The story of the Association "Kamsaagre" began in 2004…
 
Then I was conducting, just about everywhere in francophone Africa, training seminars to local bankers.
 
During a trip to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, I met by chance one of the sisters missionaries in charge (with other women) to manage the orphanage Lumbilla. After a few moments of an exciting discussion, I proposed him to make an early visit to children at the orphanage, located about twenty kilometers from Ouagadougou…
 
The visit, a few days later, will remain engraved in my memory forever. I first met these extraordinary women, who work daily to the orphanage and made me collect, very precisely, the meaning of the word sacrifice! I also realized the magnitude of difficulties encountered by this team of women who then took over the management of the orphanage. The children were missing in fact everything : little milk for infants, almost no meat. Officials have also explained the fate of too many children who died because of lack of money to treat them, or simply unable, for lack of money, they get a radio (!!!).
 

Several major associations (including volunteers from Air France, Spansh and Italian associations) were already helping the orphanage and were (still!) An incredible job: construction of dormitories, a school, a dispensary , Etc.. But I was struck by the lack of money available to cope with the first emergency spending. I also noticed that associations, hence an excellent intention, were gifts of materials sometimes poorly adapted to the local context or not of the degree of urgency highest…
 
I came back, shocked by what I saw and convinced that something should be done, even though this would be a drop in an ocean of needs! Knowing that I returned a few months later in Ouagadougou to conduct another seminar, I decided to talk about this experience around me to gather some gifts that I could recover those responsible so that they have a nest egg they to cope with emergencies and, beyond, to finance expenditures that they themselves deem most appropriate and urgent.
 
I was very surprised at the reception that my friends and relations booked me! So I have, during my stay following furnish with pleasure the few hundred euros in donations that I had collected. I continued my work in the following years… Our small group of donors has grown rapidly to reach a small fifty people. I have been able to return to the orphanage, at our last gathering in 2007, the sum of (very modest but important in light of the needs of children) of nearly 4,000 euros.
 
We have contributed in recent years to finance very concrete actions: participation in the financing of a pig (allowing children to eat meat regularly today), the construction of a wall, purchase of school supplies and, of course, urgent care for children. At each visit, the children called me drawings and words of thanks for donors… And countless photos allowed everyone to better understand the usefulness of our actions!
 
Before its development, it became obvious that my small action would give way to an association official organization, only able to give legal status to our approach and expand our collection by providing the necessary legal framework. Many good wishes were immediately evident when I expressed this idea… and the association "Kamsaagré" has emerged in late 2007 under the leadership of a "hard core" of historical donors!
 
The objective of our association remains the same: to help the orphanage of Lumbilla collecting donations that we will continue to furnish directly responsible for the orphanage. The money will be used in the same way: by purchasing managers of local materials tailored to the needs of children, emergency care and various investments for the remainder. Each year, officials tell us precisely Lumbilla expenses incurred with our donations so that everybody knows exactly what he contributed !

Each member of the association is voluntary and of course our structure would bear absolutely no management fees of any kind whatsoever. Each Euro paid to the association "Kamsaagré" be returned to the orphanage… and each CFA Franc spent by those in charge of the orphanage will be justified to donors. The accounts of the association will also supervised by a chartered accountant, also volunteer…

We will not fundamentally change the life of these kids, of course, but we can, with your help, give them a little love and wellbeing. The children are counting on us so let's go l!!

Jean-Marc LE PRADO