Empowering Women and Youth
Our projects economically empower women and youth to play an active role in supply chains and earn a meaningful income. This focus reinforces our objective of fostering inclusive, equitable and secure futures for project participants, creating a ripple effect that reaches every corner of the community.
Our Empowering Women and Youth projects in 2024
- 352 women were trained in leadership, entrepreneurship and business skills.
- 50 young cocoa farmers increased their monthly income by an average of 59%.
- 193 young cocoa and coffee farmers were supported to increase their yield and income through improved farming practices.
- 513 women and youth were supported to diversify into new economic activities for increased income.
GROWING FAIRER FUTURES: IVORY COAST
Location: Ivory Coast
Timeline: January 2020 to November 2025
Participants: 50 young cocoa farmers
Partners: CAYAT
Project Details: As part of this project, 50 young cocoa farmers are receiving essential farm inputs, equipment, guidance and training that will enable them to improve their cocoa production, secure stronger incomes and build a brighter future for themselves.
Image: Anita Akkafou, project participant
View ProjectSoilless Farming: Burkina Faso (Extended)
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Timeline: August 2024 to August 2025
Participants: 75 women with physical disabilities
Partners: Platforme Nationale du Commerce Equitable Burkina Faso (PNCEB), Association Fraternité des Personnes Handicapées Physique de Bobo (AFPHPB) and Groupe d’Action des Femmes pour la Relance Economique du Houet (GAFREH)
Summary: This 12-month project aims to reduce the poverty levels of 75 economically vulnerable women with disabilities in Burkina Faso through establishing a sustainable, organic vegetable production enterprise.
This project is an extension of our pilot soilless farming project (link to blog) which concluded in 2023.
Image: Khadidja Traore, project participant, holds peppers grown using soilless farming techniques.
View ProjectImproving the resilience of young coffee farmers through the production and sale of dehydrated coffee pulp
Location: Apurimac region, Southern Highlands of Peru
Timeline: July 2024 to June 2025
Participants: 58 young coffee farmers
Partners: Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Valle de Incahuasi (CACVI)
Image: Coffee drying tables constructed as part of the project, against the backdrop of the Peruvian highlands.
Summary: This project will increase the economic income for 58 young coffee farmers located across 11 zonal committees in the district of Inkawasi.
Through the provision of training and equipment, the young farmers will produce dehydrated coffee pulp from the by-product of their coffee production therefore reducing the waste generated by coffee production and increasing their income.
Image: A project participant spreads coffee beans across a coffee drying table, which CACVI members referred to as African drying beds.
View ProjectStronger with Solar: Burkina Faso
Location: Dakoro, Burkina Faso
Timeline: November 2022 to October 2023
Participants: 50 women beekeepers
Partners: Platforme Nationale du Commerce Equitable Burkina Faso (PNCE-B)
Summary: In Burkina Faso, we continued supporting the Benkadi de Dakoro women’s group, which initially participated in our Bees for Business project in 2018.
During this project, we installed solar panels to enable the group to process honey after dark when the bees are less active. This not only marked the community’s first access to electricity but also empowered the group to significantly increase their honey processing capacity and boost their income.
View ProjectGrowing Fairer Futures: Rwanda
Location: Western Rwanda
Timeline: March 2021 to October 2023
Participants: 193 young coffee farmers
Partners: KOPAKAMA
Project Details: In Rwanda, we worked in partnership with coffee co-operative KOPAKAMA to support 193 young coffee farmers.
Each participant underwent training to improve their farm management skills, bolster climate resilience and enable them to operate their businesses profitably.
View ProjectSoilless Vegetable Farming: Burkina Faso
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Timeline: September 2022 to August 2023
Participants: 230 women
Partners: Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission; GAFREH; Platforme Nationale du Commerce Equitable Burkina Faso (PNCE-B)
Summary: This project established two greenhouses and a solar powered drip irrigation system, offering a sustainable water source for farming activities, supporting 230 women and their local community, which had also previously lacked consistent access to water.
Image: Ami Sana, participant in our ‘Seed to Stall, Increasing self-sustainability through soilless vegetable farming’ project in Burkina Faso.
View projectSoilless Vegetable Farming: Ghana
Location: Ghana
Timeline: February 2021 to January 2023
Participants: 60 women basketweavers
Partners: TradeAID Integrated
Summary: This project provided support to 60 economically vulnerable basket weavers to establish a soilless farming enterprise. This led to the creation of six farms, each equipped with drip irrigation watering systems. Participants underwent training in soilless farming techniques, agri-business, rural entrepreneurship and nutritional education.
Image: Atule Azeyoke holds harvested vegetables grown using soilless farming methods.
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