Bethel Secondary School, Burkina Faso
Gourcy / Burkina Faso
Why the Bethel Secondary School matters
Burkina Faso in a landlocked country in West Africa. It is economically poor and has been confronted with many challenges, such as frequent military coups soon after independence, recurring droughts and high rates of HIV/AIDS. This is reflected in its Low Human Development Index of 0.452 which puts it in 182rd position out of 189 countries (2018).
While children are expected to receive schooling for eight to nine years, the actual average number of years of school attendance is two for boys and one for girls. There are few secondary school places in the country as a whole and none in some rural regions. School female enrolment is at 32% according to the World Bank 2018.
The design
The Bethel School in Gourcy was one of the few places where 450 children could attend secondary school but prior to construction of the new campus it was severely overcrowded with 4 children sharing a single desk in many classrooms. The existing two-storey concrete buildings were dark and very hot.
We teamed up with Giving Africa and the local mission AEAD to design and build five new classrooms, three vocational teaching spaces, as well as outdoor teaching space, a library, latrines and changing rooms for sports. The new buildings have been designed to make indoor spaces comfortable despite the harsh climate which sees 45˚C temperatures in summer. They all have tall louvered windows for cross-ventilation; a double roof is angled and oriented to catch the prevailing breezes and cool the space above the classroom ceiling. Roof overhangs also shade the exterior walls to minimise heat gain; the result is a comfortable space for teaching and learning.
The impact
The Gourcy School now provides 1000 children with formal education. The kitchen feeds over 200 vulnerable students who would otherwise experience a day without food. An increase in the number of girls attending improves the likelihood they will continue on to secondary school. As seen in the images, the school’s design inspires learning and collaboration.
Grant Smith, a long-time supporter of Article 25 and an award-winning architectural photographer, visited Gourcy. This video captures the thoughts of students and teachers on the new buildings.
Double roof angled and orientated to catch prevailing breezes and keep the classrooms cool
Outdoor teaching area
PROJECT TYPE: Secondary School
PROJECT PARTNERS: Giving Africa and Association Evangélique d’Appui et Développement (AEAD)
ENGINEERING PARTNERS: Michael Hadi (Structural) and Max Fordham (M&E)
STATUS: Completed in 2014. We are carrying out an evaluation of the social and economic impact of the new school, including building performance in terms of environmental comfort and durability of the building fabric
