• How did your mission help women’s empowerment?

The beneficiaries were the 11 solidarity members of a cooperative. They make fabrics, clothes and toys they sell to the tourists.

My purpose was to train them to basic marketing and communications skills, and enable them to increase their sales, and hence their income. 90% of the price is directly reversed to the woman who made the product.

As most of them don’t know either to read or to write, the training consisted in concrete exercises, linked to their activities: merchandising products, creating of a leaflet, training of sales pitch and playing roles on customer relations…

• Could you discuss with the beneficiaries of the female condition in Mali?

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. Women face the situation and manage at once handicraft activities and housework – for a big family! They are very active and help each other bring money to their family and give it better life conditions.

In a country where polygamy is common situation, women intend to be more economically self-sufficient, and thus have more balanced relationships within their household. They set an example of will and courage.

• In your opinion, which are the key elements to succeed in its solidarity mission?

In Mali, humour is the key: it is part of the culture and they rather communicate in an informal way and with jokes. It also makes the relationships quicker and more direct.

To be open-minded is also very important to get immersed in a quite different culture in only 2 weeks, listen to the beneficiaries’ needs, and make do with what we had (no electricity, no powerpoint, no desktop…!) without judging.

It is crucial to keep in mind that the objective is to transfer skills. If not, you can get emotionally involved and less efficient.

• Can you share with us a moment that struck you?

At lunch time, we used to eating the meals prepared by the families all together. The rice, with baobab sauce was prepared in a big basin on the ground, in which everyone plunges the hand to eat! At first, I was quite intimidated, but eventually it was a unique opportunity to discuss, to speak about family life, to laugh, sing and share their way of life!