AMPO Ouagadougou

Monthly diary

The long road to the operating theatre

Alexandre is a boy who lives alone with his mother, his father having disappeared out of their lives a long time ago. There was never enough money, so he couldn’t go to school. Alexandre’s mother suffered living under these poor circumstances, resulting in a negative impact on their relationship. Trying to help his mother financially and to escape from the difficult situation at home, Alexandre sold paper handkerchiefs on the streets of Ouagadougou. How did Alexandre get in touch with AMPO?

Since the age of five he has had benign tumors, keloid formations visible on his ear and shoulder. One evening someone told him about the AMPO Clinic, which helps mainly those who cannot afford medical examinations or operations. Alexandre came to AMPO, he was examined and immediately referred by the nurse to the surgical department at the local hospital. The operation went well and Alexandre is now slowly recovering from the intervention. AMPO paid for the examination, medication and the operation.

18 kg of maize for women in need

The P.P.Filles team was out and about in Ouagadougou once again in July. Many widowed or unmarried women or those abandoned by their families in Burkina Faso struggle to earn a living. Food is always in short supply and disease due to poor nutrition is common. Thanks to donations they received, P.P.Filles was able to distribute maize to women in need.

Each of the 91 women was given 18 kg of maize. Thank you for your support.

Festival of Sacrifice at MIA/ALMA

One of the highest religious holidays in the Muslim calendar occurred on 20th July and was duly celebrated at MIA/ALMA. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is determined by the lunar calendar, which means the festival shifts by about 11 days each year. So next year we will celebrate at the beginning of July.

According to tradition the day begins with prayers in the mosque and ends with a sumptuous meal, in our case yam roots with tomato sauce and roast chicken. In spite of all the bad news from Burkina Faso we celebrated with joy and dance and laughter.

Hard work pays off!

For some time now private individuals and various companies have shown an interest in the work of AMPO, making donations to contribute in their own way to supporting those in need. This time it was the management team of a cellphone provider who opened their hearts.

Prizes were awarded to those children who worked particularly hard at school and presents were given to all the other children. Everyone was delighted and the children didn’t forget to thank the kind donors, promising to do their best and to continue to work hard.

Summer programme at the Orphanage for Girls

July marked the highlight of the summer holidays and this year too a host of activities was planned for everyone at AMPO. The varied programme included aerobics, puppetry, traditional and modern dancing, music, circus acrobatics, creating awareness, drawing and cooking. The workshops brought many hidden talents to light, talents that should be exploited further.

Everyone at AMPO and AMPO International e.V. were on tenterhooks when the first paintings emerged from the art workshop. A diversity of themes were addressed and processed by the artists, topics such as climate change, terror and peace. Confrontation with these subjects continued in the music workshop. The AMPO children produced a song that makes the longing for peace and stability in Burkina Faso perceptible and tangible.

"Dépose ton arme" (Lay down you gun) is the first step by AMPO towards peace in Burkina Faso.

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