News

by Judy Gray, with information from Rebeka Tankoano

Over the past 2 months, World Neighbours Canada’s partner organization in Burkina Faso, APDC, has been able to train 12 more women in income-generating activities thanks to a donation from the QSI International School in Benin. Eight women were trained in the processing and marketing of groundnuts (peanuts) and another four in fattening and raising 2 pigs. The women and their families have been displaced from their farms by an armed conflict; they are living in the town of Fada and trying to find ways to survive.

Rebeka Tankoano recently provided a report on the training sessions. Here are excerpts from her report about the groundnut training:

“This training session took place from 10 to 12 March 2025 in Fada for eight very poor internally displaced women. With the aim of promoting the expertise of former beneficiaries of WNC/APDC support, we asked Touampoa Thiombiano to accompany these new beneficiaries in learning how to process and market groundnuts. An expert in the field, Touampoa was able to pass on her know-how to these new beneficiaries, who are now equipped to improve their conditions thanks to this activity. From equipment to production techniques and inputs, Touampoa spared no effort to explain all the conditions necessary for processing groundnuts into different products. Over the course of the three days, the women learned how to process groundnuts into a number of products, including biscuits, oil and paste (peanut butter). One of their major concerns during their discussions was managing customers and controlling the market. With Touampoa’s expertise, she explained a number of issues to consider: product quality, respect for customers, trust and meeting deadlines, which will help them to better control the market and build customer loyalty. Thiombiano also encouraged them to work hard and courageously to achieve greater success. At the end of the training, each beneficiary received a kit containing equipment and inputs for starting up their enterprise.”

Here is the reaction of one of the beneficiaries, Lamoudi Ouali:

“I’m very happy to have had the chance to be trained for this activity, I’ve learnt a lot and I’m very grateful to the donors. I’m really encouraged to see that our trainer has also been a beneficiary like us and that she’s done really well. I’m also happy for all the support and all the materials received. I’m going to work well like Touampoa and succeed in my business. I’m thinking a lot about my friends who would also like to receive help to do activities to support their families.”

What a joy it was to read that one of the women, Touampoa Thiombiano, who herself had been a beneficiary a year ago, learning how to process and then market groundnuts, was able to act as the trainer for the new group of 8 women who were preparing to implement the activity. Beginning as a learner, Touampoa has become a teacher and is willing to share her experience and expertise with others!

APDC continues to impress us with the results they are able to achieve, given the difficult conditions they work in; along with their ability to adapt and modify the ways the training is offered.

by Judy Gray, World Neighbours Canada Director

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.