Kapouri's story
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Meet Kapouri
Kapouri lives in the small village of Torem in Burkina Faso. Her life completely changed when her husband fell ill, and she was the only one able to take care of her children. Despite working hard every day to get food for her family, it was never easy. The effects of the climate crisis have also made it difficult for Kapouri to grow enough food to eat and sell.
But then she joined a Tree Aid project and started working with other women in her village to regenerate the land and make an income from shea trees.
Before the project
During the rainy season Kapouri works on someone else’s farm to get food, but this only provides a small amount of food. Often Kapouri and her family are forced to go hungry.
“We go for many days with no food – if I got a little bit of food, I would give it to my children. I worry they will get sick from going without food. We have gone hungry for six years. I thought I wouldn’t survive.”
“I have nothing to help my husband get better. Each day, I am very sad when I wake up to my situation. Some days, it is too much. ”
Since joining the project
"Once I joined the project, I got training on how to collect forest products properly, how to produce shea butter, how to plant trees, and how to naturally regenerate the forest. We plant trees together and I have learned the best times of the year for collecting different forest products.
The group has a strong bond — we help each other. We do all our work together and we even share food. Working as a group, we earn more income and everyone can make enough money. They have given me so much happiness."
Looking to the future
"Now I have money to buy food for my children and I can pay their school fees. I can buy myself a new dress like the other women in the village. During the rainy season, I can buy seeds and fertiliser to improve my crop yields. I am very happy.
Some people don’t know the importance of the environment and I have witnessed a lot of damage to natural resources. Thanks to the project, we can now see the restoration of the environment."
