Something to Call Their Own

By Patrick Bohn, September 20, 2023

Sarake Dembele ’24 uses Projects for Peace grant to create opportunities for women in Mali.

Sarake Dembele '24 (left) travelled to Mali this past summer to create a women's community garden in the town of Gogui as part of Projects for Peace grant.

(Photo Submitted)

In the small, rural village of Gogui, Mali, a lack of jobs and access to traditional resources such as food and water have combined to make it difficult for women to have a means of independent income. Instead, they are often dependent on their husbands for financial security.

Sarake Dembele ’24 is seeking to change that. With the help of a $10,000 Projects for Peace grant, she travelled to Gogui this past summer, where she purchased a plot of land, seeds, and others supplies in order to create a garden, where women would be able to grow their own crops to sell in local markets, allowing them some financial freedom.

Projects for Peace is a global program that allows undergraduates the opportunity to develop innovative and community-centered solutions to pressing issues, while allowing them the chance to grow as leaders and problem solve. The program is headquartered in Middlebury College’s Center for Community Engagement.

“My parents have instilled in me a mentality of giving back to other people. I wanted to ensure that the women in this village have something they can call their own.”

Sarake Dembele ’24

The grant money is provided by the Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars Program, the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program. Ithaca College was named a UWC partner institution in 2021.

Dembele saw the grant as an opportunity to provide women pathways to independence they did not otherwise have.

The multi-acre plot of land ensures that nearly 50 women will be able to grow their own crops. (Photo submitted)

“My parents have instilled in me a mentality of giving back to other people,” she said. “I wanted to ensure that the women in this village have something they can call their own.”

After arriving in Bamako, Mali on July 22, Dembele and her father prepared for their 8-hour trip to Gogui. On July 26, Dembele and her father met with the mayor of Gogui to explain the project and inquire about land. Finding a suitable plot was difficult initially, and that was when the initial plan took a turn in a different direction.

They were approached by a woman from Gogui named Binta, who was in charge of a local women’s organization. The woman told them about a two- to three-acre plot of land that was available for purchase. They checked out the land, attended several town meetings and, finding it suitable for growing crops, purchased it.

After signing the appropriate papers, Dembele and her father worked with Binta to ensure that the women were educated on how to take care of the soil and the crops and ensuring that someone was able to turn the soil over and clean the water as needed.

“Then we gave out hundreds of packets of seeds,” Dembele said. “Melon seeds, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, spinach, onions, potatoes, all different kinds. We also left them money so they could buy more seeds from local farmers.”

The plot of land was divided up among nearly 50 women, and Dembele said it was incredibly emotional when they learned of their new opportunity.

When the garden project was announced, there was much rejoicing from the women in the community.

“There were a lot of tears, dancing, and cultural chanting going on,” she said. “It was really beautiful.

“When I looked into the eyes of these women, I saw a lot of relief and determination,” Dembele continued. “There’s a drive and a hunger in these women to make this project a success.”

After being inspired to take part in the program during her junior year, Dembele, who is an architectural studies major, says that the impact of the project — which took its next steps when the women began tending to the crops in early August — still hasn’t registered fully.

“Some days, I don’t quite appreciate the level of work that went into making a project like this a reality,” Dembele said. “Then there are other times that it hits me, and I get moved to tears. It’s something I want to do more of.”