The starting gun was fired in Ouagadougou last week with Edmond Tapsoba speaking at a press conference at the event as the initiator. As part of a formal opening ceremony a donation of a large number of food packages was handed over to the mayor. In an interview with bayer04.de, the Burkina Faso international talked about his motivation, his aims and desires for his project.
Edmond, what were your reasons and motivation behind setting up a foundation?
Tapsoba: The political unrest in Burkina Faso existing for many years has led to a lot of people finding themselves in an humanitarian emergency. That's why I wanted to make at least a small contribution to help in my own country. Because I believe everybody should have the opportunity to cover their basic needs. It was a long bureaucratic route but we have been legally recognised as a foundation since February 2024. We have drawn up a constitution, opened a bank account, set up an office, employed qualified staff and defined our terms of reference and now we've finally done it.
What are your day-to-day targets?
Tapsoba: We are working closely with local authorities, partner organisations and the people themselves so that our aid is also adapted to the specific needs of each community. We want to overcome the challenges that confront people in their daily lives: It's about access to education, health provision, food security, integration or social and financial stability. Through our practical, emotional and material support it's not just about offering quick aid but also creating lasting changes and structures locally so that not only today's but also future generations can benefit from it.
What sort of projects have you set up so far?
Tapsoba: We are currently involved in certain activities in schools. For example, we are donating schoolbags with pens and pencils but also other important equipment that loads of children can use every day in the next school year that starts in October. .
What does the foundation mean to you?
Tapsoba: By setting up the foundation, I can express my love to my home country as a human being and also give something back. Through the promotion of access to education, health provision, promotion of diversity and fighting discrimination we are also contributing to establishing a fair society. From my perspective, it would be desirable if everybody had the same chances in life and were able to fully exploit their potential. That's the target we're fighting for.
Further information on the ‘Fondation Edmond Tapsoba’ (in French) can be found HERE.
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