Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

The Association burkinabè de fundraising (ABF) has shaped the basis of a number of development organisations in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, as it has in several other localities. This has given a new dynamism to these associations, whose members, especially the leaders, never miss an opportunity to express their gratitude.

One of these community-based development organisations is Scoop/Pa-Yeda-Badenya, a simplified agricultural production cooperative set up in 2019. Its aim is to promote organic farming and agro-ecology, a type of agriculture that is concerned with preserving the environment. "We use organic fertilisers, which we make ourselves, unlike conventional agriculture, which uses a lot of chemical inputs, with their harmful effects on the human body and health, as well as on the environment and the soil. Our aim is to make quality products available to consumers", explains Oumarou Drebo, Secretary General of Scoop/Pa-Yeda-Badenya.

As well as preserving the health of the farmers themselves, the soil and the environment, agro-ecology preserves the health of the consumer through its natural aspect and retains all the nutrients. This is a statement that the cooperative's managers make with full knowledge of the facts, as some of its members have previously had experience of conventional farming. They owe this leap in quality to ABF, admit the Scoop/Pa-Yeda-Badenya directors. "We met ABF through one of our partners, the integrated development programme run by OCADES. With ABF, we have benefited from a great deal of practical knowledge, in particular agro-ecology techniques. We received training in tools, equipment and techniques for making compost. So now we can rely on local resources, which makes our work a lot easier.

We used to rely on international partners, but with the many international crises, these players are becoming increasingly rare, and there are other concerns elsewhere. The ABF's "Giving for Change" programme came at just the right time to solve the equation, because it made us realise that we can develop by relying on local partners and on ourselves. We had thought that to develop, you had to have outside help", says Oumarou Drebo, who also learns that the cooperative is active in around ten villages in the Boucle du Mouhoun region, with over 300 members and several hundred tonnes of cereals at harvest. The Scoop/Pa-Yeda-Badenya simplified agricultural production cooperative has great production prospects for the coming years, which is why it is still pleading with the ABF for more capacity building and for the acquisition of equipment and logistics for large-scale production.

ABF has raised our awareness...

ImpactAdo Burkina, a conciliation and peace organisation, is the other beneficiary of ABF's expertise, mainly through the Ado'Déclic and Innovation-CADI conference project. According to Stéphane Boro, a member of the association, there are two main areas of activity: "Graine de communautés au Burkina Faso" (a programme for the social transformation of young people, by turning them into ambassadors for peace-building) and the "CADI programme" (a programme for the inclusion and certification of young people in new digital professions). The overall objective is to have a positive impact on the psychological growth of young teenagers, through non-violent communication, particularly in digital form, in order to move towards peace. To achieve this, the association organises debating and public speaking competitions, among other activities, and ensures that its achievements are sustained over the long term. "The impact is real, as can be proved by the creation of youth ambassador clubs for mediation, conciliation and peace," says Mr Boro, adding that the association has so far had an impact on more than 35,000 young people.

A dynamic that the meeting with ABF helped to boost. "Thanks to the training we received with ABF, we have greatly improved our activities, because in 2022, we had a budget of more than 8,300,000 CFA francs and in 2023, nearly 10 million CFA francs. It's thanks to what we've learned that we've been able to mobilise all these sums, because we've been shown how to mobilise support and resources. With the ABF, the more training we receive, the more we improve", says Stéphane Boro, adding that ImpactAdo Burkina also initiates people into the digital professions, thus contributing to the fight against unemployment.

The Benkadi cooperative also benefits from ABF support, notably through the project to process non-timber forest products in the communes of Dédougou and Tchériba. President Mariam Dayo and training manager Bissounadié Sangaré explain that the cooperative processes shea nuts into butter, produces traditional and semi-traditional soap, and processes néré seeds into soumbala (local broth), dried baobab leaves, moringa leaves and tamarind seeds - in short, all non-timber forest products. "But we're very much based on soumbala, shea butter and baobab leaves, because that's what you find a lot of in the area," she explains.

Created in 2019, and with 270 members to date, the "Benkadi" cooperative really started its activities in 2020 and is open to all players in the sector. "Even though we haven't yet had to deal with any large orders, the cooperative is capable of taking orders for large quantities, especially of shea butter and soumbala, the most popular products. It's natural, it's quality, and people really like it. Those who are used to buying from us say that our products are better", boast the cooperative's managers.

Thanks to its dynamism, "Benkadi" has been able to set up a financial loan scheme for the benefit of its members. "Before, we used to take loans from the Caisse, but now we finance most of it ourselves. This is very beneficial for us, because financial institutions have a high interest rate and the repayment period is short. When we take loans from financial institutions, it annoys the women, so they go into debt to come and pay it back. But the money that the cooperative lends them is sometimes even extended, and the interest is still paid back to the cooperative. It's more relaxed. It makes us look good and we're proud of what we do. And we also see that it's the very vision of the Head of State, which is to process and consume Burkinabè products. If it's natural, it guarantees our health, and people understand and love it", says Mr Sangaré.

He is also delighted that local people have become aware of the need to protect the environment, particularly the karités and other fruit trees. "This is a good thing. Néré has also become expensive, because shea is becoming increasingly rare in some areas. But in other localities, there's enough shea, while in others, there's more néré. We're also making people aware of the need not to cut down trees. If necessary, prune them rather than cut them down. We also encourage them to plant trees", say the leaders of the cooperative.

"We're still babies who want to grow up, let her help us to grow up".

In 2021, thanks to OCADES, the cooperative joined the ABF scheme. This will considerably improve the actions, both in terms of operations and the building of human capital. "Before, I couldn't speak in public, but since ABF has trained us, I'm comfortable speaking. Today, I can speak into your microphone without any problem, whereas before, it wasn't possible. With the ABF's training courses, it's as if we've been fished out of the water, dropped in and trained. We've become even stronger. It was really the training that put us in touch with the real world, the heart of the cooperatives. Even psychologically. It was the ABF that awakened our consciences, it was the ABF that helped us understand that it's by working that you eat and not by eating that you work. It even made us feel better; when people see us now, the way we behave, they envy us, the confidence is there, we value everything", admits Bissounadié Sangaré, the training officer, with a beaming face, expressing his gratitude to the ABF trainers.

The Heere Kadi association has also benefited from ABF's ingenuity through its project to combat child malnutrition in the region. Those in charge explain that the first meeting with the current partner, ABF, dates back to 2020. It was a turning point that made them even prouder. "I really enjoyed the ABF training course. They showed me how to go about it, how to plan and so on. The training has been very beneficial and it's helped us to take charge ourselves. Personally, I really liked the training on archiving, which we'd been missing; how to archive digitally and physically. It was something that was really lacking at our level. Now we can do it easily, and I've even asked ABF to come and see how we're set up here at the association's headquarters", says Aimé Gertrude Kondé, president of Heere Kadi, recalling the training courses on leadership, resource mobilisation and support that the association received from ABF.

"With the current situation, there's nothing like it and we've grown with the ABF in many facets, even in terms of behaviour. We've had coaches who have worked with us a lot. Before, it was just one person who had the information, and when that person leaves, the organisation's memory goes. With the training we've received from the ABF, we've put things right. What's more, we have monitoring and evaluation, which is very important. These are things we were missing enormously. We lacked accountability, which was a shortcoming. Now we meet regularly to take stock and look ahead," say the directors of this association, which works in a number of areas, including sexual and reproductive health, school enrolment and childcare.

"We'll be happy to win a refresher course. A refresher course for the old members would be good, with the addition of new people from the association", they also pleaded, before praising the availability of the coaches at OCADES in Dédougou for their ongoing technical assistance. "We remain convinced that ABF still has a lot to teach us. We're still a baby and we want to grow, so let them help us to grow", insist the directors of "Heere Kadi".

Today, with the security situation and its trail of internally displaced persons, the need has grown and the demand has increased enormously. Despite their modest means, the leaders and members of "Heere Kadi" are not giving up, and their commitment to the local population is evident on a daily basis.

Founded in December 2008 in Ouagadougou, the ABF is a non-profit, non-political organisation. In March 2024, it launched a system of certification for civil society organisations (CSOs) and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to enhance their credibility and autonomy in the field. This initiative has been welcomed and encouraged by the country's highest authorities, who see it as a means of cleaning up the environment for the good of governance.

O.L
Lefaso.net