FAVL Blog: Activities Archives

Meeting with Potential Partners and Exciting New Pamphlets

By Krystle on January 31, 2012 2:40 AM | No Comments

LOTS of exciting things are happening here at the Ouaga office. Monique and I are working hard on several projects and things are a bit crazy right now, but we're having a lot of fun getting FAVL's name out there. Monique and I have been working on a plan to interest more local partners in our projects, like Race4Reading and reading camps. Our plan of attack is a two part process:

Step 1: Meet with representatives of organizations and businesses to briefly brag about FAVL and what we do here in Burkina. We bring along a copy of our freshly updated pamphlet and sample of our RWA photo books.
Step 2: Follow up with a little information care package while FAVL is still fresh in their minds. It includes our new pamphlet with details and pictures about the community libraries in Burkina Faso, information about the annual reading camps and a copy of our annual report.

Our idea is to introduce a friendly face with the information so that the organizations will be more likely to read it, pay attention and follow up. Thus far we have met with representatives from la Francophonie, Unilever (a big soap company) and the Millenium Challenge Account. The guy from Francophonie gave us helpful suggestions on how to proceed with the mayors of the communes with community libraries. Next we're planning future meetings with Coris Bank and WaterAid. Everyone has been incredibly receptive to FAVL's mission, and we're looking forward to future collaborations with these organizations.

Here are the pamphlets we have created to accompany us on our PR missions:

FAVL Pamphlet

View more presentations from Friends of African Village Libraries.

And for the Burkina libraries:

Burkina Library Pamphlet

View more presentations from Friends of African Village Libraries.

FAVL ordinary daily activities here in U.S....

By Michael Kevane on January 20, 2012 11:07 AM | No Comments

Présentation d'un Projet d'une Bibliothèque Villageoise

By Krystle on January 13, 2012 5:28 AM | No Comments

Here's a document that Monique and I put together that explains the necessary elements of constructing a village library and the estimated costs that will be involved. It's in French, but I'd like to translate it into English for the Peace Corps volunteers that often ask for advice from FAVL. Enjoy!

Présentation d'un project de construction d'une bibliothèque villageoise

View more documents from Friends of African Village Libraries

Who Would Have Thought Such Simple Advertising Would Have Such a Big Effect?

By Krystle on January 11, 2012 10:16 AM | No Comments

I just wanted to update you about the new sign outside of our Ouaga office. It's really getting FAVL noticed in the neighborhood. People have been stopping in the office since we put it up on Monday, and everyone has said "I was passing by and saw your sign and thought I would stop in to see what your organization is about." As one of our visitors was leaving today, he asked how long we had been here. We told him, and he couldn't believe it. He's been in this neighborhood for years, and never knew there was an organization here. It's amazing how simple advertising can be for it to be effective!

New Sign at FAVL Burkina

By Krystle on January 9, 2012 8:51 AM | No Comments

Our FAVL office in Ouaga is stepping up in the world! We finally have a sign outside our courtyard door to indicate where our office is located! No more having to explain a random green door in our neighborhood; no more confusing directions to explain; no more neighbors who don't know there is a fantastic American organization in their midst. Henceforth it will be "yes, then you turn right and you see a sign that says FAVL Burkina." We have arrived people; FAVL Burkina has arrived!

Our beautiful new sign just outside the courtyard of our Ouaga office.

Happenings at FAVL Burkina

By Krystle on January 6, 2012 4:18 AM | No Comments

2012 is kicking off to a busy start here in Burkina. Here are activities that we're up to in the month of January:

- A new librarian was welcomed in Koumbia. The old librarian, Bibata, moved, and the search for a new librarian took place. After a recruitment period and a test of all the eligible applicants, BOKIAN Assiatou was chosen as Koumbia's new librarian. An inventory was performed at the change of guard and a small ceremony was attended by FAVL staff members and a representative from the mayor's office. Welcome from the FAVL Burkina team to Assiatou!

- We're in the planning stages of constructing our 12th library in the Centre-Est village of Ouargaye. We're trying something a little different with this library, and letting the mayor's office take the front seat in these early stages. It's a model we hope to implement in all the FAVL libraries.

- Five of our libraries (Boni, Koumbia, Dohoun, Dimikuy and Bougounam) are going to be included in a country-wide tree planting as part of Peace Corps' Campagne Burkina Vert. Trainings will be held to help volunteers learn how to plant and properly care for trees, and a celebration will be held in June when the trees are transplanted in each village. The tree plantings will require community involvement, including providing essential materials for the project and long-term up-keep of the trees. With the tree plantings in FAVL villages, we hope to have informational sessions at the libraries and to encourage people to more actively participate in the libraries.

- We're applying to participate in a Latrine and Hygiene Training being held by the Peace Corps that will hopefully help springboard various activities and informational sessions at the libraries.

- Monique and I are going to start seeking out the representatives of mining companies in Ouagadougou to ask for their support. We'll also be putting together an annual report for 2011.

- We finally got a sign to put outside our Ouaga Bureau! We're still deciding where to place it, but it's pretty and we're excited to let everyone in the neighborhood know that FAVL has arrived. A picture will be coming soon.

We're feeling optimistic about our planned activities for 2012, and hope that this year will be a successful and active one for FAVL!

Cute Video

By Krystle on December 28, 2011 9:47 AM | No Comments

Dounko took this video in one of the villages during the distribution of books. It's a very dynamic recitation by a primary school girl. Even if you don't understand French, it's just fun to watch this little girl up in front of her classmates, yelling and waving her arms. Enjoy!

New Librarian for Niankorodougou

By Krystle on December 23, 2011 5:41 AM | No Comments

Recently, we recruited a new librarian for the library at Niankorodougou. Dounko traveled there to help the mayor's office with the process, which included a test, an inventory and a welcoming ceremony for the new librarian. Here's a little video that documents the process, complete with interviews from community members, Dounko and the new librarian herself. Enjoy!

Exciting New Video about the Distribution of Books in Village

By Krystle on December 21, 2011 4:33 AM | No Comments

So the other day, I talked about how Dounko and some of the FAVL librarians just recently distributed Kathy Knowles color and Pain-Crocodile books to students who received vouchers from the LED lamp research project.I promised more pictures, but I have something even more exciting! A video! (I'm still honing my video editing skills, so bear with me). So without further ado, I give you LED Project : Distribution of Books December 2011.

Distribution of Books in Village

By Krystle on December 19, 2011 9:34 AM | No Comments

Recently we had a distribution of books in village for the LED project that took place earlier this year. Through the lottery, some kids received lamps while others received vouchers for books. The books were distributed to students by the librarians, teachers and Dounko; they were the Kathy Knowles color books in Jula. Each child received 4 color books and one Pain-Crocodile book. They were very excited to have them! Dounko brought many photos to Ouaga with him. Tomorrow I will post more of them, but today I just wanted to share my favorite photo. It is of Paul, a primary school student in Sara. I worked really closely with him during reading camp. At the beginning of the week, he could not even read the alphabet and was very shy. By the end of the week, he was able to sound out words and read simple sentences on his own. I was so proud of him during the final evaluation when he volunteered to read a paragraph aloud for all the students. He didn't make one error. Here is a picture of him smiling with his brand-new books!

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