From Abidjan to Korhogo via Man, Marie-Claire Adjaï, from the Management Division, and Antonin Hélias, from the Microproject Division, traveled to Côte d'Ivoire from July 16 to 31 to visit some of La Guilde's many microprojects and volunteers. It was also an opportunity to meet the various institutional partners with which La Guilde works in the country.
Abidjan: Strengthen it without forgetting the rest:
The mission started with a reception at the French Embassy in Ivory Coast in the Plateau district overlooking the Ebrié lagoon, a vast expanse of water surrounded by the immense Ivorian capital in full spatial expansion. This meeting, organized with France Volunteers in Ivory Coaste, will have been the occasion for Mr. Ambassador Jean-Christophe BELLIARD to evoke his Guild past and his cycling trips across the South American and African continents. On volunteering, the Ambassador recalled the importance of continuing to strengthen the territorial network for sending volunteers to reduce the impact of macrocephaly in Abidjan.
Abidjan is marked by intense demographic and spatial growth, raising the question of access to networks and in particular that of waste management and treatment. This issue is being tackled head-on by the association. Me Game Tri Ivory Coast, symbol of synergy of the activities of La Guilde because winner of the Fall 2023 AAP Microproject And reception structure for two volunteers in Civic ServicePresent in 4 municipalities of Abidjan, a beneficiary selection session was organized in Grand-Bassam for the new winning project Waste Work for Women, training and professional integration for women in the circular economy and waste treatment sector.
Marie-Claire and Antonin then separated to head towards two other regions of Ivory Coast: The North and the Korhogo region and the West around the city of Man.
Man: Heart of an active initiative region:
Wedged between 18 mountains, Man is one of the emblematic cities of the West of Ivory Coast, a region well represented in La Guilde's Microprojects with 7 projects funded. This stay in the West began, for Antonin, with a trip to the remote village of Koonan a few kilometers from the Guinean border. This commune hosts the activities of the structure Life on Land, partner of Volunteering which runs the socio-cultural center and agricultural training activities for young people. These are in all 4 civic service volunteers who had the opportunity to come and participate in the revitalization of this rural village.
Head to Guiglo for the rest of the program and the visit of the partner of the French association Metishima : the Nicla school complex. A winning project from Spring 2020, this visit serves as a reminder of the impact of school infrastructure construction on the teaching conditions of teachers and the schooling of students on academic results and promotion to the next class.
The end point of this stay in the West is in the town of Danané, the last large town before the border tripoint between Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Guinea, symbolized by Mount Nimba. Hosted by the International Missionary Center In 2015, the sewing training microproject continued almost 10 years later despite the difficulties encountered. Some of the women trained at the time have set up their own businesses. Another has in turn become a trainer for other young people in the city. They are still supported by the initial trainer who gives them advice on repairing their machine or teaches them new sewing patterns. A symbol of the long-term impact of microprojects.
Korhogo: Strengthening the scale of commitments near areas of tension:
In the North, in Korhogo, the third most populated city in the country and the last major urban area before Mali and Burkina Faso, Marie-Claire had the opportunity to visit Delivery to Ivory Coast, a historic partner of the French association ASDAE, three-time winner of the Microprojects. In the city of Katia, she works on issues of education, sport & development and population empowerment.
A short detour via theFrench Alliance of Korhogo, partner of La Guilde which hosted a screening of the film "We Walked Under the Earth", by Alex Lopez, winner of the Golden Fleece Prize at the 2024 Dijon Adventure Screens FestivalThe structure now accommodates, a volunteer in Civic Service who is responsible for supporting children with cooking activities and raising awareness about hygiene. A meeting was also organized with the director of theNGO Les Flamboyants, partner of the French association SOLINFO for a sewing training project for young women in this area of northern Ivory Coast, which is under tension over migration, trade and security issues with Burkina Faso and the presence of gold mining areas, creating socio-economic vulnerability for the population.
To conclude this stay in the North of Ivory Coast, a trip to the town of Katiola allowed a visit to theAKADESO NGO who is working on the electrification of a vocational training center for young women. With the solar panels installed this summer, training in catering and sewing will begin.
Back in Abidjan for a few days, several appointments were set to visit the volunteers ofEmpow'her, working on issues of economic empowerment of women in West Africa in particular. Still on the volunteer side, the Ivorian association Biblio'Bulles will have opened the doors of one of its libraries to present its academic support and reading activities with children from certain disadvantaged neighborhoods of Abidjan. These last few days will also have allowed us to continue the institutional work started at the beginning of the stay with the Cooperation and Cultural Activities Department of the French Embassy.
Surprisingly, July 2024 will also have been the date of implementation of an order regulating Ivorian associations by the current government to combat crime and money laundering, a decision feared by local CSOs and seen as an obstacle to the implementation of international solidarity projects. This mission further demonstrates the importance of the work of these Ivorian associations and their initiatives, which La Guilde supports through its activities.