Project Report
| Mar 23, 2026
Reading center serving secondary school students
By Michael Kevane | Director, West African
![Reading in Bereba library]()
Reading in Bereba library
Summary of Visit to the Béréba Library and the Reading Center
On January 14, 2026, an ABVBF facilitator paid a visit to the Béréba library. Before arriving at the library, he stopped by the town hall to deliver official correspondence and to discuss with the Interim Mayor (PDS) the future activities of the Béréba Reading and Study Center (CLEB). The Interim Mayor explained the currently difficult financial conditions facing the municipality at the start of the year. He promised that in March—provided financial conditions are favorable—the town hall would be able to allocate some resources to the CLEB. In this regard, he once again reiterated his encouragement and support for ABVBF, commending the organization for its unwavering commitment and vision. Following his discussion with the Interim Mayor, the facilitator proceeded to the Béréba library to continue his scheduled activities. With several students present, the facilitator assisted two primary school-aged girls in improving their reading skills. After the reading session, they engaged in an activity focused on learning the letters of the French alphabet. The facilitator then reviewed the library manager's administrative records and provided clarification on specific procedural details. When the midday break arrived at 12:00 PM, the facilitator headed to the Béréba Reading and Study Center to continue his work. The facilitator instructed the CLEB manager on how to properly catalog books that had not yet been entered into the library register. They then worked together to complete the book checkout cards in order to update the records for the registered books. Subsequently, the facilitator conducted a thorough review of the center manager's administrative tools and records. The review revealed that the center has seen very low attendance since the resumption of activities following the holiday break, with only four books checked out and four visitor entries recorded during the first few weeks of January 2026. He offered advice to the manager on strategies to encourage readers to read more and to visit the center more frequently.
![The CLEB manager]()
The CLEB manager
Nov 23, 2025
Bereba reading and study center now open
By Michael Kevane | Director, West Africa
![The Bereba center manager]()
The Bereba center manager
After some contributions from FAVL and also from the local mayor's office, the Bereba reading and study center now open. We will continue to expand and refurbish the small building in which it is located. We eventually hope to be able to display photosgraphs in the center.
Here is a recent report: Inaugurated on October 25, 2025, the Béréba Reading and Study Center (CLEB) aims to be a space for strengthening the intellectual capacities, reading skills, and academic success of the girls and boys of the Béréba commune. To ensure the success of this initiative, ABVBF facilitator visited the Béréba CLEB on November 13, 2025. The objective of this visit was to coordinate with the center's manager and raise awareness among post-primary and secondary school students in Béréba about using the center. To this end, the facilitator and the manager went to the high school and then to the junior high school in Béréba. They received permission from the high school principal and the junior high school director to speak to the students in their classrooms. The facilitator and the manager went from class to class to deliver their message: to inform the students about the center's opening, its location, and the availability of books, and to encourage them to visit and read there. The students received the necessary information. They promised to visit the center and register as members. It was a successful awareness campaign conducted by the facilitator and the center's manager.
![The Bereba center manager another view]()
The Bereba center manager another view
![The Bereba center entrance]()
The Bereba center entrance
Aug 4, 2025
Readying new library/study center/cultural center
By Michael Kevane | Director, West Africa
![The new cultural center]()
The new cultural center
Mission report to the commune of Béréba July 2025
The Friends of Village Libraries of Burkina Faso (ABVBF) association, in its drive to meet the needs of book lovers, has initiated the opening of a cultural center in the commune of Béréba. This center will allow adult users to cultivate and recharge their batteries freely in a more adequate manner. It is with this in mind that a team from ABVBF, composed of assistant program manager and facilitator went to Béréba on July 29, 2025, to conduct preparatory activities to ensure the success of this project. For this outing, the team's main objective was to sort the adult books and documents needed by the Béréba library to transfer them to the cultural center. This activity was successfully carried out by the team. It should be noted that during these missions, the team made stops at the town hall of the said municipality to discuss with the PDS and the SG about the preparations for the opening of this center. However, the authorities were absent due to administrative travel reasons. For the moment, everything is going well. The ABVBF team is working to ensure that the center is operational as quickly as possible and allow users to visit and benefit from the center. Prior to this, an ABVBF team carried out a mission to the commune of Béréba on July 25, 2025. Their main tasks were to meet with the PDS and/or the SG to discuss the progress of the work, sort adult books in the Béréba library, change the keys to the center's door, find people to clean the courtyard, move the shelves into the center, and speak with a resource person about ordering chairs for the center. Of the five objectives, two were not met: the meeting with the PDS and/or the SG and the cleaning of the cultural center's courtyard. Indeed, the meeting with the authorities did not take place because they were traveling. While waiting to find a service provider, the ABVBF team, assisted by the manager of the Dimikuy library, cut the tall grass. It should be noted that a shelf was handed over to a local carpenter for repair. Although not all objectives were met, the team was pleased with the work already accomplished.
![Furniture ready for books]()
Furniture ready for books
![Fixing furniture]()
Fixing furniture