Ouagalab goes to Caux
Since 2011, when Ouagalab was created, we have signed up to bring our assistance to Burkina Faso through training that we carry out across the country and since a while ago in other parts of the West of Africa. We are driving forward social and technological change though its approach of getting things done with other people, and the way it promotes access to local digital education.
What is the Ouagalab?
Ouagalab is an African Youth Initiative born in 2011 after the InnovAfrica Forum step Ouaga. The desire to learn and share motivated us as young innovators to set up the first FabLab in Francophone West Africa.
What do we do at the Ouagalab?
We are a team of young engineers, IT-specialists and social activists from Burkina Faso. These are some of our projects:
- Kateryna «Happy Childhood» – construction of playgrounds for children from locally available and where possible recycled materials, adapted to environmental conditions; these playgrounds shall serve both recreational and educational purposes for both children and their parents; no single playground exists in the whole Burkina Faso
- Kisito «Carto-Malaria» – using participative digital cartography to map the malaria risky zones throughout Burkina Faso, in order to inform the population about the risks, risks mitigation behaviour, and to provide national and local authorities with valid data to help them formulate and take adequate measures. Malaria is the first cause of death in Burkina Faso and in Africa overall.
- Hamed «Drinking Water for All» – using participative digital cartography to map access to drinking water points and the absence of them, in order to demonstrate the spatial inequalities in the access to drinking water, to highlight particular difficulties that population is facing in each case (rainy or used waters are stocked near to a well point, manual pumps, distance to walk each time to the nearest well point). In Burkina Faso, as well as all across Africa, bringing water home is the task of a woman and of children
- Gildas ’Baoré’ – collect and analyse climate information (temperature, humidity, pollution) in order to assist farmers in utilising most adequate agricultural techniques with the aim to boost harvests and to decrease the use of pesticides; create online platform in order to facilitate sales among farmers, intermediaries and end consumers for adequate pricing, avoidance of losses, sustainable agriculture awareness-raising
Why would we like to join Caux?
We strive to participate in educational events around the globe, in order to acquire knowledge that is lacking in Burkina Faso, and at the same time to share our local know-how.
This great and unique opportunity to take part in the event in Caux on climate change and security of the planet shall not be missed. Climate change has negative impact on all countries and especially in Africa, where it is the synonym of drought and famine.
The knowledge about the safety of the planet will help us to further impact the Burkinabe society and to assist our population in adopting the lifestyles that address those challenges and cope with them.
What is Caux?
The CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation’s vision is a just, peaceful and sustainable world in which people act from a sense of global interdependence and responsibility.
CAUX-IofC provides a safe and privileged space to inspire, equip and connect individuals, groups and organisations from around the globe to engage effectively and innovatively in the promotion of trust, ethical leadership, sustainable living and human security.
Caux Dialogue on Land and Security provides a special place where new ideas take shape, and new projects are being born. It is with these aspirations we hope to attend the event and to bring back the new collaborations to our communities.
We have been selected as a part of the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security Fellowship program – an incubator that will help us develop our projects and find new partners to implement them.
