By Abraham Soumano (YES 2018 - 2019, Mali, placed by Ayusa in Richland, WA)

In January, me and nine other YES Alumni in Mali implemented a soap making workshop to empower rural women and to teach them entrepreneurial skills. This workshop was implemented thanks to the YES Project Management in Practice workshop that we attended in September.

The soap making workshop aimed to help women in rural areas who are struggling financially. Our goal was to teach the participants how to make soap and sell it to earn money and start a small business. Through this, the women would be able to financially support themselves and their children. We chose to host the workshop in the small village of Nianfala after seeing the significant financial need amongst its residents. We hoped to develop a project that would be useful for Nianfala’s residents, especially the women. This project was developed and implemented thanks to the knowledge we gained from the YES Project Management in Practice workshop.

Twenty-seven women in Nianfala participated in the two-day workshop and were trained to make solid and liquid soap by three expert trainers. Furthermore, we, YES alumni, helped the participants  create business plans and taught them financial management skills to contribute to the economic development of their family and village. The participants also elected one woman to lead and mobilize the other participants to follow through on their business plans after the workshop.

Through our work on this project, we strengthened our teamwork and project management skills significantly. Working in a team with other YES alumni everyday to develop and implement the project was one of the greatest takeaways for me. It was also great to have the opportunity to contribute to making a positive change in the lives of the workshop participants. We hope to implement similar projects in the future in other rural areas in Mali. These projects can help women achieve financial stability and that is a huge step towards achieving a better society.