The Yoann Foundation: helping disabled women and children

Our project to support women in need, particularly mothers of disabled children, or women who are, themselves, disabled, is going very well.  Numbers have currently 20 women and 15 children.  Help is given in a variety of ways: either direct

financial help, food aid or help to start up a small business, such as soap-making or some other activity which they feel they can do.  The women gather regularly, with their children, at the Franciscan Friary in Ouagadougou where they are given the opportunity to meet with and talk to the team of volunteers

who are administering this fund.  Pélagie Kabré has direct experience of caring for a disabled son, unsupported by her husband.  Marthe Zongo works in a bank and has strong administrative and banking experience.  These ladies are supported by the community of Franciscans without whom this work would not be possible.  Part of the remit of this fund is to ensure that all the women and children are given the opportunity to meet socially, over a meal, in order for them to get to know each other, and therefore to help, support and befriend each other.  Women who are disabled or who have disabled children very quickly become isolated from the rest of society which views disability as being evil.  Therefore, bringing them together regularly, both in order to receive their aid and also to share in a big meal socially, has been a fantastic way of helping them to feel part of a loving family, accepted and understood, supported and loved.

Protecting and educating young women and girls

About a two-hour drive to the east of Ouagadougou is the Catholic Diocese of Koupéla where we currently have three projects: 1) a refuge providing protection to 27 young women, 2) putting girls through primary school and 3) putting girls through secondary school.

A refuge: Young women, particularly from the

more isolated villages, are very much at risk from being forced into a marriage too young, often to men much older than themselves.  Les Amis helps to fund a refuge to which young women can turn if they feel they have no option but to run away from home for whatever reason.  At this refuge, at a cost of £270 per girl per year, they are housed, fed, educated and trained in skills to enable them to make a living for themselves. 

Primary school: the 20 girls we are putting through primary school are children

whose parents cannot afford to pay the fees.  The cost for putting just one girl

through primary school for a year is just £45.  This covers not only the fees but also

the cost of absolutely everything they need such as equipment, uniform (where there

is one) and food.

Secondary school: the 10 girls we are putting through secondary school are there because they are either orphans, lack a parent or have some other reason which makes being at home difficult.  At this school they are housed, fed and educated at a cost of just £200 per

year per girl.

Further east, in the small town of Fada N’Gourma, we are helping to finance a new building for a small primary school.  Their current accommodation comprises six classrooms, four toilets and a kitchen.  We are happy to assist them with a new building which will include a meeting room, a library, an administrative office and ICT provision. 

AIDS

We have enjoyed giving our support to an AIDS hospital in Ouagadougou run by an Italian Order of Camillians (see www.candaf.bf).  We were concerned to learn this year that their funds have begun to dry up and they are now in the sad position of having to close wards.  Last year they were able to provide in-patient accommodation to the very ill and dying.  This year, they are only able to provide out-patient care for up to 700 AIDS local patients.  We hope to be able to raise awareness (and therefore, hopefully, funds) from British AIDS related organisations.