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September 06, 2006
Telephone Communication with Burkina Faso
While I was in Burkina Faso this year, I bought a copy of the national telephone directory to bring home to the UK with me. This is a photo of it - containing all the land-line telephone numbers in the whole country - lying on top of the phone book for my home town of Cardiff in Wales...
The phone book has been very useful during this time of trying to organise the relief aid for Gorom-Gorom, as I have been able to find people and organisations to call to try and get help. I usually call Burkina from my computer using Skype. Although there is a slight delay, it is an excellent way of keeping in contact. I was talking to the pastor in Gorom-Gorom a couple of days ago about Friday's food distribution, and he asked me to pass on thanks to everyone for their prayers and help. Thank you.
Broadband and Mobile Phones
Apparently a few of my friends in parts of Ouagadougou now have Broadband! (Although I'm not sure that translates into quite the same speeds as the broadband we have here...).
Mobile telephone coverage is also expanding rapidly, and I am trying to get hold of a few second-hand mobile phones as people upgrade to newer models, to give to my friends and key contacts around Gorom-Gorom. Gorom is covered by a mobile network, and being able to get hold of Seydou or one of the pastors without having to leave a message and call back several hours later will be so helpful in co-ordinating relief efforts like this.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina telephone gorom phone book communication telecommunication gorom-gorom mobiles
Posted by Keith at September 6, 2006 09:33 AM
