About Sister Cities Foundation of Pocatello

Come join Pocatello’s Sister City village to help spread knowledge, hope, empowerment and health to some of the poorest people in the world. Help Kwaremenguel, help yourself. Visit our Pocatello Sister Cities Africa Facebook page.

Ongoing Fundraisers

  • Sponsoring Secondary and University Students
    Each September, we are ALWAYS in need of individuals, groups, clubs, etc. that can commit to sponsor a student.  $300 enables a secondary student to obtain a full year of education and $600 pays the tuition and books for a student to attend a college or university.  The village elders use financial need and academic success to determine which students, male and female,  will receive the scholarships.  Traditionally, in Burkino Faso, women have  not been encouraged to continue their education and we (the village elders of Kwaremenguel and the Sister Cities Foundation of Pocatello) are working hard to change this inequity.
  • Potato Harvest
    Our biggest fundraiser, usually in mid-September, allows residents to contribute by buying 50-pound bags of donated potatoes.
  • Village Crafts
    The foundation sells handmade crafts from the village as an additional source of funding for future projects to benefit the people of Kwaremenguel.

Past Projects

  • 1999 - Formalization of Sister City between Pocatello and Kwaremenguel, Burkina Faso and 1st trip to village.
  • 1999 - Motor for mill purchased to replace old motor.
  • 2000 - Creation of small business loans for members of village.
  • 2000 - Hundreds of pounds of school supplies sent.
  • 2000 - Fundraising to build a 3 room school begins.
  • 2005 - Secondary school students receive sponsorships from individuals in the Pocatello area.
  • 2008 - School building in Kwaremenguel completed.
  • 2008 - All grades of students, 1st through 6th grade, attend school at the same time since the village was created.
  • 2009 - Building of 6 teachers homes in the village.
  • 2010 - 63 secondary students along with 6 college students now receive sponsorships to school.
  • 2010 - Small business loans grew from $300 to $1,600.
  • 2010 - Second trip to Kwaremenguel.
  • 2011 - Purchased 50 desks for the school.
  • 2011 - Increased small business loans by $1,600 total of $3,200.
  • 2012 - Purchased solar panels for dispensary.
  • 2013 - 8 college graduates and 52 graduates from grade school. Double the national average.
  • 2013 - Purchased 2 irrigation pumps for the women in the village along with fencing to go around garden areas.

History

Our connection began in 1998 when a group of 6 Pocatellans braved 115 temperatures to travel beyond all designated “roads” to  meet with village elders in a remote village with no electricity, no running water, in the sub-Saharan country of Burkina Faso, which Wikipedia lists as an impoverished nation with the lowest literacy rate in the world.  Serendipity had brought about this journey.  The Pocatellans were  looking  for a small, needy  village where our city could make a significant sustainable difference.  Through Sister Cities International, they had been put in contact with Noël Teri, one of the few Kwaremenguel villagers who at that point had been able to receive higher education.  Teri had by chance read a notice about Sister Cities and had become determined to find a “Sister” for his native village.  The official partnership was formed in 1999.

Africa Sister City Logo

Contact Us

If you are interested in receiving email alerts of upcoming fundraisers, contributing to our general fund, or in becoming a member of Pocatello Sister Cities Africa, email us at olsodana@isu.edu.

Pocatello Sister Cities is a non-profit 501c3 tax-exempt organization.

Location

We are often asked: Where is Burkina Faso? It is just above Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin; below Mali and a neighbor to Niger on the east. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest and least-developed countries in the world. They have a country population of 13,200,000 people. The capital is Ouagadougou. They speak French and tribal languages.

Map of Africa