Storage project
Lotogou

Project origins

Within sub-Saharan African states, women are the pillars of society as well as a fundamental human capital for development. From a socio-economic point of view, his role is of vital importance, in fact, besides the care of his children, his commitment to agriculture and commerce guarantees the majority of the production of wealth.

Despite the progress made by the legislative profile through national and international laws aimed at the promotion and protection of women's rights, in practice most of them, especially in rural areas, clashes daily with social, cultural, economic and legal obstacles that generate conditions of abuse, violence and violations of the person.

In Togo, 56% of the population is female, they represent 70% of the agricultural workforce and ensure 60% of the agricultural production and 80% of the food production.

Unfortunately, discrimination in educational, social and political terms is still strong. To date, in the region of Savane, the poorest in the country, 65.6% of women are illiterate (against 29.7% of men) and most of them are "sans-papiers" (no family booklet, without identity card or birth certificate), a situation of exclusion that deprives them of any possibility of legal protection and citizenship.

The affirmation of women and their rights through the enhancement of their role within the community together with the support and development of an activity capable of increasing the quality of life in the region are the main aims of this project.

Project Description

The success obtained with the project "Lotogou Land Fencing" in collaboration with the whole local community and in particular with "Le Groupement des veuves Timombe de Lotogou", an association composed of 56 widows active on several fronts in the Savane region, led, in based on the evaluation of the needs and priorities of the population itself, the development of a project complementary to the first.

Specifically, the intervention involves the construction of a warehouse used to store the cultivated products and the purchase of a special machinery for the decortication of corn as well as a mill for the millstone.

The management of the structure and the equipment is entrusted to the "Le Groupement des veuves Timombe de Lotogou" association for the benefit of the whole community.

In the financing of the project managed and coordinated by the IF association, it is important to underline the important contribution of a private supporter, to the memory of whose late husband the work was headed.

Expected and reached results

The ability to store the various products, in particular corn and rice, offers the possibility to better distribute resources over time and to ensure availability for subsistence and for trade during periods of shortage when prices reach prohibitive levels.

The purchase of derivatives tools has contributed significantly to improving working conditions by providing the expected benefits in terms of effectiveness and efficiency in productivity.

In this case, the synergy between the two associations proved to be very fruitful, in fact, in addition to the concrete results documented, the two interventions have stimulated the community aspect of collaboration, corroborating the essential contribution of the female figure to the community.