The Community Building Group, a nongovernmental organization launched an initiative called Give Water Give Life to build and refurbish village Rainwater Catchment Basins (RWCB) in 2013. Properly designed and constructed in appropriate locations, RWCBs tap into the existing water aquifer and raise the groundwater table. Basins provide villagers water every day of the year, even in the dry torrid conditions of the Sahel.

At the request of local leaders in Lanfiera, a PCV submitted a proposal to FBF to purchase books for the three primary schools in the village.  In 2013, FBF provided funding to buy books for these schools and also funded a teachers’ workshop. The workshop provided a venue for teachers to exchange ideas about how to become more effective instructors in the classroom.

Community leaders in Yelbouga requested assistance from a PCV to help build a pharmacy adjacent to the local health clinic.  The volunteer sought and received funding from FBF to purchase material needed for construction. The pharmacy opened in 2013. It now provides an accessible source of medication (e.g., ibuprofen, penicillin, malaria prophylaxis, etc.) to local residents and adjacent villages.

In 2012 and 2013, the Lycée Provincial à Koudougou (LPK) developed an innovative computer-science curriculum, thanks to the leadership of I.T. faculty members a Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) assigned to the high school as well as some financial and technical support from the Friends of Burkina Faso. During this two-year period, over 250 students acquired basic computer skills and were exposed to the Internet for the first time. Enterprising students became teaching assistants. Others learned how to repair computers and/or helped manage the lab.