Madame Boudia’s family had been rice farmers for generations in Senegal, West Africa. She was widowed and left to care for her 6 daughters she faced the unpredictable seasons as the climate changed, making farming and harvesting ever more difficult. She soon struggled to sell the rice she did successfully grow at the local market as there were foreign imports bring sold right next to her for a lower price. As the situation got harder, Madame Boudia and her daughters had to do the unthinkable - and leave the land. They travelled to Dakar, Senegal’s capital, and begged on the streets to survive.
After 6 months, Madame Boudia was approached by ADPES, a Christian Aid partner organisation specialising in teaching tie dye. It is back breaking work with chemicals, but the family are committed to tirelessly building a new life.
‘I work with my daughters to make the tie dye cloth. We buy white cloth, the dyes and chemicals & make it here (on the roof of her house). I can make about 12m a week but the time taken for each one depends on the pattern. Some take a month, others a morning. I sell three pieces – 12m – for about £15 to £20. If it’s a good week I sell all of this.’
From the very brink Madame Boudia has been able to reclaim her livelihood, her independence and her dignity. It cost just £5.25 for her to buy the first palette of die and cloth, a loan which she paid back very quickly and now she doesn’t owe anyone anything. Christian Aid work to empower people to escape poverty and build themselves a better future.
But there’s more…
‘We are suffering from foreign cloth coming into our market. The Chinese bring in lower grade cloth with the same print & sell it for £4 for the same amount. But the Chinese cloth is poor quality so it tears easily and the colours wash out easily.’
Once again Madame Boudia and her daughters are under fire. They don’t ask for a life of luxury, simply to do more than just survive. But there will always be someone ready to take advantage, and so surely we must do more than tackle the symptoms of poverty and injustice?
No comments:
Post a Comment