Ziguinchor: Immersion at the Tekki Fii agricultural holiday camp for young women in Djibélor

In Djibélor, Lower Casamance, the Tekki Fii (Succeed at Home) initiative is taking shape at the heart of an agricultural summer camp that brings together some twenty young women. This project, funded by the European Union and implemented by Agro Beydaare Senegal, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, is part of a regional dynamic: six community farms are hosting nearly 150 participants this summer in the Kolda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor regions. The goal is to train a new generation of rural women capable of transforming agriculture into a lever for empowerment and local development.

The Secretary General of Agro Beydaare Senegal, Mama Samba Diao, explains that this project is designed to "incubate" young women in a practical and theoretical framework. For fifteen days, they acquire skills in market gardening, entrepreneurship, financial management, and leadership.

“We want these young women to leave with concrete skills, capable of helping them create their own businesses, support their families and respond to the call of the Head of State within the framework of the Casamance Special Plan. Tekki Fii is not an empty concept: it must produce tangible economic and social results that will allow young people to succeed at home and not give in to the temptations of irregular migration,” he emphasizes.

In Djibélor, the welcome is warm. Étienne Kabo, the village chief, welcomes this opportunity: “We have a lot of uncultivated land. If young people organize themselves and get training, Senegal can move forward. The land doesn't lie: you work it, you see results.” He calls for expanding training to young men so that all local youth can benefit from this momentum.

Among the participants, Marietou Aïda Camara, camp leader, testifies with conviction: “Agriculture is a profession that knows no unemployment. Everything you plant, you see the benefits. My dream is to create my own agricultural business. I already have land, but I need guidance and funding to realize my project.”

She emphasizes the importance of consuming local products and banning chemical products, in order to preserve the health of populations and strengthen food sovereignty.

Beyond training, the program strengthens local farm management committees, aiming to permanently integrate these community spaces into the regional economic fabric. In Casamance, where youth unemployment often fuels irregular migration, these "agricultural holidays" appear as a concrete solution: they offer a credible alternative, enhance local resources, and restore confidence to young people seeking a future.

In Djibélor, the experience is already proving promising. The young women who received training leave with practical skills, a new vision of agriculture, and the conviction that success is possible at home. By focusing on empowerment and solidarity, the Tekki Fii project is paving the way for shared prosperity, rooted in the Casamance soil.

Max Euclid KANFANY