Tout est bien qui finit bien.Après trois mois de travail , de frottement et d’apprentissage mutuel et surtout de brassage culturel nous sommes sur le point de tout conclure et de se dire au revoir.Chose qui nous rend dejà triste au regard des relations déjà tissées entre volontaires .De la semaine d’induction à la dernière tout fut fantastique marqué par une atmosphère amicale.Notre équipe composée de cinq nationaux et cinq britanniques respectivement Di elika , Moussa ,Jonas,Rachid,Yvette,Cat,Daryl, Will, Duncan et Jana était logée à Handicap Solidaire Burkina  d’où elle prettait ses services sportifs aux partenaires que sont CEFISE et ABPAM principalement.Personnellement j’ai vu mes objectifs majeurs accomplis  à travers ce projet tels la rencontre de nouveaux  amis, l’amélioration de mon niveau  de langue et surtout l’acquisition de nouvelles expériences.Nos remerciements à tous qui ont participé à la réalisation de ce programme. Vive  le BURKINA, vive  le programme ICS !!!

Everything good must come to an end. After three months of work, bonding, mutual learning and cultural exchange we are on the verge of finishing and saying goodbye. It’s sad to think that the friendships made during the placement are coming to an end. From the beginning of the induction week until the final day of the placement we worked and socialised in a friendly environment. Our team made up of five nationals and five British volunteers were based at Handicap Solidaire Burkina where we mainly led sports sessions at our partner organisations, CEFISE and ABPAM. Personally I’ve accomplished my main objectives regarding the ICS programme ; making new friends, improving my linguistic skills and acquiring new life experiences. Thanks to everyone who made this programme possible, long live Burkina and long live the ICS programme! 

Moussa Tougma

From what I have seen in my short time here, Burkina Faso is a fantastic country with a rich and varied culture. On Sunday, our family threw a party to say goodbye to us, which was a great opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we have been to be made so welcome, and to meet so many great people. Though it's undoubtedly going to be a very sad day on Friday when we leave, and was sad today as we had our last sports session at CEFISE, I'd rather focus on the positives of what has been a great experience, so I'll end with one of my highlights of our time working at HSB: a girl from CEFISE running blindfolded straight into a lamppost during one of our awareness raising sessions, and then getting up to celebrate because, despite her pain, her commitment had won her the blind running race. Aside from the slapstick comedy of the moment, it was great to see the children treating inclusive sports so seriously, and, like all our activities here, suggests that significant progress is being made by International Service's work with HSB.

Duncan

Goodbye from cohort 11

This week’s blog post is unfortunately our last. We have now been here for 10 weeks and our return to the UK is imminent. As a result, the theme for this week is goodbye! Each volunteer has written a small extract for this post, reflecting on their personal ICS placement.

My time in Burkina Faso has been an amazing experience that I will never forget. Adapting to the original culture shock was the first hurdle we faced, once this was overcome everything else which was supposed to be new felt like second nature. Working in the schools that we have has opened my eyes and taught me a lot more about disabilities I had hardly worked with prior to arrival here. Working on a cycle with the same classes in both CEFISE and ABPAM has allowed us to gain a close bond with both the school and the individual students in each class. Working with 4 local Burkinabé volunteers has allowed us to embrace the culture a lot easier, allowing us to learn the West African ‘Click’ greeting as well as their views and opinions on every day western ideas. The biggest bond that I have formed however came within my Burkinabé family. I lived in a family with a growing number day to day and new faces popping in and out based on their work commitments in other countries. But my tanté Zoénabeou and the children in the courtyard have embraced us as their family and all three of us living with them definitely feel the same way and it will be hard to say goodbye. Although I am looking forward to some home comforts, memories of Burkina Faso will always stay with me.

- Daryl Smith

Goodbye from Cohort 11! The farewells to everyone we’ve met along the way have started, as well as lots of departure parties. I feel extremely sad that such a fantastic journey is ending but nonetheless I am proud of what our team has accomplished and know I’ve made lots of life-long friends. There remains a lot of work to further progress disability rights through disability sport in Burkina, but I know the future is in safe hands with IS, HS Burkina and the next cohort of volunteers.

      A couple of memories stand out. I am particularly proud of the community event we ran at Tampouy, and the sizeable crowd our exhibition wheelchair basketball drew. It really was a fantastic advert for Burkinabe disability sport, and demonstrates the potential for future growth. A slightly less serious memory occurred one day at work while I was using the outside toilet. A giant lizard jumped out of the toilet, onto my leg and gave me the fright of my life! On that note, I would like to thank everyone involved in my ICS journey, it’s been a blast. 

Will Callow

Le blog de fin de placement

Nous sommes à la 10eme semaine de notre placement.je suis satisfaite car j’ai beaucoup appris avec ICS . Durant les 3 mois je me suis senti utile pour ma communauté et plus que jamais engagée pour le développement de ma communauté. Longue vie à ICS

It’s the tenth and last week of our placement. I am happy because I have learnt a lot by being on the ICS programme. During the three months I feel I have had a positive impact in my community and never felt more involved in helping the development of my country. Long live ICS!

Yvette

Nous sommes en fin de placement mais je reste et demeure un volontaire. J’ai beaucoup appris pendant mon placement et ai aussi partagé mon expérience. J’ai eu beaucoup d’amis, je pense à Rachid  Will , Dancun ,Moussa ,Jana ,Cat, Dielika, Daryl ,et Yvette ,longue vie à ICS et ses partenaires…

                                                                                                 

We are at the end of the placement but I will always remain a volunteer at heart. I have learnt lots during my placement and have been able to share my experiences. I think I have made lots of friends- Rachid, Will, Duncan, Moussa, Jana, Cat, Dielika, Daryl and Yvette… long live ICS and its partners! 

Jonas BONKOUNGOU

Nous sommes à la fin de la 10è semaine de placement qui annonce la fin du placement. Ce fut très bref car l’expérience était vraiment gratifiante. J’ai beaucoup appris sur tous les plans et aussi partagé mon expérience avec les autres. Vive Duncan, Cat, Moussa, Jana, Daryl, Yvette, Jonas, Dielika, Will, moi-même, vive les volontaires, vive ICS, big up…
               

We have reached the tenth and final week of our placement. It was a shame that the placement was so short because the experience was so valuable. I have learnt a lot about the project and shared my experience with others. Long live Duncan, Cat, Mouss, Jana, Daryl, Yvette, Jonas, Djelika, Will, myself, all the other volunteers, ICS. Big up to everyone!                                                                                                                                

SOW Moulay Rachid