Clean Water for Rural Villagers in Burkina Faso

BARKA has been busy at work preparing for its trip back to Burkina Faso in the Fall. And as always, we've been working hard to raise funds.

• On Global Giving's July 15th Bonus Day, BARKA raised $1,100 in funds. Thank you to all that donated and continue to support our efforts in Tantiaka.
• BARKA Co-Founder, Esu Anahata, was selected as an Ariane de Rothschild Fellow earlier this year. He left for Cambridge University on July 14th to start the Fellowship this summer. The focus of the Fellowship is social entrepreneurship and inter-cultural dialogue.  Esu has been creating a business plan to help BARKA generate revenue and become a social enterprise.
• BARKA Co-Founders, Ina and Esu Anahata, traveled last month to Washington D.C. and met with representatives from USAID and WASH Advocacy Initiative. They also had the opportunity to meet with the Burkina Faso's Embassy in D.C.
• The BARKA Foundation has recently been selected to give a presentation about its work with students in the US and to speak about its innovative approach to water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) at the "Sustaining the Blue Planet" Conference in Bozeman, MO from September 13-16. BARKA needs just 4,000 more donated frequent flier miles to afford tickets to Bozeman. If BARKA can raise the remaining frequent flier miles, the Conference may provide an opportunity for BARKA's work to get on the radar screens of numerous movers and shakers- which of course will help us expand our impact in Burkina Faso.
• The BARKA Foundation was honored to be this year's beneficiary of last month's Annual "Duct Tape Regatta" organized by District 7930's Swampscott Rotary Club. Marblehead Rotary Club, Marblehead Harbor Rotary Club, Swampscott Rotary Club and Interact Club, North Shore Rotaract Club, and Tower High School Interact Club combined efforts to raise over $4500!  These funds will be used as matching funds for a forthcoming $50,000 Future Vision grant application to Rotary International.
• BARKA has two new blog posts up on its website: one on the youth role in sustainable development, and the other on the right of indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed Consent.
• As mentioned above, BARKA is heading back to Burkina in the fall to begin work on the water, sanitation & hygiene project in Tantiaka, Le Petit Village. We are working to leverage our $25,000 in the bank by finding a partner to match that.
• What's the difference between a squad and a guild? For BARKA’s Facebook Cause, “Peace, Water and Wisdom,” it’s 427 people.  Our Cause is currently at 573 members and it takes 1,000 to become a guild. Here's what you can do to help; Join the Cause and recruit your friends to join "Peace, Water and Wisdom." What makes the Cause worth it? A great tool that the Cause provides allows members to create a birthday wish asking friends to donate to BARKA in honor of your birthday. Once you follow the simple steps to create a birthday wish, you can begin using Facebook, email, etc. to ask your friends to help meet your donation goal And you can even create a wish for a holiday, wedding or other occasion.

We are looking forward to big things, and we value all of your support along the way.