In this time of global uncertainty we wanted to share a story from our project in Honduras, to help remind us of the power of community and how we in Canada can help support capacity building, strengthen communities, and improve the health of children through even small improvements. This story features one of a number of projects we are supporting this year.
Carlos Roberto Mejía, a 39-year-old teacher, is in charge of the direction of the “Ramón Villeda Morales School” in the remote community of Isletas Abajo, outside of Langue, Honduras. He has been at the educational center for two years and every day he travels by motorcycle and then on foot from his home in Langue to the educational center. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the school. He doesn’t mind the effort because it is part of his daily exercise.
The school has been forgotten by the State for a long time. Numerous government administrations have come and gone but no support materialized. As a result of this neglect, the educational center had a collapsed common latrine, putting the health of children and teachers at risk. The school and the Parents’ Association (APF) petitioned the local government to address this risk, but their requests were not answered.
Carlos said that after so many years of waiting for someone to provide support for the improvement of the bathrooms and water collection, he was excited to receive the news that Vecinos Honduras was willing to collaborate in the construction of bathrooms and water storage tank in order to improve the conditions of his educational center. That is how Vecinos Honduras, supported by World Neighbours Canada, began efforts to carry out the project.
Carlos talked with community organizations and obtained support from the community to work on this project. In only a matter of days the work began. Community members provided their labour and quickly they managed to build toilets, a base for the Rotoplast tank rainwater collection and installed sinks. The change is positive, improving health and safety conditions for children and teachers
The children, parents and teachers, are grateful for the support provided to help improve the hygiene of their educational center. They believe that the union of forces creates greater possibilities to achieve better conditions
Our partner organization in Burkina Faso, APDC has faced increasing challenges in addressing poverty in Fada province in the eastern part of the country. Most of the villagers from ADPC’s program area have had to leave their homes because of armed conflict, and they are now internally displaced persons living in the outskirts of Fada town. Despite very difficult conditions, APDC employees continue to pursue development work. Over the past year, they have assisted 35 women to set up small personal enterprises – processing local products and then selling them in local markets. APDC also holds awareness sessions to emphasize the importance of hygiene, how to avoid malnutrition and how to prepare more nutritious meals. Small steps, but big impacts! You will have read about this work in recent articles and in our fall newsletter.
Since 2018 it has been impossible to travel to Burkina Faso to meet with the APDC team in Fada, because of security concerns. However, the latest and most exciting communication with staff occurred in late November, when my husband Peter and I travelled to the West African country of Benin. Although the northern region of Benin is not safe to travel in, the southern area and the major city of Cotonou on the coast are stable and easy to visit. As Peter and I have friends who are currently teaching in Cotonou, we took the opportunity to visit them AND meet with 3 employees of APDC. Charles, Koanari and Hortense were able to travel by bus (a 24-hour journey!) to Cotonou and meet with us over a period of three days. What a treat to spend time in face-to-face meetings! Zoom conversations certainly fill a need, but nothing replaces in-person meetings with partners whom we now consider our friends.
The meetings were very useful and provided the opportunity to discuss in greater detail the effects of the recent displacement of villagers. It is almost impossible for us to comprehend the conditions that many of the villagers now live in and the enormous struggles they face; however the staff continue to hope that peace will return to their homeland. Koanari and Hortense had never travelled outside Burkina Faso before and had never seen the ocean. Watching them joyfully dip their feet and hands (with shoes on!) into the warm salt water was magical for them and for us. Two bottles of salt water were filled, to take back home! We visited a beach one morning and spent the better part of an hour paddling at the ocean’s edge and then returned that evening to enjoy a meal at a beach restaurant – and, of course, wander the shoreline as the sun slowly set. We have fabulous memories, and many photos of that most unique experience!
We also had very positive reactions to the presentations to middle school and high school students at the QSI International School of Benin where our friends teach. The students and teachers were very interested to learn how a small organization has been able to carry out development work in times of great hardship, dealing with a high level of terrorist activity but finding a way to work with villagers who have been forced to leave their homes and are now internally displaced persons. After school one afternoon we were also able to host a roundtable discussion with several school support workers to learn about their involvement – mostly on a voluntary basis – with rural development organizations in Benin. We were excited to be part of sharing experiences between organizations in the two countries, as well as sharing the work of World Neighbours Canada.
Groundswell International has recently held their annual Field to Film Festival, showcasing creative short films as part of their Youth Storytellers’ program.
“Last Friday, we had the privilege of showcasing the creative short films of Youth Storytellers from 9 countries and hearing our young panelists’ inspiring words, giving us hope for the future of agriculture,” states information on an email sent out by Groundswell.
Groundswell International is a network of NGO partners working in the Global South.
“We connect smallholder farmers and organizations across 11 countries in West Africa, the Americas and South Asia to generate and scale ecological farming solutions,” states the Groundswell website.
Their mission is to strengthen communities to build healthy farming and food systems from the ground up—systems driven by the people and for the people who feed the world.
Bruce Petch, president (volunteer) of World Neighbours Canada was pleased to see some sights familiar to World Neighbours Canada represented in the films.
“Note that one of the films done in Honduras and the film done in Nepal were produced by our own partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and BBP-Pariwar respectively,” he said.
Our all-volunteer organization depends on your support to help people struggling with poverty in Burkina Faso, Honduras and Nepal. Thank you, and best wishes from World Neighbours Canada!
As we have learned over the past few years, one of the strengths of APDC staff is their ability to adapt to a new situation and to provide meaningful support to those in need. (APDC is World Neighbours Canada’s partner organization in Burkina Faso). With most people in its rural program area having been displaced to the town of Fada by terrorist activities, APDC has had to find ways for newly displaced people to earn income while in an urban setting. Staff have been honest in their reporting; sharing both successes and challenges. Women who were trained in soap-making discovered that the soap produced was not as much in demand as they had hoped, because larger bars of soap are imported from the Ivory Coast and available at a better price. On the other hand, some of the women who developed a peanut marketing enterprise learned that the peanut products they manufactured were in high demand.
Rébéka Tankoano, the APDC Fada coordinator, recently visited a few of the women beneficiaries and spoke with them about their enterprise and the impact it’s had on their lives. Several of the women’s comments are included here:
Namounou Yonli: preparation of local dishes
“My business is doing well, and it’s helped me a lot to manage certain family expenses, such as the purchase of condiments, water and some of my children’s medical care. I’m going to start drying the leaves to store them for the next dry season, which will enable me to make more profit as leaves are currently very cheap. I would like to thank APDC for training and equipping me.”
Alima Onadja : preparation and marketing of groundnuts (peanuts)
“I transform peanuts into different products such as peanut paste, biscuits and peanut oil. Everything sells well and I can’t even satisfy my customers, my products aren’t enough for all the customers because I sell for several wholesalers, I give discounts and small gifts to customers and a lot of people are interested in my products. The work is a bit tiring and I can’t make enough, so I’m planning to look for an employee to help me and I’m going to pay her for her work; and as there are a lot of unemployed women and young girls, I think the person who helps me in my work will also be happy. Thanks to the profits I’ve made, I’ve been able to open a small workshop selling other products such as cosmetics (ointments, soaps, threads, etc.) and various products for children (toys, sweets, biscuits, etc.). I don’t know how to describe to you the very positive impact that APDC’s help has had on my life and that of my family. I would like to say a huge thank you to APDC for its support, it has saved us a lot from poverty.”
Agnès Yonli : preparation and marketing of soap
“Kabakourou soap (soap in a ball) used to sell well in the beginning, but the importation of Ivory Coast soap by local traders has spoilt the market. This soap is bigger than ours, so many people are no longer interested in our soap. Raw materials are expensive here, which prevents us from increasing the volume of our soaps, and if we make them as big as the Ivory Coast soap, we can’t make a profit, so it’s a bit complicated for us. Personally, I’m going to continue selling liquid soap, but only for the time being, as liquid soap is bought a little more cheaply here.”
Lissoaba Onadja : manufacture and marketing of soumbala ( a popular African condiment )
“My soumbala business is doing well. I really enjoy this activity. I earn profits that enable me to support my daughter-in-law with the purchase of water, condiments, wood and often food. My only major problem is that I can’t find wholesale customers because I don’t know the town of Fada very well, so I only sell in the small markets at our host sites. Many thanks to APDC and its employees who have helped us and who encourage us to succeed.”
APDC have let us know that they will continue to visit these new entrepreneurs and provide support as needed over the coming months. As with any new venture, modifications will be made as the learning is solidified and experience gained.
Caption: Carlos Vijil (right), the Executive Director of Vecinos Honduras, World Neighbours Canada’s partner non-governmental organization (NGO), works with Honduras community members on projects that improve the lives of Hondurans.
If you are curious about how financial contributions to the local non-profit organization World Neighbours Canada (WNC) are being put to work in Honduras, you won’t want to miss one of three upcoming presentations in Kamloops, Oliver, and Vancouver.
“We are very excited about the upcoming visit of Carlos Vijil, the Executive Director of Vecinos Honduras, our partner non-governmental organization (NGO) in Honduras,” stated Judy Gray, a member of the WNC board of directors. “Carlos will be in B.C. for about a week to share his vast knowledge about Honduras.”
Gray stated Vijil is trained as a Sociologist (University of Costa Rica), and has worked in rural development for more than 50 years. He has a thorough understanding of many issues facing Hondurans today, and a passion for improving the lives of Hondurans.
“As part of Carlos’ tour in the interior of B.C., he will be in Kamloops for a few days and we’d like to offer you the opportunity to meet him and learn more about the projects that World Neighbours Canada supports in Honduras, thanks to Vecinos Honduras,” stated Gray.
Vijil will be presenting at private and public venues to talk about the work being done. You can attend a Kamloops presentation on Monday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kamloops United Church, 421 St. Paul Street, or come and hear more in Oliver, at the Quail’s Nest Art Centre, 5840 Airport Road, Wednesday, February 28 at 3:00 p.m.
His final stop is in Vancouver, at a presentation hosted by the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) on Thursday, February 29 from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the YWCA Hotel Vancouver, 733 Beatty Street.
“[Vecinos Honduras] aims to strengthen community-based organizations in rural communities so they can advocate for their own needs and priorities, to protect natural resources (including watersheds), encourage food sovereignty, and ensure sustainable livelihoods for rural people,” states the BCCIC website. “This is a unique opportunity to hear how climate change and environmental and social conflict are impacting communities in Honduras and why collaboration, solidarity and climate justice are critical.”
This session is called Climate Change and Conflict in Honduras: Building Community and Climate Resilience in the Dry Corridor, and it will allow attendees to hear more about the impact of climate change, and the political and economic forces that have exacerbated poverty and social inequity.
While the Kamloops and Oliver presentations are open to drop in, the BCCIC event requires advance registration for the free presentation. For more information, visit their website.
About World Neighbours Canada:
World Neighbours Canada (WNC) is an organization founded in southern B.C in 1989 and currently has programs active in Nepal, Burkina Faso, and Honduras. WNC works with local partners on projects unique to each area, as determined by those in the affected areas. The overall goal is to help partners analyze and solve their own problems, and to encourage and train leaders and organizations local to the project areas. World Neighbours Canada has no central office and overhead costs are minimal. This work relies on public donations, and nearly 100% of donations go directly to the program areas.
About Vecinos Honduras:
Born in 2009 to support the development of the Honduran rural sector, its objective is to “facilitate and accompany participatory and equitable processes of comprehensive human development for families and organizations in rural communities, promoting the sustainable use of resources, food sovereignty, the rescue of moral and cultural values, community health, respect to nature to protect and improve the environment and quality of life for present and future generations.”
About Honduras:
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. In terms of per capita GDP, at US$ 2,771.70 (World Bank, 2021), Honduras is the second poorest country in the region behind only Haiti. Worldwide it ranks 137th of 191 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index (2021). Over 50% of Honduras’ total population lives in poverty and 35% of Hondurans live in extreme poverty (income of less than $2/day), with poverty concentrated in the rural areas where half the population of 10.2 million resides. Chronic malnutrition of children (stunting) is widespread. Violent crime has plagued the country for several years, related to the drug trade, corruption and political turmoil. (Sources: Vecinos Honduras, World Bank, Insightcrime.org)
Calling all World Neighbours Canada supporters in the lower mainland! World Neighbours Canada would like to invite you to a live talk by Vecinos Honduras Director, Carlos Vijil on February 29th at 6:30pm.
This event is co-hosted by BCCIC and World Neighbours Canada. It is delivered with support from the Government of Canadaand the Inter-Council Network’s Spur Change program.
Just a quick note of thanks for all your support over the past year. It has been a busy year for us supporting our partners around the world. Each country has their own unique challenges and solutions.
All of this good work has been accomplished because a few hundred Canadians like you decided that they were not only grateful for the food, water and safety they enjoy—they were also determined to do what they could to help people who are less fortunate. Thank you for your support! It has made a huge difference to the lives of thousands of people.
Please continue to support World Neighbours Canada and its partner organizations to the extent you are able. I urge you to give generously to help us continue our fight against poverty and injustice.
If you want to receive a tax receipt for the 2023 year, you have only a few more days to donate. You can donate here: DONATE or click on the link at the top of the page. Please consider donating monthly.
We are very proud of a recent project that was completed in Burkina Faso by our partner APDC. The project was funded by a grant World Neighbours Canada obtained from the Fund for Innovation and Transformation (FIT). FIT is a program funded by Global Affairs Canada. After project completion, FIT provided additional funding to provide training and support for APDC to produce a video about the project to allow World Neighbours Canada to share the results of the project with Canadians, and also with other villages in Burkina Faso.
Rather than tell you about the project in detail, we thought we would share the video instead so you can hear the process and results from the participants themselves.
The video is from on our Youtube channel. You can see it here:
About the project briefly:
Following discussions with women in the rural Eastern region of Burkina Faso, APDC implemented activities with 110 women to allow each woman to set up and manage a household sheep-fattening enterprise. APDC provided training in basic bookkeeping, techniques in the care of the animals, how to choose an animal at the local livestock market, and entrepreneurial training – the traits of a successful business person. A key element of the project was engaging family members, and their embrace of the project was one of the highlights.
About APDC:
The full name of the partner organization is Association d’Appui à la Promotion du Développement durable des Communautés défavorisés. It is a small rural development organization in eastern Burkina Faso that World Neighbours Canada has supported, in a variety of ways, since 2009.
By Bruce Petch, Volunteer Executive Director, World Neighbours Canada
Research findings released by the UK charity WaterAid describe how some dry regions of the world, including parts of Burkina Faso, are subject to a “whiplash” of extreme climate pressures. Periods of drought are followed by devastating floods. The research was done in partnership with the University of Bristol and Cardiff University (https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2023/november/flooding-and-drought.html).
The research is consistent with the experience of people living in the Eastern Region of Burkina Faso. World Neighbours Canada’s partner in the country, APDC, has often reported the seemingly contradictory observations that crops suffered from drought during the growing season, but severe flooding damaged the bunds in rice fields. APDC has been working with farmers to adapt to the changing climate. One strategy is to build more rice fields in slightly low-lying areas (the terrain is quite flat). If floodwaters can be controlled, rainfed rice production has the advantage of being less reliant on the distribution of rainfall over the growing season. Another strategy is to reduce reliance on field crops by supporting livestock production, market vegetables (where wells can provide water) and processing of agricultural products such as sesame.
Unfortunately, APDC’s work is hampered by a violent insurgency in the country that has caused many rural people to leave their homes and farms and seek refuge in towns where the army is better able to maintain security.
By Bruce Petch, Volunteer Executive Director, World Neighbours Canada