My Assignment

I will be working as a Community Education and Development Outreach Agent in the Girls Education and Empowerment Program in Burkina Faso. In short, I will be working as a liaison between schools and communities and creating programs encouraging girls to go to, stay and succeed in school. I'll work with organizations, professionals and families on projects large and small. As most of you would expect, one goal I'm hoping to be able to accomplish is to start a girls' sports team, basketball, if possible.

Schedule
June 7: Fly to Philadelphia for Pre-Service Training
June 10: Leave for Ouagadougou for Training
Sometime in September: Sent to project site

Facts on Burkina Faso
-landlocked country in West Africa
-language: French and local African languages like Moore, Fulfulde, Gourmantchema etc.
-population: 14 million
-rainy season June to October (90+ degrees), dry season November to May (100+ degrees)
-it's one of the ten poorest countries in the world
-86% of population lives on less than $2 a day
-average life expectancy: 47.5 years
-literacy rate: 32%
-50% Islam, 20% Christian, 30% indigenous beliefs