Gender Equality

Initiatives Supporting Women and Young Women
UPA Développement international is committed to supporting women and young women in their journey toward greater economic and social equity, as well as enhanced resilience to climate change.
In addition to projects carried out in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean that support 14,620 women and young women, Réseau Agro-Innov’s thematic funds dedicated to women’s entrepreneurship reach 2,929 women across Benin, Haiti, and Senegal.
In total, 17,549 women are directly supported through our initiatives.
Profile: Sylvie Kassongo
Mrs. Bobodo Sylvie Kassongo Sama is an inspiration to women farmers and those aspiring to start a career in agriculture. As the head of the Benewende plantation in Burkina Faso, she has dedicated herself to training women and youth for many years.
Having developed a passion for agriculture while growing up on her father’s farm, she pursued despite land access being traditionally reserved for men. Her modest banana plantation quickly expanded into a 70-hectare farm that has already trained hundreds of women and young people from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo.
It is her love for farming and sharing her experience that motivated her to get involved. Sylvie is determined to continue passing on her passion for agriculture and to make the Benewende plantation a destination for learning and sharing experiences, with the hope of helping to promote agriculture.

Families as Role Models for Gender Equality

Families are fundamental spaces for socialization and the learning of gender norms and social relationships. The gender-based family model (GBFM) approach will soon be implemented as part of the Projet de structuration des services économiques et environnementaux aux transformatrices agroalimentaire tunisiennes (PSSEETAT) (Project for Structuring Economic and Environmental Services for Tunisian Women Agro-Food Processors).
The objective of the GBFM is to engage families as units of social transformation by promoting gender-equal relations among their members. This transformative method involves the participation of both women and men from various families to raise awareness of more equal social relationships and task-sharing.
In 2023, PSEETAT developed the GBFM approach, specifically tailored to the rural Tunisian context, along with a support guide for these model families. Three traditional families will be selected to participate in an initial awareness-raising session on gender equality.
Following this session, the model families will be encouraged to identify concrete actions they can take to achieve more equitable task-sharing. The positive, transformative experiences of these families will then be shared within the project’s target communities.
The Evolution of the Circular Economy in Haiti

Circular economy continues to transform lives in four regions of Haiti: the South, Nippes, Baptiste, and Rivière-Froide.
This approach creates a sustainable market for farmers by supporting six primary schools, where students receive between two and five nutritious meals per week, prepared by women’s groups that manage locally sourced school canteens.
In addition to improving students' food security, this circular economy model promotes school attendance and provides relief to families living in difficult conditions.
In the communes of Torbeck and Doriole, the project has also enabled the establishment of safe, well-equipped food processing spaces for women. These women have participated in various training sessions to help them develop income-generating activities.
Thanks to this support, the women’s group KOFAKAD has acquired a sales location in Les Cayes, a major urban center representing an attractive market for their products.
Amid Haiti’s ongoing crises, a significant urban exodus has led to a return to rural areas. This trend, combined with families in these regions now favoring schools with canteen services, has contributed to a substantial increase in the number of students benefiting from these canteens.
The circular economy program in Haiti is made possible through financial support from Manger local fait grandir le monde and the Roncalli International Foundation.
Every year, thanks to the circular economy project in Haiti...
- with 85% of ingredients sourced locally
- in 6 different schools
Connecting Women Farmers in Quebec and in Haiti: Women and Leadership
In celebration of International Women’s Day, a virtual discussion on the theme "Women’s Leadership: How to Equip Women and Girls for Gender and Equity Approaches" brought together around thirty members of the Association Femmes Village de l’Espoir de Limbé in Haiti and representatives from the Women Farmers of Quebec.
The participants shared experiences and discussed challenges related to accessing land ownership, financial resources, training, and security. A Q&A session allowed them to deepen their understanding of the constitution and various issues faced by the Women Farmers of Quebec.
This meeting provided hope to the women of Limbé amid the country’s ongoing political instability and sparked new ideas and perspectives for the women’s groups, including the possibility of forming a federation of women farmers
The event also featured an intervention by Asosiyasyon Fanm Solèy Dayit (AFASDA), which focused on human rights, active participation in social, economic, and cultural life, and laying the groundwork for a more just, united, and inclusive Haitian society.