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JOHN  PAUL  II  FOUNDATION  FOR  THE  SAHEL

         The foundation is an initiative desired by Pope John Paul II following his first visit to Africa, where he personally saw the great tragedy lived by people due to long-term drought and desertification.   On 10 May 1980, His Holiness pronounced the following words which are at the origin of the Foundation:   "When the poor and needy cannot find water ... I, the Lord, will hear them! ... I will change the dry and barren land into a lake" (Is 41:17-18) and "the water that I give will became for them a flowing fountain that gives eternal like (Jn 4:14).   From this very place I launch a solemn appeal to the entire world ... I raise my voice in supplication ... I make my voice the voice of those who have no voice, the voice of the innocent".

 

      Aware of the new countries, their poverty and great diversity, and wanting to avoid a new "imposition" of the "North" upon the "South", the Holy Father decided that this Foundation should be entrusted, within its area of operation, to the Episcopate of the nine countries.  Such a formula was considered exemplary for the countries, which are in need, and for those, which desire to be of assistance. On 25 May 1984, the Holy Father repeated that, "the solution is in the hands of Africans; to collaborate with them, also in technical areas, is not to say to supersede them.  This is evidence of a concrete realisation of the ecclesial communion, fruit also of collegial co-responsibility.

 

      With the Chirography of 22 February 1984, the Supreme Pontiff, desiring to put to good use the financial help received for the counties of the Sahel, established a capital fund, coming for the most part from the faithful of German, as an "efficacious sign of my love for my most tried African brothers" (5 November 1981).  In recent years, for the immediate execution of projects, also the Episcopal Conference of Italy has contributed a substantial sum.  At the same time, to safeguard the capital of the Foundation and taking into consideration banking complications (diverse currencies, transfers and the sending of funds, etc.), even though the activity of the Foundation carried out by the General Secretary in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).  The Holy Father established that the care of the funds and the legal see of the Foundation would remain with the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", with the duty to periodically report to the Supreme Pontiff, the founder.  For its part, the Government of Burkina Faso has granted extra-territoriality to the General Secretariat which operates for the following countries:  Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia and Chad.

 

      At the annual meetings of the Administrative Council (regularly rotated) an Observer of the Holy See is present, generally the Secretary of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".  As availability permits, the President of the same Dicastery, who is the legal representative of the Foundation, participates at its meetings.  These meetings are chaired by the President of the Administrative Council, His Excellency Bishop Jean-Pierre Bassène, Bishop of Kolda (Senegal) who was preceded by His Excellency Bishop Séraphin Rouamba, Archbishop of Koupéla (Burkina Faso).  The late Cardinal Paul Zoungrana (Burkina Faso), to whom the Foundation owes its originality, was Honorary President "ad vitam".  The General Secretary is Father Noël Samaké, from Mali.

 

      The Foundation concerns itself with the formation of animators, health workers, hydraulic engineers, civil engineers, mechanics, agriculturists, animal husbandry, and forestry.  The unique characteristic of the Foundation is its openness to the different religions of the inhabitants, becoming in this way another instrument of inter-religious dialogue.

  Vatican City, February 15, 2010  

 

JOHN  PAUL  II  FOUNDATION  FOR  THE  SAHEL  

TOTAL NUMBER OF PROJECTS FUNDED FROM 2005 TO 2009

YEAR

FORMATION PROJECTS

IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS
2005 695,558 1,371,781
2006 662,600 1,514,400
2007 771,630 1,555,519
2008 699,797 1,611,644
2009 686,653 1,613,347
TOTAL AMOUNT IN US$ 3,516,238 7,666,691 

 

 

PROJECTS FUNDED BY  JOHN  PAUL  II  FOUNDATION  

FOR  THE  SAHEL FROM 2005 TO 2009

YEARS

2005 TO 2009

B

U

R

K

I

N

A

F

A

S

O

C

A

P

E

 

V

E

R

D

E

C

H

A

D

T

H

E

 

G

A

M

B

I

A

G

U

I

N

E

E

 

B

I

S

S

A

U

M

A

L

I

M

A

U

R

I

T

A

N

I

A

N

I

G

E

R

S

E

N

E

G

A

L

TOT.
BY SECT.

%

BY

SECT

 

ENVIROMNENT

42

1

26

2

0

11

2

14

8

106

10.64%

AGRICULTURE

36

3

18

0

11

20

11

19

29

147

14.75%

ANIMAL RAISING

42

2

15

3

2

5

3

3

25

100

10.04%

POWER SUPPLY 3 0 2 0 0 4 1 2 0 12 1.20%

ANIMATION

77

8

58

7

14

43

4

16

43

270

27.10%

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

26

3

12

3

9

13

2

4

9

80

8.03%

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

9

0

2

0

0

11

0

1

3

26

2.61%

WATER MANAGEMENT

51

9

13

12

9

21

0

6

11

132

13.25%

HEALTH

17

0

16

0

2

10

1

14

8

68

6.82%

TECHNICAL TRAINING

14

4

8

1

1

4

6

5

8

51

5.12%

OTHERS

3

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

4

0.40%

TOTAL NUMBER OF  PROJECTS

320

29

170

28

48

143

30

84

144

996

100%

PERCENTAGE BY COUNTRY

32.12%

2.91%

17.06%

2.81%

4.81%

14.35%

3.01%

8.43%

14.45%

100%

 

POPULATION BY COUNTRY (IN MILLIONS)*

14,7

0,5

10,1

1,7

1,4

14 ,9

3,2

13,6

11,3

 

 

AREA OF THE COUNTRY ( IN MILLION KMS²)*

0,3

0,004

1,3

0,01

0,03

1,2

1

1,2

0,2

 

 

NUMBER OF BAPTIZED  CATHOLICS      (IN MILLIONS)*

1,9

0,4

0,9

0,04

0,2

0,3

0,005

0,02

0,6

 

 

 * Secretaria Status, Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2008, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

Addresses:

John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel
c/o Pontifical Council "Cor Unum"
Via della Conciliazione, 5
V-00120 Vatican City

John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel
Adminstrative Council and General Secretariat
01 B.P. 4890 Ouagadougou 01
Burkina Faso
Tel: +226 50 36 53 14; 50 36 66 99
Fax: +226 50 36 53 93
e-mail: fond.jp2@cenatrin.bf, info@fjp2-sahel.org
web site: http://www.fondationjeanpaul2.org

 

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