In Burkina Faso - Daniel Beauregard

Daniel Beauregard, a civil servant in the land of shea butter

After a 25-year career in the Quebec civil service, Daniel Beauregard is experiencing his first of international cooperation, accompanied by his spouse, in Burkina Faso.

This West African country is a major producer of shea butter, a natural plant product. Obtained from the fruit of the shea tree, shea butter has been traditionally made and used by women. It has a variety of uses, including as food, medicine and soap.

"I'm working in a project to support shea butter producers groups," explained Daniel Beauregard to the listeners of Radio-Canada. I'm here to institute a structure for marketing shea butter on different markets. I came to support these women producers in terms of organization, management and communications, so as to make their production more efficient, to make them more independent and to strengthen their management capacities." Daniel Beauregard's official job title: Advisor in Organizational Communications.

This volunteer from faraway Quebec had to earn the trust of Burkinabè: "Most of the women are villagers who've had very little contact with white people. And they're mostly illiterate. I had to adapt and gain their acceptance, which was no mean feat. However, I'm welcome now and there's a relaxed atmosphere. Once trust was established, things went well." As smooth as butter.