Green Gold

Published in the January issue of Interdépendances, here is an article (in French) written by Raphaëlle Birot, agricultural engineer and member of the project team that initiated the project of rural sales of spirulina in Burkina Faso.

In 2009, 25 beneficiaries of the MFI AsIEnA distributed over 120kg of spirulina in the villages around Koudougou, we can be hopeful that in 2010, even more malnourished children and adults will be able to add this powerful nutrient to their daily meal...

TresorVert.pdf

Proud to be a Nakolbzanga!

(Narrated by Adelaide Gros)

It’s nearly a year since the spirulina project in partnership with the MFI AsIEnA started in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. The time has therefore come for a first evaluation and it’s an opportunity to discuss with the Nakoglbzanga* and know their feelings and motivations about the project.

I wanted to share with you the conversation I had with Georgette Kansono, Nakoglbzanga from Goundi a nearby village. What struck me most when meeting her is Georgette’s pride. When we mention spirulina, she smiles and immediately launches in a detailed explanation about the benefits the green powder has on people’s health if consumed regularly. She is all the more convincing that she experienced it herself. Since taking 5 grams of spirulina with her daily bowl of rice or to, she sleeps better and feels stronger.
Everybody in the village knows she sells spirulina in the village. And she adds that the recognition she gets from being a Nakoglbzanga is very important. She displays her Nakoglbzanga badge proudly, and head high definitely looks like she is very aware of the responsibility that rests on her shoulders. She surveys the crowd the alleys of the market, shouts with great conviction "spirulina, spirulina" and walks around selling the green and yellow sachets of spirulina. She also explains that she combines the position of Nakoglbzanga, which is a new income-generating activity for her with that of Mama Health, a benevolent role in which she handles the sales that take place within her MUSO ** to the members of the group and their families.

It is now usual that some villagers might come knocking on her door asking for a word of advice, as they have some health issues. Georgette speaks of spirulina with passion and is undoubtedly a great ambassador of this food supplement. But she remains realistic: Yes, spirulina can brings health and is good for everyone, children, adults and elderly alike, but it’s not a drug, it can never replace a chemist or doctor’s prescription. And to enjoy the benefits of spirulina, it must be consumed regularly, not as a one-off like some tables but for at least two or three weeks per year. Sadly at the moment in Burkina Faso, during the lean period, when granaries are empty and fields not yet ready to be harvested, families who live in the countryside can no longer afford to pay for spirulina. At the price of 500 FCFA francs per sachet, even loyal clients can not find the cash and have to wait until next month to resume their treatment. Georgette laments about this situation not because her profits decline during the winter season, but because she really cares about the health of its neighbours and there does not seem to be an easy solution to this pricing problem, local spirulina farms are already selling under margins.
All 25 trained Nakoglbzanga in Koudougou currently face a real challenge to fulfil their task, because customers have less money, but the cost of spirulina remains the same. But the priority remains for Georgette and the other Nakoglbzanga of the project to inform people about the benefits of spirulina and to try by all means to make it accessible to people living in the bush. In the meantime, EdM and AsIEnA are also talking with the farms to see how to possibly reduce the costs and selling prices, while not impacting on the sustainability of the project or the viability of farms ... A fine balance to strike...

* Spirulina sellers and counsellors, they are all members of the MFI AsIEna and belong to different MUSO. The name means 'the one who looks after the well-being of all' in the local dialect Moré.
** MUSO, Mutuelle Solidarité, a solidarity group of men and women who belong to the MFI AsIEnA.

The Success Story of June in Burkina Faso

Growing vegetables is increasingly popular for farmers in Burkina Faso after the rainy season. Jean-Baptiste Compaore, a farmer residing in Tansèga, a village situated some 35 km from Ouagadougou, the political capital of Burkina Faso, is one of those brave people who farm the land every day to make a living.

Originally from Tansèga, Jean-Baptiste grows cabbage, peppers and aubergines on his plot. He also grows tree saplings and tries himself at breeding.

Member of the Wend Waoga group, a group strong of eight men, he is also married and the father of seven children, amongst whom, four go to school. The family lives in a compound of five mud huts, three of which are for his family.

Jean-Baptiste learnt subsistence farming from a young age from his father. He proudly explains to us what tools are needed: watering cans, buckets, spades, shovels, rakes, small dabas* for digging holes and bars to dig water holes and wells, as there are no dam nearby. The major difficulty encountered is actually watering, as the wells dry up and it’s impossible to maintain a good level of water throughout the year. Farmers would therefore need cement and sand to improve the wells, but this represents a big investment and remains a limiting factor. Jean-Baptiste is in this situation because he can not yet fund such an expense, no matter how beneficial it would be for the crops.

During the rainy season, Jean-Baptiste wakes up at three a.m. to go to his garden, then goes to the field from eight to farm. At the end of the day around four, he returns to his plot and check his vegetables. He wants to water before nightfall and also check for parasites.

Although close to the capital city, the population of Tansèga conducts agro-pastoral activities similar to rural places, and despite their proximity to the big city, it is not easy for them to travel to Ouagadougou to go to a credit union or a bank.

A while back, the Wend Waoga group got counselling from the local radio "Vive le Paysan" which guided them to the Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Burkina (BACB). But most recently, Jean-Baptiste and his group heard of AsIEnA and the methods of this microfinance institution promoting self-sufficiency appealed to them a lot. They also liked the fact that AsIeNa is equipped with a mobile van, that doubles up as an office and so the loan officer comes and meets the group on site every month.

Jean-Baptiste has now been a partner of the MFI for three months and got a first loan amounting to 25000FCFA. This enabled him to purchase seeds and fertilizer.

Right now, Jean-Baptiste just started harvesting his vegetables and sells them on the local market, it has already yield a return of 17550FCFA, but the season is only starting and he hopes to at least double his income when the rest of his crop. He then intends to use his earnings to repay the credit of course, but also to buy more seeds and grow more species. Then he intends to take a second loan with AsIEnA, of a higher amount to restore and improve the two wells that are currently not in use.


(Story collected by Armel Guenguere)
* A daba is a little rake produced locally

Microfinance on Wheels!

Setting up a Mobile Microfinance Agency in the suburbs of Ouagadougou

Since 2008, EDM supports ASIENA in Burkina Faso in a capacity building program, as well as numerous innovative projects, such as the launch of a mobile agency, thanks to a Nissan van and some very motivated staff.

This project is funded by the French Foundation Le Mascaret and answers the need of some of the poorest people of Ouagadougou. These people might have left their villages in search of a better life in the big city, but end up living in the suburbs with none of the basic services like electricity or running water, and hardly enough money to make the journey back home to their hometown, if they wanted to. The families living in those neighbourhoods are excluded from the formal banking system and rely on moneylenders charging extortionate rates. They may have access to some microfinance services, but it usually involves travelling into town, so now Asiena is wishing to meet them on their doorstep. This project targets areas of the suburbs that are landlocked with difficult road access.

Indeed, these micro-entrepreneurs wish to start an income generating activity, but are hampered by lack of transport, basic services or income... Almost all of them are engaged in activities in the informal sector, whether they are petty traders or food sellers. It is mostly the mothers, who are the main breadwinner; as husbands, when they work, are mostly hired in the formal sector, and often working far away from home. There is no shortage of micro finance services in Ouagadougou, but very few are targeted towards the poorest people with no guarantees and no ID documents.

The Mobile Agency will reach out to these people with an offer of both financial and non-financial services, using the MUSO methodology**, which was tried and tested by Asiena with over 3,000 people in the regions of Dédougou, Diébougou , Nouna and Koudougou. The objective is to answer the needs of the families residing in these neighborhoods, promote the MUSO philosophy of solidarity and self-reliance and encourage them to do voluntary savings, as well as attend trainings on management topics or social themes like health, nutrition or gender issues.

Two months down the road, the Head of Operations and Development at Asiena and the EdM intern working on the Mobile Agency project have talked to a dozen groups. Over 300 women (and 10 men!) have been trained. These people urgently need access to a loan and saving scheme, but also acknowledge the need for coaching along the way, and the MUSO philosophy seems to convince them.
So steps have been taken to purchase and a van and it’s now a matter of weeks until these new MUSO are in place and the members are granted their first loans.

Author: Emilie Frapsauce
(Translated by Laetitia)

* Asiena, Association Inter-Instituts Ensemble et Avec "Together With" was established in 2002, it operates in Burkina Faso and Niger with a double mission of solidarity and self sufficiency, supported by three initiatives: mutual health organizations, saving and loan schemes and economic or social trainings.

** The MUSO methodology is based on the principle of MUtual SOlidarity, the members put their contributions in 3 separate boxes: a green box (the retirement fund , that is also used for loans for income-generating activities), a red box for social issues (births, deaths, illnesses…), and a blue box for external funding that is then redistributed to the members in the shape of small loans over 4 to 9 months. Monthly General Meetings are an opportunity the people belonging to the MUSO to attend training on economic and social themes. A MUSO can count between 5 and 30 members.

Spirulina now available in all good bush villages

From the chemist’s shelves to the village's market stalls...

Spirulina, a microscopic algae with exceptional nutritional value, was recently introduced to the villages around Koudougou in Burkina Faso. You can now see grandmothers jumping on both feet to prove us that yes, spirulina makes you healthy, and it’s especially noticeable, when your body is worn out and malnourished and you have been working so hard in the field, while not being able to rest properly at night.

It’s only the beginning, the program started two months ago, when the little green powder left the shelves of the chemists to be sold at the monthly meetings of ASIENA’s solidarity groups (ASIENA is one of the partner MFI of EDM in Burkina Faso). Already 480 people attended the information sessions and learnt all about the benefits of the cocktail of vitamins and minerals that is spirulina. 68% of those who attended the sessions bought some spirulina for an average of one packet and a half per person. Some people have been buying up to 4 or 5 packets of 25g a head. The majority of people got it for themselves, to cure illnesses or tiredness. Some also bought it for their children, suffering from malnutrition.

The second major event was the one day training on November 6th, when 14 people (one per Muso) came to the spirulina farm for a sales training. 14 "Mom or Dad Nakoglbzanga" - Nakoglbzanga in local language being the one who "watches over our health at all" graduated. Some are selling dolo or condiments, others are breeders or farmers. At the end of training, they all chose to take a microcredit of 7500 FCFA (11 euros) to purchase a stock of 20 sachets of 25g of spirulina. Four days later, four of them had already sold out and wanted to renew. We are looking forward to hearing from the others ... and we will be there to coach them in this new venture, help them develop their sales techniques and be wise about saving their earnings.

A second training session of our Nakoglbzanga is scheduled to take place in December to strengthen their marketing skills and give then a training on nutrition.
That is because selling is only one aspect of the job, the Nakoglbzanga are also here, as the healthkeepers of the community, reminding people that ‘one spoonful of spirulina a day keeps the doctor away’!

RAPHAELLE

First steps in Burkina Faso

Today, I leave the floor to Cécile who came to spend a month in Burkina Faso as a volunteer ... After a few months working solo, I was glad to have company! And bonus… a contributor to the blog! Cécile just extended her stay by 5 days ... there is still work to do... and Burkina Faso is a welcoming country, difficult for her to leave... we hope!

"I've come to lend a hand to Laetitia during my 4-week break. I have been working with two MFIs, Mufede and Asiena that are to become EDM partners in West Africa, if funding follows. On the agenda: immersion with both MFIs to make a diagnosis of the accounting processes and management tools in place. I spent some days in the office, others on the field and gained awareness of the specifics of microfinance. I learnt a lot when interviewing the cashiers, managers, credit officers, accountants, but I also discovered plenty when touring the various markets of Ouaga and discussing with the beneficiaries: dolo sellers (the local beer), hairdressers, food sellers… It is a first step to understand the mechanics and identify the needs of the MFIs in terms of accounting and information systems. I quickly realized that the problems are not very different from those I meet in France in my business consultant role at KPMG…: lack of controls, few procedures or little formal procedures, many manual processes… The recommendations will rain! But I also need to pay attention to the working habits and culture of both partners .. And indeed, it does not work the same way in Paris or Ouaga… Fortunately my 6-month experience in Casablanca last year already taught me a little bit…. This is not because we speak the same language, for example, that we always understand each other well, therefore I am very careful to explain, rephrase, make sure that what I am asking is well understood .... But the teams are very willing and well pleased to get some support... But they’ll have to roll up their sleeves to make things better! For my part, I learn every day, everywhere and each day brings its lot of surprises and discoveries: the pace is different – we start early in the morning but there is a mandatory nap between 12:30 and 15h - no backup files… ah why bother, despite regular power outages and computer viruses - no PCs in the subsidiary offices (I visited the branch of Koudougou, 1h30 away from Ouaga), everything is hand written in pretty paper records , a debit column, a credit column, a blue pen, a red pen, et voila! Despite this, the core of business seems to work: the MFIs operate in the main markets and the most deprived suburbs of Ouaga, their loans and saving products are targeted towards the poorest, the credit officers love their job… A far cry from my usual concerns in Europe, it was a vivid experience and one I’d love to repeat soon…."

‘Bonne Arrivée’, welcome to Burkina Faso!

Following a prospection in early 2008, EDM decided in May to launch activities in this country, bordering Ghana and Benin, where EDM is already working. One of our partners for this new program is the microfinance institution ASIENA Association Inter-institute Ensemble et Avec, founded in 2003 and headed by the very dynamic Emilie Somda.
ASIENA began making loans to religious communities and after this experience of direct credit, wanted to focus on micro credit for the poor and created the Mutuelle de Solidarité (MUSO). In Burkina Faso, nearly two-thirds of the population live on less than 250 CFA francs per day (0.40 euros). ASIENA comes with a combined mission of solidarity and self-sufficiency, supported by three initiatives: the creation of health insurance schemes, the installation of savings and loan groups and the organization of training sessions on basic accounting and business skills.
A MUSO is a group of people who know each other and decide to contribute to reach certain goals or transform these contributions into credit for group members. The MUSO differs from the tontine insofar as it constitutes a capital before lending it and grant loans based on individual needs and not in a uniform manner for all.
Three boxes characterize the MUSO, a green box for savings and credit, a red box for the social needs and a blue one for financial transactions with the outside world. The group sets the amount of contributions. So far, there are 85 Muso and over 2000 members. When internal funds are not enough, Asiena may offer short-term refinancing.
ASIENA serves mostly women in rural or suburban area. In early June with Sister Emilie, we visited Toma, 500km North West of Ouagadougou, to meet with associations interested in creating some MUSO. After attending the information meeting, the association Kayo-lo (Stand Up) of people living with HIV decided to join the 85 MUSO and more than 2000 members who already exist in Burkina Faso. This group of 36 people, including 32 widows, agreed on an amount for weekly contributions and will soon be able to grant their first loans. For the association's president, Pélagie, it is a great pride to join the MUSO, not only will the micro credit help them develop small income-generating activities, like the making of ‘dolo’ (local beer) or food (rice, doughnuts, smoked fish…) and improve their profit, but it also gives them an opportunity to think about something other than the disease and direct their energy and thoughts to these new projects.
Entrepreneurs du Monde supports the development of ASIENA through financial assistance, which will include the implementation of a management and information system. With this partnership, ASIENA wishes to initiate a project of mobile micro credit agency to better serve the poorest people living in the outskirts of Ouagadougou.