Supporting women in Tougan to build a strong association
Tiegna Sobele is a led women association operating in the commune of Tougan. Unlike other local associations, its members undertook vegetable production. The idea emerged during the security crisis, when it became difficult to find basic cooking condiments.
“We started producing bean leaves and sorrel to improve our meal because, with the security situation, it was difficult,” explained Brigitte the association president.
The choice of gardening also came from the possibility of using the limited resources they had.
‘At the beginning, we wanted to process butter, do weaving, and produce soy milk, but we had no means to buy raw materials or equipment. With gardening, we realized we could manage with the few hoes and picks we had until we could earn something.'
Access to land is a major challenge for women in the area, so they turned to their husbands for support in securing a plot for production. After a few successful trials, they decided to create an association not only to improve the quality of meals but also to generate income to support their families.
“We asked our husbands to help us get land (…) There was a man who owned a field, and they negotiated with him so we could get a small portion to start growing beans and sorrel. It grew well, and we felt it was better to create an association.”
In the early days, the work was extremely difficult. The women fetched water from traditional wells to irrigate their crops.
“In the first years, we had to draw water from the wells to irrigate the plants, and it was physically exhausting, sometimes we had pain in our backs and in our chests”
Recognizing the women’s determination and innovative approach, NCA, with support from OCHA, decided to provide them with technical and financial assistance. Thanks to this support, the association acquired a solar-powered motor pump.
This system now allows them to draw water from the well and supplies it to small reservoirs, greatly easing irrigation tasks.
“Now with our new irrigation system, it’s very, very easy, and we are really happy,” she shared.
This improvement has significantly boosted their productivity and strengthened the association:
“With NCA’s support, we are well-developed now in gardening, and we thank you very much.”
This initiative perfectly illustrates how access to water combined with gardening can help achieve three key goals: improving household food security, generating sustainable income for women, and strengthening women’s economic empowerment, which is essential in preventing gender-based violence.
Through such concrete actions, NCA and its partners reaffirm their commitment to supporting local resilience and encouraging sustainable, women-led solutions in the Sahel.
