About Us

Les Amis is a Godalming-based charity which has been set up to serve the poor and needy of Burkina Faso.

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What are the aims of Les Amis?  The aims of Les Amis are to provide help and relief for some of the poorest people in the world.  
 

One of the more pressing aims of Les Amis is to support women.  The lives of women in Africa can be extremely difficult, but particularly so for those who have given birth to a disabled child.  They are often abandoned by their husbands as there sadly remains the belief that a disabled child is no less than a visit from the devil, a curse.  Women who find themselves in this situation face not only the difficulties of caring for a disabled child, but also the anguish of being abandoned to a life of poverty and destitution.  We really want these women to have somewhere to turn, and we hope that this fund will not only provide the financial help so desperately needed, but also encourage the women to help and befriend each other.

 

Keeping girls in education is an important part of the work of Les Amis, as there remain some customs in Burkina Faso which make the girls vulnerable to abusive and undesirable situations.  Keeping them in education is a way of protecting them from these customs.

We are also involved in protecting young women from an unwanted early marriage by providing a refuge to which they can turn.  At this refuge they are housed, fed, clothed and taught several skills such as weaving, embroidery and beer-making.  They are also taught how to read and write.  With these skills they can become self-sufficient.                         

Les Amis is absolutely committed to ensuring that every penny given to it will be spent on individuals in need: nothing will be lost in terms of administration and all the other necessary costs of running a charity.

 

There are links to lots of pictures at the bottom of the 'Gallery' page.

 
 
Registered Charity Number: 1120772
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