Sayed Yousuf and Bebe Soghra

This couple live in the village of Wahdat Abael. They are two active individuals, a driving force in their respective self-help group. In their garden you find equipment for infrastructure projects, which testifys that the couple’s home is the heart of the rural development project in the village. The house is of a slightly higher standard than others in the area. A solar panel powers a fan that cools. And the garden is lush and green.

“We have a shop in the district center where we sell office stationary, school books etc. But it does not give that much money”, says Sayed Yousuf.

Yousuf, Bebe and the other members in the self-help groups have gathered to discuss the situation in the village. As elsewhere in rural Sholgara the challenges consist of lack of work, lack of money, and lack of water for irrigation. A particular concern in this village is the absence of a wall around the school, which means that the girls are not safe.

During the discussion in the female group it is also mentioned that women and men do not have equal conditions.

“As a woman you can’t travel and look for jobs elsewhere. Women’s knowledge is not taken into account”, says Bebe Soghara.