Environetwork and so did many other people who are working hard at the Ministry to make a difference in education throughout Burkina Faso. In these conversations, they shared celebrations as well as challenges that face the education system of the country. For example, a common theme that has surfaced so far in our interviews is the need to focus on proper health education. The concept of washing your hands and cleaning your vegetables before you eat is taught and modeled in schools. Students are encouraged to not only practice these concepts, but to also share them at home with their parents and families. Another topic that was discussed at length by many people at the Ministry was the overcrowding of students in classrooms. Overcrowding is one of the largest challenges the education system in Burkina is currently facing.

On the way back from the Ministry, we experienced morning “rush hour” in Ouagadougou, and we were very happy that none of the team members were driving. The countless horns beeping to bring attention to the busy crisscrossing of cars, trucks, bikes, mopeds, motorcycles, donkeys, and walkers made for a confusing yet exhilarating ride. We are still trying to figure out the rules of the road, as it is only a few more days before we jump onto the motorcycles and explore the maze ourselves.

Did we mention how much we appreciate Romaric? Recognizing that we might want a quick taste of home for lunch, Romaric located a restaurant with some delicious wood-oven pizza. We devoured the thin-crusted pizza and washed it down with plenty of Coca-Cola. Thanks for the treat, Romaric!

That evening we were invited to Madi’s home, who is yet another friend of Romaric’s. On the way, we stopped to visit Idrissa, a child Romaric fostered 20 years ago who has now become a successful accountant. Idrissa’s family welcomed us in for a glass of water before we continued on to Madi’s. When we arrived at Madi’s home, we were greeted by his family and a feast of food! First, hard-boiled Bantam eggs were shared – believe it or not, these were the first hard-boiled eggs Charlie has ever had – and a beautifully prepared, and equally as yummy, sheep and diced-potatoes meal. Next, we enjoyed rabbit stew – also a first for Charlie – and finally, a richly-flavored homemade chocolate dessert called “Dark Forest.” After supper, Mady and his 11th grade daughter, Mima, agreed to share with us their perspectives on education and sustainability. Madi defined education as “the rock upon which all other things are formed” and Mima described the importance of sustainability as “education and sustainable development intersect – without education there is no sustainability.” Watch for their interviews on the Environetwork.

Day 3. We began Tuesday with an early breakfast prepared by Justin, but not Earthducation’s Justin ☺. Romaric has a beautiful home in Burkina, but when he is back in Minnesota, Justin (the name of Romaric’s caretaker) takes care of his Burkina home. During our stay at Romaric’s, Justin has been making sure we are hydrating and keeping our stomachs full. Breakfasts a la Burkina Justin (eggs, baguettes, and instant coffee) have been a perfect way to kick off our busy days.

After breakfast we traveled to Bendatoega, a village approximately 45 km (about 29 miles) north of Ouagadougou in order to visit an elementary school. This visit was one of the most memorable experiences in all of our lives. In this village we visited three classrooms. Each classroom contained about 75-80 students. The classroom walls were made out of stones, bricks, and clay, with thin, torn tarps attached to vertical tree-trunk beams that served as a roof. As we walked into the classrooms, we were greeted with smiles and a collective “Bonjour” from the students.

As part of our visit, we were able to interview the Head Mistress Madam Zoungrana K Jeanette as well as the teachers, who shared with us with an overview of the many challenges (educational and environmental) a village like Bendatoega faces. Educationally, students do not have enough textbooks and little to any access to common classroom tools that those of us from the US take for granted. Environmentally, because of the lack of fresh water, students do not bathe regularly as families need to preserve water for drinking. Water is a precious, precious resource in Burkina. Before we left the school, students pumped the local well outside the school for drinking water as we shook their hands to say “Aurevoir.” (What does fresh water mean to you in your life? Share your thoughts on the Environetwork.)

After leaving the school, we made a quick stop for lunch in the village of Pabre (population 3100). This lunch experience gave us an entirely new perspective on the meaning of “fresh.” We ordered chicken for lunch, and after ordering, our lunch arrived “fresh” on a motorcycle. Not dead chickens or fried chickens, but live chickens! Within a few moments, these chickens were quickly butchered, grilled, and served. Yum. While we waited for lunch, Justin reflected on his experience of visiting the schools in Bendatoega (see video below). We strolled through the market after lunch and enjoyed eating Cola nuts. These are the actual nuts included in the recipe for Coca-Cola soda. Aaron and Charlie shared a knowing smile and agreed that the taste of the nuts was very “special,” but were happy as Romaric assured us this snack would help keep us awake.

We headed back to Ouagadougou for our next stop on this busy day, Sin-yiri A Primary School. As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed by nearly a hundred children running towards us in a stampede of laughter and smiles (you can see this hearty greeting in this update’s video). This school building was more conventional in construction than the one in Bendatoega; however, it was still very different from what we are used to seeing in the United States. We were able to visit one fifth grade class that contained 85 students. The teacher and three students were interviewed on their perspectives about Earthducation’s main questions: What is education? and What is sustainability? These interviews will be posted on the Environetwork once we get back home. As a sneak peak of these interviews, though, one of the students described education as the “beginning of life” and sustainability as “caring for our earth.”

As we have shared, we have been capturing several Earthducation interviews each day. Most of these interviews have been conducted in French, so all will be subtitled and shared in their entirety upon our return to Minneapolis.

We have come to the end of a three-day whirlwind of extraordinary experiences so far in Burkina. Reflecting upon our short time here, we are deeply thankful to the Burkinabe for sharing their beautiful country with us and are energized for the experiences and interviews yet to come.

Remember, the primary goal of the Earthducation project is to create a global narrative of the diverse intersections between education and sustainability. The only way we will be able to accomplish this is with your help – you can browse through the EnviroNetwork to view others’ perspectives. What will you share?