Tambindjé is a locality in the rural commune of Dabiss in the province of Boca in Guinea. The commune is home to bauxite quarries. In this restrictive environment, women have few employment opportunities and do not benefit from mining revenues. Thanks to the micro-project "Femmes et Arbre à Palabres 2.0" led by Action Education, 45 women were able to benefit from digital training in their mother tongue, Pular.

Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0: The Urgency of Education for Women's Autonomy

crédits photo : Jean-Pierre Pichaut

photo credits : Jean-Pierre Pichaut

Guinea is the second largest producer of bauxite in the world and has very large reserves. Despite this wealth, the country remains poor and the populations do not benefit from the important revenues from exports. Women living in the mining areas are the first victims of this imbalance. Indeed, the majority of them do not benefit from the fruits of this exploitation. Faced with this constraining environment for women, Action Education, in partnership with the Leadership Education Program (CLE) funded by Global Affairs Canada, has set up the micro-project "Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0" to educate these vulnerable women in their mother tongue.

Femmes et Arbre à Palabres 2.0 : A digital education project in mother tongue

Within the framework of the micro-project "Femmes et Arbre à Palabres 2.0", Action Education has trained the mothers of 45 students from the Haldi Foti market gardening group. The trainings of the last quarter of 2022 are aimed at women living in a remote area who have never been to school and who only speak their mother tongue. To facilitate the transfer of knowledge, the association for development through education has favored the use of videos in the Pular language (Pular is a variety of Fulani, spoken by the Fulani, mainly in Guinea, but also in Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Sierra Leone). The use of digital media in their mother tongue generated a great deal of interest among the participants, leading to strong interaction among them during the exchanges.

This approach has proven to be very effective in appropriating the themes developed. In particular, it has allowed the development of women's leadership for better participation in the frameworks of debates and decision-making bodies at the commune level.

Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0: Testimonies of women beneficiaries

"I am more than satisfied with the training I received. I now understand that it is possible to learn at any age. At more than 40 years old, it is my first time to be in a classroom to learn. Thanks to this training, we have access to content in our language, Pular, and that provides answers to our needs. Mariama Yacine Diallo

"For me, this is the best way to learn. I follow the message on the video in my own native language, I don't need a translator. I can see the obvious myself. It is no longer a speech but rather a reality that is represented. This training allowed us to know and understand many things that we did not know. For example, when you are pregnant, consultations are mandatory because they allow to detect possible complications and to protect the mother and her child. I also understood that all human beings have the right to freedom of expression, education and to run for office or vote.  Lamarana Sadjo Bah 

 

Find out more about Action Education's actions in favor of mother tongues