CAT SYA was conceived in 2008 following an eye-opening trip to Burkina by one of the founders. In 2009, it was established as a non-profit association focused on promoting improvements in Africa in the fields of education, health, and development.
In 2013, it incorporated the objective of promoting the socioeconomic development of women in African society and began the process of obtaining official authorization to operate in Burkina Faso. In 2019, it obtained public utility status and aligned itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Our name reflects who we are! CAT is the abbreviation for Catalonia, and SYA is the former name of the city where our headquarters are located in Burkina (the city of Sya), formerly the capital of the country, which was renamed in 1904 as Bobo-Dioulasso (“the house of the Bobo-Dioula,” the main ethnic groups of the region).
In the educational field, our aim is to improve learning conditions and strengthen school facilities. In the healthcare field, we strive to enhance infrastructure in health centers. For women and children, we promote vocational training to ensure access to employment and financial stabilit
The strength of CAT SYA lies in its people: members, sponsors, donors, collaborators, project management and fundraising teams, volunteers, along with the involvement, determination, and courage of our professional team in Burkina. It is their dedication that makes our intervention possible.
In general, we aim to promote initiatives that can consolidate and endure autonomously in the future. Our goal is to support sustainable projects that have the potential to continue and thrive independently over time.
Our mission in Africa is to bring improvements to the education of children, youth, and women; provide basic infrastructure to schools and healthcare centers; and promote income-generating activities for the beneficiary groups.
In Catalonia and Europe, our mission is to raise awareness about the culture, craftsmanship, way of life, and issues in Africa, as well as to obtain funds to finance projects through fundraising, outreach, and awareness activities.
CAT SYA’s intervention focuses on 4 main objectives:
Our Team
The CAT SYA team in Europe consists of the four individuals who make up the Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer), responsible for representing the NGO, handling administrative tasks, and managing finances. Additionally, there is a group of active members who carry out various functions:
a) Management of the communication plan with members, sponsors, donors, and sympathizers.
b) Organization of events and/or awareness-raising activities and fundraising initiatives.
c) Management of the CAT SYA website and its presence on social media platforms.
d) Submission of applications for funding opportunities, monitoring ongoing projects, and preparing final justification reports.
Participation in these tasks is carried out on a voluntary and unpaid basis (the team does not receive any compensation for their roles).
Thanks to our team of volunteers, CAT SYA’s work is made possible. Awareness-raising activities, solidarity concerts, discussions, markets featuring handmade products from Burkina made by the women participating in our projects (soap, fabrics, peanut paste), as well as participation in forums, conferences, exhibitions, workshops, fairs, and more.
Administrative tasks, remote project monitoring, and periodic board meetings are conducted at the NGO’s headquarters (located in a private residence) and/or through remote means.
We organize periodic board meetings for the organizational and management tasks of the NGO, including project monitoring, evaluating new aid requests, drafting projects for grant applications, annual reports for each sponsored child, accounting, event preparation, and more.
CAT SYA only has contracted staff in Burkina:
a) The Burkinabe deputy representative of the NGO.
b) The person in charge of the administrative and accounting tasks of the NGO in Burkina.
c) The various project coordinators and the worker responsible for purchases (food, school supplies, products, etc.).
The CAT SYA team in figures:
C/Major de Sarrià, 71, 2º. 08017 BCN, ESPANYA
+34 605 104 203 / 605 944 343
hola@catsya.com
Villa F4 Nº04, CITE AN II,
Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)
00226 782 97 034 // 700 23 986