Talk about Rasmata KONFO, and you will see an influencer who has many followers on social media in Burkina Faso and elsewhere. The content of her posts are for the benefit of people who are struggling. They paint the picture of a sincere activist, as she is now known. Although she has a disability, she does not lack the energy to raise the issues close to her heart. After training as part of the Benkadi Burkina Faso project, she and about 50 friends are once again on a mission against climate change. With the goal? Awareness.
The training was created by the Benkadi Project, in collaboration with Conseil national Multisectoriel pour la protection et la promotion des Droits des personnes Handicapées (SP/COMUD Handicap). The presence of Rasmata, a person with disabilities, is not accidental. Tiemtoré Clarisse, gender and inclusion expert, explains: "This training was planned in accordance with the objective of the Benkadi project, namely: " communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; in particular, women, youth and people with disabilities in Burkina Faso are entitled to development and resilience to climate change ". However this training has reinforced knowledge about the climate crisis for people with disabilities, Rasmata and her friends do not intend to sit still. Each of them, depending on their environment, wants to change something and contribute to the protection of the environment through powerful actions such as reforestation and sanitation. For now-trained activist Rasmata, the knowledge she has gained about climate change is a new string to her bow. She is already visible enough to do something, she says. Thanks to her appearance on social networks, she aims to alert, educate and influence public opinion about the importance of commitment to environmental protection. But there are also members of her association, who will have to initiate actions, however small: cleaning up and cleaning up public places, reforestation, etc.
Rasmata's commitment to various causes is not new. In 2014, she founded the Wend Penga Hope Association for Development, an inclusive organization dedicated to advocacy and preservation that fights alongside marginalized people. "This association is a reflection of myself, because during my childhood I suffered from the way others looked at my disability," Rasmata confides to us emotionally. As far as she is concerned, a person with a disability should not have to suffer the belittling looks and horrors of her condition, including rejection. With this in mind, her association helps disabled children, widows and orphans. Vacation camps are an important part of their work. The goal is to provide disabled people with a framework for their expression and the development of their talents. This event is preceded by training sessions aimed at motivating vulnerable people and boosting their self-esteem. "Sometimes people with disabilities have talents that are exceptional compared to those of able-bodied people," Rasmata said. "So why hide this light under a bushel?"On the contrary, this light must shine, shine in society, so that we too bring our share of color to the inclusive mosaic of our humanity ". Nothing seems to stop Rasmata in her fight for a fair and just humanity. Her efforts have gained her thousands of followers on social networks like Facebook, where every post invites a charitable action on behalf of a child or woman in extreme need. "Living is an opportunity, protecting the environment is caring for the treasure God has entrusted to us," Rasmata believes!
De Victor Komondi
Expert Communication et Plaidoyer
Projet Benkadi Burkina Faso
Mail : victorkom@gmail.com
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