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Gaptia, farmer and future restaurant owner
AGRICULTURAL TRAINING PROCESS IMPLEMENTED BY THE RESILAC PROGRAM: ADEBOUR VILLAGE, MAINE SOROA COMMUNE, DIFFA, NIGER
My name is Gaptia MAI WANDARA, beneficiary of the RESILAC project in the village of Adébour (commune of Mainé Soroa). I am a young woman aged 20, married and mother of three children, two boys (aged one and five respectively) and a girl (aged 3).
Before the arrival of the Project, the only activity my husband and I relied on to support ourselves was farming. We had few resources and could not even cover the food needs of the household, as our agricultural production hardly exceeded 3 months of consumption after the harvest.
On top of that, because of the insecurity in the Diffa region, the prices of basic necessities soared. We could barely eat twice a day, except on special ceremonial days. My growing children still needed a variety of foods.
During the lean season, my husband was the sole provider of labor and charcoal sales.
"During the ceremonies in the village, I gave my contribution and I am always proud to be among those who pay their social contribution. At the end of the HIMO activities, I was able to buy two sheep to fatten and sell."
With the arrival of the RESILAC project, I was first selected as a beneficiary of labor-intensive work (HIMO).
On the land reclamation sites, we worked five days a week, or twenty-five days a month, with a monthly income of 50,000 FCFA. Each beneficiary saved 20,000 FCFA in a savings account at the financial institution in charge of making payments to beneficiaries. With the 30,000 CFA francs that I received from each payment, I contributed to the management of the household and bought clothes for my children and myself. During the ceremonies in the village, I gave my contribution and I am still proud to be among those who pay their social contribution. At the end of the HIMO activities, we received the sum saved of 80,000 FCFA each, and with this sum I was able to buy two sheep to fatten and sell.
I was also selected to follow the vocational training for 60% of the HIMO beneficiaries, implemented by pillar 2.2 of the RESILAC project. I followed the training to become a restaurant owner (hotel business). I was very motivated by this idea, and I used part of the funds received from the HIMO work and the funds received from this last training to start producing and selling directly consumable foods such as cakes.
"I also benefited from a 200 m² plot where I practice market gardening in the community site of our village developed by the RESILAC project. On my plot, I grow potatoes, tomatoes, moringa and lettuce."
Thanks to this market gardening activity that I practice today, the consumption of these market garden products has improved the nutritional security of my family, in this case that of my children, especially since before, not owning land, I did not practice market gardening.
Now, market gardening has become a passion for me and as a woman, having access to land is a pride and an opportunity.
I have also benefited from the psychosocial support of the RESILAC project. Until then, I was facing psychological problems - for example, I was excessively stressed, sad and did not want to attend ceremonies and other mass gatherings. From the very first psychoeducation activity, at the 6th session of the treatment, I felt a significant change in my mood, my mental health and my interaction with those around me.
This allowed me to undertake my activities without hesitation, and to be more confident!