Sanguie: The Association of Women in the Mining Sector of Burkina Faso (AFEMIB) conducted a mission on January 6 and 7, 2026, to strengthen the administrative and financial capacities of women’s cooperatives in the commune of Reo by establishing Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSLAs).

According to Burkina Information Agency, the first stage of this initiative took place on January 6, 2026, at the YIDIA cooperative in Zoula, followed by a meeting on January 7 with the DOUI-GNAIN cooperative in Reo, which consists of small ruminant farmers. These efforts are part of the Project to Support the Strengthening of Governance and Inclusive Finance for Women in Mining (PARGFM).

AFEMIB program officer Edouard Kambire highlighted that these sessions were dedicated to raising awareness and providing training to cooperative members on the community savings approach. He explained that AVEC is an approach enabling cooperatives, often excluded from the formal financial system, to mobilize funds internally to finance their income-generating activities.

In addition to the training, 28 members of the DOUI-GNAIN cooperative and 22 members of the YIDIA cooperative received AVEC kits. These kits include three-locked cash boxes, individual notebooks, calculators, and other management tools designed to ensure best 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, not only focuses on raising small ruminants and income-generating activities but also on combating gender-based violence, promoting positive masculinity, and preventing early pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

Donald N’Do, a member of the YIDIA cooperative in Zoula, appreciated the training, stating, “This savings-credit will allow us to borrow more easily to develop our activities and to repay, so that all members can benefit from it.”

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