This project is supported by the L'OCCITANE Foundation. 

Context

Women, although representing 52% of the Burkinabe population, own only 8.8% of formal businesses. They are more active in the informal sector where they occupy more than 60% of production activities. Their low level of education and training, household management, problems of work-life balance and understanding in the household can result in constraints that weigh on the effort to achieve sustainable economic empowerment of women in the country. In addition, employers, especially those in the private sector, are reluctant to employ women because of their low level of education and training as well as the social roles they are assigned, such as domestic work, childcare and education.

In addition to these data, there is the extreme poverty of the population (more than 40% of the population lives below the poverty line set at less than 235€/adult/year), the effects of climate change in a country where the economy is based mainly on agriculture and livestock which employ nearly 86% of the population and the humanitarian crisis currently raging in the country. This reinforces the observation that women are marginalized (the most affected in crisis situations), particularly in rural areas, and also reveals a strong demand for access to support mechanisms to help them find decent work or develop income-generating activities (IGAs) with greater added value for themselves and their communities. 

 

Supported Project

In 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, the Foundation supports the BLOOM project of Empow'Her. This project aims to meet the training needs of women in vulnerable situations in the Centre-Ouest and Hauts Bassins regions of Burkina Faso through apprenticeship sessions in craft trades in promising and sustainable sectors. The project proposes to women a sustainable response for their empowerment through an adapted path of professional integration or via technical and entrepreneurial training. 

Specifically, the project aims to:

  • Enable vulnerable women to acquire the technical and professional knowledge to enter promising sectors of activity in rural areas;
  • Accompany women in their process of economic autonomy through professional insertion or through the development of an income generating activity according to their wish;
  • Raise awairness and familiarize the stakeholders (master craftsmen and training institutes) as well as the beneficiaries to the stakes of sustainable development, respect of the environment and gender.

Within the framework of this project, Empow'Her wishes to collaborate with master craftsmen and vocational training institutes in the target areas in order to offer women between 18 and 35 years old training focused on practical learning. It also intends to offer the beneficiaries close and customized support through coaching, counseling and networking with potential employers, inspiring women or with financing institutions in order to strengthen their capacity to obtain a job or their entrepreneurial capacity.

In order to address the migration crisis facing Burkina Faso, the project provides training and support to 30 internally displaced women, representing 15% of the beneficiaries.

Some Figures

Budget 220,000 euros

Results 194 supported women

History of the Partnership

The L'OCCITANE Foundation already partnered with Empow'Her in 2018-2019, to support its "Etincelles" programme, aiming to provide technical trainings to women in Burkina Faso. Discover more about the project here.

Testimonials

"My name is Adeline SANOU. I am a beneficiary of the Bloom project in Bobo Dioulasso. I want to thank Empow'her, because after the two sessions of Bootcamps, I had confidence in myself and I learned that whatever you do, you have to love it. You have to love your work before putting it into practice. After the Bootcamps, I benefited from hairdressing training for 4 months and during this training I was able to strengthen my knowledge of different models such as weaving, additions or carpets, braids and many others. models. I also benefited from two days of training in entrepreneurship. At the end of this training I see myself capable of setting up my own business plan so that I can seek funding to create my own business."

Adeline Sanou, beneficiary

Adeline SANOU