Sister Cities Association of Greater Decatur, Georgia

Mission:

• To bring to partner cities the vitality, self-awareness and enrichment that come with international contact.
• To forge links with distant communities, fostering learning development and mutual understanding.

What is a Sister City?

• An American or foreign city that joins with a partner city to share in learning about a different culture.
• A city that exchanges visits and engages in projects with another for mutual benefit.
• A city that is working to further international understanding within its own community.

The Sister City program as a national concept was launched at the White House in 1956 when President Dwight Eisenhower called for massive exchanges between American cities and peoples of other lands. Hundreds of American communities responded.

Participating in Program (1992)

Sister Cities International
The Sister Cities Association of Greater Decatur, Inc. is affiliated with Sister Cities International, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization fostering international cooperation and understanding. The national association was created to coordinate the activities of participating U.S. cities and states and share solutions to problems that develop.

The Decatur Sister Cities Association Agenda

Bousse, Burkina Faso
The Greater Decatur area has a sister city relationship with the village of Bousse in Burkina Faso, West Africa, one of the poorest countries in the world. This relationship began when a group of Decatur residents, led by Mayor Michael Mears, traveled to Burkina Faso during the African drought in the early 1980s. Projects include emphasis on nutrition, health, education, and income generation.

This relationship is particularly valuable because Americans tend to be isolated from the people of Africa and find it difficult to meet them without prior personal and organizational contacts. Nor do Africans benefit from what the United States has to offer without exchanges on a personal level.

During the 1996 Summer Games, the Burkina Faso athletes and a cultural exchange group stayed in Decatur. The dance & drum troupe performed at Decatur's Hometown to the World Olympic Festival. Commissioner Elizabeth Wilson was part of the first delegation that traveled to Burkina Faso with Mike Mears in the the 1980s. She was an integral part of the celebration hosting the visitors from Burkina Faso. Members of the dance and drum troupe performed at Decatur's Olympic Festival on the square in downtown Decatur.

Trujillo, Peru
At the request of both the Mayor and the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Trujillo, Peru, a Sister Cities Agreement was formalized in late 1992. This relationship provides the opportunity for rich cultural exchanges, business development, and projects and programs in education, health, and agriculture - to name a few.

The "jumelage" of Bousse (sister city committee) and the Trujillo committee are eager to expand their relationships with our community.

Activities

• Trips to Burkina Faso and Peru
• Annual events in Decatur
• Student and other exchanges
• Hosting visitors from Bousse and Trujillo
• Speakers' Bureau
• Channeling resources and interest to organizations sponsoring development projects in Bousse and Trujillo
• Sister Cities Association newsletter
• Special cultural events

Facts About Bousse

• Location: Northern Burkina Faso, West Africa
• Population: 10,000
• Ethnic Group: Mossi
• Languages Spoken: More, French
• Religions: Animist, Christian, Muslim
• Form of Government: Major is rep. of national government
• Economy: Farming, raising animals
• Average Annual Income: $320
• Education: 18% of children go to school
• Health: Life expectancy - 48 years
• Infant mortality - 14/100
• Mortality rate before age 5 - 23/100
• One dispensary, no doctor
• Facilities: No electricity, no running water

Facts About Trujillo

• Location: Northwestern part of Peru on the Pacific Ocean
• Population: 650,000
• Language Spoken: Spanish
• Religions: Catholic, Protestant
• Form of Government: Mayor and City Council
• Economy: Agriculture, fishing, light to heavy industry, mining
• Average Annual Income: $1,100
• Education: Mandatory high school education
• Health: Life expectancy - 63 years
• Facilities: Electricity and running water

Source: 1990 UNICEF

If you would like to become a member of Sister Cities Association of Decatur or would like more information about the Association and its programs, write Sister Cities Association of Greater Decatur, Inc., P.O. Box 2253, Decatur, GA 30031-2253.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta), is a land-locked country located in West Africa. It lies between the Gulf of Guinea in the loop of the Niger River and the Sahara Desert. Burkina Faso is about the size of Colorado with a population of 8 million people mostly residing in 7,500 villages. Its capital is Ouagadougou (Wah-gah-doo-goo). The main rivers are the three Voltas (black, red, and white), the Comae, the Bougouriba, and the Pendjari, but they are so diminished in the dry season that the country's main difficulty is obtaining sufficient water.

Burkina lies on a savannah plateau 650-1,000 feet above sea level. The north is sahelian and arid, the central is dry savannah and the south and southwest are covered by wooded savannah. There are three seasons: warm and dry (Nov.-Mar), hot and dry (March-May), and hot and wet (June-Oct). The annual rainfall varies from 40" in the south to less than 10" in the north and northwest with their hot desert winds. The desertification of the land in the north is creeping southward five miles annually.

History
For 800 years Burkina Faso was ruled by the Mossi who migrated from central and eastern Africa in the 11th century. The Mossi people were able to defend their land, religious beliefs and their social structure. They were excellent warriors and farmers. In 1896 the French arrived and claimed their land as their own. During colonial rule Burkina Faso became part of the French- ruled Upper Senegal Niger territory created in 1904. In 1919 Burkina became a separate colony called Upper Volta in the French West African Federation. Independence from the French was achieved on August 5, 1960. The first president, Maurice Yameogo was overthrown by military coup in 1966. Thomas Sankara, a young army captain staged another coup against the older military regime in 1983 and became the most popular, most charismatic president in Burkina history. On August 14, 1984 Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso. The government today is still a military regime. The president of Burkina Faso is Blaise Campaore. There is no legislative branch of government. There is an executive branch and the judicial branch is formally independent. All political parties are banned. The currency of the country is the CFA tied to the French franc (300 CFAs = $1)

People
Burkina Faso's people are called Burkinabe and are made up of three main groups: the Voltaic, the Mande, and the Western Atlantic. The Voltaic group largely comprise the Mossi, who make up 50 percent of the total Burkinabe population. Around 10 percent are Fulani (nomads) with the remainder divided among the Lobi-Dagari, Senoufou, Gourounse, Bissa and Gourmantche. French is the official language. Burkino also has 60 tribal languages with the most common being More, Dioula and Fuani. The majority of the Burkinabe are animist (African traditional religion or worship of nature); 35 percent Muslim and about 10 percent Christian.

Most of the people are concentrated in the south and central part of the country causing a high population density. Over a million migrate annually to the Ivory Coast and Ghana for seasonal agricultural work.

Economy
Ninety percent of the Burkinabe are subsistence farmers with women the backbone of the domestic agricultural labor supply. The per capita annual income is less than $200. In 1985 the World Bank statistics ranked Burkina as the poorest country on earth.

Sixty-five percent of Burkina's exports are agriculture products such as cotton, sesame, peanuts and karite. Cattle represent 35 percent of exports - mainly to other West African countries.

Health
Life expectancy is 47 years. Babies are at special risk: 14 of every 100 die before age 1, often from easily preventable ailments such as measles and diarrhea. Modern health care is not available in most villages. If a village is fortunate enough to have a dispensary, many illnesses cannot be treated by the staff because of lack of training and equipment. There is a practicing medical doctor for every 30,000 people. Most dispensaries do not have a doctor on staff. Most medicines are too expensive for people to afford. The medical facilities and equipment are often primitive at best. The government is finally recognizing its failure to take advantage of the good aspects of traditional medicine.

Education
Almost nine of every 10 Burkinabe cannot read or write. In rural areas where 90 percent of the people live, less than 20 percent can attend school because of the lack of classrooms and teachers. Those lucky enough to attend elementary school have little or no hope of going beyond the 6th grade because secondary schools do not exist in most villages. Even if they did, the cost is too great for most people. Much progress has been made in education in the past few years, largely because of the aid given by France, the U.S., Canada, Italy and others. The U.S. alone has built 127 schools and for 20 years donated food for a noon meal for schools throughout Burkina. They say in Burkina, "for the education of our children, no sacrifice is too great." One problem is the severe lack of money to build schools. For the majority, education remains a dream.

Needs
In almost every poor country in the world the greatest needs (apart from adequate rainfall) are for clean, safe water, better health care and improved education. These are the basic needs in Burkina also. Many deaths and sicknesses are traced to unsafe water. Wells cost an average of $4,000. Most villages cannot afford to drill wells without financial assistance. The national government cannot afford to provide health clinics or schools without reasonable access to all rural villages so they try to build them where they are most needed. This means that unless foreign and private and government organizations move in and help, many villages will go without modern health care and without schools for many years to come.

What you can do:

• Join Decatur Sister City Association, which has a relationship with Bousse, in Burkina Faso.
• Invite a speaker from the Sister City Association to speak to your group, church or club.
• Visit Burkina Faso on periodic group visits.
• Participate in local projects such as collecting infant clothing or raising funds for education and health programs in Burkina.

Write to: Sister Cities Association of Greater Decatur, Inc., P.O. Box 2253, Decatur, GA 30031-2253.