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“Primum vivere, deinde philosophare” (“Live first, then philosophize”) by JCVD
“Dans la causerie du dimanche, nous avons appris aux enfants qu’ils doivent tous apprendre à vivre ensemble, comme des frères, et favoriser la compréhension et l’amitié entre toutes les nations et tous les groupes raciaux ou religieux, sinon nous allons mourir ensemble comme des idiots” (“In the Sunday talk, we explained to the children that they must all learn to live together, as brothers, fostering understanding and friendship between all nations and all racial and religious groups, otherwise we will die together like fools”). So describes a report by Jacques, who leads the street children program, about one of the formative talks we gave.

Another 150 Children in the “Valencia” Maternelle!
I can think of many ways to begin 2021. A little bit of “Philomena” in Burkina would no doubt be one of them. Yet, the best of all is the blessing of three new classrooms in the “Valencia” nursery school, which allow us to serve more children, increasing our capacity from 300 to 450.

In Memoriam “tío Pepe”
Dear Tío Pepe,
Now you’re really going to have to make an impact – from heaven!

Fifteen Thousand Mobilized in Rimkieta! Fifteen Thousand!
I recently heard that some African politicians consider bicycles to be a symptom of the continent’s failure to advance. Yet, cities with the highest urban cycling rate are “rather advanced” cities and among the richest in the world. Seven years after the delivery of the first bike for Rimkieta, and having arrived this month to 4,000, I cannot be more proud and grateful. Surely, some 15,000 “Rimkietans” today have a means of transportation.

Saving lives
“AB’s case isn’t an isolated one; FAR saves lives. I believe you know this and that it’s only fitting that it be known.” Mme. Brigitte, child psychologist.

COVID-19 in Burkina: Trouble Ahead
God shapes the back for burden. It’s a fact. And we have to thank him for what has been, in sanitary terms, a minimal COVID-19 impact, for whatever reason – there are many hypotheses on the matter (none of them obvious). Unfortunately, what we are not able to avoid, because we are suffering it already, are the collateral damages that, regrettably, will drag the entire sub-Saharan region to its first recession in more than 25 years.

COVID-19 in Burkina: Holding Our Breath
You can’t imagine how much your loving and supportive messages have recharged my energy, after my last post about COVID-19’s arrival to Burkina. Many of you ask me how we are doing. The straightforward answer would be that we are doing fine, because it’s the truth. But if I think about it for a second, I realize that, personally, I spend my days holding my breath, as if that would help what is only just beginning to be over soon

Just What We Needed! COVID-19 is Here!
It was inevitable, despite my hope that some kind of divine justice would make this lousy (to put it mildly) virus leave unscathed this continent that suffers so much from other “viruses” – not only those that carry disease. But that didn’t happen.

Panic!
A few days ago, the news of an alleged terrorist attack at a school in a neighboring quarter of Rimkieta spread panic amongst the parents of the children in our programs. All the parents, that is, except those whose children benefit from the street kids project.

15 years in Rimkieta!
This December 2019 marks the first 15 years of FAR’s presence in Rimkieta. We celebrated in style with our staff and their family (almost 200 people): a beautiful thanksgiving mass – where all of you were present – followed by a feast that finished with a spontaneous dance in which, if you’ll pardon the expression, “we went all out.”