After leaving AJAC we met with another community-based organization in Ziguinchor. The Regional Committee of Solidarity for Women in Peace in Casamance, USOFORAL, is founded and led by women. The acronym USOFORAL, means "Let's join hands" or "mutual help", in the local Diola language.We traveled with USOFORAL's coordinator, Cisse, to a rural community called Enampor, 40km outside of Ziguinchor. Enampor is part of the rural district of Niassya, a subdivision of Ziguinchor. This is where USOFORAL has supported the construction of a building that has become the main women center for Enampor.
The president of each woman's group meets monthly and before this building, they didn't have a common place where they could meet. Now, at this center, Vini and I were invited to meet with the presidents of more than 20 groups in 14 villages for one of their monthly meetings.
After we introduced ourselves the women told us about their different activities. They are involved in several income-generating projects such as textile dyeing to produce clothes for the local ceremonies, rice farming in the mangrove swamps, civil rights awareness, and savings and credit groups. Most recently, they have created a community health insurance fund. All the presidents spoke highly of the support they've received through USOFORAL. They emphasized that because USOFORAL listens to their needs USOFORAL is able to provide them with relevant support and technical assistance.
It was a long meeting because of the multiple translations from English to French to Diola to French to English. Whew! At the end of the meeting the women did a rhythmical routine of rubbing their hands, saying in Diola "It's rumbling" 3 times and then they clapped loudly and announced "It's done." This reflects their work in the communities and the way change happens with a gradual rumbling. It was very empowering to see them do this united. After the meeting, several women got on their motorcycles to go home, while others took a ride with the USOFORAL van.
On the way back to the office Cisse told us how she got involved with USOFORAL. She's originally a teacher who came to Cap Skirring, a tourist beach town in Casamance, to promote education for children. She arrived in Casamance just before the conflict started. She and 3 peers (who later became the co-founders of USOFORAL) wondered about the role of women in the conflict and decided to organize a forum of women to discuss the issue.
This led to the initiation of USOFORAL. Gradually they became more involved in the Casamance peace process. They encouraged conflict-resolution together with income-generating activities as they recognized that these are important elements to building a peaceful society.
It was wonderful to meet many energized women and good to get to know Cisse. Cisse invited us to a conflict-resolution workshop where different community members give their perspective on the challenges and local conflicts they face in their communities. USOFORAL staff facilitates the workshop. We were excited to be invited but unfortunately had to decline due to our hectic schedule.
It's been exciting to learn so much about the organizations working Casamance, Senegal. Many villagers who left Casamance due to the conflict are now returning. All the organizations we've visited are helping people develop skills. This not only encourages other to return, but they provide people with the means to stay by securing a source of income. We've learned so much, yet there is so much more to learn. We’ve appreciated visiting each group and hope to visit them again.
Kat.
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