RAMS Connects with Burkina Faso

Mrs. Auster recently connected with a French speaking classroom in Nouna, a city in the African nation of Burkina Faso. This connection has enabled her students to exchange French letters with the students there and to get a sense of the way of life for kids so far from Holliston.

Burkina Faso is a small country in West Africa that has a long history of European domination. In 1960, the country, then known as Upper Volta, gained full independence from France. Burkina Faso is not a wealthy country, but its relative stability in the area has made it an attractive destination for foreign investment.

Last year, Mr. Steiner, RAMS tech integration specialist, exchanged e-mails with Noel Teri, an English teacher in Nouna and established a connection. Mrs. Auster's assigned her students to write letters in French and she and the students collected school supplies and other items that were then shipped to the classroom in Burkina Faso. The package also included two disposable cameras. Mr. Teri took pictures of his school and students and this January, we received the package back from them. All of the students had written reply letters to our students in French and there was also a customized wooden desk organizer that is a product of the area.