NGO Donates 50 Million FCFA in Equipment to Support Women’s Resilience Project in Sissili
SISSILI — On Friday, May 3, 2024, the non-governmental organization Helen Keller International, in partnership with the Helmsley Charitable Trust Foundation, granted equipment valued at 50 million FCFA to women participating in the “Path to Resilience and Empowerment of Women” project. The initiative aims to bolster income-generating activities among village savings and loan associations in Sissili, Center-West region of Burkina Faso.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the country representative for Helen Keller International, the equipment will support activities in livestock breeding, processing, and soap production under the RESIFA project, also known locally as Kana Kolu. This effort is part of the first pilot phase which benefited 2,121 individuals across 43 village savings and loan associations from 29 villages. Specifically, the distribution includes 1,631 women in the livestock sector, 322 in soap production, and 168 in the non-timber forest products sector.
Mariata Benao, a representative of the beneficiaries, expressed the collective gratitude of the women involved, noting the equipment’s potential to reduce poverty and enhance production for their income-generating activities. She also emphasized the importance of support from their spouses in these endeavors.
Dimithe highlighted that the project, which spans from February 2022 to January 2025, is set to improve economic opportunities and resilience, particularly targeting food and nutritional security in 100 villages across seven communes in the Sissili province, specifically in the Léo health district. He assured ongoing support from Helen Keller International to help combat poverty and malnutrition, and praised the collaboration among all development stakeholders in the province.
The ceremony also featured remarks from Tewendé Isaac Sia, the high commissioner of the Sissili province, who encouraged the beneficiaries to fulfill the trust placed in them and acknowledged the substantial support from the NGO and its partners.