Dear BARKA Supporters,
The last 3 months were full of very intensive work on the ground for BARKA Foundation.
We implemented a project to empower high school girls to stay in school through menstrual hygiene management. It's hard to believe, but something as natural as a woman's menstrual cycle can mean the end of a girl's education in a country like Burkina Faso. It's a taboo subject, and girls aren't informed about menstruation until it happens. Schools have no resources to support these girls who are often shunned and humiliated. BARKA worked with two powerful female teachers to lead a series of sensitization trainings that reached more than 2000 students in Fada. The project was a huge success and will continue in the Fall when schools resume classes.
BARKA's theatre troupe also performed a new play to promote improved agricultural techniques to help smallscale farmers deal with the effects of climate change. Post-performance debates were lively and full of engaged dialogue by the local population who made commitments to using these new simple yet powerful innovations. This project was also a major success- BARKA's 2nd "hit" in the domain of theatre sensitization.
As if that's not all, BARKA Foundation took important initial steps to begin selling water filters in the rural market. This is a project to create a sustainable business to produce, sell and distribute ceramic water filters. BARKA is partnered with a local ceramics company and 2iE, a water research institute, both based in Ouagadougou.
In our first session to introduce and sell filters to a rural village, we gave a presentation of how they work and explained the benefits and need for water filtration. Out of the 20 families who were present at the meeting, 12 of them purchased filters- that's 60%! This was a very auspicious debut and provided further proof that rural villagers will purchase filters for health reasons, even at a time of year when income is scarce.
We'd like to thank you for your support of BARKA's work in Burkina Faso and want you to know that your financial contributions are going to good use to create resilience, empowerment and prosperity for some of the most vulnerable people on the globe. Barka!
Dear BARKA Supporter,
Good news: the new well in Lampiadi has a completed superstructure around it. Villagers mobilized themselves to transport 30 bags of cement which BARKA purchased with project funds, and the well driller donated their labor to construct the platform and reservoir where animals will drink at a safe distance from people. We're now in discussion with the village community about creating a garden area next to the well and we'll be able to update you about that in our next report.
In related news, BARKA's new project "Empowering Girls through Menstrual Hygiene Management" has struck a chord in donors.
We've raised over $5000 in two weeks from 78 donors.
On Women's Day on March 8th we received 33 donations!
Can we get 22 more in our last few hours to break 100?
It is a testament that we're on the right track and doing the right thing. BARKA has been researching this topic for 4 years and finally, with an inspirational spark from Global Giving, and the incredible support of our donors, we have begun.
Please donate here to make a contribution to the Girl Fund Campaign before it ends tomorrow, March 15 at 11:59pm ET.
Tell your friends and family to donate just $10 to support girls taking control over their bodies.
We need your help to be among the top 4 projects with the most donors to get selected into GlobalGiving's Girl Fund and get funding for a year.
Imagine the number of girls we could help if we get that funding!
JOIN US. MAKE A $10 DONATION NOW!
Dear Friends of BARKA,
Thanks to GlobalGiving, BARKA has been given an amazing opportunity to fund its project to empower girls through Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), a key development issue that often leads to girls ending their schooling.
On March 1st, GlobalGiving launched its Girl Fund campaign which will fund 4 projects for a full year. It's a competition among all 148 entries to get the MOST unique donors. The top 4 are selected. After the first day, BARKA received 15 donations and we are currently in 5th place!
With your continued support, we know we can be among the top 4 winners to receive funding to raise awareness of this taboo subject and provide much needed resources such as a washroom/changing station for girls at school, access to local, traditional sanitary pads and even over-the-counter medication to alleviate symptoms which often keep girls out of school or prevent concentration on their class work. BARKA will also utilize its theatre troupe to create a new play that will powerfully address this issue to reinforce key social messages.
We are working with a host of great partners on this project, including two phenomenal local female high school teachers who have both been trained by UNICEF on this issue, as well as the Mayor's Office, local Dept. of Education and Fada's two largest high schools. We will work with girls, boys, teachers and parents to raise people's consciousness about this issue and will be able to reach thousands of students and girls at risk.
We can't do it without your continued support. For just $10, or the price of two designer coffees at Starbucks, you can add your name to the list of unique donors to support this project and help BARKA secure funding for it for the next year.
The competition runs through March 15th, and on March 8th (International Women's Day) there will be a Bonus Day.
You can make a donation and learn more about the project on our Global Giving project page here.
Links:
Dear Friend and Supporter of BARKA Foundation,
BARKA's co-founders recently returned to Burkina Faso and the BARKA team is moving into its new office in Fada N'Gourma (we grew out of the old one)! There is a great deal of excitement here because a new well was just drilled for the village of Lampiadi where people had been walking 7km to the nearest water source. There are also several new projects BARKA is developing in the area of WASH (water, sanitation & hygiene) as well as Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change Mitigation through a new theatre sensitization project.
However we can't realize the dreams ahead without your continued support!
Thankfully GlobalGiving makes it easy and right now through December 31, a generous donor will match all new recurring donations by 200%! That means if you donate $25, Global Giving will add an additional $50 on your first monthly gift. This offer is too good to pass up.
Couple this with BARKA's campaign to increase its "Sustaining Donors" (those giving monthly) by inviting them to join a LIVE conference call with BARKA's co-founders once every 3 months to provide a personal update. This will provide an opportunity to meet team members, understand the true impact of your support, and get a bird's-eye view of BARKA's work on the ground.
So please don't wait. Sign up today to become a Sustaining Donor and get your first month's donation matched by 200%.
We wish you blessings for a happy and healthy new year for you and your family. We look forward to being in touch again in the new year.
Barka,
Ina, Esu and the entire BARKA Team
Links:
Today is the International Day of Giving, known as #GivingTuesday.
It's an opportunity to pause and break away from holiday preparations and the busy-ness of everyday life to think about the less fortunate among us, who need a hand up, not a handout.
If you haven't already sent a year-end gift to The BARKA Foundation, please consider doing so today.
Thanks to GlobalGiving and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, your #GivingTuesday donation will be matched by 50%! They are offering up to $1 Million in matching funds- Global Giving's largest matching program ever.
Matching has already begun and will continue while matching funds last, so please don't wait as funds go fast!
We know there are many good causes to support. Why should you donate to us?
Click here to make a donation today and receive a 50% match.
Thank you, and happy holidays.
The BARKA Team
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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