The United States is a perennial friend to Burkina Faso. That friendship is reflected in the numerous outreach programs we have with Burkina Faso, including the U.S. Army Cadet Understanding and Language Proficiency Program (CULP). The CULP sends cadets from different universities across the United States to travel in small groups to other nations across the world. The goal is to develop more cultural awareness and foreign language proficiency skills. This year the cadets participated in several cultural events with Burkinabe officer candidates including the Marathon Altitude Nahouri on June 24, planted mango trees at the Ziniare orphanage on July 5, the graduation of Burkinabe officers at l’Académie Militaire Georges Namoano (AMGN) on July 22, and an outreach event to Lycée Provincial in Pô. The Lycée Provincial event on June 23 was an opportunity for local students to discuss with the cadets what it means to be a good citizen and the challenges they confront. At the conclusion of the discussion, the cadets and students played a soccer match, and the students received 42 non-deflating soccer balls from the US Embassy and cadets. These durable soccer balls represent the durable relationship between our two countries, our two militaries and our two peoples as well as our shared love of the game that unifies the world.
