Burkina Faso

Map of groups

Key figures

  • First organisation 1984
  • Member organisations 5
  • Trial members 2

In 1982 a young teacher, Koudbi Koala, and a few friends decided to provide support to children not benefitting from a school education and started the “School Under the Mango Tree”. In 1984 it became known as “Benebnooma”, or “The Other School”. With a permanent building, it was a new type of school, focusing on personal development and the acquisition of job skills. Their troupe, "Saaba", have performed in Europe, notably in schools, enabling others to discover African culture and contributing to the financing of the school.
The Emmaus community in Arezzo, Italy, was twinned with the Niou canton in 1977. Its leader, Franco Bettoli, who had been the Chair of Emmaus International since 1986, convened the first international conference of Emmaus International in Africa in November 1989 in Benin. Amongst the guests from Burkina itself were the people who went on to found Emmaus Solidarity Ouaga and SEMUS. At the second international conference in Africa, held in Burkina Faso in February 1991, were two organisations from Burkina, Benebnooma and Pag-la-Yiri - both decided to commit to the movement. The first memberships were registered in 1997.

Member organisations

Trial groups

Wend-Yaam - ONG AFD Buayaba