NEEED

Burkina Faso, one of Africa's poorest countries, has an illiteracy rate of about 75 percent; for women, nearly 90 percent. Research shows that there is a strong correlation between educational advancement and the overall development of a country. Therefore, Burkina Faso is committed to decreasing its illiteracy rate significantly, but depends upon international support and non-governmental organizations to extend its educational infrastructure.

To support this important effort, McKinsey for Children has selected a project in Tangaye, a rural capital city in the northern Yatenga province. We have funded the construction of buildings at the Tangaye Lycée, a school providing secondary education. For most pupils from the 24 primary schools in and around Tangaye, the Lycée provides the only opportunity to continue education, as their families are not able to afford sending them to secondary schools in Ouahigouya. The capital of the North Region is a 200 km drive away on bad roads.

The project started in 2008 and the school is fully operating. To date, four classrooms accommodating 150 pupils have been built already with the help of McKinsey for Children. Plans are to increase enrollment to 400 pupils over the next few years. We will continue our engagement and have committed ourselves to finance up to eight classrooms.

In our effort, we closely cooperate with NEEED (Nimbus Enfance Environnement Education et Developpement). The government-approved non-profit organization was founded in 1999 by a group of teachers in Ouahigouya. NEEED's purpose is to support the education of children, thereby enabling them to lead independent lives as adults. The focus of NEEED's support is on the North Region and Yatenga Province.