Meet 60-year-old Pauline Bonogo, a member of The Sonder Project’s community farm in Komsnedego, Burkina Faso since 2023. Her journey reflects the resilience and determination shared by so many of the women who farm with us—women who are building financial independence, food security, and dignity through year-round agriculture.
For decades, Pauline had little opportunity to support herself besides collecting firewood—back-breaking work—and producing shea butter to sell at the market, which is grueling, seasonal, and limited in earnings. Her challenges only became more difficult when her husband was forced to leave the village following a community dispute. Suddenly, she was fully responsible for her own needs, with few economic options available.
A New Opportunity Takes Root
Pauline first learned about The Sonder Project’s community farm—a solar-powered irrigation system that allows subsistence farmers, particularly women, to grow crops year-round—from another woman already participating, who told her that new plots were available and encouraged her to join.
“I didn’t have anything else to do after the rainy season,” Pauline shared. “Instead of sitting at home, I decided I would come to the farm and work.”
Pauline collects water for her plot from one of the catchments on The Sonder Project Community Farm.
Now, through her work on the farm, Pauline is meeting her day-to-day needs. She sells surplus spring onions, beans, cassava, and corn—income that helps her purchase staples like rice and maize for her household. She can also pay for medical treatment when she becomes ill.
As she put it:
“Today it is the farm that helps me provide for myself, whether for health or food. The farm has changed my situation.”
What once felt overwhelming has become manageable.
Building Toward a Future Goal
Pauline has also begun saving toward her next goal: raising goats—an important and reliable source of income for rural families.
“I plan to use funds I earn to buy goats. One day I will have a herd because of the farm.” She continued, “it is difficult to raise animals without income because if they get sick, you need medicine,” she explained. “I am counting on the farm to help me cover these costs.”
Spring onions grown on the Community Farm.
A Role Model in the Community
Pauline has become a quiet leader among her peers. She frequently informs merchants when produce is available for purchase and encourages other women to join when new plots become available.
Wielfried Lompo, The Sonder Project’s Agricultural Field Coordinator in Burkina Faso shared, “Pauline is very focused and diligent. Every time she makes a sale, she immediately records it. Her discipline encourages others to do the same, and we often use her as an example during meetings.”
Her commitment is helping build a stronger, more accountable, and more collaborative farming community.
Pauline and other farm members at the celebration of the expansion of the farm in November 2025
A Life Transformed
When describing the change the farm has brought to her life, Pauline is clear:
“Before, we were sitting at home with no income. Now we earn money for our needs. I no longer lack money, and I am very happy.”
The farm gives her purpose and stability each day. It keeps her active, connected, and able to plan for her future—something she could not do before.
Her hope is that her children and grandchildren continue to find opportunity and that their livelihoods strengthen with time. With the income she earns today, she is helping to support that future.
Pauline Bonogo stands proudly in front of her plot on The Sonder Project Community Farm in the community of Komsnedego, Burkina Faso.
You Can Help Create More Opportunities for Women Like Pauline
Opportunity is powerful — especially when it reaches women who have spent a lifetime without it. The Sonder Project’s community farms provide year-round food security, stable income, and the chance to build a stronger future for entire families.
When you give, you strengthen the path forward for farmers like Pauline and for the next generation growing up in their care.
How to Make an Impact Today:
- $50 provides a can of seeds for 16 farmers to cultivate 0.25 hectares of crops
- $110 supports one farmer and their family with year-round food security through irrigated agriculture
- $1,100 builds a new irrigation catchment, supplying year-round water to 12+ farmers
- $30,000 funds an entire community farm, transforming opportunity for a whole community
Your support fuels sustainable agriculture, women’s empowerment, and resilience in the face of climate challenges.
Support our Year-End Campaign at: 👉 thesonderproject.org/opportunity