PHOTO: Orange Foundation France VP, Madam Elizabeth Tchoungui and UN Women France ED, Fanny Bendetti
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
As Orange Foundation and UN Women implement a joint project to scale up innovation initiatives in Liberia, two top officials of both institutions have ended a visit to Liberia.
Orange Foundation France Vice President, Madam Elizabeth Tchoungui and UN Women France Executive Director Fanny Bendetti on Wednesday October 5, 2022 climax a three-day humanitarian visit to this West African state, after arriving on Monday, October 2, 2022.
The two officials traveled to Bong County Tuesday for a first-hand field level assessment of the progress and impact of the joint Orange Foundation and UN Women project for rural women in Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties respectively.
Orange Foundation and UN Women are implementing a joint project to scale up innovation initiatives that leverage digital and mobile technologies to enhance the economic empowerment and resilience of rural women in Lofa, Bong and Nimba Counties.
While in Liberia, the two officials interacted with beneficiaries and experience first-hand the activities, impact and change stories of the Orange Foundation and UN Women joint scale up innovative initiative project that targets 1,200 women and youth in Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties. It also identifies opportunities to expand and consolidate the pilot and to identify synergies and partnership with other stakeholders in women digital inclusion and economic empowerment.
Speaking Wednesday at the News Conference in Monrovia, Orange Foundation France Vice President Elizabeth Tchoungui said the project initiatives include climate smart agricultural advisory on the buy from Women digital platform as well as provision of pay go solar asset financing and strengthening women skill in the energy sector.
According to Tchoungui, digital inclusion is the entry point to strengthen the economic empowerment and the resilience to disasters of small holder women farmers.
Orange Foundation France Vice President Elizabeth Tchoungui maintained that the project is intended to improve access to markets and learning opportunities through consolidation and scale up of a digital platform under the buy from women initiative.
In remarks, UN Women France Executive Director Fanny Bendetti said she was impressed about the performance of women noting that it is a game changer, initiative that transform life.
He explained that the project is also designed to provide information on climate smart agriculture practices, nutrition, seeds and finances.
She however called for more capacity and partners noting that Liberian women tools and supports to
The both executives called on women across Liberia to stay strong, focus and committed and press for success in transforming their lives and society.
The project will also educate targeted small holder women farmers on literacy and numeracy, business development and financial skills, knowledge building in value addition and marketing thereby improving access to disaster rick reduction, risk transfer and finance by enhancing scope to include mobile enable disaster information, insurance and climate smart agricultural advisories.
During their visit in Liberia, the two International Executives together with Mrs. Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Country Representative Liberia interacted and held bilateral exchanges with beneficiaries of UN Women EVAW and buy from women initiatives in Monrovia and Bong County respectively.