Gbetebou is Building its Future!

The village of Gbetebou already had a community vegetable garden, but thanks our Foundation’s support, the garden has received a real boost. We invested in a water well with a solar pump, a water storage tank, and an irrigation system, and we also provided new planting materials. With year-round access to water, the villagers can now plant and harvest fruits and vegetables year-round.

With our agronomist’s help, the garden is also being used much more efficiently. Land that used to flood every rainy season—and therefore lay fallow – is now used for rice cultivation. He also teaches them how to apply agroecological techniques to increase their yields sustainably.

The residents of Gbetebou built a sturdy fence around the garden themselves to keep animals out. Cooperation within the village is visibly growing: women and men work side by side in the garden. Everyone cultivates their own plot, but the sense of community is stronger than ever. The men take on the heaviest physical tasks—such as preparing the planting beds and weeding – actively supporting the women in their work.

And it doesn’t stop at the vegetable garden.

In the cassava cooperative, villagers also join forces. Thanks to training at the Ariziki Incubation Centre, members learned how to manage a cooperative professionally. By processing cassava into gari and tapioca, the women generate additional income and greater financial stability for their families.

With part of the profits, the villagers were able to purchase a tricycle, which they use to transport cassava from the fields to the cooperative and to bring the gari and tapioca to nearby markets. This investment now allows them to process and sell more, faster, and more efficiently.

What does the cooperative still need to continue growing? A proper storage facility, a fully equipped processing area, and a well-designed drying zone.