New Paltz Rotarians Robert Rich and Pascal Guirma, along with Pacal’s brother
Vlctor, return to RadioRotary to report on the progress of Friends of Guirgho in
improving the school and other facilities in the Burkina Faso village of Guirgho, a rural
settlement about 60 km from the capital of Burkina Faso. Burkino Faso (formerly
Upper Volta), the ancestral home of the Guirma brothers, is a landlocked nation in
West Africa. When France controlled this part of West Africa. French Jesuits started a
boarding school, but few natives would attend. Finally the Emperor had his second
son, known as Bila Victor, sent to the school, signaling it was safe to attend. One of
Bila Victor’s sons, Frédéric Guirma, educated at the school, became the first
ambassador from Upper Volta to the United States and later the ambassador to the
United Nations. Two of his sons, Victor and Pascal, remained connected to the
ancestral village of Guirgho. Visiting the village they saw the need for a better school
and for other modern improvements. Rotarians from New Paltz pitched in to help .
The Friends replaced ancient desks with modern ones and added latrines to the
school. One of their most complicated projects was bringing computers to the school,
since there was no electricity until they introduced solar power.
Learn more
Friends of Guirgho: mailto:https://www.friendsofguirgho.org/
New Paltz Rotary Club: mailto:https://www.newpaltzrotary.org/
Burkina Faso: mailto:https://www.britannica.com/place/Burkina-Faso
Ambassador Frédéric Guirma: mailto:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frédéric_Guirma
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