Sinsibere – Combating desertification with women’s sustainable livelihoods

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The Sinsibere project supports the women in rural communities South of Bamako to develop their resilience to climate change and to protect their environment. This is done by supporting alternative sources of income to the firewood trade that accelerates desertification. The last phase of the project concentrates on ensuring the permanence of project impacts by 1. reinforcing the economic viability of the women’s cooperative 2. strenghtening the tree protection spirit and tree planting possibilities in the project area. The direct beneficiaries are 300 women who are the members of the Sinsibere cooperative based in Bougoula village. The members of the cooperative form a board which coordinates the production activities. Cooperative activities empowers the women to work as active members of their communities. From a human rights perspective the Sinsibere project enhances women´s right to income by supporting the cooperative as an environment which enables women to actively work and network to achieve this right. In the project the livelihoods are generated by sustainable use of natural resources and women´s right to income is understood to require the women´s responsibility of the cooperative activities. The project objectives are reached by a) improving the cooperative’s central actors’ economic administration skills with education and by learning by doing supported with project workers. b) raising the amount of shea butter produced by guaranteeing access to a larger amount of nuts. Nut storage trainings in the project villages will give the women who collect nuts abilities for better processing and also increases the availability of nuts for the cooperative. The price of nuts is monitored and the nut collectors will be offered a competitive fee. c) diversifying the income sources of the cooperative by chicken and sheep growing and by reinforcing the previously started henna and peanut farming. d) involving the members of the cooperative more closely in the activities by improving the economic benefits, by strengthening the board members’ ability the monitor the cooperative’s revenue and expenditure, by organizing inclusive annual meetings, networking opportunities and forums for cooperative members. e) establishing a shea tree nursery and plantation f) providing support for the cooperative members to initiative action in influencing tree protection in the area.