We Have a New Mailing Address!

New Mailing Address: Friends of Burkina Faso PO Box 33212 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-3212 USA

Please send any snail mail communications including membership and fundraising checks to our new mailing address at :

Friends of Burkina Faso
PO Box 33212
Bloomfield Hills, MI
48303-3212
USA

 

 

 

FBF Call for Project Proposals 2022 Funding

 

2021 Call for Proposals Graphic

 

The Projects Committee of FBF is accepting proposals for consideration for 2022 grant funding. Proposed projects must be related to community development OR related to humanitarian assistance

Priority is generally given to proposals that: 1) Are initiated by Burkinabe, 2) Address one or more community’s felt-needs, 3) Are managed by a competent non-governmental organization willing to assume fiduciary responsibilities, and 4) Build institutional capacity as evidenced by village-level participation and leadership.

Application guidelines can be found in English and in French at https://www.friendsofburkinafaso.org/projects/grant-proposal-guidelines.

Proposals must be submitted by 31 December to projects@friendsofburkinafaso.orgProposals received after this deadline will not be considered.

Please spread the news of this opportunity to your friends & networks in Burkina Faso. Merci!

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Le comité des projets de la FBF accepte les propositions de financement pour 2022. Les projets proposés doivent être liés au développement communautaire OU liés à l'aide humanitaire. 
 
La priorité est généralement donnée aux propositions qui : 1) Sont initiés par des Burkinabés, 2) Répondent aux besoins ressentis par une ou plusieurs communautés, 3) Sont gérés par une organisation non gouvernementale compétente prête à assumer des responsabilités fiduciaires, et 4) Renforcent les capacités institutionnelles comme en témoigne la participation et le leadership au niveau du village.
 
Les directives de candidature sont disponibles en anglais et en français sur https://www.friendsofburkinafaso.org/projects/grant-proposal-guidelines.

Les propositions doivent être soumises avant le 31 décembre à projects@friendsofburkinafaso.org. Les propositions reçues après cette date limite ne seront pas prises en compte.
Merci de faire connaître cette opportunité à vos amis et réseaux au Burkina Faso. Thanks !

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FBF mourns the loss of Mr. Moustapha Laabli Thiombiano

Friends of Burkina Faso (FBF) Board is saddened to share the news of the passing of media icon, celebrity as well as FBF Peace Award recipient Moustapha Laabli Thiombiano

Mr. Moustapha Laabli Thiombiano, CEO of Horizon FM, received FBF Peace Award in 2017 for his service in Burkina Faso since 1983 and contributions to the awareness of youth in the culture of peace. Through its program “Ca Va Ca Va Pas,” Horizon FM has contributed greatly to the appeasement of hearts and the culture of a spirit of tolerance, forgiveness, and peace in Burkina Faso.

When tensions rose in Burkina Faso, Mr. Thiombiano used the medium of radio to broadcast the need to maintain respectful language towards others. These communications softened hearts and cultivated a spirit of peace and reconciliation. He continued these efforts both on the radio and off, stressing that Burkina cannot grow without acceptance of others, the first step for the culture of peace. Horizon radio is listened to across Burkina Faso, in the depths of the villages, and also in other countries of the region. These messages of kinship were important for fostering a culture of peace and lowering tensions in Burkina Faso. 

Our sincere and deepest condolences to his family and to the media community in Burkina Faso. 

FBF Board

2017 Membership Letter - Join Us or Renew!

Dear Friends of Burkina Faso,

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Friends of Burkina Faso, I would like to extend to you and your loved ones our warmest greetings and best wishes for 2017!

Mogho NaabaThe Mogho Naaba of Burkina Faso with the FBF Award For Peace, 2015  

I would also like to remind you that it is time to bring your annual membership dues up-to-date (by mail, or online) if you have not already done so. Your continued support is very important to the Friends of Burkina Faso as it allows us to sustain our volunteer-run, member-driven organization.

Please note that the FBF membership dues are now $25 per person per year. For 15 years, FBF had kept membership dues at $15 per year. But with the increase in the cost of living over time and the financial needs of the organization, the FBF Board of Directors has decided to increase the FBF membership dues in order to allow us to sustain and improve the services it offers its members.

We would also like to ask you to help us expand our membership base by encouraging others to join our organization and by spreading the word about FBF. As a 501c3 organization that has always put 100% of project contributions (raised by our Project Committee’s efforts) towards our community-driven projects, we need the consistent support of our members in order to maintain our administrative and operational expenses including but not limited to the production of our bi-annual newsletter, periodic organization of special events, our continued incorporation as a nonprofit organization in the District of Columbia, the maintenance of our website, the Annual Peace Award, and keeping you abreast of happenings in Burkina. In addition, in 2017, FBF will acquire and subscribe to necessary software to automate becoming a member and maintaining our database of members which was previously done manually.

If you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so between now and March 31, 2017, by filling out this form and mailing it back along with a check for $25 (made out to Friends of Burkina Faso) to the address indicated. Alternatively, you can go to this link where you can use PayPal to pay your dues.

FBF also offers the possibility of multi-year memberships. That allows you to pay for many years at once; this helps to streamline the process for both you and FBF. The option is listed in the membership form; please check it off if choosing this option and make your check amount to reflect your choice. *This option is not currently available electronically.

FBF also welcomes donations toward its operations and/or its many development projects (learn about them on the FBF website at http://www.friendsofburkinafaso.org/projects). Please check off the amount you’d like to donate and include it in your dues check. Please indicate if your donation is for FBF general operation funds, the Peace Award, or one of our successful projects.

When filling out the membership form, please indicate any particular skills you have that could be helpful to our organization as well as express your interest in becoming more actively involved with FBF! We are always looking for individuals with energy, ideas, time, and a spirit to leave the world a better and more connected place than we found it.

How else can I get involved?

Like us on Facebook: For those of you with Facebook profiles, visit our page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsBurkinaFaso. Keep up to date with what we are doing and maybe to find long lost friends through our network of friends. Please ‘like’ our page today.

Help us spread the word: If you know someone from your Peace Corps days or anyone else with an interest in Burkina Faso, encourage them to become a member of Friends of Burkina Faso.

Please accept our gratitude for your renewed membership, interest, and many contributions to FBF. Best wishes for a fruitful 2017.

Sincerely,
Sali Greeley,
Membership Officer, FBF Board of Directors

Jihadist Threat in Burkina Faso Village Schools

This is a pretty in-depth report  from International Business Times on scary reports of armed groups entering schools in the north of Burkina Faso  Be sure to read the whole article if you click. It may be a group of 30 people trying to stir up trouble, or it could be a stronger group with official al-Qaeda links. The West Africa director at Human Rights Watch says the Peuhl (or Fulani) look to be the target of recruiting attempts.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/burkina-fasos-new-jihadist-threat-sweeps-through-villages-targeting-schools-1604014

"Mon premier semaine" -- a tried and true PCV topic!

What makes a good PCV these days? Blogs, of course!

For those who have lived Peace Corps while in the internet age, blogs have become a great tool for virtual cultural exchange. On a whim, we found the "Daryland to Desert" blog from Ellie, and her September 2016 entry captures a lot of the feeling of being dropped off at site.

https://dairylandtodesert.com/2016/09/11/mon-premier-semaine/#more-133

Insider's Guide to Ouagadougou!

Here is a fun article from The Guardian, tracing Jérôme William Bationo's experience in the capital of Burkina Faso. Highlights include best building, homegrown talent, best food, street style, and of course . . . best Instagram! Read the article here!