In 2019, the ambassadors took on a new challenge with CECI: Supporting 5,300 women rice producers and parboilers in the Collines region of Benin.

The overall goal of this project is to increase women’s economic power by transforming their artisanal production and management methods to more efficient techniques that meet superior quality standards. Through this initiative, women will develop greater self-confidence and take their rightful place in the rice industry.

This project is built on the success and lessons learned from the support project for women rice parboilers in Burkina Faso, supported by the Club des ambassadrices from 2014 to 2023.

Your contribution is important.
It makes concrete action to increase women’s economic power possible:

• The construction of a processing centre in each of the six communes targeted. This new infrastructure will lighten women’s workloads by reducing long travel times and long absences from home. These centres will also help to increase the quantity and quality of the rice produced, so that it corresponds to the standards on Benin’s “Saveurs des collines” quality label.
• Literacy in local languages and in French, Benin’s language of business (including numbers literacy). This new skill will empower women rice producers and parboilers to negotiate with all of the actors on the market, particularly with financial institutions, to obtain credit.
• Training in administration, governance, sustainable agricultural techniques, machine maintenance, etc. With this training, women will strengthen their skills, build their confidence and establish their credibility in the rice industry.
• By drilling wells in each commune, installing solar powered irrigation systems and crop rotation, it will be possible to cultivate plots of land year round, thus strengthening food security for the community and increasing women’s incomes.