A special Christmas gift: computer room for Les Emmeraudes

According to Yvonne und Martin Striegel-Toé, Les Emmeraudes is about a long-lasting dream coming true. Already as a young girl growing up in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second-largest city in Burkina Faso, Yvonne recognised how important a solid education would be for children from poorer families, and she dreamed of making a contribution in this field one day. The decisive moment came in 2014, when the couple travelled to Burkina Faso together for the first time and Martin, too, got a first-hand impression of how difficult the local educational situation was. They subsequently acquired an existing building and converted it into a kindergarten, with fees that were affordable even for families with low income. The project was set up as a charitable foundation and has grown steadily since, not least thanks to donations from supporters:

• 2014: Founding of the kindergarten
• 2020: Construction and opening of a primary school
• 2023: Creation of a school library – the only one of its kind in Bobo-Dioulasso
• 2024: Construction of additional classrooms

“Public schools often lack the necessary quality, and private schools are too expensive for most families. This is the gap we are trying to close just a little,” says Martin.

His first trip to Burkina Faso and his encounters with the people there made a deep impression on Martin. “Seeing how large the educational need was gave me the push to help Yvonne realise her dream.”

“Les Emmeraudes offers high-quality education at a comparatively low price for the parents. The quality is achieved, for example, by limiting the number of pupils per class (in public schools, there are often over 100). And the quality is attested by the very high pass rate we have in the national exams at the end of primary school. Furthermore, there are special courses for English, first-aid, karate (body control and awareness) and, as the latest addition, computer skills. A school canteen ensures that the children remain well nourished through the day.”

A special focus is on education for girls, which was often neglected in the past. “We want as many boys and especially girls as possible to succeed at secondary school level. This widens their range of opportunities enormously,” explains Yvonne. The constantly rising numbers show how appreciated the offer is. Les Emmeraudes started with 110 children and now counts over 700 (kindergarten and school combined). Almost half of them are girls.

“The school’s development makes us extremely grateful and also a bit proud, as does the certificate of recognition we received from the city of Bobo-Dioulasso in 2022. But the deepest satisfaction comes when we visit and mix with the children. The boundless and joyful energy they radiate is awe-inspiring and leaves us with a deep impression every time.”

Over the past few years, the importance of IT at schools has increased significantly also in Burkina Faso. Robert Ouedraogo was responsible for building the IT infrastructure at Les Emmeraudes and creating a database for the school administration.

“Thank you for this opportunity to say a few words about my work at Les Emmeraudes, because it is work that gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction. I help with the administration, am responsible for IT matters and provide computer tuition for both teachers and students. My aim is to familiarise them with basic computer skills and to open up new digital worlds for them.”

“The courses combine theory and practice. The students first learn about the basic components of a computer, then they practice with Windows and Microsoft Word. For most of them, this is a completely new experience. Later on, the children will work with digital learning programmes on various websites.”

 “IT provides the children with valuable skills and opens up new horizons. Thanks to this very generous donation, we have been able to set up an IT classroom with PCs and fibre optic internet connection. The reaction has been overwhelming. Children and teachers are learning with enormous enthusiasm.”

“Infrastructure in Burkina Faso has a lot of catching up to do,” explains Robert. “Fibre optic cables have only been available for the past two years, and power failures are still fairly frequent. Moreover, a large part of the population is still unaware of how important digitalisation is.”

The founders have plans for a secondary school and for vocational training programmes. Land for a secondary school is already available and initial construction work is to start soon. “Our vision is to have Les Emmeraudes cover the entire education spectrum from kindergarten to the end of secondary school, including baccalaureate (“Matur”) level, and to run vocational training programmes in addition. A well-functioning IT landscape is key in this connection,” says Yvonne.

There are several possibilities:

• Material donations: books (in French or English), working laptops or PCs, or other school material
• Financial support: in general, or specifically towards the costs of the secondary school construction (contributions are tax deductible)
• Volunteer work: Should anyone have time and skills to offer, they would be welcome

The project Les Emmeraudes shows how transformative education can be. Thanks to the support of partners like Amanox, the team can make the dream of education come true for hundreds of less privileged children and their families – for the benefit of entire communities.