Orphanage for Girls

During the week the girls from the orphanage are busy with school and training activities like sewing and hairdressing. At weekends they are free to do what they like best. Especially the AMPO girls are very particular about their appearance, their hairstyles, a dazzling smile, and of course a generous nature. Our girls are the best at braiding hair and it can take up to an hour. Sometimes they queue to have their hair done by those with the best braiding techniques.

Braids are preferred because they allow the hair to grow well and styling is less painful. The girls vie for the most creative styles, bearing in mind the sometimes strict school rules. Some schools in Burkina Faso forbid the wearing of artificial hair in school, to keep everyone on par because not every family can afford artificial hair.

Playing to overcome problems

The AMPO children benefit from a series of socio-educational activities as part of the care programme. Playing games is one of the key factors and AMPO offers many possibilities for the children to play: uno, jigsaws, card games, marbles and swings. Playing games has proved to be effective in dealing with many childhood problems.

It enables children to open up in a familiar environment and to talk about serious problems. This can only be done with the assistance of trained, sensitive teachers and educators.

The success of microcredits

In January the staff of the microcredit section of P.P. FILLES visited Roukiéta Sore. Roukiéta received a microcredit and she sells vegetables at a local market. With her income she can cover the daily expenses of her family, not only in terms of food but also providing for the health and education of her children.

The Clinic strives to help displaced persons

Terrorist attacks in the country have caused a surge in refugees and the AMPO Clinic has seen a rise in displaced persons coming for treatment. Recently five women arrived with their children to be treated. When the nurse examined them he saw that the children were suffering from severe malnutrition and sadly too they were suspected of carrying measles which had to be treated in hospital. The five children were referred to the Charles de Gaulle Hospital where they received the necessary treatment for three weeks. AMPO covered the cost of medical examination, doctors‘ fees and medication.

The children are improving but they continue to be monitored by our LINDA Project until they reach a normal weight. More displaced persons were given curative treatment by the Clinic and in some cases we paid for ophthalmology treatment and laboratory tests. In addition, the AMPO Clinic team visited two camps for displaced persons offering counselling and distributing milk and nutritious broth. The Clinic staff are determined to help these displaced persons. Our special thanks go to the BILD e.V. „Ein Herz für Kinder“ project for their donation which helps us achieve so much more.

Lemongrass and lettuce

Our gardener retired a few months ago and since then our vegetable garden has been more or less unused. This was not a bad thing, because the soil was able to regenerate. Work in the garden has now resumed, much to the joy of our girls. In a few weeks‘ time they will be able to harvest organic lettuce and lemmongrass.