Four years later, in February 1984, the Pope’s plan became a reality with the establishment of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel. The Sahel is a semiarid region south of the Sahara. The group’s objective is to form leaders, health workers, hydraulic engineers, civil engineers, mechanics, agriculturists, stockbreeders and forest specialists.
According to foundation sources, the institution provides about 3.5 million euros ($4.1 million) a year for various projects. The countries that receive aid are Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia and Chad.
While maintaining the foundation’s activity at the General Secretariat in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, the Pope established its legal headquarters and the custody of its funds in the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum.”
The foundation’s meetings are chaired by the president of the administrative council, Bishop Seraphim Rouamba of Koupela, Burkina Faso. Cardinal Paul Zoungrana of Burkina Faso is honorary president.
