In the process of achieving MDGs in Burkina Faso, BARKA is creating long-term relationships of reciprocity and mutual value between communities in North America and Burkina Faso. Why Burkina Faso? Frankly because the need is extreme.  Burkina is one of the poorest nations on earth, yet its people have a vitality and quality of well being that is a testament to the human spirit of the Burkinabe (people from Burkina). In Burkina Faso, BARKA is working closely with an indigenous village to design a replicable micro-model which can permanently break the cycle of poverty and foster social and economic empowerment. This model begins with creating greater accessibility to clean water because that’s what the village determined was their greatest need.  Later this year, BARKA will begin implementation of Phase 1: a water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) Project.  To find out more about this ambitious long-term project, see Village Micro-Model. BARKA’s work does not end in Burkina Faso.  We partner with an increasing number of local communities in the US and Canada to provide a platform for engagement to raise awareness of water scarcity and extreme poverty in Burkina Faso and to offer ways to get involved in creating change.  BARKA works with almost two dozen schools, 6 Rotary Clubs and many local organizations throughout the northeastern US.  Through service-learning initiatives we have witnessed countless students become inspired and step into their roles as leaders to create social change both locally and internationally. BARKA’s unique methodology places particular emphasis on the empowerment of women, the cultural arts, and preservation of indigenous human rights, culture and identity to facilitate self-determined, lasting economic and social empowerment.

“I love the vision of BARKA seeing the interconnectedness and interdependence, the vision of reciprocity, generosity, to give with one hand and receive with the other—that symbol is what the world is seeking so BARKA is essential to this collective vision.” Amber Chand, CEO, Women’s Peace Collection and BARKA Board Member