Had a tough day at work? The air conditioning in the office failed again, the bus was 15 minutes late, projects are piling up and there was no chicken noodles left at the shop for lunch?

We hate it when that happens and we’ve had some rough days like that here in Africa, but just imagine if your day was a little more like this.

Children of the Granite mine from Amateurs in Africa

Imagine if in your local capital city, there was a quarry hidden away behind a few overshadowing buildings. Imagine if this was a quarry with no machinery where people worked for 12 hours a day breaking down, lugging and sorting pieces of granite with their bare hands in unfathomable conditions.

You don’t have to imagine, this is a day in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and this is a reality for hundreds of people who work in this mine day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset in extremely dangerous conditions.

Of course, this is before you even consider where you are in the World – the middle of West Africa, where temperatures often exceed 40 degrees celcius. This is before you consider the additional heat which fills the mine, generated from burning scrap tyres, used to heat rock in an effort to soften the granite so raw strength and hand tools can penetrate. This is also before you consider the toxic fumes which fill the air with the smell of burning rubber, not to mention a myriad of other safety issues.

This is life for hundreds of children that are born into a life in the mines and if you were to think back to when you were 10 years old or younger we imagine the environment you grew up in was markedly different.

What’s it like for the children of the workers here?
They can grow up at home or stay in daycare or with a baby sitter, right?

Unfortunately not, these Western luxuries aren’t an option as entire families work in the mine, struggling to make ends meet on an unimaginably low wage. Facilities simply don’t exist and when they are avaliable, they are out of reach of most Burkinabe on their level of income.

Children as young as 10 years old have been found working in these unsafe conditions for even the most experienced workers.

Travelling overland through West Africa, you are constanly reminded about the daily struggles people endure to feed their families and to meet their basic needs. Here in Burkina Faso, we’ve been lucky enough to meet people who are taking a lead in trying to break down barriers.

Thankfully a local organisation AEJTB – Association des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs de Burkina (Association of Child and Young Workers in Burkina) in partnership with Save the Children Canada established a nursery, the Bii-songo school 10 years ago. It was built adjacent to the site for these children to spend their days in a safe environment away from the harsh life and dangers of the quarry and provides the opportunity for the children to receive basic education.

What’s it like in Bii-Songo?
For us, entering the gate of the school was surreal. We aren’t rockstars but try to imagine deafening screams of excitement from around ninety four year old children as they swarm you on mass with hi-fives and hugs, their smiles so big you that it even hurts your facial muscles.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to a couple of welcome songs from the kids and you’ll never forget the sound. The teachers do sensational work and it truely is a santuary for learning, in what seems a world away from the dangers of the open granite mine and the life that accompanies it.

There is still much to do, young children are still around the mine outside of school times – metres away from flying pieces of rock, swinging hammers and the toxic fumes.

You can play your part the work of these organisations by helping people improve the lives of children. By getting involved in the work of Save the Children in Burkina Faso you can ensure that kids can continue to go to school away from the dangers of an open quarry. These guys facilitate numerous projects with local organisations all of which are run by Burkinabe for Burkinabe.

By supporting this work you are giving these kids a chance to learn in a safe environment you can play a part in giving them an opportunity to get a good education and a future where they have the ability to work wherever they choose to.

This is your chance to stand with the children, the workers, and the communities of Burkina Faso striving for a safe, prosperous and better future.

We were lucky enough to be allowed to film an extraordinary tour of the school and mine and as soon as an internet connection permits – we’ll have that online so you can get a feel for the mine up close and personal.

Thanks to Bernie, Janet, Pegue, Jean Paul and everybody at the Save The Children (Canada) Ouagadougou office for making this possible.