[column width=”2/3″]
With almost half of its population living with less than USD 1 per day and a literacy rate of only 21.8%, Burkina Faso is one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries. It ranks 134th of 137 according to the World Bank/United Nations Human Development Index.
Approximately 80% of the 16 million inhabitants live in rural Burkina Faso, and 50% are children under 15 years old.
AMURT’s activities currently focus on two locations:
Bissiri : 40 km south of Ouagadougou
Kiedpologo : 25 km west of Ouagadougou
[/column]
[column width=”1/3″]
[/column]
Agro-ecology operation
[message]
At a glance
Three families cultivate 9 hectares;
1 to 2 agroecology training a year;
Arboriculture: 500 fruit tree orchards (tangelo, tangerine, papaya, grapefruit, lemon, cashew nut, sweet apple) and thousands of Moringa trees;
Vegetable cultivation: onion, eggplant, tomatoes, koumba (local type of eggplant), sorrel, zucchini, cucumber, ladies finger, etc;Subsistence crops (rainy season crops): corn, pea nut, millet, sorghum, bean, etc.
[/message]
AMURT collaborates with local farmers and implements agro-ecological cultivation techniques for vegetables and trees. These are eco-friendly practices of agro production, such as using local compost and manure as fertilizers, neem-based products as pesticides and trees growing within cultivated areas which aim at:
- regenerating the soil and decreasing harmful and costly inputs;
- optimizing the infiltration of water and the productive potential of each crop;
- generating resources in the short, middle and long term on each plot.
Water pumps and dripping irrigation systems increase productivity and save water for out-of-season farming. We now also have a water tower attached to our borehole to supplement it. Efforts continue to develop the infrastructures, set up a better organization and offer free agro-ecology training to local farmers.
[column]
[/column]
[column]
[/column]
Moringa
[message]
At a glance
20 families are guaranteed an income through the selling of moringa, hibiscus, lemon grass and mint leaves;
1 team of 22 women + 3 workers employed in processing operations;
6000 moringa trees cultivated at Bissiri in agroforestry;
2 tons of dry moringa leaves produced this year (plus over 700 kg of lemongrass, hibiscus and mint);
This year, 7500 moringa herbal tea and moringa powder bags were sold in Ouagadougou shops. Starting exportation of our moringa-based products.
In Addition, the production of handmade sesame and moringa seed oil (about 50 liter/year both)
[/message]
Moringa is a fast-growing tree, highly resistant to drought and keeping its leaves throughout the year. Nutritional analysis showed that Moringa leaves contain, among others, 2 times more protein than yoghurt, three times more potassium than bananas, four times more calcium than milk, seven times more vitamin C than oranges, four times more vitamin A than carrots and eight essential amino acids.
Moringa leaves produce an extraordinary food supplement when dried and ground into powder. AMURT has worked for the last six years to develop a project that aims to produce, process, and distribute moringa-based products. This program has multiple benefits, including:
- Promoting permaculture and agroforestry principles in the gardens, where moringa trees, lemon grass and hibiscus plants are produced;
- Generating stable revenues for the cultivators, while inputs needed for this culture are very low;
- Empowering and generating revenue for a group of Fulani women who process it;
- Promoting local economy in an innovative way in one of the poorest rural areas in the world, hence setting a model of rural development;
- Promoting general health by making available – and affordable – a local superfood that will particularly benefit pregnant women, children and numerous people who lack sufficient nutritious and balanced food.
Primary Health Care Center
[message]
At a Glance
2 nurses and a midwife employed;
600 patients consulted per month on average;
20 deliveries per month on average;
open 24/24 hours, 7/7 days ;
Essential free services are provided to patients with acute cases.
[/message]
Since 2010, AMURT has subsidised a primary health care center. It operates under the Ministry of Health, and services are modelled on those of the CSPS (government primary health posts). Medicines are purchased at the regional district of health. This center treats malaria, diarrhoea, infection, wound, etc. Often, when families can’t afford treatments, AMURT takes responsibility for the patient as it can become a matter of life and death. In 2021, AMURT added a maternity ward to this health center to allow mothers of Bissiri and the surrounding area to deliver without having to walk, bicycle, or use a motorcycle over 7 km on very bad dirt roads to the next maternity ward. It officially opened in February 2022, and dozens of deliveries occur every month. It is a great life’s betterment for the hundreds of mothers and families of the local community.
Education: implementing a school in Bissiri
[message]
At a glance
14 classes + library/computer room + administration building + kitchen + sport ground + tree nursery set up;
340 students, 15 teachers and 5 administrators;
115 students sponsored;
School fees, noon meals and school books subsidized;
Medical support for the students whenever necessary;
Tree nursery training and reforestation programs;
Music, reading, drawing and yoga/meditation in the program for the students.
[/message]
In Bissiri, many children discontinue education after primary school. AMURT constructed four classrooms in 2013 thanks to our Italian branch sponsor. AMURT then started Bissiri’s junior high school. In 2016, the school expanded, and AMURT built four more classrooms because of the growing number of students. In the primary public school, classes are overcrowded, and the standard of education is poor. Seeing how well AMURT cares for the students, the local community asked us to start with the primary school on our campus, a dream which became a reality in 2019 with the building of 6 classes and the opening of the primary term. AMURT subsidizes the school fees, uniforms, school books, and noon meals and initiates free annual medical checkups for the students. A program of sponsorship for the children in dire need has been arranged. Education extends its jurisdiction to drawing, music, yoga, meditation, tree nursing and reforestation programs.
[column]
[/column]
[column]
[/column]
Ko Nere Program
[message]
At a glance
12 wells (boreholes) equipped with manual pumps in Tanghin Dassouri and Kombissiri commune;
One well equipped with solar pump, water tower, and over 1 km pipeline delivering water to Kiedpologo, a 500-inhabitant village, and its gardens;
Eight trainings were given to existing women’s associations (vegetable organic cultivation, composting and tree nursery techniques);
One acre of land was fenced to cultivate vegetables for the Kiedplogo village’s association of women, one solar dryer was installed, and various trainings were offered in processing (drying) vegetables and fruit. Regular production of dry mangoes, tomatoes, okra, parsley, etc.
[/message]
The aim of “Ko Nere” (“good water” in the local language) is to ease access to water and strengthen women’s associations in their endeavour to generate income. Our integrated Ko Neere approach results from a decade of diverse experience working in rural communities in Burkina Faso. The approach is simple: we begin by surveying village water access and community organisation level. Then, we meet with village-based associations and traditional leadership to exchange knowledge. From these surveys, we draw a step-by-step progressive implementation plan: a flexible plan that may adjust according to changes in place, people, the evolution of needs as time passes and available funds. We facilitate implementation while providing ongoing follow-up and training to associations based on need. Most follow-up modules center around community and family sustainability gardens, watershed management, and self-help methodologies. Ko Neere is an adaptable, low-input program with obvious, tangible benefits for rural communities!
[column]
[/column][column]
[/column]