THE MAN OF THE TREES

Daniel Balima is an experienced horticulturist from Tenkodogo, a small town in the Sub-Saharan region of Burkina Faso. He resides there with his large family and has been working since his birth 67 years ago.

As a child, Daniel contracted polio, and despite growing up without the use of his legs, he managed to follow his father in the family nursery by walking on his hands.

Daniel worked with immense passion and skill, turning his disability, which often defines destinies in Africa, into an opportunity. He stated, "I had two choices: to beg or to take control of my life and work with dignity." Every day, he heads to the garden to work, overcoming challenges related to both his physical condition and the local environment. He finds joy in being able to support his family and fund the education of his children and grandchildren.

Daniel embraced and conquered this significant challenge, and each day he diligently sows and cultivates a variety of vegetables and plants with gratitude and effort.

Those in need of food often visit his garden, knowing they can enter without money, meet this generous man, and with a few gestures and kind words, gather what they need to feed themselves.

In over fifty years of work, he has nurtured more than a million trees, which is of utmost importance to him. As he explains, his country requires many trees due to drought, and he dreams of planting another million.

Born in Pettinengo (Biella), Italy, in 1969, he earned a degree in Engineering and a master's in modern low-budget technology for developing countries. He moved to Africa to live and work, simultaneously engaging in documentary projects during his time in Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, he resides between Italy and Africa, primarily in the province of Biella, in an old house in the mountains surrounded by meadows and woods, along with dogs, cats, horses, sheep, and goats. Since 2006, he has also been involved with refugees and asylum seekers through Italian NGOs.