Oulampane: Rural women at the heart of the struggle for land and leadership

International Rural Women's Day was celebrated in Oulampane where hundreds of women from several localities raised their demands for better access to productive resources.

In Oulampane, rural women celebrated their day. They seized this platform to make their voices heard on an issue that has become crucial for their empowerment: access to land.

They highlighted their indispensable contribution to the local economy through agriculture, livestock farming, market gardening, the processing of agricultural products and commercial activities.

In a powerful plea, the president of the Federation of Women of Oulampane and the Network of Women of Casamance (REFEC), Adama Lo Goudiaby, made a heartfelt appeal in support of rural women.

"We are asking the authorities and communities to support us in accessing land," she pleaded.

This demand finds a particular echo in the "Voice and Leadership of Renewed Women Senegal" (VLFR-SEN) project, whose activities were officially launched on this occasion by the CRSFPC/USOFORAL.

This project aims to strengthen the economic, social and political power of women in the regions of Ziguinchor and Sédhiou.

For Sanoussi Camara Diédhiou, the project manager, access to resources remains a major challenge for rural women. He announced that several actions will be taken to facilitate access to land for market gardening, improve access to equipment, water, agricultural inputs, and financing mechanisms.

The project also aims to address the socio-cultural barriers that still hinder women's access to land resources. Through inclusive dialogue involving traditional authorities, religious leaders, local governments, and communities, the goal is to promote greater recognition of women's economic rights.

The same commitment was made by Mamadou Sow, head of programs at USOFORAL, who stressed the need to guarantee a more equitable distribution of the benefits linked to the natural and mineral resources exploited in Casamance.

"Women must be involved in decisions concerning extractive resources and benefit from the resulting economic spin-offs," he stressed.

The project also includes capacity building for women's organizations, support for community market gardening areas, development of revolving credit mechanisms, and support for women's rights defenders over a five-year period.

For Léon Huchard, director of Oxfam Senegal, this initiative is part of a global vision of social justice and gender equality.

"No sustainable development is possible if women do not have the same opportunities, the same resources and the same decision-making power as men," he stated.

Presiding over the ceremony, the deputy sub-prefect of the district of Sindian, Amadou Thialle, praised an initiative in line with the guidelines of the State of Senegal regarding the promotion of gender equality and inclusive territorial development.