Bonjour Cava?

On a recent site visit my colleague Rissi and I set off to interact with the members of Association Delwende des Femmes. Being a Sunday morning 1 was anticipating a very quiet day. Riding through the enviable traffic less city of Ouagadougou, I was counting my blessings at such sheer luxury of riding through a city without traffic, enjoying the sceneries that confronted me and wondering at the dexterity of the women motor drivers dressed in their Sunday best and sometimes with their children all packed onto a generally small motor bike. It simply made me wonder what women are made of. How women can adopt and adapt to care for their children.

Finally we got to the offices of Association Delwende des Femmes and here were two wonderful women who had spared their Sunday morning to welcome us. Barely did our vehicle arrive when those words I had heard a thousand times was uttered again. “Bonjour cava” It hit me so hard the importance of being multilingual and my constant unachievable new year resolution to take French classes, I hope this will finally make me take that much needed step. As always I had to take cover behind the fluency and warmness of my colleague. “Beatrice ne comprend pas Francais” “Ah d’accord” they always responded then I smile broadly. After exchanging pleasantries and being briefed about the organisation our guests announced that it was time to visit the project site.

AWDF had awarded a grant of $7000 to Association Delwende des Femmes to purchase a corn mill and build a shed to house the corn mill. I was most unprepared for this trip to the country side on a serene dry Sunday morning but we were told it was just around the corner. I guess we all have different senses of time and distance. So one of the executives joined our vehicle while the second executive simply zoomed past us on her motor bicycle with such dexterity, confidence and power. So all was set for the journey to the community of Nagazougou.

The beginning of the journey was quite rosy still cruising on the streets of Ouagadougou then I was jolted into reality after our vehicle turned into a side road. One immediately wonders, did I just come from space! Our salon car crawled and meandered along a long winding path with gullies that could easily pass for ravines, but wait, the people of the community had conquered the road years ago. Motors easily zoomed past us, with their happy riders beckoning at us to catch them if we dare. It was too obvious that the riders (both men and women) were very familiar and used to the road network in that part of town. As our guest tried to chit chat all I could think of was how the women in the community could survive on that dry patchy land. I could barely see greeneries. Later when I enquired about their farms I was told “there”, the millet is buried in there I guess waiting for a speck of rain to sprout up.

As we approached we saw a beautiful house with the AWDF logo and colours very visibly tacked to it. Oh it was such a beautiful sight to behold. It made up for all the trouble of riding on such a road, the journey was worth every bit of it. Not only that the women in the community had come out of their different sections of the community to welcome us with pomp and pageantry. I could not help but display a few of my adept dancing steps, I was filled with so much emotion how seemingly little little things can make so much difference to people’s lives, how people who have never met from diverse cultures and languages could connect so easily all in line with helping humanity. In contrast to the dry patchy land were these happy go lucky women dancing and singing as if it was no man’s business. One could hear unrestrained merry making, feel genuine excitement and joy, and read absolute contentment, it was simply splendid.

A little insight into the community Nagazougou. The community appears to be a collection of house steads with a population of about a 1000 people, a very neat community. Houses are sparsely located some distance apart but distance can not break the resolve of these sisters. They had come together to improve their lot. I saw their traditional silos which serve as their grain banks it was simply marvelous, appropriate technology at its best. Bicycle and donkeys appear to be their main mode of transport and I will be right to say almost every community member had a bicycle at least. The community is a vast stretch of dry patchy land with very little shrubs and a few withered trees. After interacting with the welcoming party we entered the building housing the corn mill and here was a community sister busily operating the corn mill.

The story of the corn mill begins. The supplier of the corn mill had trained some selected women in the community on how to operate and maintain the corn mill and currently three community members - Sisters Adiza Ouedraogo, Korine Ouedraogo and Alimata Drago have been elected to manage the corn mill. Fees are charged for the use of the miller, accounts are properly kept and the proceeds used to buy fuel for operating the miller. It is envisaged that with time the community would be able to save enough from the proceeds of the mill to start a micro credit scheme. The women are also yearning to take literacy classes now that they have more leisure time.

The icing on the cake, my colleague and I were privileged to plant a commemorative tree each in front of the building housing the corn mill to be followed by a community durbar under the baobab tree, oh how one longs for such serenity and peace away from the hustle and bustle of modernity and sheer chaos. At the durbar the community narrates how the corn mill has been such a blessing. “Now women do not have to travel all the way to the capital Ouagadougou to grind their millet, women now have more time at their disposal to take care of their children and home” says Rasmata Compaore a widow and a mother of 5. This definitely goes to improve the quality of life in the home.

The story does not end we were seen off by the women of Nagazougou with singing and dancing and words of gratitude and blessing beckoning AWDF to visit again. All these make community/development work so fulfilling and worthwhile. To the women of the community of Nagazougou I say “bravo! keep up the fight because victory is just around the corner for the women of Africa”. I am just looking forward to that day when the commemorative trees will grow despite the challenges of the land, bear fruit and provide shade for the children of the community and house the nests of birds.

Beatrice Boakye-Yiadom
Acting Grants Manager
AWDF