CRS representative to speak at Paul VI High School March 4

Jacque Kaboré and his nine brothers and sisters grew up in Burkina Faso-a poor, landlocked country dependent on subsistence agriculture and vulnerable to drought.
Today he directs a community finance program for Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic church in the United States.
This Lent he is visiting the United States to share his personal story with audiences and show how participation in CRS Rice Bowl by Catholics in the U.S. is helping bring innovative programs and approaches to stop hunger in poor communities overseas.
He will speak at Paul VI High School, Haddonfield, on March 4, 7 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.
Kaboré, by age 10, was used to spending hours pounding millet for his family’s meals, looking after his siblings and walking long distances to school.
Growing up in severe circumstances did not discourage him. In fact, it deepened his commitment to serving those in need.
His education included six years at the Seminary of St. Augustine in Burkina Faso, followed by a position as a legal assistant. Kaboré then worked with the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou on agriculture projects. Continuing to seek work where he could make a difference, Kaboré joined Catholic Relief Services in 1999.
Kaboré currently directs the Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) program for CRS in Burkina Faso. SILC is a community finance model that empowers members to contribute savings and to borrow funds for small business projects to raise family income.
Although Kaboré is often teased that he spends his days holding meetings with groups of women under trees in rural villages, his work makes a difference in the lives of thousands of people every year.
For more information about Catholic Charities, Operation Rice Bowl or CRS efforts in Burkina Faso, visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org
Jacque Kaboré, CRS head of Savings and Internal Lending Communities, Burkina Faso, will speak at Paul VI High School auditorium, 901 Hopkins Road, Haddon Township, March 4, at 7 p.m.