| |  | | In 2000, Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, began a relationship with a small village called Namtenga in Burkina Faso, Africa. Mike Lavoie, a Cranbrook parent who served in the village as a Peace Corp volunteer in the 1970s, introduced the schools to Namtenga. Through his continued relationships with the village, Cranbrook’s projects have taken root. Simeon Baguian and Noellie Sandouidi from Namtenga work closely with Cranbrook to implement the projects each year. In 2005, Noellie and Simeon visited Cranbrook and in 2007, three Cranbrook faculty, along with Mike Lavoie, traveled to Namtenga to observe the Project’s positive impact. These two visits deepened the friendship and regard between the two very different communities. |
| The mission of the Cranbrook Schools Namtenga Project is to use the varied resources of the Cranbrook Schools community to help Namtenga meet its goals of education, health, and economic well-being. The Namtenga Project fosters independence and self-sustainability in the village and instills social responsibility and global awareness in Cranbrook students. The Namtenga Project strives to promote a better understanding of the United States internationally and a better understanding of Burkina Faso, Africa, in the Cranbrook community. |
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| The Cranbrook Kingswood Weaving Studio initiated a project to build a sister weaving studio in Namtenga, Burkina Faso, Africa called Namtenga Soundo Babisi (The Weaving Sisters of Namtenga). Cranbrook Schools’ efforts included building a studio, purchasing 15 looms, and hiring a weaving instructor. Thirty women learned how to dye, weave, and sew. This enabled them to sell textiles and bring income to their families and the village. The Namtenga Soundo Babisi also benefitted from additional educational opportunities that include business management, health, family planning, and agriculture. Recently, the women diversified by beginning a soap making enterprise. |
| | Cranbrook’s Lower School (Brookside), Middle Schools, and Upper School actively support the village school in Namtenga. A major achievement is the increase of school enrollment from 40 students to over 220, half being girls. The village elders agreed to discontinue the longstanding tradition of early marriage for girls so they could attend school.
The Project includes:
- Scholarships for boys and girls
- School supplies
- School uniforms
- Well with pump
- Children’s garden
- Livestock program
- Pen pal program between Cranbrook and Namtenga students
- Solar panels
- Mosquito nets
- Playground
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