Tintilou Needs You

Tintilou Needs You is a non-profit organization dedicated to supplying much-needed assistance to the people of Tintilou, a small village in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The organization is led by our firm-wide friend, Jean Kabré, who is a native of Tintilou. VSA is blessed to have met Jean at our former office building, where Jean serves as the concierge and event planner. Our 15+ year relationship with Jean continues today. VSA is fortunate to have had the opportunity to support Tintilou Needs You over the years and witness Tintilou's continued growth and accomplishments. Support ranges from providing food, education, medical, and transportation assistance to larger projects like building long-term infrastructure.

In the midst of the pandemic, Jean was able to take his yearly trip in September to West Africa to facilitate and implement the various projects. Upon Jean's return to the States, he shared an update on the progress happening in Tintilou.

This year we took a break from building houses so the main project this year was water. It hasn’t been raining much for the last five years, so access to water was very, very challenging for the villagers. So far, two water towers powered by solar systems are up in two villages and ready to serve and bless many. I made arrangements with a plumber in the city who will be helping the villagers with hoses/pipes and others for the irrigation system. By the month of March when every hand dogged wells dry out, the villagers will still have water for drinking, cooking and bathing, and will also be able to use the irrigation system to grow crops to sell in the market place and also feed their family…no more walking miles away for the hunt for water. They are very, very, very thankful and grateful for your kind and generous hearts.

Another Volonta Pump type well will be drilled this week in another side of the village where people (mainly elderly people and children) are struggling for water. We couldn’t get it done while I was there because the dirt road to that area was very muddy and wasn’t ready for a heavy truck to drive through to access that location.

Thank you so very much for your support on making this happen to all these people I left behind. It’s amazing what is happening for these people. What took place is going to be a life changer for the very best.

2020 Tintilou Water Project: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JDz2ud1EG8XAmuBS9

2020 Trip Faces and Images:https://photos.app.goo.gl/n51XrFknwawsDwnJ

Along with the wells …

• We were able to invest in about 90 students (elementary & college) back to school and helped with school supplies as their parent couldn’t.
  
• We were able to help 7 young ladies with funds to start small businesses to help their families.
  
• We assisted the widow (family of 6) we built a three bedrooms house for last year with 5 beds and mattresses…their first ever beds.
  
• Distributed refurbished computers and cell phones to colleges kids,...etc.… Provided Medical Assistance but not COVID related.
  
• Food assistance as the harvest last year wasn’t much because of the lack of rain.
  
  So overall it was an amazing and a very productive and rewarding trip…a lot of people have been blessed. Thank you sooooo very much again for your support on making this possible. I greatly, greatly appreciated and from the bottom of my heart, on the behalf of an entire village, I thank you.

DONATE: Click on the DONATE page in the upper right hand corner at http://tintilouneedsyou.com/

UPDATE: VSC is very pleased to announce that our August fundraiser was a success. A total of $4,000 was raised by our VSC staff and the firm match. Thank you VSC!