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Solidarity. Commitment. Project

ITALIAN BOUSSOUM' TOMAT

Label Tomato Juice
Organisation
SMOM
Country of intervention
Burkina Faso
Location
Boussouma
Project start
2009
Project contact
Pino La Corte



To invest in a project which offers the best living conditions has been considered fundamental for the Foundation. So, after having built a school for the children we also decided to give their mothers an opportunity to set up their own business.
In order to increase family incomes, Boussouma’s women were taught how to produce tomato sauce from their home grown tomatoes to be sold all over Africa.


Yesterday

In 2009 the Tomato Center was built, 8 wells were drilled and the fields were sowed. Whilst the tomatoes grew the women were being trained to produce pulped tomatoes. The production center was also used as a school to teach people how to read and write, considering that 90% of the population are illiterate.


First tomato sauce production

In January 2011 the first tomato sauce was produced - 22,5 tons of tomatoes were transformed into pulped tomatoes and 8.200 bottles (750 ml) were filled with this sauce. In addition to the women who are already involved in the project, 200 farmers helped them to harvest the tomatoes.
The Center has now also acquired a truck for the distribution and a warehouse has been built to store the bottles.

The Director of the Tomato Center is a local citizen - Gouem Souleymane - who returned to his native village, Boussouma, after living and working in Italy for 15 years. His valuable experience in the Italian tomato industry has proved to be extremely profitable for this enterprise.
In August 2011 the Center started to sell the first production to the local restaurants and retailers.


Aims

The final aim is to avoid emigration and to allow immigrants to return home.
In agreement with the local authorities, the senior villagers and the women already involved, the Foundation will support this project until it is completely independent.
Another important aim is to set up an alternative production in order to utilize the Center all year round, instead of the actual 4 months.
The possibility of producing soap from karitè is presently being looked into, as well as courses to teach local people how to read and write.
This project will allow the local population to make the best use of the Center 12 months a year.




Photo-Gallery: new building and first tomato sauce production

Photo-Gallery: the Mayor of  Boussouma’s visit to our Foundation

Partnership agreement between the Boussouma Local Council and the Foundation