The Multifunctional Platform in Burkina Faso
EWB volunteer Bahareh Seyedi is working in Burkina Faso, ranked by the United Nations as one of the world’s poorest countries (175th of 177 countries). Only 2 per cent of Burkina’s 8,633 villages, home to 94.5 per cent of the national population, have electricity.
While the persistent energy poverty affects the entire population, it has an especially acute impact on women’s daily lives. Each day women spend hours carrying water, collecting fire wood and processing cereals manually for their families’ consumption, leaving little time to care for children and generate much needed income.
Bahareh is helping to reduce this burden by strengthening the implementation of the Burkina Faso Multifunctional Platform Project. The project primarily helps women’s groups gain access to the multifunctional platform, a simple diesel engine mounted on a steal chassis that can power a variety of equipment such as grinding mills, water pumps and battery chargers. Since the women own and operate the platform, not only are they able to reduce their daily burdens by mechanizing food processing, but they are also trained in technical, financial and social management of the platform, and earn an income by charging other community members a fee for using the energy service. The program also aims to free-up women’s time, enabling them to take part in agricultural and educational activities; ultimately improving their socio-economic situation.
EWB's Role:
Bahareh has:
- Provided support for the scaling up of the project from the implementation of 50 platforms to 500;
- Conducted an organisational diagnostic to assess readiness for the project expansion;
- Drafted a proposal for increased support for the 4 project implementing agencies from the National Office;
- Created channels to share best practices and lessons learned between the implementing agencies and with the national project staff, improving the program delivery nationwide.
