Women in cocoa and chocolate – SOLIDARIDAD

Women in the agricultural world make up more than half of the workforce. Indeed, in rural areas, women are an integral part of economic life. It participates in the management and exploitation of productive resources. Without being the owner or head of the family, the woman contributes, in significant proportions, to the economy and the acquisition of property in the family, through all the economic and domestic activities that she performs.

The Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSLAs), were thus initiated by SWA in different areas of implementation of its cocoa program in Côte d’Ivoire. VSLAs allow women to save their money to set up entrepreneurship projects. Women in cocoa communities encourage this initiative, which is of great help to them and enables them to carry out interesting projects.

Since 2016, another structure has been set up: WINCC (Woman in Chocolate and Cocoa Network). This structure supports the initiatives of women in the cocoa and chocolate sector. Thus, the celebration of women from village savings and credit associations took place on November 18, 2019 at the President hotel in Yamoussoukro. It revolved around the theme “Women WITH Autonomous, Autonomous Rural Women”.

This celebration was organized with the help of GEPALEF and K’ORIGINS.

Under the chairmanship and sponsorship of the State Secretariat for the Empowerment of Women and the Ministry of Women, the Family and Children, nearly 150 women from VSLA and the cocoa sector gathered at the Hotel president of Yamoussoukro on Monday, November 18, 2019. The main objective of this meeting was to present the VSLA Tool to the various line ministries and partners and to see to what extent its implementation could be institutionalized. 

The highlights of this day were marked by: 

• The opening ceremony punctuated by speeches by SOLIDARIDAD officials and leaders
• A presentation led by SOLIDARIDAD on the theme: “WITH: Achievements, challenges and perspectives”
• A panel on the theme “VSLAs, a real channel for savings and access to credit”
• The designation of WINCC ambassadors
• The reward of the best WITH