Burkina Faso: Village development project in the Douroula region (1992–1997)

Toivala Foundation participated in the development of the Douroula village area in the Mouhou region of Burkina Faso. The Douroula area, located in a bend of the Volta River, is the very dry southern edge of the Sahel region. The vegetation around the village is scrubland burdened by migrating cattle and scattered Karité trees and some old Anacardium tree plantations.

Mission:

Development of the Douroula village area by establishing the village's own nursery and planting local tree seedlings in cooperation with the village residents.

Objectives:

The project objectives were divided into three parts during the project.

The primary objective was to establish a nursery in the village to produce seedlings of local tree species for planting.

Since there was no electricity in the village, the second objective was to utilize solar energy, especially for cooking.

The third goal was to support local craftsmen by providing them with tools to make wooden furniture.

Implementation:

The project was implemented together with Besançon, the French twin city of Kuopio.

The project was mainly funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of Kuopio.

Results:

The nursery achieved good results, although drought and protecting the plantations from livestock were a constant problem in both seedling production and plantation establishment. The villagers were able to be taught nursery techniques and plantation establishment.

The construction of the solar cookers was well received, especially by the women in the village. The problem was that cooking food with a solar cooker was new and it also changed the time spent and daily rhythm related to cooking. During the project, the idea was able to be planted, but the project period was too short to create permanent operating models.

The village carpenter was provided with hand tools to make local wooden furniture. The carpenter was also taught how to make solar cookers.