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Cécile Béloum/Ouédraogo is a symbol of community and political participation in Burkina Faso. A nurse who became a priest, she has had an extraordinary journey. Now retired, she devotes herself to the Association for the Moral, Material and Intellectual Support of Children (AMMIE), which she founded to fight child malnutrition and respond to the urgent needs of children in fragile security situations.
Born in the Yatenga province in the Northern Region, Cécile Béloum/Ouédraogo has had a remarkable career both professionally and socially. She began her education at the Kosuka School and continued her training at the Ouachigua Women’s Technical Centre.
She began her career in the health sector, where she became a nurse, then head nurse from 1977 to 1985, and later head nurse of the nursing department at CHR Ouachigua from 1985 to 1988. Her skills and dedication led her to positions of greater responsibility, notably those of Regional Director of the National School of Public Health (ENSP) in Ouachigua from 2000 to 2002 and Regional Director for the Advancement of Women in the Northern Region.
At the political level, Cécile Belloume/Ouedraogo is an influential leader. She was first a councillor for the municipality of Ouachigoua, serving twice since 2000, then a member of the Parliament of Burkina Faso (2002-2007 and 2007-2008) and a member of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States. From 2003 to 2008, she was Vice-President of the Women and Children’s Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Her political commitment reached its peak when she was appointed Minister in charge of relations with the Parliament of Burkina Faso from 2008 to 2011.
In parallel with her activities and political career, Cécile Béloum/Ouédraogo was also active in social causes, in particular through the AMMIE association, of which she was a founding member. Now retired, she devotes her full time to this association.
AMMIE, Cécile Béloum Solutions to ensure child protection
The Association for the Spiritual, Material and Intellectual Support of Children was founded on August 27, 1992 and is dedicated to meeting the urgent needs of children, especially in the field of health, with the objectives of promoting the health and well-being and development of individuals, families and communities; protecting, supporting, providing relief and assistance to vulnerable groups; improving the socio-economic and cultural level of individuals, families and communities, protecting the environment and sustainable development.
According to Dame Béloum, one of the motivations for creating the AMMIE association was the high rates of malnutrition among children under five in the northern region at the time.
“When we created AMMIE, health authorities reported that at least 36% of children in the North suffered from protein-energy malnutrition. We really need to help reduce this rate through advocacy, awareness, assistance and all kinds of support to develop the capacity of families to lift children out of malnutrition and protect them,” explains Ms Cécile Béloum.
AMMIE therefore works to improve the health, well-being, survival and development of children while ensuring they are protected.
However, given the security situation that Burkina Faso has experienced over the past decade, the association has expanded its interventions to contribute to the protection, healthy nutrition, resilience and assistance of vulnerable groups and populations. Currently, the company operates in 8 of the 13 regions of Burkina Faso.
Cécile Béloum, a serious working woman
Issa Sawadogo, a national of Kossouka, the birthplace of Cécile Béloum/Ouédraogo, worked with her for many years and recognized her inner values. “Cécile Béloum is someone I have known since childhood. I was in CP1 and had dracunculiasis. One day, my father forgot me at school and Cécile, who was in fourth grade, carried me home on her back. Maybe she doesn’t remember, but the child never forgets,” Issa Sawadogo tells us, recalling her first meeting with Mrs. Béloum.
Cécile Bellum, he continued, was a fighter. To listen to her and to talk about Cécile Bellum was like talking about a lifetime, because there was so much to say about her. Professionally, she was described as a tireless fighter. Her political involvement and the actions of the AMMIE Association bore witness to her deep commitment to human life, which for her was sacred and therefore protected.
“Politically we knew him. In addition, through her AMMIE association, she did everything for child protection at provincial and national levels. We affectionately called Cécile Béloum Mama and we never get tired when we talk about her. She was someone who never got tired. If you worked with Mama, you never rested because she didn’t know how a man could get tired, because she didn’t get tired because she always tried to do better,” her former colleague concluded.
This constant pursuit of excellence molded his professional entourage, instilling in them discipline and sheer determination.
Clotilde Cissé/Béloum, his daughter and collaborator at the AMMIE association, confirms this rigor. “I am her daughter, but I worked with her for several years. I was his secretary at the AMMIE association. I just remember that she loved a good job, so she would carefully check everything point by point. (Click here to read the full article)
Hanifa Koussoube
Lefaso.com
Photo credit: Ilbudo Landry Eric Windcuney
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