Backpacks and School Supplies for Students

(2023-24)

Although the elementary school in Kosangbé now has adequate housing for teachers, the government has dramatically reduced funding for teacher salaries. In 2022-24, only a single teacher was paid by the government to teach all six grades. In despair, the villagers identified two qualified teaching assistants, and in 2023-24, the BCF paid a modest monthly stipend to these two teaching assistants.

In addition, textbooks and school supplies were woefully lacking in this school. In previous years, the government only sent textbooks midway through the school year, and only enough for 10% of the students. In 2023-24, the BCF funded a year’s worth of textbooks and additionally contributed new school supplies for all students in the school—including the first backpacks the children had ever seen. BCF’s In-Country Correspondent, Dr. Bertin Kouadio, and his assistant, Mosart, oversaw the purchase of all the textbooks and supplies in Abidjan; transported everything to the village; and presided over an orderly distribution of supplies. The day included hours of ceremonies, speeches, thanks, prayers, and sacrifices.

Enjoy these images of this project, which show the process of purchasing the supplies; the joy of students receiving their first-ever backpacks; and the modest classrooms in the village school that the children attend.

Housing for Teachers

(2018)

Until 2009, children in Kosangbé had to move to another village in order to attend elementary school. In 2009, the government finally built an elementary school in Kosangbé, sending a few teachers to live in the village. However, only a single building was provided to house male and female teachers.

In 2017, the BCF committed to constructing a second multi-bedroom housing unit, so male and female teachers could be housed separately. The BCF supplied building materials (sand, cement, doors, windows, and locks), while the villagers provided the roof and the labor.

The second housing unit is now complete.

Enjoy these photos of the construction process showing dramatic “before” and “after” images.

Repairs to Village Water Pump

(1993-94, 2013)

In the small Beng village of Kosangbé (Kossandougou), this foot pump provides the only reliable source of clean water, to date. After years of daily use, the aging pump became increasingly difficult for young girls and older women to use. In 1993-94, funds from Parallel Worlds (by Dr. Alma Gottlieb and Philip Graham) were used to repair the pump, making it easier for women of all ages to pump water.

After twenty more years of daily use, the pump had again become nearly un-usable. In 2013, funds from Braided Worlds by Alma Gottlieb and Philip Graham (a sequel to Parallel Worlds) were used to repair the pump once again.