Q: Where is Burkina Faso and why should I care?
A: Burkina Faso is a small, landlocked country about the size of Colorado located in the middle of West Africa. Rated by the EU as 174th out of 175 poorest countries in the world (based on GDP, education levels and health) it is currently home to over 120 Peace Corps volunteers. Aside from the obvious poverty, volunteers are working to eradicate gender inequality in Burkina and empower young men and women to reach their goals and uplift their country.
Q: What the heck is Bike Tour Burkina?
A: Bike Tour Burkina, or in French, Sur les velos, pour Faso, is an annual event put on by the Gender and Development Committee (GAD) in connection with Peace Corps Burkina Faso. Over three separate weeks in three separate regions, volunteers and host country nationals will bike to different volunteers' sites to participate in capacity-building activities to local communities. Also, by connecting with friends and family back home, the Bike Tour brings awareness to the realities of the country and its people to Americans. This year we are starting August 23rd in Djigoyera and ending September 12th in Guiba (which will be about 500 kilometers altogether!)
Q: So you guys are you just biking around for a month?
A: No way! Each stop we make along the way is hosted by a Peace Corps volunteer in their site. In conjunction with raising money for the GAD committee, they have also agreed to set up some kind of workshop or training in their village. This means that along with a full day of biking, volunteers will be helping train men and women on things like hygiene, HIV/AIDS awareness, gender equality, income generating activities and other awesome projects needed by their communities.
Q: What is your goal?
A: We are asking friends, families, fellow bike enthusists and total strangers back home to donate to our cause. All 100% tax-deductible donations will be through the Peace Corps Country Fund and will go directly to funding volunteer projects. And in Burkina Faso--one of the poorest countries in the world--even a small donation can go a long way. In the past two years Bike Tour Burkina has raised over $17,000US, and 100% of every one of those dollars has gone straight to the Burkinabe peoples. This year we are hoping to eclipse last year’s total of $7,000US, which will help fund nationwide camps and trainings, as well as smaller village-specific projects.
