Marie Madeleine Tiendrebéogo
Marie Madeleine Tiendrebéogo
Founder and President of Kogl Taaba, Burkina Faso
Marie Madeleine Tiendrebéogo is the founder and president of Kogl Taaba, an association that welcomes and trains young girls in vulnerable situations. She set up the association after observing the lack of access to education and social exclusion affecting many girls and women in Burkina Faso. Ms Tiendrebéogo herself had to leave school because she could not afford it. Later, she trained at the Ecole ménagère, perfecting her sewing skills. Since the creation of the association, Ms Tiendrebéogo has been passing on her knowledge and experience to young women who in turn pass it on to others.
Kogl Taaba, our partner in Koudougou, Burkina Faso
The association Kogl Taaba, which means “helping each other” in Moré, was created in 1990. Kogl Taaba operates in Koudougou, where it houses 90 girls in vulnerable situations each year and provides them with training in its vocational training centre. Kogl Taaba’s mission is to promote social transformation so that young girls and families may contribute actively to development. Since 2009, the association has also been conducting family mediation activities addressing forced marriage and pregnancy outside of marriage. As part of the Via Familiis project, it opened a family house in January 2021. The aim of this innovative facility is to provide a meeting place and support structure for families in vulnerable situations.