After her son’s death, Yayi Bayam Diouf decided to fish for a living. That set her on a course that has led to a plethora of awards for community activism — a photo in her house shows her receiving a medal from Senegal’s president, Macky Sall. She has encouraged dozens of women to set up not just fishing operations, but also hair and clothing shops, as well as businesses making soap and makeup, all supported with microfinancing from government and nonprofit sources. In 2015, she used a grant from U.N. Women Senegal to build a farm to grow mussels, providing work for about 100 women. But all that came later. Ms. Diouf says that after Alioune’s death she felt drawn to the sea and began thinking of leaving her office job to fish. Yet she faced resistance in the form of a patriarchal culture that expected women to stay in the home and men to work outside.
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
More Stories
Las Vegas Resident’s Three-week Adventure through Egypt
Tunisia Needs “Deep Reforms” Such as Drastically Reducing its Vast Public Wage Bill
Credit Unions in Africa Switch to Fintech
Ghana’s Low Tax-to-GDP Ratio Makes it Hard to Finance its Developmental Agenda
Truck Delays at the Border Wreak Havoc for Uganda’s Fuel Users
Airlines Operating on the Continent Face Particular Challenges
The Inclusion of Rwanda as a Potential Relocation Destination for Migrants Raises Eyebrows
Sudanese Demand Return to Civilian Rule in Deadly Riots
Abuja Shows Off Impressive Rice Yield in Bid to Stop Rice Imports
Bain & Company Leaves South African Business Board
Economic Perks of Growing Cycling Culture in North Africa
The Bank of Uganda Lowers Limits on the Value of Cheque Payments to Promote e-payments