Arrival in Loumbila, Burkina Faso of first Monaco Pavilion containers

©DR

Four of the containers which made up the Monaco Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 were recently delivered to Loumbila, where they are to become a first-aid training centre for the entire West Africa region.

After four months of dismantling work in Milan, shipment by sea from Genoa to Abidjan and the remainder of the journey by road, the first Monaco Pavilion containers arrived at the rehabilitated site in Loumbila, where work has begun on preparing the ground and constructing the perimeter wall.

The containers will constitute the main structure of a multipurpose training centre for the Burkina Faso Red Cross, enabling the organisation to run training sessions on first-aid topics, including water rescue techniques.

The Loumbila facility will also house a professional training centre for vulnerable populations. It will have accommodation units, enabling it to host events and conventions. As a result of this project, the Burkina Faso Red Cross will be able to generate income in order to address the country’s humanitarian challenges. The complex, located close to the future Ouagadougou international airport, is set to open in 2017.

It is worth recalling that this project to give a second lease of life to the Monaco Pavilion has received awards for its innovative and sustainable nature. It is the only pavilion which is being converted and reused for an international solidarity project following Expo Milano 2015.

This initiative was made possible thanks to a partnership between the Monaco Red Cross and the Burkina Faso Red Cross, supported by the Prince’s Government, SMEG, the Princess Charlene Foundation and private sponsors.