By Wilita Sanguma | Founder and Executive Director
This is my first time writing to you. My name is Jimmy Nadoyne and I'm honored to share a story from one of the communities we recently visited.
The songs echoed across the field long before we reached the gathering. At the center stood Maman Anto, clapping her hands and leading the women with contagious joy.
As a widow, Maman Anto understands how important it is to gather and sing, to be reminded that tomorrow is worth believing in.
Maman Anto leading the women in song.
Like many of the women around her, she has spent years working the fields, providing for her children, and ensuring they have the opportunity to stay in school.
One by one, the women shared their hopes for the future. Many spoke proudly of raising six, seven, or even eight children.
A common thread emerged: their gardens have sustained their families and created opportunities for the next generation.
These women gather every week. They save money, cultivate their fields, and carry one another through seasons of joy and loss.
Watching them, it became clear that the gardens were cultivating far more than food.
They were cultivating community.
This is Association Eden, founded in 2023 by women, focused on cooperative farming and a shared savings program.
Rather than creating something new, Lobiko is honored to partner with a community that has already demonstrated remarkable vision, organization, and commitment.
As the first pilot of our Village Project, this partnership will invest in seeds, farming materials, and ongoing support to strengthen the agricultural work the association is already leading.
Together, we hope to expand the land being cultivated, increase household income, strengthen food security, and create greater opportunities for children to remain in school.
We believe this partnership has the potential to shape a model for community-led development that can be strengthened and adapted in villages across the region.
Healthy communities grow because people choose, week after week, to invest in one another with generosity, perseverance, and hope.
This month, take a moment to reflect on the communities that have shaped your own life. Who has encouraged you, shared your burdens, or helped you grow? And how might you invest in someone else's future?
As Lobiko begins this partnership with Association Éden, your support strengthens a community-led initiative that is already bearing fruit.
Together, we are investing in women, families, and communities whose leadership is creating opportunities for generations to come.
With gratitude,
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By Wilita Sanguma | Founder and Executive Director
By Wilita Sanguma | Founder and Executive Director
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