Amicale des Anciens Elèves de la Sainte Famille (AMAESFA, English: The Association of Former Students of Saint Family) was founded in 2010 to provide citizenship education to young people, in order to help them engage and take part in development in Burkina Faso.
AMAESFA works to promote social and human values. Working with the public education authorities, it seeks to create solidarity among its members, organise awareness-raising activities and provide other support to teachers and students. Its main areas of work include:
- Entrepreneurship training.
- Citizenship and rights training, including awareness of the state and public goods.
- Social and environmental awareness.
- Tolerance and non-violence in dispute resolution.
Achievements
1) In June 2012, AMAESFA organised a conference on the need for youth civic education as a condition of development. More than 175 students took part, and there was input from the ministry which deals with human rights. The objective of the conference was to work on:
- Different conceptions of civic values and citizenship.
- Human rights in Burkina Faso, the universal declaration of human rights, and linguistic and cultural diversity.
- The socio-economic consequences of the application of human rights and the promotion of citizenship.
- Tolerance and peace.
- Young people's responsibilities.
2) A study of five educational establishments in Ouagadougou to assess the level of youth education in civic values and citizenship. The objective was to identify the origins of violence in schools, and get the input of parents, teachers and students on how to improve the education system. The study involved 600 students and their parents, and 100 educational staff.
3) Further to the conference and the results of the study, AMAESFA is working on a citizenship club project in schools and universities. If partners are found, it will organise a workshop before July 2015.
Last updated: November 2014
