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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 1990, 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 1982, 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 Séraphin Rouamba, Archbishop of Koupéla (Burkina Faso) who was preceded by His Excellency Bishop Guy Romano, Bishop emeritus of Niamey.  The late Cardinal Paul Zoungrana (Burkina Faso), to whom the Foundation owes its originality, was Honorary President "ad vitam".  The General Secretary is Father Fulgence Coly of 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, 6 April 2000  

 

JOHN  PAUL  II  FOUNDATION  FOR  THE  SAHEL  

TOTAL NUMBER OF PROJECTS FUNDED FROM 2001 TO 2004

YEAR

FORMATION PROJECTS

IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS
2001 1.053.097 2.153.772
2002 782.603 1.511.965
2003 828.732 1.645.576
2004 706.781 1.064.376
TOTAL AMOUNT IN EUROS 3.371.213 6.375.689 

 

 

PROJECTS FUNDED BY  JOHN  PAUL  II  FOUNDATION  

FOR  THE  SAHEL FROM 2001 TO 2004

YEARS

2001 TO 2004

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

57

1

25

5

0

5

2

24

13

132

13,92%

AGRICULTURE

65

0

16

1

2

13

6

7

19

129

13,61%

ANIMAL RAISING

45

2

12

4

0

1

0

3

17

84

8,86%

ANIMATION

88

3

41

4

0

20

4

10

31

201

21,20%

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

44

0

18

7

0

9

1

5

18

102

10,76%

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

7

0

11

0

0

0

1

1

5

25

2,64%

WATER MANAGEMENT

100

9

12

2

2

9

1

5

18

158

16,67%

HEALTH

39

1

8

2

0

3

1

14

5

73

7,70%

TECHNICAL TRAINING

18

0

7

2

0

0

3

1

9

40

4,22%

OTHERS

2

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

0,42%

TOTAL NUMBER OF  PROJECTS

465

16

152

27

4

60

19

70

135

948

100%

PERCENTAGE BY COUNTRY

49,09%

1,73%

16,07%

2,89%

0,47%

6,36%

2,05%

7,42%

14,28%

100%

 

POPULATION BY COUNTRY (IN MILLIONS)*

11,8

0,4

8,1

1,4

1,2

10,4

2,7

11,2

9,6

 

 

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)*

1,4

0,4

0,8

0,03

0,1

0,2

0,005

0,01

0,5

 

 

 * Secretaria Status, Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2001, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

 

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