The Story of the 100 Trades Courtyard in Burkina Faso
How children and young people living in poverty from the “100 Trades Courtyard” in Burkina Faso are mobilising their country little by little so that no one gets left behind.
By Michel Aussedat (Burkina Faso)
In the 1980s, ATD Fourth World was seeking to strengthen its ties with the African continent. In July 1982, Father Joseph Wresinski sent me to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to become “a friend to the children and young people on the street”. I joined two other members of the Volunteer Corps there, working in a l’Arche home for children with a disability.
At first, I spent my time walking around, discovering the country, meeting people who were concerned about the future of these young people and children who live in the street, and finding out about local initiatives to help them. I connected with people who had a desire to meet these children. There was Luc, a civil servant, and Jean, a young man working for an art dealer who dealt in bronze. The three of us formed the beginnings of a small group of friends.
We regularly visited places where the children gathered — the market, the post office, the train station, the town centre, the public water and electricity utilities, etc. This allowed us to establish friendly relationships with several groups of children.
Sundays or holidays were good times to identify children who were left to their own devices, without supervision. Faced with numerous requests for support (healthcare, lodging, food, clothing, etc.), I tried to understand the support networks the children already used to handle their daily difficulties. The challenge was to be aware of the many individual or collective initiatives that sought to support them, and not to duplicate their efforts.
One day, a group of children from the market asked us if we could “celebrate Christmas”.
That was the first opportunity we had to involve all the children, without exception. With this project, to be organized with contributions from everyone, we wanted to reach out to the weakest children. The invitation was open to all, regardless of their affiliations with various groups. Everyone was asked to contribute.
The area’s Christian and Muslim leaders paid us a visit. Despite some tension, the meeting was full of hope about getting the celebration off the ground.
In order to better understand the life of the young people on the street and their aspirations, my friends and I conducted a group survey about all the small trades they had tried. Without entering into an intrusive dialogue about their situation, we asked them how they had found their work; what were their experiences, why had they stopped? Every single one, from the youngest to the oldest, took a turn, speaking with great respect and listening to their peers. We recorded their words and then showcased them in a large album, which they often came to read. The older ones observed that they no longer looked for work because it only brought them trouble. “If you find an apprenticeship and there is a theft in the building, you are quickly accused of being guilty because of your history of living on the street.”
What the children and young people described led us to invite craftsmen to deliver short workshops lasting one or two weeks to show the youngsters the diversity of trades that exist, and to give them a positive view of work. I suggested that these workshops take place in the courtyard where I lived, which was quite big. And that’s how the “100 Trades Courtyard” as born![1]
The first workshops only lasted around half a day, so that that the children wouldn’t lose the work they had in town. A small workshop stipend ensured that they could buy their evening meal. We gave priority to training initiatives. Funding from UNICEF allowed us to purchase our first basic tools. Thanks to several bricklaying workshops, we constructed some buildings out of muddy clay: a large room, a shed with a tool storage area, and two adjoining rooms that would accommodate another member of the Volunteer Corps.
Running water and a shower area allowed the children to wash themselves and their clothing, but only at lunchtime so as not to interfere with work hours. We set up a health centre to ensure routine family healthcare in conjunction with the local pharmacy and hospital. A public health official was available to answer questions on health topics of concern to children.
The craftsmen who conducted the workshops had to learn very quickly to involve the youngsters in their work, rather than teaching them a trade in the traditional way. There were carpentry workshops, sewing, leatherwork, bronze casting, and making wooden games.
The children and young people who had been on the street for a long time soon asked us to take them to their villages so they could tell their parents that they were “working”. A new more trusting relationship began to develop. Little by little, some of the children began to ask us to look after the clothing that they had bought to get ready for a visit to their family in the village.
My friends and I were mindful of preparing for these home visits in the best way possible. We sought advice from family members living in the city to ease these first contacts after a long separation. We discovered that the children wanted to be useful and to feel respected.
During preparations for the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) that takes place every two years, the children talked about the anxiety they felt. The police would conduct large round-ups to protect the numerous tourists who arrived for the festival. We asked festival organisers to involve the children in running the festival. It was suggested that they might clean one of the areas where the festival was taking place. Around a hundred children and young people organised themselves and enthusiastically cleaned the Esplanade de la Maison du Peuple [the area around a large auditorium], expecting nothing in return. Truly moved by this, the organisers gave them a meal.
Some days later, the children were rounded up in great numbers but thanks to a letter from the organisers, we were able to take them from the Police Station and lodge them in our Courtyard during the festival. The police even suggested that we take children who were not on our list. We were then able to have an entertainment stand for the children in the festival area. The Social Action Minister was impressed by the attitude of the children who were so clearly proud of contributing to this great African gathering. Some film directors even agreed to meet the children in the courtyard after their films.
Later, we involved the children and young people in the country’s efforts to help populations affected by drought, especially as several among them were originally from the affected regions. Touched by the generosity of these children and young people who contributed their own money, the Minister of Solidarity met with them at the former National Assembly. The Minister asked them to participate in the “railroad struggle”, an effort to extend the railway up to the mines in the north-eastern part of the country. A special day was organised to enable the street children to contribute to this work. One regret we had was that our youngsters had not been included in the other railroad mobilization efforts that had been organized for young people. But the young people we knew responded en masse and spared no effort.
To allow people to better understand the lives and hopes of these children and young people, a play called Et l’on chercha tortue (And we looked for the turtle) was performed throughout December 1987 in the “La Maison du Peuple a Ouagadougou” theatre before an audience of nearly 2000 people. The play, performed by children from different parts of the country, was inspired by their own experiences.[2]
Today the Courtyard project continues to seek out a new generation of children and young people, and to connect with extremely poor families. The country has also invested in training teachers so that they can work effectively in open environments.
[1] The full version of this story can be found in the book “La Cour aux 100 Metiers”, published by Editions Quart Monde.
[2] This story “Et l’on chercha tortue” is published by Editions Quart Monde. It is illustrated by an inmate of the Bouake penal camp.
