Empowering internally displaced women: The star who refused to “go out”, Wenzaanda Sawadogo

Wendzaanda Sawadogo is one of those Burkinabés who left everything behind. Houses, businesses, animals, neighbors, and memories both sweet and bitter. As a pastor’s wife, she is one of those women who forged a life worthy of respect despite adversity. Don’t we say that “resilience is the inner light that never goes out”?

Ask for alms? No. Resign? No. On the night of February 15, 2020, Amina could have considered all possible excuses to justify the suffering she had endured during her forced exile from Pirga to Kaya. But the star from the commune of Touguri did not complain and maintained her dignity. She confided in God that she had placed her hope in Him. “As my name, Wendzaanda, suggests in the Moorish language, He has protected my life and the life of my family,” she announced at the meeting on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Also read: History of the Village: Pilga, Yarsé and Fetishism

Fear of appearance

The 50-year-old was welcomed by her uncle when she arrived in Kaya. Wendzaanda Sawadogo remembers her ordeal vividly, admitting she had a headache for two weeks. “My uncle had only one room and 21 people slept in it: children inside and adults outside,” she said, before letting out a soft sigh.

Wenzaanda Sawadogo and his family have been searching for any information about the internally displaced. But, in her own words, every time she attends a social event, a terrible fear invades her: the gazes of others. “Sometimes people laugh or raise their voices when they see you. It hurts,” she regrets.

Crossing the Desert

Three months and ten days later, Winzaanda Sawadogo and her family said goodbye to their owner and started their own life. They settled in Kaya 2 district, on a plot of land bought by one of his sons, a former gold prospector who later became a soldier. On the unfenced land, they built a mud house covered with 22 metal sheets. But three months later, on August 15, 2021, part of the house collapsed. “My uncle offered to let me return to his place while he rebuilt another house, but I refused. I will not run away again. Renting a house is not an option because we can’t afford it.”

Amid the chaos, the family received support from a caring person who provided them with a house made of 10 metal sheets to store their belongings. Everything was done, but the family decided to live in the part of the house that had withstood the test. “We took our three children with us. They slept in the house and we spent the night under the shed under the stars. It lasted for about nine months. Then we benefited from three tents, one of which was for my uncle. When our son gave up gold mining to join the national armed forces, he built us a more solid house,” said Wendzaanda Sawadogo.

Also read: Insecurity in north-central Burkina Faso: Citizens warn that the population of Touguri commune is being emptied

Click

She and her family were constantly searching for any information about IDPs. But in her own words, every time she attended a social event, a fear would invade her: the gazes of others. Over time, she made a promise to herself to change people’s perceptions of IDPs, not out of shame about her new identity, but to prove to herself that IDPs could still live another life despite the vicissitudes of life.

So she decided to start raising pigs, one of the many activities she started in the village. “I gave up everything in the village except my knowledge,” she insisted. She bought a piglet from her uncle for 15,000 FCFA.

Start a new adventure

Thanks to the free COVID-19 Economic Recovery Fund launched by the Burkina Faso government to support the resilience of businesses in the face of the pandemic, the Fund to Support Women’s Income Generating Activities (FAARF) is organizing an information session in several cities, including Kaya.

“We went to the social event at 2 a.m. to register, along with 20 other people. In the morning, after the explanation from FAARF, we learned that this was not a census operation to distribute food, but financing the event through microcredit. Many people were not interested. I wanted to apply in partnership with a lady, but she was not interested. I told my guardian’s family about it,” recalled Wen Zanda.

She eventually joined forces with two indigenous women from Kaya. They were his uncle’s wife, Yaabré Sawadogo, and his daughter, Florence Sawadogo. Together, the three of them formed a solidarity group. Their application to set up a pig farm was approved by the FAARF, which provided them with a loan of 900,000 FCFA, payable within two years.

Also read: Covid-19 Economic Recovery Fund: More than 20,300 women benefit from credit in 45 provinces of Burkina Faso

A “profitable” activity

With this credit, Wendzaanda purchased four piglets and two other women for a total of five piglets. They built a pig pen on land near the concession of the Pirga natives. In addition to this initial investment, the first pig came from Wendzaanda Sawadogo, who gave birth to her first litter of eight piglets 12 months later.

“This farming is profitable. It enables me to take care of my family and educate my children who dropped out of school due to insecurity. I also bought a motorcycle,” the visibly happy fifty-year-old explains.

FAARF Credit Manager Justine Zoungrana said Wendzaanda Sawadogo and her team deserved congratulations because the first loan was repaid in one year, instead of two years, and FAARF provided them with a second loan of 1 million CFA francs, which was repaid on time.

take an exam

However, after two years of activity, swine flu killed half of the herd, estimated at around forty at the time. Despite this, the group had obtained a third loan of 1,500,000 CFA francs but found itself in difficulty with the repayment due in July 2024. FAARF had to recover around 145,000 CFA francs.

In these difficult times, Unzaanda can count on the support of her husband, Pastor Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, who today works as a leather worker. Given the difficult economic situation, he is struggling to sell his bags, sandals and belts. “Many customers buy on credit. I want to develop my activity, but as a priest it is difficult to borrow money,” Pastor Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo says with regret, but he does not hide his pride in the path his beloved wife has taken.

Also read: Internally displaced women in Burkina Faso: challenges, resilience and support needs

dream

Despite sleepless nights trying to pay off her loan, Wenzaanda Sawadogo still finds the strength to dream. She wants to build a more spacious pigsty, as part of the yard has been redeveloped to accommodate families of internally displaced people.

“The current pigsty is old and, contrary to what people imagine, pigs don’t like dirt,” she explains. Another idea haunts her: the production of soumbala. She speaks of it with passion. But despite the difficulties, she considers herself lucky because friends who remain in Pirga and with whom she is in touch still don’t know which way to go. On their behalf and on behalf of those who would like to leave for better horizons, she pleads for peace to return to Burkina Faso.

Fredo Basor

Lefaso.com