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CULTIVATING VALUE: THE FIRST MILESTONES

It has been a year since we launched the project ‘Cultivating Value: good practices and innovative methods for inclusive and sustainable agro-livestock production’ with funding from the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development (AICS) e la partecipazione di vari partners. During these months, we have pursued the results we set ourselves by trying to improve the managerial and technical capacities, production, processing and transformation of the products of the Bagré farm and livestock enterprise managed by the Burkinabé NGO SAPHE.

We are in Burkina Faso, a country where the majority of the population lives in a state of deep poverty and which suffers from severe instability due to the many changes of government and increasingly rampant terrorism. This is why it is essential to intervene for the conscious development of all productive activities that can bring real benefit to the population, supporting them in the fight against malnutrition and destitution.

In this first year of the project, we had to cope with the state of insecurity in the country, which made the implementation of some activities difficult: terrorist groups in the country had established themselves in the areas surrounding Bagré, preventing direct intervention and monitoring of activities by experienced expatriate staff for the first six months. In the face of this, we had to operate remotely to achieve our first goalsA computerised accounting system was set up to allow all project stakeholders to be aware of the farm’s expenses and revenues; training was started for four professional figures considered essential to improve the management of the agro-livestock farm; and communication of the initiative to sector bodies and institutions was promoted to include the farm in a community network. This commitment prompted the Burkinabe Minister of Agriculture to want to get to know the reality of production by personally visiting agricultural fields.

The photovoltaic systems were connected to power the barn and dairy machinery with free green energy, and the paperwork to start construction of a barn, feed store, wells, living quarters and horizontal silos was completed.

In addition, fields have been divided up for specific crops, all bordered by hedges of indigenous African wild herbs, which will have the fundamental aim of preserving biodiversity, an objective that is also fundamental for the Burkinabé government, which has recently decided to implement strict agricultural policies. During this last year, what had been planned in the very early stages of the project was cultivated: rice, white maize, yellow maize, sesame and bananas, but the harvest was reduced due to the difficult availability of fertilisers.

 

Unfortunately, over the past year, due to the world geo-political situation, fertiliser production and trade have been drastically reduced. This means – for all those countries suffering from mineral-poor soils – that it is becoming more and more difficult to make the land yield properly. To cope with this situation, in-house production of organic fertilisers such as Bokeshi and Biochor was started using agricultural or animal waste.

In addition to the agricultural land, the Bagré farm also has 70 cows, which, with respect to their breed and peculiarities, are able to offer sufficient production.milk for the packaging of dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese, which are also essential to provide the local population with a varied choice of food.

 

Of all the production (agricultural and dairy) this past year, 80% was sold, while the remaining 20% was distributed free of charge to the socio-health centres of the Camillian Burkinabé delegation and at the schools in Bagré and Tenkodogo.

In order to make the project long-lasting and rooted in the territory, field activities were also accompanied by the training of personnel working in the companycourses for 25 young local farmers, 10 permanent on the farm and 15 seasonal, focused on theoretical and practical lessons on cultivation techniques, plant cycle, biodiversity and many other topics related to their occupation. The two women who look after the dairy products and the three farmers who supervise the stable were also able to attend training days.

One of the project outcomes is the increase in women’s empowerment in the Bagré Community. To this end, the CSO partner AES-CCC initiated a series of actions that saw the women of the Bagré community at the centre of several initiatives: a database of all the women’s cooperatives operating in the area was created, and from these, women were chosen to participate in training days to strengthen their skills, while others were identified to elaborate the nutrition security plan for the Bagré municipality, which has already been drafted and approved. 18 municipal councillors and 15 women’s associations (about 450 women) were involved in nutrition security policies and the role of women in the sector, of which 30 women were trained on the OHADA law, association life and PO management and the national nutrition plan. A further three groups of women were selected and formed into rice processing cooperatives, and 27 women received training on improving steaming techniques and the use of equipment, with the involvement of a specialised consultant from the National Union of Rice Cooperative Societies of Burkina Faso (UNERIZ).

 

In this first year, despite many difficulties, we have achieved much of what we set out to do. Our intention in the coming months is to continue working to make the Bagré farm fully productive, giving the local population access to a varied selection of foodstuffs, necessary for the wellbeing and health of every individual.

We will continue to keep you updated on all the steps forward!

 

This article was produced as part of the project Coltivare Valore: good practices and innovative methods for inclusive and sustainable agro-livestock production AID 012590/08/4 funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Italian Development Cooperation Agency. The Italian Development Cooperation Agency is not responsible for information that is considered erroneous, incomplete, inadequate, defamatory or in any way reprehensible.

JUVENANT SAINT CAMILLE IS ONLINE

It has not been many months since we told you about the project ‘Construction of a well, installation of a drinking water pumping system and installation of a computer room with 24 computers’ at the Juvenant Saint Camille institute in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, now that the project has come to an end, we are pleased to update you on the milestones we have achieved.

The Juvenant Saint Camille is a school centre that gives many children in the capital of Burkina Faso – Ouagadougou – and in many neighbouring areas, the opportunity to have access to a comprehensive education, in a serene environment, despite the many shortcomings and difficulties of the country itself.

By the end of last year, the need for the facility to proceed with further modernisation had become apparent. In particular, the need for a well and a pumping system capable of providing enough drinking water for the needs of the children and the school was emphasised, and it also seemed essential to proceed with the installation of a computer room.

We at Health and Development were very happy to be able to contribute and from 1 November 2022 we decided to start work. Now the well has been completed and is functioning regularly, providing the school with drinking water, and the computer room has been equipped with no less than 24 computers and a projector.

The computer room was strongly desired by the school to give the children access to an almost infinite amount of knowledge, do in-depth research on school topics and develop manual dexterity and skills with technology, a fundamental component of our lives today.

Now that everything is complete, we are happy to have achieved our goals and renew our willingness to support and back all those projects designed to improve the living conditions of those in need in developing countries. We wish all Juvenant students good use of their new tools, improving and learning more and more.

SCHOOL SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUAGADOUGOU

Burkina Faso is a very poor country where living conditions are even more precarious following the escalation of violence and attacks since 2014. In this context, the Camillians who daily try to intervene to improve the living conditions of the Burkinabé are many, including Fr Jean Paul Ouedraogo.

P. Jean Paul decided in 2006 to start a project for orphaned and vulnerable children in Ouagadougou and their mothers, which included one summer camp per year until 2013. From the following year, when the unrest in the country worsened, he decided to organise one meeting a month of sharing, play and dialogue. These occasions highlighted the urgent need these children had for help and support in their educational, human and professional development.

Thus, the Notre Dame de la Plenitude Association was born, with the specific aim of giving orphaned and vulnerable children the opportunity to resume and continue their education, from kindergarten to university or vocational school, providing them with the foundations to embark on a path of autonomy and self-determination.

We at Health and Development have decided to intervene in support of the Association’s activities: the project ‘School support for 20 orphaned children’ started in March this year and will last six months, in which Health and Development will undertake to financially support the education of 20 children – aged between 6 and 20 – who will be able to continue attending school and finish the school cycle they started.

We are very happy to be able to help these young people in need to continue their education and improvement. We will keep you updated on all developments and milestones that we – together with the Notre Dame de la Plenitude Association – manage to achieve.

SOLAR PANELS AT THE INSTITUTE SUPÉRIEUR PRIVÉ DE SANTÉ SAINT CAMILLE IN OUAGADOUGOU

A few months ago, during a mission in Burkina Faso, we had the pleasure of attending a ceremony at the Institut Supérieur Privé de Santé Saint Camille de Lellis in Ouagadougou, in the presence of the Burkinabé Minister of Health and other high state and city officials. On the occasion of this celebration, the great value of the Institute was repeatedly emphasised: a centre for nursing studies, which has established itself on the country’s health scene for the high specialisation it offers its students, who come not only from Burkina Faso, but also from 12 other African nations.

Burkina Faso still remains an extremely poor nation, where the majority of the population lives in a precarious state and without access to basic sanitation, health and education services. In recent years, the situation has worsened further due to terrorism that has targeted the country.

Cultivating and specialising in health and nursing appears to be a priority, and the school in Ouagadougou offers one of the best study paths. To support the centre and strengthen our support for the Burkinabe population, we inaugurated on 1 March the ‘Installation of solar panels at the Institut Supérieur Privé de Santé Saint Camille de Lellis’which will be completed at the end of August and includes the purchase and installation of a number of solar panels and a system for injecting energy directly into the consumer grid during these six months. The aim is to ensure that the institute can become energy self-sufficient through renewable sources.

We are happy to be able to contribute to the further improvement of this centre of excellence, in the hope that it will continue to be an important training centre, not only for its country, but also for neighbouring countries, as it is today.

AT THE MACO IN OUAGADOUGOU IN DEFENCE OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL

The MACO (Maison d’Arret et de Correction de Ouagadougou) is the largest prison in the capital of Burkina Faso. The conditions of the facility are quite precarious: overcrowding is the most obvious problem, in fact, not too long ago, it was even feared that the facility would collapse due to the excessive number of inmates.

With this in mind, it is not surprising that the living and health conditions there are well below standard. The Camillians of the prison chaplaincy realised the need to intervene as soon as possible to make the treatment more humane, allowing these inmates to experience prison as a re-education, with full respect for inviolable human rights.

The situation in Burkina Faso is difficult from several points of view: starting from the endemic poverty, to the terrorism that has been gripping the country in a vice for several years. Ensuring that inmates have a dignified life in prison is crucial to prevent further resentments that may later erupt into anger and violence.

In an attempt to pursue this goal, the Camillians of the prison chaplaincy proposed to Salute e Sviluppo to participate in the Projet d’humanisation de la Maison d’Arret et de Correction de Ouagadougou (MACO)’. The project consists of providing more than 1600 inmates with the meals they need to maintain a proper diet, supplying monthly hygiene kits to about 100 women in the prison, distributing the soap needed for the hygiene of 1600 people, giving clothes to about 50 inmates – the most destitute – and buying all the medicines needed to supply the institution’s infirmary and to treat particular illnesses.

We at Salute e Sviluppo are happy to be able to contribute to this project: although those in prison have a sentence to serve, it is only fair that they receive dignified treatment, with full respect for human rights. Improving the living conditions of those in need is our primary goal in any field.

It will be a busy year, and the conditions in the country will certainly cause some difficulties for the smooth running of this project, but we are confident that within the set time frame, the objectives will be accomplished.

We will keep you updated on all developments!

FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF JUVENANT SAINT CAMILLE

The Juvenat Saint Camille is a school in Ouagadougou, run by the Camillians, which welcomes many children from the surrounding areas, offering them a proper education and a serene environment in which to cultivate their studies and interests.

The education centre needs to proceed with further modernisation to enable the facility to provide more and more services to the students. In particular, the need for a well and a pumping system to provide enough drinking water for the needs of the students and the school was emphasised; and it seemed essential to proceed with the installation of a computer room.

Faced with these needs, Salute e Sviluppo was delighted to be able to contribute to the improvement of the centre, initiating this project which aims to both provide water and equip the hall.

Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and, although it is the country’s best-supplied city, it suffers from the general situation of the nation which, in addition to extreme poverty, in recent years has also had to deal with terrorists who attack the country in waves with attacks and violent acts. It seems essential to help the population with agri-food, health or – as in this case – educational development projects.

As of 1 November 2022, we decided to start work on the improvement of the school centre: work on the construction of the well and pumping system was swift and went smoothly. Already now the system is functioning and gives the school access to an adequate supply of drinking water.

As far as the computer room is concerned, the project includes the purchase of 24 computers and the fitting out of the entire room, which will give the children the opportunity to study computer science – an absolutely necessary subject – do more in-depth research on school topics, connect to the net and expand their knowledge in this way. The room would also be used for presentations, small conferences and other learning situations for the children.

P. Felice de Miranda, President of Salute e Sviluppo, had the opportunity a short while ago, during his last mission to Burkina Faso, to visit the school and see how the work was progressing: he found many happy children waiting for him, who were grateful to Health and Development for the ongoing project.

Activities will end in June 2023, by which time the computer room should be completed and properly equipped. We will keep you updated on all the milestones we achieve!

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