|
Burkina Faso, the 'land of upright people', lies in the heart of West Africa. Here in the Sahel a sandy wind blows across from the Sahara in winter, the heat is oppressive in spring and with the onset of the rainy season in May dirt tracks turn into squelching mud.
Burkina Faso is one of the world's poorest countries and struggles with a negative balance of trade. Burkinabés face a multitude of problems: overpopulation, deforestation, malnourishment and lack of education. Burkina Faso is also well-known for its role in the trafficking of child labour.
Many years ago the local population in the Banfora region began to organise themselves in cooperatives to tackle these pressing problems. As small farming communities, the cooperatives produce various products: Amongst others, mangos and cashews thrive here, seasonally growing in abundance, but they can hardly be put to use commercially.
Based in Ouagadougou, gebana Afrique provides access to a market for these products. Its main strength lies in direct contact with producers and customers. The managing director of gebana Afrique, David Heubi, works together with the cooperatives WOUOL and TON in the South West of Burkina Faso. In addition, a partnership with the project SE.TRA.PAL based in Lomé, Togo, has been established, which processes organically grown pineapples. That way gebana helps to provide an income for over 800 families who either grow their own products or work in the transformation of these products.
More Information about gebana Afrique |
