ATTA needs your help!

It’s been a long time since I blogged about my life here in Burkina Faso, but I have been busy with some exciting projects.  My classes with the ATTA apprentices have recommenced for the year.  Together with my Burkinabe counterpart, we are teaching them basic French grammar (most of the apprentices’ understanding of French is very low; most have not passed through primary school).  In addition, I am continuing with my entrepreneurship classes, covering topics such as budgeting, personal finance, accounting/book-keeping, and long-term planning.  My girls’ club, primary school art class, and terminale English sessions (terminale students are the equivalent of seniors in high school) have been going great too.  However, the most important project I've been working on has been with in collaboration with the president of ATTA, my host organization (read his bio here or my Ashoka article of our work together here).

Together, we have decided to build a new boutique for our association, to be located on the busy road between Bobo-Dioulasso and Banfora that bisects my village of Toussiana.  The ATTA boutique will be used to sell products created by our 63 apprentices, both those products made during their training sessions and those produced from our workshop’s fabric scraps.  Our boutique will cater not only to local and regional Burkinabe, but because of its advantageous location on the main Burkina Faso-Cote d’Ivoire thoroughfare, also be able to tap into the burgeoning tourist market. 

Some ATTA products

Apprentices in training

The new boutique is a crucial addition to ATTA.  Currently, our association depends almost entirely on outside funding (from both Burkinabe and international NGOs) to support the existing 63 apprentices and to provide resources to the 1,000+ plus former apprentices/ATTA partners working in the southwest region.  Unfortunately, this pattern of aid is not sustainable in the long-term, but with the creation of our new store, ATTA will be able to generate a consistent source of income, greatly aiding the association's long-term goals.  In addition, in conjunction with my entrepreneurship classes, the ATTA apprentices will learn about the boutique management, and our sessions will have a focus on product design, quality control, and marketing.

Our tailoring workshop

Working on embroidery

However, our plan will not be realized without your help!  Our itemized budget has put the total project cost at $1,745.89, including the land, construction materials, and labor fees.  ATTA is paying 25% of the total cost, covering both the land and some material purchases.  After ATTA’s contribution, there is still an outstanding sum of $1,385.89, and that’s where you come in!  We are asking for the support of my family and friends back in the States to help us reach our goal of constructing our boutique.  A donation in the name of ATTA through the Peace Corps Partnership Program is a tax-deductible gift; consider your gift to ATTA as a jumpstart on your 2012 charitable contributions!  Your grant to ATTA will contribute to the association’s long-term sustainability, a donation that will aid the generations of vulnerable apprentices for years to come.  

To help out with our boutique construction, please click here: ATTA Boutique PCPP

After you click on the link, you will be directed to the Peace Corps Partnership Program page devoted to the ATTA boutique (this page can also be accessed directly from peacecorps.gov too, under “Donate to Volunteer Projects").  At this page, you can find more information about the project and donate any dollar amount you chose!

In addition, for more information on our association, check out our new website (still a bit of a work in progress): www.attaburkina.org  Make sure to click on the English translation!

Some of the ATTA apprentices

Thank you for all your consideration of our project.  Not only I, but all the current and future members of the Association des Tailleurs, Tisserands et Assimilés appreciate all the support from friends and family back home.  Merci beaucoup!