Chantal Compaoré

Chantal Compaoré, born Chantal Terrasson de Fougères, is the wife of President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso since 1985. Since becoming the first lady, in 1987, she has endeavored in philanthropic ventures in Burkina Faso, and in the continent of Africa. Chantal Compaoré's main fields of action revolve around providing assistance to women and children, as well as fighting HIV/AIDS.

Help for children: the Suka foundation

Creation

Chantal Compaoré’s aid for children can be summed up to the “Foundation Suka” that she created and has directed since1999. Her resources come from membership’s rights, members’ contributions, donations, subventions and so forth.^[1]

Actions

Creation of the SOS village

One of the projects already done by the “Foundation Suka” is the creation of the village for SOS Children's Villages at Ziniaré, a province of Burkina. It is constituted by a modern social center with games’ rooms, orphanages and classrooms. This realization cost in total 500 millions of F CFA.^[1]

Campaign of vaccination

The “Foundation Suka” participates in campaign of vaccination against children’s diseases like poliomyelitis, tetanus. This is a great action because it prevents children from dangerous illnesses which can kill or leave them with bad after- effects.^[1]

Creation of educational structures

The creation of educational structures is another contribution made by the “Foundation Suka” to assist children. Indeed, Chantal COMPAORE has built a lot of schools in province to allow the majority of children to be educated. In addition, it offers them school stationeries. These educational structures will permit to reinsert the underprivileged children in the society.^[1]

Material assistance to hospitals

The material assistance brings by the foundation to hospitals, health centers is very helpful for kids. For instance, a donation of food will permit to feed correctly those who suffer of malnutrition and make them regain a good health.^[1]

Donation of medicines

Due to the donation of medicines, many children have also been saved. In fact, poor mothers who bring their sick kids at the hospital receive some drugs gratuitously and can treat them. However, if there was not some donation of medicine, the children would not receive some cares quickly and could die.^[1]

Public awareness about maladjusted children

Another important accomplishment of the “Foundation Suka” is public awareness about maladjusted children. It favours the well being of children in the society.^[1]

Fight against HIV/ Aids

« Synergies africaines »

Definition

Chantal COMPAORE’s fight against HIV/ Aids can be illustrated by “Synergies Africaines”. This is an association that helps African first ladies to think together, to exchange their ideas, in order to mobilize volunteers on African and international level and make them interested in the fight against Aids and other phenomenon that affect populations. Chantal COMPAORE is its president.^[2]

Actions

Creation of solidarity’s funds

" Synergies africaines" creates some funds of solidarity. Indeed, the first ladies have voted a budget specially earmarked for the battle against Aids.^[2]

Assistance to HIV persons

Another contribution made by the company “Synergies Africaines” is the assistance to HIV persons. It supports these patients psychologically by making them accept their disease and live with it. Consequently, some of them become volunteers to sensitize populations against this bad illness. Their campaigns really touch people in the sense that when they speak to populations, they tell their own experience and it makes people more conscious about the seriousness of Aids.^[2]

Mobilization of resources

Synergies Africaines” also gets involved in the mobilization of resources. They will be used for the prevention and the taking in charge of infected and affected persons by HIV. In fact, some free treatments are offered to the patients in order to prolong their lives.^[2]

Twinning between two foundations

Creation

In the fight against Aids, a twinning between “Foundation Suka” and “Foundation Biya” has also been realized. In other words, Chantal COMPAORE from Burkina Faso and Chantal BIYA, the first lady of Cameroon signed a twinning convention during the summit of “Synergies Africaines” from 15 to 16 November 2002.^[3]

Installation of a committee

Fortunately, these two foundations have installed a committee. It can explain the presence of the Cameroon’s mission in Burkina. They unite their efforts with Suka’s experts and together they fight against the transmission of Aids.^[3]

Help received by the foundation ‘’ Suka’’ from the foundation ‘’Biya’’

During a meeting, Doctor Felicien STONE, the chief of delegation insists on the fact that “Foundation BIYA” is ahead of “Suka” in the prevention of Aids’s transmission from the mother to her child. However, he promises to make “Suka” reached the same level like Biya’s foundation. This is a good illustration of African unity.^[3]

Nevirapines for seropositive mothers

“Suka” receives Nevirapines for seropositive mothers which permit them not to contaminate their babies.^[3]

Syrop for babies

Also to protect children against Aids, some syrups have been given to “Foundation Suka”.^[3]

Promotion of HIV test

“Foundation Biya”, in addition, promotes and encourages HIV test. It organizes campaigns to make people more conscious about Aids and invites people to determine their serology by doing the HIV test. It also takes in charge some patients who already did it and were declared seropositive in order to encourage the others to get it.^[3]

Help received by the foundation ‘’ Biya’’ from ‘’ Suka’’

Idea of Moto- ambulance

Foundation Biya”, on her turn, gets the idea of “moto- ambulance” from “Suka”. Because of the lack of cars, some sick persons are not evacuated on time and unfortunately die. However, with “moto- ambulances”, many patients will be saved. That is why the foundation of Chantal Biya does it best to obtain some of them.^[3]

Results

Increase in the number of HIV tests

Due to the twinning between “Foundation Suka” and “Foundation Biya”, many women have done the HIV test on time. It permits them to know their serology and to receive cares if they need them.^[3]

Salvation of many babies

In the case of a pregnant woman, some precautions permit to avoid the contamination of her baby. In other terms, many children have been saved.^[3]

Decrease in the level of Aids’s transmission

To sum up, the percentage of Aids’s transmission decreases. It goes down from 30% to 12%.^[3]

Promotion of the woman

Construction of the woman’s house in Balé

Chantal COMPAORE created the woman’s house in Balé, which opened its doors on 13 th September, 2005. It fights against illiteracy, ignorance, violence exerted to women, levirat meaning marriage of a woman with two or more men. In one word, the goal of this house is to ameliorate the conditions of life of women. The minister of woman’s promotion, Marie Gisele GUIGMA encourages the members of the house to develop cohesion, peace, solidarity between them for a better promotion of woman; Chantal COMPAORE also acts in the same way.^[4]

Fight against girls’ violence

Additionally, she is trying to eradicate violence applicated to girls like sexual harassment, excision and forced marriage. To achieve this objective, many campaigns are organized in order to sensitize people. During them, the spoke persons do all they can to make people realize that it is a good thing to conserve our traditions; however, some practices should be banished because they cause a lot of damages like excision for instance.^[4]

Fight against analphabetism

Chantal COMPAORE, on another part, does her best to reduce the level of illiteracy. In Burkina, mostly in provinces, girls are not sent at schools. For parents, they must stay at home and help their mothers. Consequently, the first lady organizes some campaigns to incite parents to put their girls at school. Furthermore, she supplies money for the building of many schools in province to give more chance to girls to enter school. Some scholarships are also been offered to girls.^[4]

Promotion of beneficial activities for poor women

Chantal COMPAORE has made some donations in order to help underprivileged women. For instance, she has offered many plows to them. Thus, these women gather garbage in the town and gain money. She also gives them some funds to transform “Karité “. As a result, they obtain finished products like soap, oil, ointment and sell them on the market. This commerce gives them a lot of benefits. ^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Ilboudo, F. (2005). La fondation Suka au Coeur de l’humanitaire. Retrieved March 24, 2006, from http://www.lefaso.net/article .php3? id_article=5963
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Ilboudo, F. (2005). Les raisons d’une mobilisation. Retrieved March 22, 2006 from:http://www.zedcom.bf/actualite/op384/dossier.htm
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Mbah, G. (2005). Jumelage entre deux fondations. Chantal Compaoré et Chantal Biya unissent leurs efforts. Retrieved March 24, 2006 from http://www.lefaso.net/article.php3id_article=3986
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Chantal Compaoré: un engagement constant. (2006).Retrieved March 23, 2006 from http://www.lefaso.net/article.phd3?id_article=12859

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Name	Compaore, Chantal
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