Clean Water for Rural Villagers in Burkina Faso

Dear Friends of BARKA,

Ina and I are pleased to provide an update on what's happening in Burkina Faso.

Firstly, the rains were plentiful this rainy season which is just now coming to an end. For the subsistence farmers who make up 90% of Burkina's population, too much or too little rain can be catastrophic. The food each family grows is all the food they have to last them until next year's harvest. Thankfully, this year the rains were steady. Despite some flooding, they were good for farmers' staple crops.

Due to the rains, it is often hard to get to places because dirt roads become flooded and impassable. The village of Lampiadi has been waiting for its new well since June. The well driller tried on 3 occasions to get to the village but couldn't because roads had been washed out. We're now hoping that by the next time we send a project report, Lampiadi will be drinking clean water from a newly drilled well. Stay tuned!

Since our last project report, BARKA worked with two interns from 2iE, the renowned water research institute in Ouagadougou. Their task was to assist BARKA to conduct two "focus groups" to gain valuable information for BARKA's ceramic water filter project. This project is in effect a social enterprise-- a business that would create sustainable revenue to make ceramic water filters available to rural villagers in Burkina. The objective of the focus group was to test out the perceived need for water filtration, determine people's "willingness to pay" to determine pricing, test aesthetic preferences, and to brainstorm product names. The focus groups were held in September and were well attended> We are currently analyzing the data our team on the ground collected. Overall, conducting these meetings helped to strengthen our study of the market and advance the goals of this project.

We expect to return to Burkina Faso after Thanksgiving to begin work on a new project. We will keep you informed every step of the way.  Thank you for your support and for being on this journey together with us. It would not be possible without your financial contributions which have powered BARKA's work forward. BARKA continues to rely on your generosity and commitment to this work. Thank you, bless you, barka!

Special Announcement:

Global Giving is currently having its 2016 Photo Competition and one of BARKA's photos (above) was selected as a finalist.

PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE NOW to help BARKA Foundation win the $1000 prize, plus receive homepage and social media promotion on Global Giving's networks.

Votes can be cast from right now through noon on Friday, July 22.

Please also share the link on your social networks to spread the word.  Barka!

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Dear Friend,

Burkina Faso is one of the driest nations on earth.  Yet during the rainy season, from June through September, the rains come.  Everyone depends on this because 90% of Burkinabe grow their own food to survive, and if the rains don't arrive, crops can fail and lives hang in the balance.  Last year, we witnessed early rains followed by a short drought- very unusual during the rainy season.  When the rains finally did fall, they fell too hard, drowning and washing away seeds that had been sowed. The corn crop failed in the eastern region as a result.

It's easy to see how vulnerable the rural population of Burkina Faso is when you ponder such a situation, and how much of an effect climate change is having on life there.  For us in the West, climate change may bring a warmer (or harsher) winter, or a cooler (or hotter) summer, however in Burkina, the weather can make the difference of your children's survival.

For this reason, BARKA is now hard at work developing projects that enable greater resilience for this population which is so vulnerable to external shocks.  In fact, in the village of Tantiaka, which you have all direcly supported by donating to this project, villagers created a garden next to the well we drilled (that we includes you).  The well remains properly maintained by the water committee and is in excellent working condition.   Thanks to this simple and beautiful garden, every family has a small plot which they can irrigate throughout the year and grow food, even during the long dry season when it is normally impossible to do so.

This is something that was made possible through your financial support.  We wanted to take a moment to reflect that back to you and every donor of this project.  Villagers always tell us to thank and bless the people who have supported them from afar. On behalf of them all, we are extending to you their gratitude and good wishes. Barka!

In the coming year, BARKA Foundation will explore ways to support the village in this small-scale agricultural project. With your continued support we will be able to purchase some basic tools, watering cans, and even provide training for improved growing techniques and methods to mitigate the deadly effects of climate change.

Thank you for being on this magical journey with us.  One single moment of this 'magic' we refer to was captured in a photo-- the photo that Global Giving chose as a finalist. It is an embrace of mutual respect, love and joy-- the essence of reciprocity-- between BARKA co-founder Ina Anahata and Bempoua Namoano, one of the key figures in the village of Tantiaka, also a member of the water & sanitation committee which you helped to make possible. Thank you for casting your vote for this photo to further support this project and the villagers of Tantiaka.

'Barka' is an African word of gratitude, blessing & reciprocity.

Barka,

Ina & Esu