Côte d’Ivoire was once recognized as a model of political stability and economic prosperity in West Africa. However, since 1999 it has been host to political and ethnic conflicts that have resulted in the displacement of thousands of people. Despite this difficult situation many women and men continue to strive towards peace and community development. One such person is Hélène. This is her story.
In early 2003 Hélène’s small village in the western region of Côte d’Ivoire was attacked. The attackers were violent, burning houses and destroying community infrastructure, such as schools and water pumps.
Hélène and her family were forced to flee their village leaving behind all of their possessions. They walked for four straight days until they reached a neighboring city. There they took refuge, knowing no one and having nothing.
In an effort to meet their basic needs, Hélène and her husband began cutting and selling wood from the forest. This was a common practice for many internally displaced families. Despite the harsh conditions they managed to save enough money to rent a small plot of land to seed and cultivate for one year.
Sadly, nothing grew.
Hélène decided then to create a women’s economic committee to support women facing challenges such as her own. This initial committee was composed solely of women from Hélène’s home village and ethnic background.
Time passed and Hélène desire to return home continued to grow. But due to the continuing insecurities she was not inclined to return.
At the end of 2006, Hélène heard on the radio that the war was over and that people were invited to return to their villages. On September 28, 2007, Hélène became a part of the very first group of people to return to their village with the help of CARE’s Restoration of Social Cohesion of Communities Affected by the Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire Project: PRECOS.
PRECOS is a project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and aims to help internally displaced people to rebuild their lives. This involves the rehabilitation of houses, schools, health centers, and water pumps. Even more importantly, the project strives to improve social cohesion between different communities so they can live together peacefully. There are over 60 ethnic groups in Côte d’Ivoire
Now, with CARE’s support, Hélène has integrated women from all of the ethnic groups of her village (Baoulé, Lobi, Senoufo and Mossi) into the women’s committee. There are now over 120 women working together in this committee towards common goals.
Hélène ensures that all women are included and respected by other committee members. Her leadership and the desire of these women to all work together gained the attention of the United Nations division of Civil Affairs in Côte d’Ivoire. This division decided to support CARE and Hélène by financing a community garden for the women. This garden, cultivated and tended to by the women, is important as it allows the women to gain revenue through the sale of their produce.
But this is much more than a project. Much more than a form of income generation. This garden represents unity. The village calls the garden ‘The Garden of Cohesion.’ That pretty much says it all!
Hélène’s initiative has had a major impact within her village and her community. Her engagement and leadership have been remarkable, and combined with the efforts of thousands of others, will contribute to the achievement of sustainable peace in Côte d’Ivoire.