Burkina Faso bound? Don’t forget U.S. Embassy address

Our embassies around the world, from London to Lomé and from Tokyo to Tegucigalpa, are there to help American citizens in need. No matter where you’re traveling, there are things you can do to keep yourself safe — and to help the embassy help you.

Growing up in San Jose, my life revolved around playing ice hockey and avidly following our beloved Los Tiburones, the San Jose Sharks. I had little idea that three years of French at Valley Christian High School would help me with more than pronouncing the names of players like Vincent Damphousse.

Fast forward 15 years, and I’ve just finished a tour as vice consul at the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A landlocked, Frenchspeaking country in West Africa, Burkina Faso is one of the poorest and least developed nations in the world. For what it lacks in material resources, Burkina Faso makes up in the hospitality of its people, which is why its name means “land of the honest men.”

Burkina Faso might not be high on your travel bucket list, but at any moment it hosts a few thousand Americans working for aid organizations, volunteering on service trips, or living here full time as missionaries.

Our embassies around the world, from London to Lomé and from Tokyo to Tegucigalpa, are there to help American citizens in need. Often, our help is mundane but essential, such as replacing a stolen passport the day before your flight home. We also visit American citizens in prison to ensure fair treatment, check on missing family members, and help stranded Americans return home. And when a crisis strikes, we’re always ready to jump into action.

In January 2016, three terrorists attacked a café and a hotel in Ouagadougou that were popular with Westerners, killing 30 people and injuring countless others. The embassy sprang into action. Consular staff set up a response center to handle phone calls from family members in the United States.

At the same time, other embassy personnel coordinated with Burkina Faso security forces at the attack site while the attack was still in progress. With the country’s limited medical facilities only able to accept victims with the most serious injuries, embassy families opened their homes to take in victims and help them contact families back home.

Meanwhile, throughout the night, the embassy’s response center communicated with staff on site at the attack, providing real-time updates on the situation and helping us learn who had been rescued and who remained unaccounted for.

No matter where you’re traveling, there are things you can do to keep yourself safe — and to help the embassy help you.

Sign up online with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at STEP.state. gov. During the attack in Ouagadougou, we relied on STEP enrollments to see who was staying at the hotel under attack and to learn how to contact them. Without a doubt, it saved lives.

Know where you’re going. Read up on your destination at travel.state.gov so you can take appropriate security precautions, and carry contact details for the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. We can respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Finally, “like” the embassy Facebook page in the country where you’re traveling and follow @TravelGov on Twitter to stay connected with us. These are often the first places we publish information in a crisis.

Wherever you go this summer, know that there are U.S. diplomats working in more than 175 embassies and consulates around the world to support U.S. interests and citizens. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a service trip in a developing country or your honeymoon somewhere exotic. We stand ready to help.