Ground Zero
In the summer of 2018, six volunteers traveled to Burkina Faso - the trip that started it all. Ten days, three water wells, 268 school uniforms, and 150 food packages, built from scratch by a team that had never done anything like this before.
Year:
2019
Project Destination (s):
Burkina Faso
Trip Destination (s):
Burkina Faso
Trip Duration:
~10 days
Key Projects:
3 water wells
Overview:
Every organization has a first trip. This was ours. Six volunteers, no playbook, and a ten-day window to make something happen in Burkina Faso. We built three water wells across Sapone, Koudougou, and Dedougou. We partnered with the World Bank to supply an entire village school in Sapone with 268 uniforms and supplies. We spent the night before packing 150 food packages by hand - rice, sugar, oil, pasta, tomato paste - and handed them out alongside 100+ candy and stuffed animals for the kids. It wasn't perfect. But it was the start of everything.
Impact:
Three water wells across three cities, 268 school uniforms and supplies delivered to an entire village school, 150 food packages packed by hand, and 100+ gifts for the kids - all on a first trip, with no blueprint to follow.
Highlights:
Crocodile encounters, ATV rides up Sindou Peaks, and the waterfalls of Cascades de Karfiguela. Six first-timers finding their footing in a country that would become the foundation of everything Blossom Together would go on to do. Shout out to the original crew: Sami Kandil, Mehmet Esat Kilinc, Arif Soydan, Samil Cil, Samed Cetinkaya, and Omer Mangan. Special shout out to Principal Fatih Kandil for supervising the trip and helping make it happen!
