Our yoga practice really is the gift that keeps on giving; giving back to ourselves, taking the time to nourish our body, mind and soul. Giving back to the people and environment around us, when we feel better in ourselves we show up in the best way for the people closest to us. And then finally giving back for the greater good - here at With The Flow we give 10% of all profit to Charity, so giving back to people/places that need it (hopefully helping in some small way).
This year the organisation we are supporting is a very special one with a beautiful story, and one that is close to home for our teacher Reine.
The story starts with Hamidou Nana and Alimata Tapsoba, Reine’s grandparents living in Burkina Faso, West Africa. They could see the lack of schooling and amenities available for the local children and began to try and help - welcoming, educating and feeding the children in need. Over their lifetime helping more than 150 children. They made drinking water available in the local school and allowed students to come and drink every day during school breaks. Together they planted nearly 200 fruit trees in the schoolyard. And to this day the trees still provide students with shelter from the sun and fruit to eat.
The story then continues with Maï (Reine’s mother). After growing up in Burkina Faso, she moved to France and started her career in Education. But inspired by her parent's generosity and kindness, and knowing that there was still a huge education problem in Burkina Faso (50% of children not having access to education in rural areas) - she started Colombes du Faso. In 2021, Maï retired from her full-time job running a school in France to focus all her attention on the main project of the association: building a school complex and permaculture farm for 600 students in the area.
Our wonderful teacher Reine is Co-Founder of the organisation and is also heavily involved. But this is now way beyond a small family project, with non-family members and with big visions and ideas to help Burkina Faso.
Check out more of the details below.
Colombes du Faso:
In rural Burkina Faso, West Africa, one out of two kids don’t go to primary school, and even fewer go to high school or university. The main reason is the lack of investment in Education: there simply aren’t enough schools to welcome them.
At Colombes du Faso, we believe that every child deserves an education. We believe that school is the best catalyst for personal and social development. We believe that women, everywhere, should have a voice and be empowered. And we believe that caring for the earth and our future generations is the only way to make the world a better place.
Our project is to build an educational institution in rural Burkina Faso composed of a school complex for 600 students and a permaculture farm. We aim to not only increase access to education for the youth of this region but also to offer a paradigm-shifting model where:
the quality of learning is dramatically increased via a pedagogy based on solidarity and kindness,
the gender gap in access to education is bridged and women are empowered,
best practices in agroecology are shared and improved upon to encourage food sovereignty and the ecosystem's restoration.
Discover more by visioning the Gofundme video: https://gofund.me/8bc1f451
The website of the association: https://www.lescolombesdufaso.org/
Photo: Hamidou Nana and Alimata Tapsoba