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AFEMIB Empowers Women’s Cooperatives in Solidarity Savings Initiative

Sanguie: The Association of Women in the Mining Sector of Burkina Faso (AFEMIB) conducted a mission on January 6 and 7, 2026, aimed at strengthening the administrative and financial capacities of women's cooperatives in the commune of Reo. This initiative was facilitated through the establishment of Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSLAs).

According to Burkina Information Agency, the initial phase of this activity took place on January 6, 2026, at the YIDIA cooperative in Zoula. The following day, a meeting was held in Reo with the DOUI-GNAIN cooperative, which comprises small ruminant farmers. These efforts are part of the support provided under the Project to Support the Strengthening of Governance and Inclusive Finance for Women in Mining (PARGFM).

AFEMIB program officer Edouard Kambire explained that the mission focused on raising awareness, setting up, and training cooperative members in the community savings approach. He noted that AVEC is an approach that allows cooperatives, often excluded from the formal financial system, to mobilize funds internally to finance income-generating activities.

The 28 members of the DOUI-GNAIN cooperative and the 22 members of YIDIA acquired new knowledge and were also provided with AVEC kits. These kits include three-locked cash boxes, individual notebooks, calculators, and other management tools to promote good practices in savings and solidarity lending.

Benyali Solange Bayala, president of the DOUI-GNAIN cooperative, expressed gratitude for the support from AFEMIB and its partner. She highlighted that her association, primarily composed of single mothers and widows, engages in raising small ruminants and income-generating activities, while also addressing gender-based violence, promoting positive masculinity, and preventing early pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

In Zoula, Donald N'Do, a member of the YIDIA cooperative, appreciated the training received, stating that the savings-credit system would facilitate easier borrowing for activity development and ensure repayment, benefiting all members.

Through these activities, AFEMIB reaffirms its commitment to enhancing the financial and organizational autonomy of women's cooperatives, contributing to the sustainable improvement of women's living conditions in Burkina Faso.