Birds Bees and Business is the project where people and nature come together. The south of Burkina Faso is dependent on the Shea nut. They process this nut into butter for food or skincare products. A large part is exported and processed in butter or cosmetics, such as lipstick and creams, which we use here in the West daily. The high demand for Shea results in tree cutting and a reduction in biodiversity.
Therefore, it is logical for FairClimateFund to support these women and nature together with Cordaid, De Vogelbescherming and the Postcode lotterij. In this project, FairClimateFund focused on cookstoves. In 2020, a total of 18,111 F3PA cookstoves were realized for 9.119 households. This is thanks to 1,537 trainers. These trainers receive a microloan because they have taken a role in this project.
In this project, the strategy "train the trainer" is used. Women are trained as trainers and organize sessions in their village to educate on how to build and maintain an improved cookstove. This works well. Last year 47 villages were reached and 4,753 people trained in the use of improved cookstoves. There is great enthusiasm among women to participate.
But that's not all. The women who use the cookstoves can join a Fairtrade cooperative. They are responsible for Fairtrade certification and receive a Fairtrade premium. This is used for climate adaptation measures—the cooperative consists of an elected president, a treasurer and a secretary per village.
The ambitions for 2021 are high. The plan is to expand the number of households with improved cookstoves to 18,000. Together with Cordaid, Vogelbescherming Nederland and the Postcode Loterij, we are doing everything we can to achieve this goal. This year, extra attention to the project is paid by all organizations.
Want to know more about the project? Watch the documentary Birds, Bees and Business with Eddy Zoëy and Lauren Lewis: here