Tag: Africa
‘Texting’ boosts literacy in rural African villages
Even in the most remote of villages Niger, the familiar sound of a cell phone’s default ringtone can still interrupt a business meeting.
Rural radio station airs part-time yet yields full benefits for villagers
Villagers didn’t want a radio station, but the volunteer-run station launched in West Africa through the help of Catholic Relief Services has been broadcasting 10 years now.
West African resilience: How women are key to long-term stability in the Sahel
Women play a key role in coping with ongoing drought and famine in West Africa.
Medical center targets crippling malnutrition in Burkina Faso
YALGO, Burkina Faso — During a famine, babies starve because their malnourished mothers don’t have breast milk. It’s even worse with twins. Nata Ouedraogo, who has three sets of twins, knows this all too well. She’s receiving nutritional help from the recently constructed Blessed John Paul II Center, a medical center run by Marianites of [...]
Humanitarian efforts cope with unexpected refugees in West Africa
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Violence in Mali has created unexpected challenges to humanitarian efforts in neighboring West African countries.
West African bishops focus development efforts on education
KAYA, Burkina Faso — Kaya Bishop Thomas Kaboré believes the greatest challenge facing his people is poor economic development. Drought and, consequently, famine have taken their toll on the region for years.
Africa trip — Educating Burkina children
There’s the so-called “school of life.” Then there’s going to school to maintain your livelihood. It seems most of the African children in Burkina Faso fall in the latter category. We learned this after spending a day at local schools. We managed to visit a campus at every level (I hoped for an honorary diploma [...]
Children turn to gold mining after drought leaves few options in Burkina Faso
SEGUENEGA, Burkina Faso — Thirteen-year-old Zale Moumouni has been living 12 kilometers down the road from his village, searching for gold. He spends his days at the bottom of a meters-deep hole, shoveling sand to be sifted. There are 250 miners on site — 150 of them are children. Moumouni started mining because he didn’t [...]
Africa trip — Family moments
Someone once told me that the Catholic world starts to feel quite small as soon as you meet a person or two. In other words, as you start meeting those working in the Church, you quickly find connections you never thought possible. And you quickly feel at home with each other, like they’re family. [...]
The marketplace in Niamey
I don’t like to bargain. I just want to know a price and make a decision, not play the negotiating game. So, when we went to the market today in Niamey, Niger, I was out of my comfort zone. Ambria Hammel and I are on a trip to West Africa with Catholic Relief Services. Today, [...]
