Spring 2013 - Platform for Change

7/28/2019 Spring 2013 - Platform for Change

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You know youve reached Trickle Up country when the road has ended and you have to walk at least a quarter mile to

reach the village. The village of Pinou is a two-hour drive west of Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and wewere definitely in Trickle Up country. Pinou is one of the poorest villages in one of the poorest nations in the world. Ourjourney began on paved highway, switched to a well-traveled dirt road, and then, beyond the small town of Koudougou,there was only a bumpy, rutted 2 mile path through the brush. We didnt have to go on foot but probably should have.

When we arrived at Pinou, we were greeted by 25 women who are Trickle Up participants, all singing, clapping, anddancing in traditional African welcome. Three male drummers, with round traditional drums, known as Bendrs, keptthe beat. Surrounding the women was a large group of other women who joined in the song, punctuating it with anoccasional high-pitched lo, lo lo. Their song called out, We welcome you, were happy to welcome you. Come in,have a drink of water, make yourself comfortable, and, when youre done drinking, well catch up. Continuing their

A Platform for ChangeHow the Women of Rel Wend Transformed the Village of Pinou

By Bill Abrams

Watch the documentary video at

Vimeo.com/TrickleUp/APlatformForChange


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We asked what happened if someone in the group was facing hardtimes and couldnt afford her weekly contribution to the savingsfund. We have lots of solidarity in the group, Aminita, the group

president, explained to us. If someone is sick, a few of us will goto her house to check on her, and well each save a bit extra toprovide her weekly contribution. We all know that tomorrow it couldbe any one of us in her position.

In its two years, the group had saved a total of 1.53 million francs,or about $3,000. Members are able to take small loans from thecommon treasury, so most of the funds are out in circulationrather than stored in the savings box. The groups social fundcurrently had $200.

This is a typical Trickle Up story. What comes next is not.

When we first entered Pinou, we had noticed a brick building with a signabove the door announcing that it was the Plate-Form Multifonctionnellede Pinou, or Multifunction Platform of Pinou. Inside was a large greenengine connected by a wide belt to a milling machine with a large coneon the top. It was the largest building in the village, except for the school.In addition to milling the village farmers grain into flour, it was used tohusk the grains and provide power to charge batteries. In the future, with

additional components, it also could generate electricity for the entirevillage.

The women of Rel Wendpoor women who had never been to school andhad little status in their communitytold us how they were responsiblefor building the Multifunction Platform. Someone from the localgovernment had heard about this group of 25 women who met weekly tosave money and lend to one another, as well as providing mutual support.He informed them of a government program that would help fund a millfor the village, so long as it would save women work (they would spenduntold hours grinding their grain by hand with traditional methods) andbuild the capacity of a local womens group.

To qualify for the mill program, the women had to formally register their group with the government. They also hadto put up 300,000 West African francs (about $600) in order to leverage a government grant of 5 million francs($10,000). Since 300,000 francs was all they had in their savings fund, they were unsure if they should risk it alland so they went to AIDAS, Trickle Ups local partner agency, for advice. They also consulted with the village chief,who encouraged them to do it and offered to provide 1,000 bricks to help construct the mill building. The womeneach contributed 25 bricks of their own and persuaded others in the village to contribute lumber for the building and

cement for the floor.


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The Multifunction Platform opened for business in May 2011. Women from the Trickle Up group take turns operatingthe mill. They don brown work jackets and hairnets, with one woman monitoring the main engine and another themilling component, where villagers pour grain into the funnel on thetop and then collect the milled grain in buckets or burlap bags at thebottom. Profits from the mill go back to the Rel Wendsavings-and-loan fund, which is now able to also make loans to another group ofwomen, who, on their own, are establishing their own savings group.

As important as the economic benefits from the mill facility are, italso has given the community a much-needed resource and boostedthe social standing and prestige of this group of womenonceamong the poorest and least influential in the village. Now other

women see us as a reference, Aminita said proudly. They want toresemble us. Other women in the village, inspired to start their ownsavings group, have come to the Trickle Up women to ask for advice.

After hearing the story of the women of Rel Wendand theMultifunction Platform, we understood why the entire villageincluding the chiefturned out to greet us today and honor thisgroup of resourceful and determined women whom Trickle Up ishelping to better their lives and contribute to the advancement oftheir community.

Bill Abrams is the President of Trickle Up, joining in 2005 following a career as a senior

executive and journalist for The New York Times, ABC News and The Wall Street Journal.

Documents

Spring 2013 - Platform for Change