blayton04

The design is not more important than the staff or curriculum. The teachers are provided by the Ministry of Education in Burkina Faso. They are trained and have a curriculum appropriate for the primary aged children. These are critical to the success of the school. Most of our team members at For Burkina have degrees in architecture or are currently attending a university for their Masters of Architecture. We came together because of our passion for using architecture to help others in need. Many times students are simply gathering under trees for school, or attending school in unsafe and dark structures. These circumstances cause students limited opportunity because they cannot have school when it's rainy, and dark unsafe structures do not encourage learning, but make it more difficult. Our design is an encouraging learning environment that is also structurally safe. Also, since the local community members help to build the structure and provide materials and land, they gain a sense of ownership that brings dignity to the community. The main goal in providing a safe and encouraging learning environment is to optimize the opportunity and initiate social improvement.

Thank you for the questions. We are working with another non-profit, buildOn, who employs local people in Burkina Faso and has a partnership with the Ministry of Education there. The Ministry of Education provides trained teachers for the primary school. Before the village gets a school, every community members signs a covenant - promising to help build the school, provide the local materials and land, and send their girls and boys to the school in equal numbers. The buildOn staff monitors the progress of the school from the ground. After three years, if all aspects of the covenant have been upheld, the process begins in getting the village a second school. This approach incentives success.

This is a good point. Only 28.7% of the entire population in Burkina Faso is literate, including adults. That is why the school also serves the community. During the evenings the school serves an Adult Literacy Program, and at other times it serves a community center and a vaccination clinic. It serves more than just the children, but also the entire community!

Thank you for all the questions! 1) Our team is very diverse. We have one member from Columbia, one from Kuwait, one from Ecuador, one from the Dominican Republic, and many from the U.S. It would be a great blessing to have someone from Burkina Faso on our team, but we just haven't been exposed to that opportunity yet. We work with people on the ground in Burkina Faso, though. So, even though they aren't a part of the "For Burkina Team," so to speak, they still are a part of the big picture team. It's critical to have input from the locals and people living in the very place that we are building the school. If there was ever an opportunity to add a Burkinabe native to our team in the U.S. we'd love to. 2) There will be a latrine near the school, it will include 1 stalls for girls and one stall for boys. It's not shown in the design because it was not part of our project scope, but buildOn always includes one with the schools. So, they will supply the latrine. 3) Four of us are architectural professionals and work at professional architecture firms in the United States. For Burkina is something we do in addition to our "typical daytime / salary jobs." So, yes, we have professional experience with built projects. 4) I agree with you. It is difficult to navigate the pages on ISSUU. We are working to put the design up on a section of our website, instead of having it on another platform as it is now. Once it is posted there, it should be much easier to preview. It's simply a work in progress. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, however.

In Burkina Faso, there is a lack of schools to staff. I think that the teachers and the structures need to come together at the same time. This is why we work with the Ministry of Education, whom provides trained teachers for the schools. In our set-up, we are providing the skills we know best - design services, and the Ministry of Education provides what they know best - guidelines for the education and the teachers.