Notes to broadcasters
In Burkina Faso, enrolling and keeping girls in school continues to be a major challenge. According to a 2018 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) study, more than four out of ten girls who were expected to attend lower secondary school dropped out.
The main obstacles to girls’ access, continued attendance, and success at school are socio-cultural factors that tend to favour boys’ schooling, early marriage for girls, and overburdening girl children with domestic chores. These are compounded by economic factors, as secondary education costs three to four times more than primary education. The government doesn’t have enough secondary schools to accommodate all the children who attend primary school. This leads parents to turn to private schools, whose fees are unaffordable for the average Burkinabè. And when it comes to choosing which children to send to school, the girls are at a distinct disadvantage, according to 2019 statistics from the Ministry of Education and Literacy, with at least 10% of Burkinabé believing that priority should be given to educating boys. Also, the costs of middle school are three to five times greater than primary school. This often leads to sacrificing daughters’ education.
In this program, we present the story of Farida Sawadogo. Farida, 25, is a third-year history and archaeology student at Joseph Ki Zerbo University, Burkina Faso’s largest university. Born in a working-class, traditional neighbourhood in the city of Ouahigouya in northern Burkina Faso, Farida was exposed to the difficult socio-cultural and economic conditions that hinder girls’ enrolment, continued attendance, and success in school.
In this program, you’ll hear from Honorine Sawadogo, 43, the mother of three children, the eldest of whom is Farida Sawadogo. Mrs. Sawadogo runs a small vegetable shop in her neighbourhood, earning almost thirty thousand CFA francs a month. She provides great support to her daughter Farida. Farida’s other source of support is Omar Sawadogo, her 53-year-old father. He is unemployed and says he gets by on small contracts collect statistical data as part of project implementation. The third person you’ll hear from is Farida Sawadogo herself. The young girl who has made her parents proud is about to defend her degree in history and archaeology. Her dream of becoming a history teacher is coming true. Also on the program is Sanata Ouédraogo, the president of Femmes battantes pour le développement, an association founded in 2020 to promote girls’ education and the advancement of women.
To produce a similar program on keeping girls in school, you could use this script as inspiration. If you decide to present it as part of your regular program, you can choose actors or hosts/presenters to represent the interviewees.
In this case, please inform your audience at the beginning of the program that these are the voices of actors or presenters, and not those of the actual interviewees.
If you want to develop programs about keeping girls in school, talk to a young girl, her parents, and a woman who heads a women’s rights organization. You might ask your interviewees the following questions:
- What are the obstacles preventing the girl from continuing her studies?
- What can parents do to help girls enroll and stay in school?
- How important is a young girl’s education to her, her family, and her community?
Length of program, including intro and extro: 25 to 30 minutes
Script
Signature tune up, then fade out
HOST:
Welcome, listeners. The topic of today’s program is keeping girls in school in Burkina Faso. Although they are in the majority, girls face difficulties in accessing school, staying in the education system, and succeeding in school. This is due to a number of socio-cultural factors and constraints, as well as the financial challenges faced by families.
To talk about this, we welcome Farida Sawadogo, a young woman with a degree in history and archaeology. We’ll also talk to her parents, Omar and Honorine Sawadogo. Finally, Sanata Ouédraogo, President of the Association des Femmes battantes pour le développement, will share her expert opinion on the subject.
Hello everyone, and thank you for accepting our invitation!
Signature tune UP, then fade out
HOST:
Let’s start with Honorine Sawadogo, Farida’s mother. Mrs. Sawadogo, can you tell us how you managed the discussions that led to your daughter’s enrolment and continued attendance in school?
HONORINE SAWADOGO:
We didn’t have to talk much. My husband agreed as soon as Farida was enrolled in school. Since he attended school himself, we didn’t have to argue about it. The real problem was how to keep her in school, how to support her to continue. At one point, it wasn’t easy at all because my husband was unemployed and I was also struggling to make ends meet thanks to a small business that couldn’t provide for all our needs.
HOST:
Farida is your first child, and we know that first daughters are often very busy with household chores such as cooking, washing up, and other chores. How did you ensure that household chores didn’t interfere with her schooling?
HONORINE SAWADOGO:
Farida is a very intelligent girl. She does her homework in the evening as soon as she gets home from school, and she does the dishes before going to bed. That way, she doesn’t have to work at home in the morning. I’ve made sure that I don’t overload her so that she has as much time as possible to study and rest. To do that, I did some of the housework, and she helped me with housework only on days when she didn’t have classes. Before, we didn’t have a tap at home or a water source nearby. We had to go to the well to get water. I didn’t give her that chore on school days.
HOST:
How else did you help her to succeed in school?
HONORINE SAWADOGO:
I had to do something to get money. I was hired to run a phone booth, where people used to go to make phone calls. Then I started a small business in the neighbourhood. I had to give her 50 or 100 francs every morning to go to school, and I had to pay the parents’ contributions and other supplies.
HOST:
Do you often give her advice or encourage her in order to motivate her?
HONORINE SAWADOGO:
Of course. We often had chat sessions during which I advised her. I encouraged her to persevere and move forward. I often promised to buy her one thing or another if she did well in school.
HOST:
What experience can you share with other families about keep their daughters in school?
HONORINE SAWADOGO:
They must never discourage the girl. You have to let her know that she’s capable of succeeding and getting very good grades like boys, no matter what the situation is. Above all, don’t overburden her with chores, or reserve them for weekends, holidays, or vacations. If she’s tired at home, she won’t do well in school. You must encourage her and stay by her side. Even if she’s not doing well in school, don’t scold her. You have to encourage her and cheer her up. That’s the way I did it, with good results.
HOST:
How important do you think it is for a girl to go to school?
HONORINE SAWADOGO:
Learning another language is already very important for a girl. Thanks to school, she will be able to get knowledge that will enable her to find employment so that she can live decently and take care of her family. School raises awareness, and a girl who has been to school can express herself publicly in decision-making bodies to defend her views and her rights, and participate in the development of her community. A girl who has been to school can participate in the fight against violence directed at women. School can lift a woman out of poverty. An educated girl can take better care of her family’s health. In the long run, she will be able to supervise her children so that they do better in school. She can better manage her own resources and those of her family. She can also contribute to the well-being of her family and community.
HOST:
Thank you, Mrs. Sawadogo. Let’s now turn to Farida’s father. Mr. Omar Sawadogo, hello and welcome to the program. As you told us off-air, you lived in an environment where the importance of educating young girls was not fully appreciated. Why did you make your daughter’s education a priority?
OMAR SAWADOGO:
Strangely enough, when I was born, I noticed that my older sisters were going to school despite this unfavourable environment. So it was only natural that we decided to send our daughter to school.
HOST:
How were you able to support her in school in a difficult socio-economic situation?
OMAR SAWADOGO:
Farida was much closer to me than to her mother. I talked to her a lot and she listened to me. We were like accomplices. When she finished primary school, I was a supervisor at a secondary school in another city. I took her with me and bought her a bicycle. After she finished elementary school, I stopped working, but the secondary school allowed me to enroll her for free, and my family helped me pay for the materials. Her mother had a small business and together we supported her. I did everything I could to make sure she wasn’t in need.
OMAR SAWADOGO:
Farida’s behaviour is to be commended and I admire her courage. She grew up in an old working-class neighborhood where it was not easy to send a girl to school because the attitude was that a girl had to take care of the house and her little brothers and sisters. So girls her age were much more often at home than in school. But she did well. When she passed her baccalaureate and was due to go to university in Ouagadougou, it wasn’t easy, and I was worried. I wondered if she’d be able to get through the first year. Today, she’s my pride and joy.
HOST:
What advice would you give to a family to support their daughter’s education?
OMAR SAWADOGO:
You have to be open with your children. Personally, I talk to my children. I do almost everything with them. When Farida was little, I was the one who bathed her until she was seven. I do the laundry for most of my children, while their mother does other things. You have to talk to the children to find out what their problem is. And even if things aren’t going well at school, you can’t just say it’s bad. Instead, you have to find out why things aren’t going well and encourage them to do better. That’s what we have to do with children, especially girls, who need our support to make it far in school. Depending on the age of the girl, we have to address issues that parents consider taboo, for example, sexuality. Many girls drop out of school due to unwanted pregnancies. But you have to know when, where, and how to bring the subject up.
HOST:
Some people believe that women are made to marry and stay at home. What do you think about the importance of educating girls?
OMAR SAWADOGO:
That view is long gone. Today, if you have a well-educated girl who works, you can applaud her. But we know what it’s worth to have an educated daughter; she puts her parents first. I really encourage parents to send their daughters to school.
HOST:
Thank you, Mr. Sawadogo, for your willingness to participate in this program and especially to share your experiences.
Joining us now is Farida Sawadogo. Farida, hello and welcome to the program. How did your family provide you with support during your studies and still support you?
FARIDA SAWADOGO:
Hello, sir. I’d like to highlight my parents’ incredible understanding and support. As for chores that can interfere with a young girl’s education, my mother didn’t assign me any household chores. She paid attention to my schedule and gave me time to study and rest. It was during my free time that I did some household chores. My mother was very understanding and supportive. We didn’t have electricity at home, but she found me a battery-operated lamp so that I could study at night and early in the morning. My father also showed understanding. And I still get a lot of support from my parents.
HOST:
How did your parents’ support positively influence your studies?
FARIDA SAWADOGO:
If I didn’t have my parents’ support, I would have given up my studies and maybe I would have been married with two or three children (LAUGHS). It’s that support that kept me going.
FARIDA SAWADOGO:
My ambition is to be a history teacher. That’s why I enrolled in history and archaeology. And I think I’m well on my way to realizing this dream, because I’m about to defend my degree in history.
HOST:
What advice can you give to other girls on how to face the challenges of continuing their studies?
FARIDA SAWADOGO:
First of all, they need to know that what boys can do, girls can do, and maybe even better. Above all, you have to persevere in your work, and if you have the support of your parents, I don’t see what can stop you from succeeding. Above all, don’t compare yourself to others. You must be aware of your parents’ situation and not envy the situation of others who are better off. When I look at others, it’s to motivate myself and keep moving forward, hoping to change my parents’ situation one day.
Signature tune rises, then fades out
HOST:
Our final guest on this program is Madame Sanata Ouédraogo. She is the president of the association Femmes battantes pour le développement in the northern region, based in Ouahigouya. Madame Ouédraogo, what impact does education have on the girls themselves, on their families, and on the community?
SANATA OUEDRAOGO:
Keeping girls in school is very important. It gives them the skills to do the same jobs as men. Women are often better at what they do than men. With an education, they are no longer forced to take jobs that are an extension of their traditional roles, but to take jobs that are a career. These require long studies, such as medicine.
For the girl, she will be self-reliant, respected, and able to speak up and defend her point of view. She will be perceived as more important if she has a job. When a daughter works, the impact on the family is visible. The mother feels supported by both the husband and the daughter. This is because the daughter actively helps her parents as well as her little brothers and sisters. She can say, “I’m a woman and I know what I’m doing for my family. I’ve built my own house and I’ve built my father’s house. I can give my point of view on the life of my family.” This certainly wouldn’t be the case if she had to depend on someone to live.
The impact of a girl going far in school is positive for the community because she’s dedicated to the work she’s going to do. Another impact is that a girl who has gone far in school and is working serves as an example to families who are willing to send their daughters to school.
HOST:
Do you think that the girl who has gone far in her studies can help solve issues related to gender, violence against women, and girls’ education itself?
SANATA OUEDRAOGO:
Yes, of course. We see women suffering because they are uneducated and poor. An educated woman will never allow her daughter to be circumcised or married off at an early age. We speak loud and clear because we went to school. So educating girls helps combat violence against women and promotes gender equality. A successful girl is a source of pride for her family and her community and a model for her local area.
HOST:
Do you think that today more and more girls are going to school and finishing their education?
SANATA OUEDRAOGO:
Not at all. In primary school, there’s an influx because girls benefit from scholarships. After primary school, they’re on their own, and it’s associations like Femmes battantes pour le developpement that help by training them in trades to help them find work so they don’t end up in the arms of men. Between the first and fourth year of secondary school, many girls become pregnant and drop out of school. As a result, the large number of girls in primary school drops off in secondary school. But after completing the third year of secondary school, many girls successfully continue their education, as they become more aware and take measures to avoid early pregnancy. There’s also the fact that girls have to work twice as hard to succeed, because they always do the housework that girls have to do. In my area, a boy can repeat a grade, and, even if he’s expelled, his father will find a way to re-enroll him elsewhere. Girls are not allowed to repeat a grade and are immediately expelled. I know what I’m talking about because my association works with 100 groups of 25 women. The women tell us about their experiences.
HOST:
What do you do as an association to stop girls from dropping out?
SANATA OUEDRAOGO:
Our association supports mothers. We help them with vocational training so that if the girl is sent away to school, the mother can pay for her to be trained. The association offers several training courses. Girls and other women can also be trained in agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, processing local products, and beading during the holidays so that they can take charge of their own lives. Most importantly, we raise awareness so that girls enroll and stay in school. We never miss an opportunity to tell men in particular how important it is to think about girls’ education. We also carry out awareness-raising activities on sex education for young people, parental responsibility, responsible parenthood, and positive masculinity.
HOST:
What is the main obstacle to girls’ attending school today?
SANATA OUEDRAOGO:
The attitude that girls should stay at home and do housework still exists today. There are families where it’s always the girls who wash the dishes and prepare the meals. The girl is supposed to get married as soon as she’s old enough, and in some places, it’s hard to get that out of people’s minds. We’ve found that the further a girl goes to school, the harder it is to find a husband. Men think that a girl with advanced education is difficult to manage. They think that educated women are less submissive and difficult to influence, and that they know their rights. They are quick to go to court to get their rights back. But let’s not forget the economic factor. If you have to choose between a boy and a girl, it’s the girl who stays at home because of the lack of resources.
HOST:
Thank you, Madame Ouédraogo, for participating in this program, and especially for what your association is doing for young girls.
Thank you to all our guests on this program on enrolling and keeping girls in school. We talked about Farida Sawadogo who, thanks to the help of her parents and in spite of a difficult socio-cultural and economic situation, managed to stay in school through to higher education. Congratulations, Farida, and courage for the future, in the hope that you will succeed in realizing your dream of becoming a history teacher. Thank you, Mrs. and Mr. Sawadogo, for supporting Farida and sharing your experience on this program.
To you, dear listeners, thank you for listening so devotedly. Till next time for another edition of your program. Good evening to all.
Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Harouna Sana, journalist, broadcaster, and specialist in rural Burkina Faso
Reviewed by: Roukiyatou Compaoré, Association pour la promotion des enfants en difficulté (APED).
Interviews:
Farida Sawadogo, young woman with a degree in history and archaeology. Interview conducted in December 2023.
Omar Sawadogo, Farida’s father. Interview conducted in December 2023.
Honorine Sawadogo, Farida’s mother. Interview conducted in December 2023.
Sanata Ouédraogo, president of Femmes battantes pour le développement. Interview conducted in December 2023.
This resource was produced through the ‘UCARE – Unpaid Care in sub-Saharan Africa‘ initiative, which aims to increase gender equality and women’s empowerment through a commitment to more just and equitable sharing of unpaid care and domestic work within the household and the family in sub-Saharan Africa. The project is implemented in partnership with Farm Radio International (FRI), UN Women, and The African Women’s Development and Communications Network (FEMNET) thanks to funding from Global Affairs Canada.
