Giving and receiving: Dennis' story

Dennis Koudraogo Yameogo has been a volunteer with International Service since 2008. He is working in Mali with an organisation called Agence Evangélique de Développement du Mali.

Dennis is sharing his skills to support them by training staff, managing and monitoring projects, fundraising, and helping strengthen different areas of the organistion so they can function more efficiently. 

This is Dennis' story about his experience so far as an international volunteer in Mali

My story

"I am from Burkina Faso, a country in the centre of West Africa. It's a Sahelian country - this means it borders the south side of the Sahara Desert and experiences very little rainfall which makes living conditions very harsh. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world (176th out of 177 according to the United Nations’ index of development).

Due to poverty, millions of children have no access to school in order to develop their potential. Because their parents never went to school they do not understand how important education is.
 
I started school in 1976. At that time, a little less than 20% of children went to school. I should have known the same fate and been like these millions of other children. I should have been a villager forever unable to neither write nor read, hidden in this part of the world in spite of the fact that I was an intelligent boy.

Born in the context of poverty, I was therefore sensitive to poverty-related issues like difficult access to health, education, and water. But I have been much luckier.

And when I think about this great chance I had, it makes me shiver.

The birth of my commitment to volunteering

"The fact that I was living in a poor environment made me commit to humanitarian work.

Aware of my own situation, and the fact that access to school is denied to so many children, I decided to study sociology after my Baccalaureate in order to help more parents understand the importance of sending their children to school. Having escaped illiteracy myself, I felt it was a must for me to help many children and parents do the same.

I worked in Burkina Faso with 3 organisations - BORNEfonden, Plan, and the Christian Children Fund of Canada - whose main area of work was education. I helped children to know and understand the importance of school, and encouraged parents to enrol their children in school and follow their school work.

Before going to work as a volunteer with International Service in Mali, I had about 10 years of work experience with international and local NGOs.

Dennis interviews a women's environmental group

My experience in Mali

"I have had the great fortune to be hosted by an organization called Agence Evangélique de Développement du Mali. They are developing a new innovation in children’s education, and I had never heard of such a project before I came here.

The low enrolment rates in the rural areas of Mali, and the number of children left out after the first year of primary school led Agence Evangélique de Développement du Mali (AEDM) to create an initiative called Passerelle.

The Passerelle initiative provides a second chance for children aged 8 to 12 who either never started school, or had to leave early. Passerelle is a fast learning process, which allows children to catch up with their peers. This training enables them to re-integrate into the educational system after only 9 months. The initiative is an important step on the way to full school enrolment and attendance. It now operates in 30 Centres, and in the last 5 years it has helped 1723 children (1023 of whom are girls) to catch up and continue their education in the State system.

Passerelle is an important project in achieving one of Millennium Development Goals: Achieving Universal Primary Education by 2015. It targets the poorest boys and girls in the communities, who often struggle and cannot afford clothes and shoes to go to school.

Although the success of Passerelle has been overwhelming, the lack of financial resources to meet the population’s needs is one of the greatest difficulties. AEDM struggles to meet demands, particularly from the outlying villages with difficult transport connections. And many of their teachers do not feel confident in passing on their experience.

This year, due to the global economic crisis, allowances have been reduced and this means AEDM can only run 20 centres instead of 30. Hundreds of children will miss their second, and last, chance to go to school.

A unique experience for life

"My motivation in coming to Mali was to discover new experiences and follow on from my experiences in Burkina Faso. I wanted to give, but I also wanted to receive from the staff at my host organisation.

This experience enables me to discover another people. Though Mali is a neighbouring country, I have noticed many differences in their culture, their know-how, the way they behave, think and act. I have learnt to be tolerant towards those who are different from me. If I was volunteering in Asia, Europe or America, I would have noticed an even greater difference, opening my mind even further to the world.

This great discovery, you cannot get it anywhere else - only in volunteering. It brings much more comprehension and tolerance between people from the same planet who often hate each other due to difference of religions, skin colour, or cultures...

To me, the essential reason for volunteering is to have a useful life in the world and serve others. Like Jesus said, 'he has not come to be served, but to serve.' This is one of my main reasons for volunteering. It is a great experience of giving and receiving."