USADF Signs Two Grants to Support Grassroots Groups in Burkina Faso:

WASHINGTON - October 1, 2009  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 1, 2009 – The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) signed two grants to benefit grassroots groups in Burkina Faso.  The grants will benefit Association pour la Promotion de l’Agriculture de l’Elevage et de l’Hydralique (APAEH) and Association pour la Promotion et l’Epanouissement des Femmes de Ziniaré (APEFZ).

 After signing the grants, USADF President Lloyd Pierson stated “These new projects in Burkina Faso encapsulate USADF’s mission: support of the most marginalized and under-served to help them create jobs and increase incomes so that they may have a higher quality of life.”  

APAEH is an association in Sebba of the Yagha Province that helps sesame farmers and pastoralists market their products and increase productivity through technical assistance.  They represent 61 villages groups comprised of 4,116 farmers, fifty-eight percent of whom are women.  The farmers in the area are limited by weak yields of sesame seeds, lack of equipment, and a limited market strategy.  The three year grant will finance construction of a new warehouse, working capital for seeds, training, and technical assistance. 

APEFZ is an organization devoted to improving the lives of women near Zinairé, Oubritenga Province.  They provide a wide range of services to local women in the area who face high levels of illiteracy and poverty and have limited access to jobs.  Through their micro-financing fund, women have been able to begin processing cereals into food for sale.  The two year USADF grant will help increase the number of women receiving small loans and increase credit so that others may become empowered.  Funding will specifically finance new computers and training in business management, accounting, and women’s health, as well as providing new extension services to borrowers.  

USADF’s began programming in Burkina Faso in 2008 and funding its first nine projects earlier this year.  The country’s portfolio will focus mainly on the agricultural sector, introducing avenues of market access to grantees.  As with other country portfolios, there is much emphasis on marginalized populations, particularly women.

The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) is a United States Government agency dedicated to expanding access to economic opportunity in Africa. Currently USADF operates in 20 African nations.  Over the past 25 years, USADF has funded nearly 1,500 projects representing in excess of $150 million in support of African enterprises and local African communities.  For more information on USADF, its programs and application guidelines, visit www.usadf.gov. 

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