English language students in Burkina Faso develop greater self-esteem

What a privilege it was to meet these new JWL students who express themselves in English with great confidence.  I could sense the self-esteem in these young people which was not the case when they first came to CERCLE, after having failed the government junior high school or baccalaureate exams. CERCLE is an education institution of the Jesuits in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, which reaches out to marginalised youth who have failed their studies – and primarily young women and girls – giving them a fair chance to unfold their talents and intellect.

And they are. Realising that I am from Germany, some students of the German language programme spoke to me in German. Besides this, they are also in JWL’s Global English Language programme. They all have good reason to be proud and self-confident. They also answered a question I was considering regarding JWL programmes being offered in Francophone Africa. I thought JWL needed to offer them in French. But why do so if these young people want to learn English and are already digital and global (through their social media interactions, for example)? Helping them with English is a great first step in supporting them. Those who want could then progress to JWL professional or academic programmes. Others will qualify to join the upcoming University KoJUS, Kosyam Jesuit University of Science, which partners with CERCLE. I hope that these words and this photo will convey some of the positive and joyful energy of these JWL students.

Fr Peter Balleis SJ, JWL Executive President