NOTE: EVERY HUMANITARIAN ACTION WE CARRY OUT NEVER COSTS A DIME MORE THAN ITS REAL COST. NOBODY GETS PAID TO ORGANIZE AND COORDINATE. THERE ARE NO OFFICES FOR THAT AND RELATIVE EXPENSES.  THE TIMING OF THE HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTIONS DEPENDS ON THE ARRIVAL OF THE DRY SEASON ON THE FARMS WHICH MEANS LESS WORK TO DO. THOSE WHO HAVE THEIR HANDS ON THE JOB ARE ON SOPADA PAYROLL  AND THEIR CARRY OUT THEIR DUTIES WILLINGLY. THIS IS WHY WHAT HAS BEEN DONE UP TILL NOW HAS HAD VERY LOW EXPENSES AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ESTIMATES AND ACTUAL  COSTS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ZERO (0). BY CHOICE, WE WILL ALWAYS MAKE SURE  WE CONTINUE THIS WAY: LITTLE INTERVENTIONS  BUT TRANSPARENCY IN COSTS!  WE WILL NEVER ACCEPT MONETARY DONATIONS BEFORE HAVING NEW PROJECTS AT HAND  WITH CERTAINS ESTIMATES TO PLACE UNDER YOUR EXAMINTAION.

When we started all the land preparation processes we were totally carried away to understand the typical problems of those rural areas . quite soon though, we realized that no child went to school. Parents  made it clear that they  lacked the resources necessary  to send them to nearest school (located in the Penesselou village which is 7km away and ha both primary and secondary schools). Thanks to our projects though these parents could earn enough to support their children’s education by working on the farms. 

The amazing thing is that finally between 2014 and 2015these parents built four(4)  local schools for their 200 children.  Rudimental structures made out of tree trunks as school desks. We SOPADA volunteers  provided the missing school materials. In 2015, during the official opening ceremony,  we donated a school kit to every child comprising of an exercise book, two pens of different colours, coloured pencils in a raffia bag.

From a survey carried out by Andrea, in November 2015 came the urge to equip these 4 schools with real desks and chairs. Many of our Italian friends on Facebook  outdo one another in solidarity and by Christmas we already had the first 24 desks , each for 2 children in heavy wood with a flat surface a locker under and a bench all conjoined. We estimated that 48 desks cover the needs of 196 children who go to school on two different shifts. In January 2106 with an official ceremony in the presence of local civil and religious  authorities  from three  main religions present in the land (Islam, Christianity an Traditional animism), SOPADA’s reps  ,with Damiano,  the desks were handed over to the children to give a new found dignity to our young children.

On Saturday, December 17 the primary 4(four)  pupils of the Cadelbosco Sopra (RE - Italy) elementary school presented Andrea and Paola with 162,00€ (Euros) and four letters. One from each primary 4 (four) section, addressed to the pupils of the four rural primary schools in the villages of Boli-Boli, Ouli, Tchélé and Bogamana.

On the last day before school closure for the Christmas/ New Year break, , in the presence of teachers, school headmaster, village chiefs , during an official ceremony SOPADA collaborators handed over 400 exercise books, new ballpoint pens and pencils for all.

The pictures describe the event and the enthusiasm of the children who in returned desired to show gratitude to their Italian peers by through letters…

Following the improvements we brought to the rural schools, three teachers of the Penesselou nursery school asked for our help to numerically adjust school equipment and make  clean and portable water available to the children in the school complex for their personal hygiene. We know the hygiene issue is fundamental in the prevention of diseases that could easily cause death. We take the issue to heart and we try carry along our Italian friends who let us feel their presence through Facebook tam-tam.  In less than two months we dug a well exclusively for the school’s usage and 60 chairs and 15 desks in massive African wood. Before the incredulous eyes of the local community and authorities a heartwarming ceremony took place took place to hand over the new infrastructure to the new beneficiaries.