Micro-project "Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0": Action Education works for the education of women in their mother tongue through digital technology

Tambindjé is a locality in the rural commune of Dabiss in the province of Boca in Guinea. The commune is home to bauxite quarries. In this restrictive environment, women have few employment opportunities and do not benefit from the mining income. Thanks to the micro-project "Femmes et Arbre à Palabres 2.0" (Women and the Palaver Tree) run by Action Education, 45 women were able to receive digital training in their mother tongue, Pular.

Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0: The Urgency of Education for Women's Empowerment

photo credits: Jean-Pierre Pichaut

photo credits: Jean-Pierre Pichaut

Guinea is the second largest producer of bauxite in the world and has very large reserves. Despite this wealth, the country remains poor and the populations do not benefit from the important income from exports. Women living in the mining areas are the first victims of this imbalance. Indeed, the majority of them do not benefit from the fruits of this exploitation. Faced with this constraining environment for women, Action Education, in partnership with the Leadership Education Programme (CLE) funded by Global Affairs Canada, has set up the "Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0" micro-project to educate these vulnerable women in their mother tongue.

Femmes et Arbre à Palabres 2.0: A digital mother tongue education project 

In the context of the micro-project "Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0", Action Education trained the mothers of 45 students from the Haldi Foti market gardening group. The training sessions in the last quarter of 2022 are aimed at women living in a remote area who have never been to school and who only speak their mother tongue. To facilitate the transfer of knowledge, the association for development through education has favoured the use of videos in the Pular language (Pular is a variety of Fulani, spoken by the Fulani, mainly in Guinea, but also in Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Sierra Leone). The use of digital media in their mother tongue aroused great interest among the participants, leading to strong interaction between them during the exchanges.

This approach proved to be very effective in appropriating the themes developed. In particular, it has enabled the development of women's leadership for better participation in the frameworks of debates and decision-making bodies at the commune level. 

Women and the Palaver Tree 2.0: Testimonies of women beneficiaries 

"I am more than satisfied with the training I received. I now understand that it is possible to learn at any age. At more than 40 years old, this is my first time to be in a classroom for training. Thanks to this training, we have access to content in our language, Pular, and that provides answers to our needs. Mariama Yacine Diallo

"For me, this is the best way to learn. I follow the message on the video in my own mother tongue, I don't need a translator. I can see the obvious myself. It is no longer a speech but rather a reality that is represented. This training has enabled us to know and understand many things that we did not know. For example, when you are pregnant, consultations are compulsory, as they allow you to detect possible complications and protect the mother and her child. I also understood that all human beings have the right to freedom of expression, education and to stand for election or vote.  Lamarana Sadjo Bah 

 

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