OCTOBER 2001

Update on our work in Burkina Faso

Dr. Fitigu Tadesse, Africa Regional Director

The Hunger Project coordination committee of the village of Toulfe.

Strategic Programs

Since the last Board meeting in San Francisco, THP-Burkina Faso has expanded its work to seven major Epicenters, namely, Yatenga, Fétombaga, Loaga, Nagréongo, Nongfaire, Toulfé and Zincko. These Epicenters contain a total of 76 villages and a population of approximately 100,000 people, extending from central to northern Burkina Faso.

• Food Production and Security
  In all the epicenters, THP-Burkina has provided agricultural inputs and implements, diverse and improved vegetable and grain seeds, a revolving credit fund and food banks to men and women farmers. These inputs and services enable the population to increase their food production for home consumption, for local markets, and even into neighboring Togo.
  
  Moreover, partners were able to store in each of their food banks over 100 sacks of maize, millet and sorghum to ensure that the population has access to food during the dry season of the year. In addition to the food bank, many women are receiving micro-credit loans to enable them to engage in producing vegetable produce for their own consumption to improve their nutritional status and for the market. From the market sales, they have invested a portion of their earnings to expand their vegetable gardens and diversify into other income generating activities.
  
  One of the epicenters in Yatenga was created in partnership with the NAAM movement which is led by Africa Prize Laureate, Dr. Bernard Lédéa Ouédraogo. In this partnership work, THP-Burkina and NAAM are collaborating in a new system of ensuring food security for the population of Oualugouya, especially women, through a sustainable program of micro-credit projects.

• Income Cenerating Activities
  The revolving credit programs in these epicenters has enabled our partners, especially women, to engage in many income generating activities. These activities have a tremendous concrete impact on the livelihoods of the population in all these Epicenters. The following are among the major activities:

1. Peanut butter extraction project for the market: Each woman engaged in this activity in Nagreongo, has received a monthly income of $50 after repayment on her loans over the last six months.
   
2. Tie-dye project in Zincko: This project is currently bringing a monthly income of over CFA 50,000 ($50) for each woman participating.
3. Cattle raising project: This has resulted in a net benefit of CFA 40,000 ($60) per month for each woman involved in the project.
4. Poultry farming, sheep rearing and vegetable gardens.
   
5. Other income generating activities: These include rental of mills and rice husking instruments that have proven to be very good sources of income for our partner communities.

• Micro-credit: Rural Bank
  The cumulative amount of funds invested into the revolving fund distributed to 7,159 people of six epicenters of Nagréongo, Zincko, Loaga, Nongfaire, Toulfé, Fétombaga from 1997 to September 2001 is CFA 54,972,775 (approximately US$78,532).
  
  This revolving fund has been and continues to be a crucial tool for the men and especially women who are our partners to create wealth through their income-generating activities and though their savings. The revolving fund has enabled the population of Zincko and Nagréongo to establish rural banks in the two epicenters in 2000. As a result, the populations of the other regions are in the process of creating similar rural banks in their epicenters.

1. Nagréongo: Over 2,400 participants benefited from credits of more than CFA 29,011,950 (US $41,500).
   
2. Zincko: A total of 2,617 people have benefited from credit of more than CFA 24,789,600 (US $35,413).
3. Loaga: A total of 1050 people have benefited from the credit program, amounting to CFA 302,000 (US $431).
4. Nongfaire: A total of 500 people received credit of CFA 296,725 (US $424).
   
5. Toulfé: A total of 300 people received credit amounting to CFA 242,000 approximately (US $346).
   
6. Fétombaga: A total of 250 people received credit amounting CFA 330,000 (US $500).

THP-Burkina Faso reported that, to date, the rate of return for these loans has ranged from 97% to 99%. In six months alone, these loans generated interest income of over $2,000. Using these funds, the women and men created five new micro-enterprises in partner villages in the areas of milling, oil pressing, rice husking and tie dying of cloth. In each of these micro-enterprises, THP-Burkina has also funded the construction of necessary facilities, the acquisition of essential equipment and the training of women and men in these trades.

• Education and Literacy

1. Literacy: During this period, THP-Burkina Faso has opened 15 centers for functional literacy in the six epicenters where 1,804 women now know how to read and write. In addition, 8,679 women and men have received training in management, marketing, accounting and capacity building as well as agricultural techniques.
2. Training: In addition to the literacy courses, TI-1P-Burkina has also trained partners in pig raising, improved vegetable production, management and tie dye techniques.

Women’s literacy class in Néguet.

Women show what they have learned to write in literacy class.

• Health and Hygiene
  The health and hygiene program in the six epicenters has a significant impact on the health of the population. THP-Burkina has trained 570 midwives and heath officers to help the women in family planning, child nutrition and prevention of HIV. In addition, a special campaign was launched to educate the population of the epicenters on prevention of HIV/AIDS. In this context, THP-Burkina has reached more than 500 couples, providing them with information on this terrible disease. The health centers are equipped with beds, mattresses and delivery tables for the maternity ward in Zineko (valued at 500,000 CFA or US $850). In Nagréongo, a pharmacy is functioning with medications and other medical items are being distributed freely to the population of the epicenter.

• Vision, Commitment and Action workshop: Animators
  During the first quarter of 2001 THP-Burkina held many VCA workshops in Ouagadougou and other areas. A total of 623 people have attended these workshops. To date, over 1,000 men and women have participated representing the populations of the six epicenters. Of these, over 100 special animators were selected for in-depth training in the principles of THP and the SPIA methodology. These animators are now working to empower the population of their respective villages to become self-reliant.

• Partnership with NAAM movement: NAAM has continued with the following projects:
  

1. Cold storage: THP has built two cold storage facilities for the storage of potatoes that the population is using to help ensure food security by having access to food at all times of the year.
2. Savings and credit: Two savings and credit banks, built with the assistance of THP, are ensuring that the women of NAAM have continued access to THP's revolving credit grants.
3. Credit for Income Generation: Small loans of over 9,000,000 FCFA have been awarded to 360 additional women enabling them to expand their existing income-generating activities and to create new micro-enterprises in and around Ouahigouya.

• Future Expansion

1. Rural Food Banks: Since the rural food banks are critical to ensuring food security and access to food at all times of the year, it is important that, in addition to the banks that exist in the epicenters of Nagréongo and Zineko, THP-Burkina establishes rural food banks in the four new epicenters in partnership with the populations.
2. Expanded Activities: In the year 2001, THP-Burkina Faso intends to expand its activities in a larger area of the northeastern region of Burkina Faso to encompass a population of over 250,000. This will be in addition to the villages surrounding the two epicenters of Zincko and Nagréongo. THP-Burkina will carry out SPIA catalytic projects in the new expansion areas, as well as the regular programs of literacy, health, increased food production, food bank, rural bank and credit for women. THP-Burkina will work in cooperation with the African Woman Food Farmers' Initiative (AWFFI) in Burkina, led by the National Coordinator Mrs. Bernadette Ouattara, to firmly establish the Credit Program in Burkina Faso.