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Youth Storytellers

Youth Storytellers in Burkina Faso: Part 2

Groundswell International collaborated with our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD), to elevate the voices of local youths in Central America and Western Africa, allowing them to drive positive social change and shape the next generation’s global narrative. 

Our newest batch of videos out of West Africa come to us from three more inspired youths from villages throughout Burkina Faso. Through these videos, these youths share how their community members are transforming their lives daily.

Land Transformation Through Agroecology

Training in agroecology has helped members of the Bilanperga village in Burkina Faso to transform their land- and with it their lives- from barren, stony ground to thriving farmland. Farmers like Habibour Lankiande have learned techniques like zai cultivation and RNA to bolster their plants against drought conditions and to help their soil recover between growing cycles. Despite the labor-intensive work, Habibour says agroecology has improved her life, allowing her family to build financial independence, and has helped to foster a deeper partnership with her husband as they cultivate the land together 

Here, Habibour explains the process of zai cultivation and how it has impacted her life.

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Organic Farming and Catch Basins

Farmers throughout Burkina Faso continue to see the positive impact of incorporating agroecology techniques into their work. With training and support from ANSD, market farmer Michel Balima has switched from using chemical fertilizers to organic fertilizers, as well as uses a catch basin to collect and store water for his tomato and corn crops. Through these techniques, Michel is able to cultivate healthier crops, even in times of drought, and with enough abundance to sell. 

As a result of his use of agroecology, Michel has transformed his life and that of his family by gaining food security, financial independence, and a new level of pride: “I’m proud of my work. The money I make on tomatoes and corn lets me pay for my children to go to school. I get to take care of my health and deal with family problems.”

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Youth Storytellers in Burkina Faso: Part 1

Groundswell International collaborated with our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire, to elevate the voices of local youths in Central America and Western Africa, allowing them to shape the next generation’s global narrative. We previously shared videos from youths in communities throughout Honduras, and now our first batch of videos out of West Africa come to us from three young storytellers from communities throughout Burkina Faso. Through these videos, our youth storytellers share the triumphs, empowerment, and resilience that they witness daily in their villages with the global community.

A Determined Woman

Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD) works in Burkina Faso to strengthen the capacity of local communities, especially women farmers, to lead and manage their own agroecology programs by providing training and resources. Burkina Faso native Marceling Sandwidi received training in agroecology and seeds from ANSD, resources she now uses to tend a nursery garden of moringa plants for sale. 

Despite initial challenges, Marceling has been able to generate income to provide for her family while also contributing to her community- the moringa plants she sells have many medicinal uses, including treating high blood pressure. Through Marceling’s nursery, this community is mutually building success.

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Farmer Jonas in Burkina Faso

Farmers in Burkina Faso are seeing their fields transformed through the use of agroecological techniques introduced to them by Groundswell International and ANSD. Pokiamo Nadinga and his fellow Burkinabe farmers have trained in water management techniques like utilizing stone contour lines to direct the flow of water to their crops during irrigation. Farmers who have adopted these agroecological techniques have seen a vast improvement in their fields, with Pokiamo saying he sees a notable difference in the success of his crops compared to those of farmers who have neglected to adopt agroecology. 

Through agroecology, Pokiamo has found food security and an increase in quality of life, saying “I have even been able to buy a bull, so honestly I am really doing well.” 

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Creating Financial Independence

“I encourage women to get ahead. With ANSD, you will never fall behind.” 

In the Burkinabe village of Silguin, women like Awa Kima are finding empowerment and transforming their lives with the help of ANSD. Describing her life as difficult before ANSD’s intervention, Awa is now building financial independence through selling salt at markets, and has now been able to buy herself a cart and donkey for transporting resources and can afford to pay to send her children to school.

Awa says that she, and other women in her community, are able to live better, more independent lives thanks to continuing support from ANSD.

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Youth Storytellers in Honduras: Part 3

Intro / Part 1 / Part 2

Groundswell International collaborated with two of our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire, to elevate the voices of local youths in South America and Western Africa, allowing them to shape the next generation’s global narrative. Our last batch of videos out of Honduras come to us from three more young storytellers from communities throughout the country. Through these videos, these youths demonstrate the triumphs, empowerment, and lessons learned that they witness daily in their communities.

Women’s Local Market

In Concepción de Maria, Groundswell International and Vecinos Honduras have aimed our efforts on the ground at empowering locals, particularly women, to strengthen their communities both in the economy and the health of their neighbors. Through education in ecological farming and business practices, women entrepreneurs have gained the ability to sustainably farm natural, healthy foods like fruits and veggies and then hold markets to sell those foods, amongst other products, to their neighbors. This has empowered the women of Concepción de Maria to bolster their local economy while improving the health of their families and community.

Watch the video below or on YouTube:

Family Farmers

In communities throughout Honduras, family farmers are solving grain shortage issues by buying local grain and working with Vecinos Honduras to source space and fertilizers and work in collaboration with other farmers in the farmer-to-farmer programs. Growing food locally provides better access to healthy food for these communities and allows locals to provide for their own families without having to rely on chemically or genetically modified commercial offerings.

Watch the video below or on YouTube:

AE Local Resources

Farmers in communities across Azabache, Honduras, are rethinking organic farming and their relationship with the environment thanks to their partnership with Vecinos Honduras. Training from Vecinos Honduras has empowered local producers to develop new ways to provide food to their families and neighbors that don’t contaminate natural resources, including the use of amino acids to strengthen their crops and using microorganisms found in their mountains. Says farmer Pedro Chavarria, through their partnership with Vecinos Honduras, local farmers have “realized that we were really in a part of the world where we had all the resources to work without the need of chemicals.” 

Watch the video below or on YouTube:

Youth Storytellers in Honduras: Part 2

Intro / Part 1

Groundswell International collaborated with two of our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire, to elevate the voices of young storytellers in South America and Western Africa, allowing them to shape the next generation’s global narrative. The newest round of videos in our Youth Storytellers series comes from some exceptional youths in Honduras.

Income Generation

The Los Cavales Número Uno community of Azabache continues to be empowered by Groundswell International and Vecinos Honduras’ support of local development. In this video, Youth Storyteller Yesica Lagos discusses both her and her neighbors’ experience with Vecinos Honduras’ program, with Yesica describing her involvement with Vecinos Honduras as “one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.” 

With training and support from Vecinos Honduras, Yesica’s community is seeing a regeneration of its local economy as locals find success in various business enterprises- including wood carving, motorcycle workshops, sheet metalworking, and even Yesica’s own snack business- enabling this community to generate their own income and gain independence from outside middlemen. As her community continues to build on its success, Yessica says, “They have left a legacy in our lives, in our communities.”

Hear more in Yesica’s own words by watching the video below or on YouTube:

Yaneth: Local Markets

Youth Storytellers are not only using their videos as a way to illustrate their community successes to the global community but as a call to action to their local communities to participate in their own empowerment and community building. In the area of Guarumas, El Tránsito, and Canadelaria, Vecinos Honduras supports community members in creating local markets that allow entrepreneurs- who have learned skills in their trades through training provided by Vecinos Honduras- to offer their products to the public, growing the local economy and reducing the need to travel to other areas for goods. 

Watch the video below or on YouTube:

Farmer Experimentation

“A producer with vocation is the one who works harmoniously with nature.” 

For decades, farmers in the El Corazon de Maria region of Honduras have felt the hard effects of climate change. Formerly a sawmill called La Sierra, El Corazon de Maria experienced much deforestation that has altered the local environment, creating lasting consequences for the local farmers, their community, and their culture.  

Training from Groundswell International and Vecinos Honduras has taught local farmers better practices for working with the land they live on and adapting the seeds of their ancestors to the current climate situation, allowing them to no longer have to rely on GMO seeds brought in by outside groups, and creating harmony between the farmers and the environment they live in. 

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Youth Storytellers In Honduras: Part 1

Intro

The first round of videos in our Youth Storytellers series come to us from some young change-makers in Honduras. Our Youth Storytellers have filmed and edited these videos to demonstrate the successes in their communities. 

Merlin Aguirre

In Honduras, we are working alongside our partners at Vecinos Honduras to foster enterprises at the local level in order to regenerate local livelihoods and build the economies of rural communities. Vecinos Honduras provides education for members of the community, particularly young people, to learn skills and trades that allow them to gain financial independence and bolster their local economy. Through these efforts, over 650 people, including over 70 young people, have been able to form savings and credit cooperatives, mobilizing over $510,800 in savings.

Youth Storyteller Merlin Aguirre is one such youth in the Los Cavales Numero Uno community of Azabache. The son of a single mother, Merlin joined the El Esfuerzo Local Saving and Credit Union youth group Alianza Juvenil at age 20, where he received training from Vecinos Honduras to make metal silos and quickly started expanding his tinsmithing skills. Now, at 26 years old, Merlin owns his own tinsmith shop, Hojalateria La Bendición, where he crafts and sells metal silos, bread recipients, metal tubs, chimneys, accessories for coffee grinding machines, signs, license plate frames for vehicles, and more. Merlin’s skills and entrepreneurship are helping to revitalize his local economy by allowing his neighbors to buy the items they need locally – to store grain to increase food security and gain independence from middlemen, process agricultural products, avoiding smoke contamination from cooking fires in homes, and using motorcycles for local transport.  Merlin is also teaching his craft to other youths to enable his community to build success together.

Watch the video below to see him demonstrate his craft:

Women’s Empowerment

A large focus of Groundswell International’s work is on empowering women in rural communities around the globe. Women in the Concepción de María region of Choluteca in Honduras have been empowered to find their voices and take their places as leaders in their communities thanks to practical training and education from our partners Vecinos Honduras. Community members explain that while women used to feel timid, the education they have received has instilled confidence in them to make their voices heard and has left women feeling that they are now on an equal level with the men in their communities.  

Similarly, community analysis and refection facilitated by Vecinos Honduras has helped everyone in the community to better understand and relate to each other. Many men now see more clearly the contributions that women have always made to their families and communities in so many ways, which has fostered deeper respect and collaboration in the community as men now contribute equally in their homes and families. 
Watch the video below to learn more about how the people in these communities are thriving:

Youth Storytellers: Empowering the Next Generation

Agroecological farming and resilient local food systems are more effective and beneficial for people and our planet than industrialized agriculture. The need for a just transition from fossil fuel-based agriculture and dependence on food imports is even more evident with the high inflation of food and chemical fertilizers that are impacting millions. Scaling agroecological and local market alternatives are essential for nourishing people and reversing climate change. Yet, the false narrative that continues to dominate globally is that industrialized agriculture must ‘feed the world.’ This is a mindset that we work alongside our partners to change.

A large part of our mission at Groundswell International is to empower the communities we work in because we know wholeheartedly that the people in these communities are the real change-makers at the core of the success of our programs. This is especially true of young people.

The Youth Storytellers Program

With this in mind, in 2021, we piloted a Youth Storytellers program with our network partners Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD) in Burkina Faso and Vecinos Honduras in Latin America. We supported our partners to identify interested young people in program communities and facilitated them to retain basic communications training and equipment to produce brief videos on local success stories. 

Since then, our Youth Storytellers have documented the lives of smallholder farmers, including the strategies and techniques critical to their success and the universal elements shared with other farmers around the world. They have highlighted the improved resilience achieved by farming with nature instead of against it. 

The Youth Storytellers have shared their videos locally with their communities through social media and gatherings, inspiring others to action. Now we’re taking the opportunity to finalize and translate 15 videos to share with you to allow these youths to shape the narrative internationally in 2022.

youth storytellers

These Youth Storytellers are not only reshaping the global narrative surrounding how to ‘feed the world,’ but also working to inspire and empower other young people where they live. Youth Storytellers like Edras Amado Benegas in Honduras have led by example and gained a sense of agency as they recognize, document, and strengthen the power of community-based organizations to spread real solutions.

Edras explained, “I want to motivate other young people who are going through difficult situations, and who do not feel they count. I invite them to get involved, and find the opportunity to participate and be heard.”

It has been absolutely amazing to watch our Youth Storytellers use communications to drive positive social change, and we’re excited for you to see what they have to offer as we continue to find ways to make local voices heard globally in 2022.

Watch these Youth Storytellers in action here.

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