This text is part of the special International Cooperation section
“Teach him to fish and he will never go hungry again”: this saying could well be the motto of two international cooperation projects, one developed by SOCODEVI and the other financed by Carrefour international. The two organizations offer an answer to the following question: “How can we help women in Ghana and Eswatini fight against food insecurity and gender-based violence?” » The answer: by helping them develop their skills.
“Our goal is not to arrive with our settler boots,” confirms Nicolas Demers-Labrousse, country director for SOCODEVI, live from his office in the Ashanti region, Ghana. For two years, he and his colleagues have been working to build links with 150 local communities in the heart of this cocoa-producing region — the country is the second largest cocoa grower in the world. “We rather want to help local people develop new sources of income, to strengthen food security. »
Despite a sharp increase in the value of the chocolate bean on world markets, “there is not much of this money ending up in the pockets of farmers, particularly those of women and young people,” notes the director. Coupled with galloping inflation, these conditions lead many farmers to turn to illicit activities to meet their basic needs outside of harvest periods. As a result, illegal mines have proliferated in the region, threatening both the health and lives of workers as well as the rich tropical forest.
Cooperate to eat better
According to Nicolas Demers-Labrousse, a possible solution to curb this trend lies in the cooperative model. “We went to meet the communities, spoke with various people and everywhere we were told about “village savings and loans associations”, notes the director. These small-scale associations allow a group of people to save their money and, by collectivizing it, offer loans to local projects. This model, which recalls the beginnings of Desjardins funds here, is popular in West African countries, in particular. “It changes lives! By putting money together, the community can buy grains to plant them at the right time, fertilizer to optimize harvests, and equipment to plow the land. »
During these meetings, the communities also presented to Nicolas Demers-Labrousse their ideas for combating food insecurity. “We were told about growing cassava, which is the basis of fufu, a popular dish here. Others talked about baking, growing corn, tomatoes,” he lists. Some proposals were sometimes out of the ordinary: in Krachikrom, a woman had the idea of raising snails, a sought-after source of protein. In all cases, the director supports communities in setting up their business, from market analysis to marketing and bookkeeping. An envelope of 10 million dollars over five years allows SOCODEVI to finance the purchase of the first equipment – such as cages, so that the snails live comfortably without being able to escape.
“We use the resources in place to promote the leadership of communities and individuals,” summarizes Nicolas Demers-Labrousse. Particularly that of women, whom the director wants to see take the helm of the companies thus created. “We want to inspire a new generation. And it works: women are already speaking more often, they are developing their skills to give their opinion. »
Cultivate resilience
Further south of the continent, in Eswatini, it is also the future of women that interests Carrefour international, where a grant was awarded by the organization to a project entitled, in the local language, “Upscaling Adult Woman and Female Youth Farmer’s Agri-business Development Skill” and supported by the Women Farming Foundation (WFF). In this country, where nearly 60% of the population lives below the poverty line, “women are particularly marginalized in the economic and social spheres,” notes Emma Sandona, project officer in Canada. They are also responsible for 70% of the country’s agricultural activity.
This is why the WFF initiative, which for two years offered training in agricultural business management and crop adaptation to climate change and which aimed to raise participants’ awareness of gender-based violence, caught the attention of Carrefour international. Each year, the latter finances two projects in Africa via the Karen Takacs fund, named after the former director general of the organization and Canadian leader in international cooperation.
With these ten thousand dollars, WFF reached 30 women, many of whom were still teenagers. “We also indirectly reached almost 150 women and 65 men,” rejoices the project officer. They were put in contact with a partner organization, Kwakha Indvodza, which offers mentoring on positive masculinity to transform gendered relationships.
All these efforts had a measurable effect: the participants were, thanks to the skills thus acquired, able to increase their income by 12%, exceeding the objective that the organization had set itself. “By becoming better at growing marketable products, they have also improved their possibilities of supplying local markets,” notes Emma Sandona. The project also made it possible to break down certain barriers between genders. Women farmers were more confident and felt more comfortable expressing their opinions. »
For Carrefour International, empowerment initiatives of this type are the way to help more marginalized populations without offending cultural sensitivities. “Collaboration with local organizations is crucial,” concludes the project officer. We support them if they have needs, but they are the ones who decide. »
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.