A few days ago, the 40th edition of the Lions Award was held in the beautiful Robert HENTGEN Auditorium of the LaLux Insurance Company. The academic session was attended by a hundred guests who came to applaud the winner of the Lions Award 2022, the NGO "Le Soleil dans la Main" for "the perseverance in its humanitarian, educational and social actions in Burkina-Faso and for its approach of sensitizing the society in altruistic mutual aid".

This association was created in 2002 by three students living in the Luxembourg Ardennes, who were soon joined by friends and family members. Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, was chosen as the destination country for the association's humanitarian projects. These projects focus on human dignity and autonomy, especially in the areas of vocational training and education. Offering everyone the opportunity to gain access to knowledge by learning to read, write and count (building schools and boarding schools, reception centres for vulnerable children, etc.). But also food security, the environment, access to water (drilling of wells), and health (vaccinations and medical monitoring of children, acquisition of medical equipment etc.).

Thus, the NGO, through its participatory approach, has been able to carry out over the last few years a good thirty projects for an amount well in excess of 6 million Euros, of which 9 projects have been co-financed by the MAEE up to 75% respectively 80%.

Gilbert PREGNO, in his eulogy, places the work of our laureate within the framework of human rights.

Indeed, he sees the commitment of their leaders not as a simple attitude of charity but as an investment, aimed above all at children, quoting Nelson Mandela who said: "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world".

This way of giving without expecting a return is "giving" to create the conditions for change, to plant seeds of benevolence and love and in this sense he considers the members of the NGO also as human rights defenders.

It was Anne DICHTER and Luc SIEBENALLER who received on behalf of the association "Le Soleil dans la Main" from the hands of Governor Marc HEMMERLING and the undersigned, spokesman of the Jury, the diploma for the Lions 2022 Prize, endowed with 10.000.- Euro.

Let us also note that at the beginning of this Academic Session, our friend Vic ROD paid a vibrant tribute to our member and friend the late Robert HENTGEN, an eminent businessman, humanist and generous philanthropist who was a charter member of his club, the Lions Club Luxembourg-Country, a Past District Governor, a Melvin Jones Fellow, a Lions to the core for whom the "We Serve" was a duty without discussion.

The evening ended with a dinner reception hosted by LaLux.

Jean-Claude Koenig
13.06.2022