Village leaders discussed the issue of malnutrition in Nebrou in the Center-West Province with a Peace Corps volunteer. The group embarked upon a plan to address this problem by committing themselves to building two gardens, one at the primary school and another at the local health center (COGES). Other goals are to educate the local population about better nutrition and local farmers about modern cultivation techniques. Produce harvested at the school’s garden provides fresh vegetables for student lunches.

Moringa is the name of a “miracle tree,” originally imported from India, which grows well in savanna regions of West Africa. Food prepared containing moringa ingredients is an affordable and nutritious source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Moringa leaves and powder are a valuable and enriched food source during portions of the year when fresh vegetables are not available. In collaboration with PCVs and local farmers in the village of Ténado, FBF resources helped launch a seedling nursery in 2009-10.

FBF funds were used to purchase garden tools and irrigation equipment for women’s garden cooperatives in the villages of Loulouka and Koumbango in 2007, and Darigma in 2009. The irrigation equipment allows for increased food security and revenue for the members of the three cooperatives and their families.

Omigbéfitè, loosely translated as “help our brothers,” is an organization of 30 Burkinabé adults residing in the village of Loropeni in south central Burkina Faso. Each of its members grew up as an orphan or in a single parent household. The group welcomed the arrival of many young orphans into their community in 2006-07 due to the influx of people crossing the border from war-torn Ivory Coast in the mid-2000. Omigbéfitè provided these youth with food, housing, and apprenticeships educating them about farming grains, vegetables, and livestock.