The New ATTA Boutique

Thanks to the contributions from my family and friends, I was successfully able to raise the necessary funding to construct the new boutique for my partner association, ATTA.  Though the project is not finished, the construction phase is, so here’s an update on the boutique’s progress!

When the grant money arrived, the building planning and preparation stage began.  Buildings in Burkina are usually constructed with banco, a strong mud/clay mixture, or if funding permits, with mud/rock bricks carved out of the ground by local laborers.  We opted for the latter.  My ATTA counterpart, Omar, and I visited the local carrière, or brick quarry, to order bricks for our building.  We spoke to several brick-cutters, and in total, ordered over 1,000 bricks.  Over the next several weeks, these brick-cutters performed the arduous task of using an axe to shape and cut bricks out of the ground.  When most of the bricks were finished, we hired locals to transport the bricks and loads of sand with their donkey-pulled carts.  When all the materials had arrived at our site, including bags of cement and barrels of water, our mason arrived to start the construction process.

Local carrière

 

The mason and his apprentices mixed together the powdered cement with sand and water and then proceeded to construct the brick building, beginning with a wider strong foundation.  Sand was placed in the interior of the building, as the base for the floor.  The mason built up the walls, leaving open spaces, reinforced by wood beams, for windows and the doorway.  About halfway through, the boutique construction was delayed by a brick shortage, but after a couple of days, we were back on track.  When the walls were up, the mason then placed long wood beams as roof supports and then attached the metal roofing, 16 corrugated metal strips in all.  He also attached the metal doors and windows while the electrician wired the building for lights and sockets.  Finally, the mason and his apprentices cemented the interior of the building, to create the finished walls and floor.  In total, the construction of the building took under three weeks!

After the building was completely constructed, Omar and I spent one day painting the interior with water-based foam paint.  The job took about five or six coats, and we were paint-splattered and fatigued by the end!  Now the building site needs to be leveled out with sand and cleaned up.  Then, we will arrange our prêt-a-porter (ready-to-wear) products in the building, as well as sewing materials, a sewing machine (for minor tailoring needs), and a small dressing area.  We will paint our boutique signs, to advertise our new boutique along the main road.  Hopefully, before long, we’ll have our grand ribbon-cutting and be open for business!

 Thank you to all who helped out with the funding for the boutique!  As you can tell, the project has been very successful thus far, and we envision a thriving business before long.  The boutique could not have been realized without the support of everyone back home, and ATTA and I are infinitely grateful for the financial backing!  Stay tuned for more information on the boutique’s completion!