13/08/2015
Zarah Ali Abdoulaye, a forty-year-old widow with three daughters and two sons, worked to feed her family and send her children to school during the 2009 drought in Kanem district, Chad. Despite her best efforts, she was only able to pay school fees for her three oldest children, while the youngest girls stayed at home to help with household chores.
Early in 2010, FAO and its partners aimed to support the most vulnerable populations in the region, targeting single mothers with malnourished children. Later that year, a market gardening project was initiated by FAO to assist families in strengthening their production capacity in the face of climate change, in order to alleviate its affects on agriculture and increase their resilience. Women were introduced to market gardening to improve their family’s diet and nutritional status. This was especially beneficial for children, who performed better in school as a result of improved nutrition. Surplus vegetable produce was sold for income, enabling beneficiaries to purchase other foodstuffs, especially cereals, to meet their daily food needs. The project also benefited the wider community, as it contributed to the increased market availability of affordable, locally grown vegetables.
Following implementation of the project, Zarah and 14 other women created the Haire association (Haire means “happiness”). A close friend of Zarah, also a member of the Haire association, noted the impact of FAO’s assistance: “I used the money I earned from selling vegetables to build a house in the village, buy fabrics and goats, and begin livestock production. I now own four goats that have reproduced. In addition, I bought a donkey for my long journeys and to carry vegetables. Now that I am able to buy food at the Mao market, I can return home with rice and dried fish to feed my children when they come back from school.” Today, populations that were formerly vulnerable are contributing to feeding the region. In spite of the threat of drought, these women continue to cultivate the land, and are a crucial pillar in their households and the community at large.