TWINAGURE: Partnerships - Visit of women engaged in cross-border trade
In a warm atmosphere, women engaged in cross-border trade between Burundi, Tanzania, and the DR Congo visited SOPATRAM on Thursday, June 9, 2022, as part of the activities of the TWINAGURE association. This visit was carried out with the aim of implementing the activities of the NGO Partner Africa, which focuses on rural development based on better market access for small producers, improved resilience to climate change, and strengthened rights for farmers and workers, with the goal of promoting women and youth.
A visit to the SOPATRAM processing unit, initiated by the consortium Solidarity for the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture - SOPAD, was honored by women representing different cooperatives and groups operating in the communes of Mutimbuzi, Rugombo, Rumonge, and Mabanda. They were guided by representatives of Partner Africa in an information-training session on products of the NIKO brand promoted by SOPATRAM, which are the subject of products to be marketed in the cities of Uvira, Bukavu, Kamanyola, Kavimvira, and Kalemie in the DRC, as well as in the cities of Kigoma and Kasulu in Tanzania.
SOPATRAM has been chosen as a program initiated and led by a woman whose goal is to help and promote the activities of disadvantaged women and young girls, sometimes rejected by society. This is achieved through the initiation of income-generating activities and job creation, aligning with the mission of Partner Africa.
During the visit, SOPATRAM explained its vision and mission to the delegation before taking a tour of the workshop for the production of passion fruit and pineapple juices. The transformation process was well explained to the visitors, and an artisanal pasteurization technique was presented to them.
Through behind-the-scenes projects, SOPATRAM, through the activities of the COPAD cooperative, presented the visitors with model fields of ginger, hibiscus, and experimental mushrooms that it aims to popularize in its intervention areas, including Muramvya, Bubanza, Rumonge, and Bujumbura Rural.
Brigitte, a businesswoman and representative of the Cooperative Terimbere Bakenyezi, testifies that she attempted to market mushrooms in the DR Congo but could not fulfill her commitments due to the lack of a supply market for this commodity. She applauds the initiative of the COPAD/SOPATRAM cooperative and promises that if the cooperative is able to produce oyster mushrooms in sufficient quantities, she will be the number one customer – very encouraging remarks.
The partnership with Partner Africa could open up new horizons not only for the women and young beneficiaries of the operating cooperatives and groups but also contribute to the country's development by bringing foreign currency to the public treasury.
Editorial, ID
