Being young is usually an exciting time for many women. However, for young women in rural Burkina Faso getting access to qualifications, resources and jobs is nothing but an easy feat. Actually, it’s a much bigger challenge than it is for their male peers. They are faced with a triple burden: They are young, they are female and the live in a rural area.

To ensure young women can equally benefit from what a rural youth employment project has to offer, the project must give gender aspects specific attention.

Alimata Konaté explains how this requirement can be translated into effective, holistic practice and how women-specific activities stand a chance to initiate gender-transformative change in society.

Alimata is with the ProEmploi/Global Project Rural Youth Employment which aims to increase the employment prospects of young women in rural areas — where they’re faced with severe difficulties to access qualifications, resources and jobs.

Women-led Enterprise Support in Rural Areas — The Pecha Kucha

Alimata Konaté presents a women-specific and gender-transformative activity the ProEmploi/GIZ Global Project Rural Youth Employment is implementing in Burkina Faso.

The activity supports 30 women-led micro and small enterprises as well as start-ups in the agri-food sector with extra female mentoring attached. Alimata reports on the economic, structural and socio-cultural achievements, including how the activity contributes to a change in the perception of economically successful women in the local community.

The Interview

In the interview with Pascal Corbé, Alimata dives deeper into the gender-transformative dimensions and explains the challenges female entrepreneurs are facing in society. She has a look at which women are targeted for the activity, what role men play and which local partners are necessary to implement these kinds of gender-transformative activities.

Contact

Alimata Konaté, ProEmploi/Global Project Rural Youth Employment, Burkina Faso