Dear President, dear Juan Carlos, rest in peace.

Dear Friends of Rimkieta,

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Juan Carlos Vázquez-Dodero, Honorary President and Founding Trustee of the Friends of Rimkieta Foundation, at the age of 80.

Many of you may know that he had been in fragile health for years. Even so, his dedication to Rimkieta remained absolute.

He leaves us with his immense gratitude to all of you, the Friends of Rimkieta, for having believed in “this crazy idea”, which was the most “accurate” way he used to describe the Foundation: a highly unconventional instrument for helping the neediest among the needy in a hostile environment.

He was a very special person, brilliant both professionally and personally. During the last 21 years, thanks to the often surprising paths of Providence, he devoted himself even more to the service of others. Only this time, his work was no longer directed towards the most talented, as had been the case throughout his professional career, but towards those who have nothing.

His perseverance in the face of the enormous challenges of the task before him has made it possible to build a project of great social impact, known and recognised, with the vocation to endure over time, at least until 2087, the year in which a woman who has benefited from the Friends of Rimkieta Foundation will be proclaimed President of Burkina Faso — Juan Carlos dixit.

Juan Carlos, continue to accompany us, now from Heaven. Do not let go of us. That way, we will feel less alone.

Board of Trustees and Staff of the Friends of Rimkieta Foundation