Lumière des Enfants (ALE)

Lumière des Enfants, or Children's Light, is a non profit that was established to address the challenges faced by women and children around the world, including Burkina Faso. They are focused on women's issues faced by populations with a suppressed voice. In Burkina Faso they work with single moms struggling to support and care for several children on limited resources. They also seek care for children whose mother's are sick or incarcerated and unable to care for them. Simply put, their goal is to provide a better life for disadvantaged kids.

While they work to place orphaned children in loving supportive families, they also recognize the value of keeping a family together. They strive to produce resources for single moms trying to make ends meet.They have vocational training for women and assistance to help purchase food, diapers, and school supplies for the kids.

Impact

In 2018, Children's Light received two containers of bikes from Bikes for the World (one shipped late last year and another several months later). The bikes have been donated to women and children to increase their mobility. Some were repaired and sold to help support the overall project. The addition of the bike component to Children's Light has added 7 full time jobs and offers some part time work when the influx of bikes arrives.

Children's Light believes in nurturing the physical, intellectual, emotional, and psychological well being of disadvantaged kids. They assist in child development, assuring education is available to all children regardless of their family situations. They see to it that children receive at least one guaranteed meal a day, have regular doctor visits, and receive all their needed immunizations.

Beneficiaries

Richard (seen here) is one of those part time employees who helped unload our last container. He is a student from a single parent household. His mother works as a seamstress to care for him and his younger sister. Children's Light donated this bike to Richard for his help with the project.

From our first shipments, many students received bikes including five students who re-enrolled after receiving bikes to help with their commutes. The importance of the bike project is to increase the opportunities available to these families through improved mobility.