Photo above: Mouni Ouédraogo

ATD Fourth World’s ‘Income Generating Activity’ programme¹ was set up in Burkina Faso in 2024, and aims to assist ATD Fourth World activists living in extreme poverty in setting up their own income-generating projects. These projects typically involve livestock farming, small trade, catering, or agriculture, and are supported through regular monitoring by the ATD Fourth World Burkina Faso team. Activists receive basic training in project management, and the team regularly visits participants to support them and share practical advice.

Finding the courage to develop a project through Income-Generating Activities

Mouni Ouédraogo is a young adult who has spent his entire life on the city streets in Burkina Faso. Since he was a child, the street has been his refuge, his shelter, and his school of life. Despite his extremely precarious situation, Mouni has always found the courage to persevere.

In 2024, ATD Fourth World in Burkina Faso set up an Income-Generating Activity programme to support long-term ATD Fourth World activists embarking on personal projects that allow them to earn an income. For Mouni, the small amount of money he received through the programme was an opportunity to develop a project close to his heart: setting up a small street trading business.

In Burkina Faso, the ATD Fourth World team regularly organises activities under street lamps² to reach children and young people who live and work on the streets. And whenever the team passes through Mouni’s town, they take the time to talk to him and follow the progress of his project.

Throughout the first year of his project, Mouni always expressed his gratitude for ATD Fourth World’s support, saying: ‘I’m doing well, I’m getting by!’

But during another visit a few months later, Alpha — a member of the ATD Fourth World team in Burkina Faso —could not find Mouni at his usual spot, and some children explained that Mouni had had to stop selling.

Some time later, Mouni visited the One Hundred Trades Courtyard and spoke with the team. He explained that the location prevented him from growing his business: ‘I decided to take a break and look for a solution,’ he said.

Mouni’s determined return

A few months later, Mouni was back and more determined than ever. He had restarted his business: this time with a new table, well stocked with goods. Members of the ATD team were moved and proud to see that he had not given up.

Alpha said to him, “Mouni, I’m very happy to see you back with your table by the roadside!”

This is what Mouni had to say,

“In life, you never stop learning. At first, I wasn’t saving any money, and the location was holding my business back.

“So I realised I had to change my strategy. Thanks to a tontine³ I set up with a woman [in my community] I was able to save a little. And with my second job as a car and motorbike parking attendant, I was able to get my business back on its feet.”

With a big smile, he added:

“In ATD Fourth World, you learn to stay strong and never give up.”

What people don’t know

Alpha encouraged Mouni to share this life lesson with other young people:

• “That’s great, Mouni. What you’re saying should inspire your friends. It reminds me of Hakim Ouédraogo, a child who, on African Children’s Day, said: ‘We are on the streets, not because we want to be, but because there are many things that people don’t know about us.'”

Mouni’s story reveals a prudent, patient, and courageous young man. It reminds us that a project is not just about funding: it needs support, encouragement, and solidarity. And above all, Mouni’s story reminds us that we should never judge or abandon someone after their first setback.

Mouni has learned from his failures, picked himself up, and kept moving forward. He, like many young people in ATD Fourth World, was able to stay on his feet thanks to small gestures of solidarity and a listening ear.

Today, the team in Burkina Faso hopes to send a message to all ATD Fourth World activists: persevere, have the courage to get back up when the opportunity arises, and know that you can ask for help.

1. supported by the Justice and Dignity for All (JUDITT) project
2. known as Street Libraries elsewhere in the world
3. Participants in a tontine agree to pay a predetermined amount at a given frequency. For each payment round, one of the participants is designated as the beneficiary of the other participants’ funds