Teksum Per Tore receiving a medal for his contribution to the lives of the children of Burkina Faso

December 2010: Teksum Per Tore is from Norway, but he will always be welcomed home to the community of the Bam province. With his support, the community now has three new schools, one named “Teksum Per Tore de Yaoghin School” in honor of their benefactor. The Government of Burkina Faso expressed its gratitude giving Tore a tribute symbolizing the country’s acknowledgement of his outstanding generosity towards the children of Burkina Faso- a medal dubbing him Knight of the Burkina Merit Order. He received the award in the village of Bokin hosting one of the schools.

For Teksum, everything started with the generous act of 22-year-old Norwegian Eiving Segtnan. Segtnan won a brand new car at a high sports competition in Norway, but contributed the money derived from the sale of the car, $38,000, to Plan for the construction of classrooms in the village of Gabou.

Inspired by Segtnan, Tore visited Plan in Burkina Faso in 2007 to learn more about its projects. In the three years since, he has funded Plan’s education projects in the Bam program area, providing a contribution of $355,670 to build school complexes. Each of the three school complexes consists of three furnished classrooms, three houses for teachers, a borehole and two blocks of three separate latrines for boys and girls. The funds also covered the rehabilitation of a former school and the purchase of an additional borehole.

“Before, our classrooms were straw halls, we sat on the ground and the wind and rain often interrupted our studies. Now we are learning in new buildings of concrete with new benches," said Ouedraogo Habibou, a 3rd year grader at the Bokin school.
 “We are thankful to Mr Teksum for his generous gift. He has made an incredible difference to our lives and to the lives of our children,” said Plan Burkina’s Program Operations Manager, Oumarou Koala.

Future perspectives

Thanks to the Norwegian sponsor, the community of the Bam province has three new schools

While Teksum per Tore is called by the local communities and children of Burkina Faso “the generous Norwegian school builder,” he remains modest about his work.
“I did not expect the award. My objective is to help children in countries other than my own to get a chance to be educated. It is one of the children’s rights to go to school,” commented Teksum.

After receiving the award, Teksum announced his plans to build a 4th school complex with solar electricity for the Bokin School, and assistance to complete a school complex and teacher’s house in the village of Souma. He is using money given to him by his mother for Christmas to fund the project, sharing the Christmas spirit with his adopted community in Burkina.

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