MAKOMAS sources its organic, all-natural, non-GMO ingredients from rural women farmers in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. Makomas Foundation is a non-profit organization that works in these two countries and enables rural women farmers by providing the latest tools, training programs, and community support.
This year, I had a short visit to both countries in March. I have already chronicled my field trip to an organic farm in Burkina Faso. It was during the same visit that I met Nabintou. She is a farmer working on the same farm, and I saw her working in one of the community gardens. Community gardens help in sustainable gardening for growing food and developing new friendships.
While I was touring a garden, Nabintou hurried over to greet me. She reminded me of the first spring training session I conducted in May 2016. We both were teary-eyed at the recollection, and I got curious to learn more about her backstory and journey with the Makomas Foundation.
Back in 2016, I often used to keep journals and files of the rural woman farmers who attended our training sessions. I decided to dig up Nabintou’s files from my archives and give them a read on the plane back to the United States of America.
Her file was a thick one and worth a read, and I am posting three of her entries on this blog.
Entry dated 5th May 2016
Today was a hard day. I was awake the whole night, tending to my mother-in-law. She was running a high temperature, so I had to call the doctor. Our local doctor was kind enough to visit us in the morning and informed us that she had caught the local flu. I went to the market and spent the little cash I had on purchasing her medicines.
After giving her medicines and a soothing meal, I rushed to our field. On the way, I bumped into the headmaster of my daughter’s school, who reminded me about the fee dues for this year.
As I prepared the fields for the next planting season under the sun’s scorching heat, I couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about the current state of affairs. Despite my best efforts, I seem to be playing a game of catch with my fate.
I hope and pray that someday, I can handle the uncertainties in my life and not feel so helpless. I will visit my good friend Fatoumata from the nearby village tomorrow. That ought to cheer me up.
Nabintou
Entry dated 6th May 2016
I visited Fatoumata today. I have known her since childhood, and meeting her always puts me in a great frame of mind. She is extremely positive, and I can always pour my heart in front of her. She greeted me with her famous cup of tea, and I started discussing the thoughts that had been troubling me for months.
Will there be ample rain this season? Which method would I use for effective harvesting and storage of the crops? Can I afford to transport my produce to market? Will I get lucky and get a better deal from the middleman than last year?
Being a farmer herself, she could relate to my worries. However, I did not find her as perturbed as I had been.
She told me about a non-profit organization called The Makomas Foundation, which had recently conducted a training session for women farmers like us. She shared learnings from the foundation and its plan for her village.
She gave me the contact number of one of the volunteers, Alice, and invited me to join her at the next training session, which is scheduled for next week. I plan to attend the session next week.
I hope something good comes out of this.
Nabintou
Entry dated 14th May 2016
This week has been a busy one. I attended a training session by The Makomas Foundation as planned this week. It was conducted by the founder of the foundation, Magbè.
She explained the foundation’s plans to us. They plan to onboard us with MAKOMAS, a company that will source ingredients directly from us. Just imagine never having to worry about the wretched middleman. I loved this idea from the outset.
There will be business training sessions held for all the women farmers. Apparently, there’s strong demand for our raw materials and produce in the West. That was news to both Fatoumata and me, good news.🙂
The session ended with her team of experts introducing modern mechanized farming methods to us. I was pretty excited and asked a lot of questions. On the way back, Fatoumata and I discussed the prospects and impact this foundation may have on our lives.
Only time will tell about that. But for now, I shall sleep in peace and thank god I attended this session. It just might be the lucky break I have been waiting for.
Nabintou
I hope you feel as inspired as I was after reading the above entries. Nabintou and Fatoumata’s story truly depicts their grit and resilience. It shows that women can lead and build communities and help reduce poverty in Africa.
There are many ways to give the gift of hope to the rural women farmers in Burkina Faso through the Makomas Foundation’s Gift Catalog. Every purchase on MAKOMAS helps these farmers become economically independent. Do shop at MAKOMAS today!
Cheers!
Magbè