Charlie holding his daughter Kyra again for the first time! (Minneapolis, MN)

Charlie and Justin excited to be back in the cold of Minnesota. (Minneapolis, MN)

Charlie and Justin attempt to find out where their bags ended up. (Minneapolis, MN)

In the mean time, get involved! Share your voice with us in the EnviroNetwork and be part of the team!

Teacher and students posing for a photo at a village school. (Village outside of Sabou)

A full classroom of up to 100 students listening attentively. (Village outside of Sabou)

There is so much to share about our last exciting week in Burkina. During our stay in Sabou, which is where we left off our story since our last full update, we were also able to visit a number of villages surrounding the city. One of the villages we traveled to a day after our arrival was a “deep village” is one that has no electricity, no sewer, no stores, and water is provided by a hand-pumped well. In other words, people are living directly with the land. Once again, we were warmly welcomed and learned a great deal about the celebrations and challenges of living and learning in a deep Burkina village. The thatch-roofed classroom we visited was composed of about 70 – 80 students on their the best behavior ☺. Due to the scarcity of water in this village, each student had a water can underneath her seat for washing and drinking. The contrast between this educational context and those common in the United States is striking. We have much to learn.

Aaron and Charlie fighting the dust on the way to Koudougou. (Koudougou)

The University of Koudougou. (Koudougou)

Next, we were off to the town of Koudougou by motorcycle. Koudougou is the third-largest settlement in Burkina and is approximately 100km from Quagadougou. The dirt road, African landscape, and the fellow travelers (goats, pigs, donkeys, chickens, people, and cows) provided for some exciting riding! While in Koudougou, we were able to visit the local university, which is much different than the University of Minnesota! We were fortunate enough to visit the computer lab where students were learning English; so, we interviewed two students on their thoughts about education and sustainability. We also visited the library, industrial technology classroom and the auditorium. The auditorium seats 600, but normally has 1,000+ students present for class. That’s right. Students stand when no seats are available. They come to class hours ahead of time to just to have a seat, and if they are lucky, to get a spot in the front row.

Charlie realizing two of his teeth are loose after he dumped his motorcycle for the second time. (Koudougou)

The motorcycle trip back to Sabou was an adventure for Charlie. As he attempted to brake for cows crossing the road, he dumped his motorcycle… again! Thankfully, Charlie was wearing a helmet as he went face-to-face with the ground: truly earth(ducation), wouldn’t you say? Although he knocked two teeth loose, Charlie got back on his bike and we continued on our journey. For the rest of the ride, Charlie’s bike had no left front light and the rear taillight was hanging from the back, so the team had a good laugh. It was the perfect mini-adventure for Expedition 1!

Elder and village sharing their story on education and sustainability. (Village outside of Koudougou)

Romaric's land he is working to preserve. (Just outside of Cassou)

The following day, we visited two villages in order to interview elders on their thoughts about living with the land, the importance of education, and the intersections between these two topics in Burkina. As the elders shared their thoughts with us, most of the village members gathered to watch and listen. Just outside the village of Cassou, Romaric took us to see his 240-acre parcel of land that he is working to preserve. An elder in the community gave it to him because he believed in Romaric’s mission of stopping deforestation and using the land in sustainable ways. When Romaric is in the United States, he has friends who work to make his mission a reality. It is Romaric’s hope that in the future he can build a resort on this land where people could visit a natural setting while enjoying the beautiful country of Burkina Faso.

The Burkinabe have been showering us with gifts. After our visit to the first village, we were presented with a chicken to take with us. After the second village visit, we were given another two chickens. Then, after the visit to Romaric’s land, we were given another two chickens. Yes, we were given five chickens in one day! We put these chickens in the back of our vehicle and headed back to Sabou where Haruna, our driver extraordinaire, butchered and cooked them. We ate a very delicious, very large meal that evening. Thank you so much, Burkina!

Charlie and Aaron setting up the BGAN satellite connected to the computer to send out field report using Fenix lamps. (Sabou)

We returned to Sabou quite late, so we needed to utilize the powerful lighting from our sponsor, Fenix in order to send out the daily updates with the BGAN satellite. Because very few places have electricity in Burkina, we not only used the lights to support us in sending for out pictures and audio updates to the Basecamp team at UMN, but we used our headlamps and flashlights every evening to find our way to the bathroom, to read before bed, and to simply see each other when we sat around a table. Thank you, Fenix!

We have learned many things about sustainability on this expedition through the examples shared with us by Romaric and his friends. They are doing amazing humanitarian projects here in Burkina that illustrate the power of individuals in making a difference. For example, Romaric’s friend and our gracious host in Sabou, Alissan, began a sustainable garden outside Sabou three years ago. We were able to visit his garden, which is located by only access to water – a dam. This garden employs around 100 people who travel by foot or bicycle up to 10 kilometers each day to work there. By creating these important jobs, Alisan is able to help the gardeners’ families by sending their children to school. The gardeners grow onions, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, and also experiment with non-native seeds. A millet fence surrounds the entire garden to keep animals away.

On the way to Bobo viewing the changing landscape. (Between Sabou and Bobo)

Flat tire 1 of 3! (Between Sabou and Bobo)

We left Sabou in order to make our way to the city of Bobo. Bobo, Burkina Faso’s second largest city with a population of 460,000+, functions as the commercial center of Burkina, with Ouagadougou functioning as the political center. As we drove southwest for 3.5 hours to get to Bobo, the landscape changed dramatically as we left the desert in the north and moved into the savanna climate in the center and south of the country. Our travels again were adventure-packed as we had the first of three flat tires on our vehicle. Yes, we had three flat tires in the next two days of travel on the same rear left wheel!

Shea nuts being bagged to be turned into shea butter. (Bobo)

Team Earthducation and the women that produce the shea butter. (Bobo)

While in Bobo we visited a group of women who are producing shea butter. The shea butter is produced from nuts that come from the Shea tree. The nuts are washed and ground down before the residue is removed and filtered by hand until it is 100% pure. Romaric has been working with these women for three years to increase the efficiency and quality of packaging, labeling, and shipping of shea butter as well as to improve filtration processes for purity and quality control. Twelve of the fourteen women in this group are widows and use their salary to pay for their children’s education.

Aaron and Charlie on the top of the Grande Mosquee. (Bobo)

Also while in Bobo we visited the Grande Mosquée. The mosquée was built in 1893 using Sahel style mud architecture with cone-shaped towers and wooden struts that act as scaffolding. We experienced an ethereal feeling as we received a tour of the building while numerous people were praying.

A view of the Baobab tree. (Just outside of Bobo)

Just outside of Bobo we had the good fortune of meeting with an elder in his village while he sat in front of a statuesque tree. He not only shared his insightful thoughts on education and sustainability, but he described how this tree, a Baobab tree that is 18 meters in diameter, had saved their village from an invasion. The elder invited us inside, yes inside, the tree in order to show us where people from his family had hidden while the honeybees scared off the invaders.

One of the thatch huts where we stayed under a full moon. (Banfora)

We left Bobo and stayed in the village of Banfora. We arrived in Banfora during a beautiful sunset and were able to stay in thatch roof huts with mosquito netting. It was an amazing African experience, except that Aaron got bit on his leg from a spider – ouch! He thought the swelling would go away, but after three days when the bite had not improved, he visited the health center in Ouagadougou to get some medicine.

Flat tire 2 of 3! (Just outside of Banfora)

Charlie and Aaron setting up Skype to video chat with the Institute on the Environment at UMN. (Sabou)

The next morning we left Banfora and experienced flat tires #2 and #3 within 20 minutes of each other! Without any additional spare tires, we returned to Bobo for three hours in order to pick up two new tires and two additional spares Haruna located for our 5- hour trip back to Ouagadougou. Because of our bad luck of three blown tires, we stopped in Sabou on our return to Ouagadougou to Skype in to a presentation for the Institute on the Environment. Using our new BGAN satellite system, we were able to video chat with people in Minnesota and share an overview of Expedition 1.

University of Minnesota and the Institute on the Environment proud! (Koudougou)

Upon our return to Ouagadougou, we began to work on this final field update and began packing for our return trip to the United States.

Expedition 1 has been a monumental success. Earthducation’s goal is to gather the stories and perspectives of people in climate hot spots around the world around the topics of education and sustainability. Here are some data about what Team Earthducation has accomplished during Expedition 1: Burkina Faso.

A big thank you to Romaric! Without Romaric, the team would still be lost in a thatch hut somewhere! His family and connections with people throughout the entire country were the foundation of this successful expedition.

Romaric’s connections have prompted us to create a new feature on our website entitled, “Honorary Expedition Members.” The honorary expedition members for Expedition 1: Burkina Faso are Haruna, Justin, Francoise, Uncle Tambi, Simone, Sanou, Madi, and Alisan. Thank you to all!

Expedition 1 is only the beginning of the Earthducation project. We have six more expeditions and six more continents to explore! Don’t forget to vote for the upcoming European hotspot.

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 current perspectives. Please share your thoughts! We will be adding new features and theme questions during each expeditions.

Last but not least, a big “thank you” to the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota! Your support has made this expedition possible.

Audio Update: Charles Miller

Burkinabe travelling between towns on the way to Tenkodogo.

Meeting with the King of Tenkodogo. (Tenkodogo)

Team photo with the King of Tenkodogo. (Tenkodogo)

During our short stay in Tenkodogo, we stopped at the Bagre Dam where a resort was just nearing construction with the hopes of opening later this year. The resort was quite beautiful and all the sand had been brought in from Ghana. After the Bagre Dam, we had the honor of meeting with the first of four Kings of Burkina Faso. We were very nervous, but the meeting was extraordinary as we followed majesty protocol led by our friend, Simone, and Romaric. We were able to record the King’s thoughts on education and sustainability as we learned about the challenges within his community and throughout the country. Most importantly, the King spoke of health and opportunity as the foundations of education in Tenkodogo. We learned a great deal from our meeting with the King and are looking forward to sharing his insights with all of you upon our return.

Library at the teacher training school. (Fada)

On Thursday (January 13), we travelled to the town of Fada N’gourma. Fada is known for its miel du Gourma, a locally produced honey available throughout the town. While in Fada, we were able to visit a teacher training school. The school had sixteen computers for approximately 650 students. While touring the library we were able to record another interview on education from a teacher-in-training who was in the midst of studying from the book, Guide of Pedagogy. Look for this interview on the Environetwork soon!

Charlie and Aaron with the King of Ouagadougou. (Ouagadougou)

The following morning, Friday, January 14, we were back in Ouagadougou. Our day started with a traditional presentation at the King’s palace called, “False Departure.” False Departure is a story about the King of Ouagadougou deciding not to leave by horse to go to war with his brother, a neighboring king. After the re-enactment, we had the privilege of personally meeting with the Mogho Naba, the King of Ouagadougou. To date, we have met two of four Kings in Burkina. We continue to be humbled and honored by our experiences here in this beautiful country.

Meeting with the chief reporter of the Ouagadougou radio station. (Ouagadougou)

That same day we visited a local radio station that outputs stations in sixteen languages throughout Burkina – Radio Rurale and Radio Urban. We saw the both the traditional and new age technologies they use at the radio station. We also learned that radio is an important means of information, traditional cultural music, stories, and education dissemination throughout the country, especially in the deep villages of Burkina.

Elephant at the Nazenga Animal Preserve. (Nazenga)

Baboon at the Nazenga Animal Preserve. (Nazenga)

Kingfisher about to dive into the river. (Nazenga)

We left early Saturday morning (January 15) to visit the Nazenga Animal Preserve. We were very excited for this brief hiatus in nature. It was a rough four-hour drive to the preserve, but we were able to record a roadside interview with a young man who was transporting cotton back to the local village. We arrived late in the afternoon at Nazenga, so we were a bit worried we weren’t going to have enough time to see some of the “Big 5“. Well, luck was on our side. Within an hour leaving the camp, we saw a family of baboons and two separate families of 15+ elephants with several calves. We were also able to photograph several kingfishers and other colorful birds. It was simply a wonderful afternoon.

At Romaric's house where he grew up in Sabou. (Sabou)

The Chief of Sabou welcoming the Earthducation Team to Sabou. (Sabou)

Aaron and Charlie explaining the Earthducation project to the town of Sabou. (Sabou)

Sabou Primary School students with Aaron and Charlie - Go Gophers! (Sabou)

Charlie with one of the sacred Sabou crocodiles. (Sabou)

Sunday morning (January 16) we departed for Romaric’s hometown of Sabou, which is approximately sixty miles southwest of Ouagadougou. Sabou is known for its lake that contains more than 100 sacred crocodiles. Romaric shared that the locals actually fish and swim in this lake! When we arrived, we were welcomed with a truly breathtaking celebration including traditional dancers, a group of Sabou drummers, and the Chief of Sabou. The entire town came out to welcome the Earthducation team and Romaric back to his home village – more than a few tears were shed as we walked up to the celebration. After the celebration, we had the honor of having lunch with the Chief and Secretary General of Sabou, as well as six of Romaric’s uncles and a few family friends. Lunch consisted of cous-cous and a chicken sauce, guinea hen (quickly becoming a delicious food theme of the expedition), and Tô, the traditional dish in Burkina Faso, which Romaric describes as “a dense cream of rice with a thick, leaf-based sauce.”

Aaron and Charlie dancing with the traditional dancers at the Sabou welcome celebration. (Sabou)

After lunch, Aaron and Charlie were invited to dance with the welcoming party – an extraordinary group of concentric circular rings of dancers and the Sabou locals. We used hand-held instruments crafted out of wooden bowls lightly fastened together with straw to a stick and did our best to mimic the dancers that surrounded us (watch the Trail Report overview for a preview of this dance). Then, we visited the Sabou Primary School, experienced the local bronze sculptures, walked with the sacred Sabou crocodiles, and … you know what? There is just too much to share. More details to come in the next update! Stay tuned!

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 current perspectives. Please share your own narrative! We are counting on you!

Audio Update: Aaron Doering

Audio Update: Charles Miller