Josia Annick Coulibaly
Josia Annick Coulibaly,CR & Sustainability Manager at SECO
How did you manage to be accepted as a woman in the villages?
My first experience was in the village of Yedandiekaha. I was there for a broken water pump. People were amazed to see such a young lady and wondered what she was doing there. But when I went back again and again, the villagers learned that my visits were always connected with a social initiative or a project for them. So they accepted me because they knew I was here for good things.
In the long run, it is about creating perspectives in the villages to counter the rural exodus. What do they say about this?
We observe that the villages are becoming more modern. The young people go to the cities because they are looking for better living conditions, but I believe that Olam and SECO now offer them better conditions in the villages. That is a good reason to stay. The second factor is working conditions. The work in agriculture is very labor-intensive and very strenuous because the farmers do not have the necessary equipment. But this is changing slowly and the work is becoming easier. So it can be easier for young people to have a good life in the village and they decide to stay.
