Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board Executive Summary During the reporting period, THP-Burkina participated in a number of staff development and capacity building opportunities to further the teams work in leading the various epicenters to selfreliance, to uphold the principles of THP and to end hunger. Related to interconnectedness, the senior personnel of the THP Burkina (i.e. Country Director and National Program Officer), alongside the Vice President of Africa Programs, Senior Program Officer of Africa Programs, and THP-Burkina staff at workshop in Kombissiri, July 214 Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Global Office, attended the Africa Department Conference in Uganda. The objective of this conference that convened the senior management of the eight African Program Countries and the Global Office was to reach a consensus on the indicators for self-reliance in all epicenters; this conference provided a space for in-person collaboration and rich discussions, which proved fruitful with the finalization of self-reliance targets. Prior to the meetings in Uganda, THP- Burkina staff partook in a team workshop in Kombissiri. In line with the principle of transformative leadership, the gathering allowed personnel to discuss the epicenters progression towards self-reliance as well as the roles that team members will take in accomplishing this goal at the epicenters. Moreover, these meetings, in Uganda with other African Department leaders and in Burkina, gave the team opportunities to enhance their strategies in program implementation so that self-reliance remains a top priority. To support the work of THP-Burkina and the Africa Department, a regional office was also opened during the reporting period in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and serves as a work space for the Africa Partnership Building & Resource Mobilization Officer (PBRMO), Anatu Ben Lawal, and Africa Program Assistant, Judith Bonkoungou. Accomplishments In the program area of Food Security, THP-Burkina organized an event on micro-dose technology at Boulkon Epicenter, in the village of Boulkon. The activity gathered a large number of producers from the Arbollé and Kirsi municipalities, the Zones of Technical Support s leaders (ZTS) of Arbollé and Kirsi, and the Partners participating in debrief session after visit to fields with micro-dose technology Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board May 215 Page 1 of 6
WEP workshop at Boulkon Epicenter on the theme Hygiene and Cleaning in the household Village Development Advisers (VDA), accompanied by coverage from the regional radio of Arbollé. The visit focused on two fields of beans, one of which benefited from the microdose while the other field did not. Illustrating the principle of empowerment, this event allowed farmers to appreciate the effect of micro-dose technology on the crops in comparison with that of the crops grown by employing traditional methods. At the same time, the producers also received advice on the use of improved seeds, organic manure, associations of crops, rotations of crops, phytosanitary products, approved weedkillers, and warrantage. Within the Women s Empowerment Program (WEP), THP-Burkina saw the success of two workshops at Boulkon and Vowogdo Epicenters respectively. Facilitated by representatives of the Department of Social Action and National Solidarity in the Arbollé municipality, the workshop at Boulkon assembled 36 people (27 women and 9 men), representing the 16 villages of the epicenter. The focus of this workshop was hygiene and included topics such as factors that impact health, food preservation measures, and techniques for maintaining proper hygiene in the household. At Vowogdo, the WEP workshop had a different theme: violence against women and girls. Sixty-eight partners (52 women and 16 men) enhanced their understanding of issues such as rights of women and girls, domestic violence, violence against children, the scale of violence against women and girls in Burkina, legal repercussions for the perpetrators of this violence, prevention against violence, and the community s role to take action. Exemplifying the principle of gender equality, the WEP workshop at Vowogdo demonstrated THP-Burkina s commitment to improving the status of women at the epicenter level. Challenges In the second half of this year, THP-Burkina s difficulties concerned the low achievement of activities at the epicenter level, due to the fact that partners were preoccupied with performing agricultural duties, as it was the rainy season. Additionally, the team experienced the challenge of conducting a supplementary data collection exercise amidst the change in the staff, from the resignation of one M&E officer to the recruitment of the new M&E officer. Despite the short time frame, the team successfully completed the exercise. Lessons Learned During the period, THP-Burkina remarked that the state decentralized technical supervisors implication is a necessity in the facilitation of activities during the rainy season. For the success and sustainability of all the actions carried out, the team acknowledged that it is essential to collaborate well and partake in dialogues with other present stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, Associations, State Decentralized Structures, and Municipalities). THP-Burkina also has learned that the epicenter committees contribution to the implementation of programs builds their capacity, which will in turn lead to the epicenter s empowerment and self-reliance. Enhancing the epicenter committee members skill set was a focus in the reporting period, especially in the framework of the Child Marriage project for Bissiga, Vowogdo, and Diapangou Epicenters. Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board May 215 Page 2 of 6
Q1-Q2 21 Q3-Q4 21 Q1-Q2 211 Q3-Q4 211 Q1-Q2 212 Q3-Q4 212 Q1-Q2 213 Q3-Q4 213 Q1-Q2 214 Q3-Q4 214 Q1-Q2 21 Q3-Q4 21 Q1-Q2 211 Q3-Q4 211 Q1-Q2 212 Q3-Q4 212 Q1-Q2 213 Q3-Q4 213 Q1-Q2 214 Q3-Q4 214 # of Participants # of Workshops # partners trained # workshops 1, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Country by Numbers Epicenters in Phase 1 (Mobilization) Epicenters in Phase 2 (Construction) 1 Epicenters in Phase 3 (Progress) 5 Epicenters In Phase 4 ( Transition to Self-Reliance) 15 TOTAL Health & Nutrition: Child Health # Girls Weighed/Monitored # Boys Weighed/Monitored 1,2 1, 8 6 4 2 25 2 15 1 5 Community Mobilization: VCA Workshops 35 3 25 2 15 1 Food Security Workshops 5 12 1 8 6 4 2 # Women Trained # Men Trained # Women Trained # Men Trained # Workshops *All data presented herein is taken directly from the internal online M&E System, updated quarterly by Program Country M&E Officers. The Global Office works continuously with each M&E Officer to audit and verify this data. Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board May 215 Page 3 of 6
Partner Story My name is Dianda Zonabo. I come from the village of Kapon. I am 42-years-old. I am married and mother of five children (three girls, two boys). I am a saleswoman of yams in the market of Kapon, and my husband is a peasant farmer. I ve participated in the activities of the epicenter since its creation. I am a member of the village credit committee. I attended formal education, and I have the level of primary school. Since the application of the credits for the benefit of the women of the epicenter partners villages, we were implicated. Since 21, our group has received annually a credit for the Dianda receiving her credit women in order to lead different income generating activities such as the small business (sale of spices, cereal, soaps, and fruits) and the breeding (poultry, sheep, pigs). The amount of the credit granted to every beneficiary within our group varies from five thousand (5) CFA to seventy- five thousand (75 ) CFA. That is why as a yams saleswoman in the market of Kapon, I benefited from credit to strengthen my business several times. I began with a starting loan of ten thousand (1 ) CFA. Today, I have reached the amount of seventy thousand (7, ) CFA, and I have become a yams wholesaler and half-wholesaler, which means that other women come to get fresh supplies at home for the resale. At the present time, I can show evidence on the impact of the microcredit: I pay for my children s school fees and supplies, as well as for their clothing every year. I was able to buy a bicycle that has improved my mobility, This year, I bought the fertilizer NPK for my sorghum field. I can already notice the effect on the yield at the ears level before the harvest. I bought a goat to breed. I cover my children s the medical expenses. I am working to extend my hangar to increase the storage capacity of the yams. In conclusion, I can say that the microcredit allowed me to strengthen my activity; my income has drastically improved. I am recognized as a leader in the village. I thank once again The Hunger Project for its support to the women for their socioeconomic promotion. Dianda in front of her piles of yams that are on sale Dianda showing her product to a customer Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board May 215 Page 4 of 6
Partnerships, Advocacy and Alliances THP-Burkina continues to develop its partnerships with various governmental bodies and other organizations, striving to uphold the principle of leverage so that the maximum numbers of resources can be applied towards achieving self-reliance at all epicenters. In this regard, the Country Director of THP-Burkina, Mr. Evariste Yaogho, attended a meeting with the National Coordinator of WASCAL/BURKINA (West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use in Burkina) during the reporting period, in efforts to further the development of a partnership between THP Burkina and this organization. PBRMO meeting of the Program Countries Benin, Burkina, Ghana and Senegal, chaired by the VP of Africa Programs Dr. Dicko Additionally, the collaboration between the Ministry of Administration and Decentralization (MATD) and THP-Burkina continued during the latter part of 214, illustrating the team s commitment to the principle of decentralization. Senior management from the team held a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the National Conference of Decentralization to clarify the expectations of both parties and to better understand the terms of the partnership, as stated in signed agreement. The process will continue in the coming quarters. To increase staff capacity in local fundraising, a meeting on Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization took place in the reporting period, which convened the Country Directors of Benin, Burkina, Ghana and Senegal, the Regional PBRMO of the African Department, and VP of Africa Programs. The meeting focused on methods for improving local fundraising and expanding partnerships in West Africa, between African Program Countries and local organizations. Future Plans Program Area Goals and Priorities Community Mobilization Training in Leadership Training of the committees members in management Meeting of raising awareness VCA workshop Support of partnership Gender Equality WEP Animators training WEP workshops Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board May 215 Page 5 of 6
Food Security Food banks committees monitoring and retraining Working capital available for the food banks Literacy & Education Support for children s nutrition Honorary support for the nutrition facilitator Health and Nutrition Children s weighing and monitoring Training animators in health and nutrition Rehabilitation of maternity hospital HIV/AIDS workshop Water, Environment & Sanitation Maintenance of trees Training of animators in WASH Microfinance& Livelihoods Monitoring-control of loans Training of administrative management/loan committees Attachment of the community rural banks Training animators in MFP Raising awareness on the rural bank Advocacy and Alliances Further strengthening the partnership with the municipalities, the decentralized technical services, and the national and international institutions Monitoring and Evaluation Data collection by the PAR animators Support for self-assessment Support the elaboration of the annual program of activities The monitoring of the activities in the epicenters Burkina Faso Report to the Global Board May 215 Page 6 of 6