Collaboration across cultures and disciplines
Association Kafouli
Kafouli is a neighborhood center based in Sarfalao, Bobo Dioulasso. Kafouli means “together” or “the sum of all” in Jula, the main language spoken in Bobo Dioulasso. We are a group of partners based in Bobo and in Basel, Switzerland. Kafouli's main aim is to support our neighbors. During the Covid pandemic, which hit Bobo and Burkina Faso in general quite hard, Kafouli put together a first aid food distribution program. Now, building upon this experience, we are conceptualizing a sustainable program for residents - mainly youth and young adults - living in Sarfalao. Thanks to generous donations from institutions and private donors, we bought a plot of land in Sarfalao. Here the Kafouli Center will be built.
We are a team of 5 people, including myself, who all bring a different kind of expertise to Kafouli. The Executive Committee consists of 1 administrative official from the Burkinabe Department of Education, 1 primary school teacher, 1 small business owner, and 2 entrepreneurs. My role is to assure funding and to make Kafouli visible also outside of Burkina Faso.
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Board Members Association Kafouli
From left to right
Catherine Benao, Amadou Traoré, Hamidou Kaboré, Yacouba Kaboré, Rachid Kouanda, Clémence Nikiema
Picture taken by Association Kafouli, 11/2022
Kafouli Community Center
Pictures taken by Association Kafouli, 10/2023.
With a generous grant from the Swiss TPH Support Group and contributions from our community of friends, family, and colleagues, the Association Kafouli could buy a piece of land in Sarfalao. Here we see board member Hamidou Kaboré talking to a group of neighbors, telling them about Association Kafouli's work and plans for the future, building upon the experiences and network gained during the Covid emergency aid project. On the plot of land in the heart of Sarfalao, where our community center will come to stand, Association Kafouli members and friends distribute school material to internally displaced children.
Microcredits to set up small businesses
Pictures taken by Association Kafouli, 04/2023.
Women, who received interest-free loans, have started their own businesses in various domains. One woman for example buys cloth wholesale at the central market and sells it in smaller quantities in her own shop. Another woman makes sweet pastries out of baobab fruit, while our direct neighbor prepares Soumbala, a spice made from locust beans, which is sold in small, round black balls. It is used in many menus cooked in the larger Mandé region. Another neighbor started her own business selling vegetables in front of her compound.
COVID emergency aid
Pictures taken by Association Kafouli, 05/2020.
Association Kafouli team and friends shop for rice, beans, oil at wholesale distributors in Bobo Dioulasso. Transport to private compound in Sarfalao neighborhood and distribution of food packages to neighbors in need.
