Sustainable Education for Development: A Joint Project Between VIVES and Faja Lobi

With support from the Province of West Flanders, teachers from the VIVES Institute recently visited Idiofa as part of efforts to strengthen training and entrepreneurial support initiatives for local communities.

During this period, several activities were organized in collaboration with local stakeholders. In particular, training sessions were organized for mothers involved in growing, harvesting, and processing cassava into flour at the processing facility built with support from the Province of West Flanders. Beekeepers in the region also benefited from targeted training sessions aimed at further professionalizing their activities.

Collaboration with institutions of higher education has also been strengthened. Over the past eighteen months, local university libraries have been enriched with more than 700 reference books, thereby helping to improve conditions for learning and research.

In collaboration with Zacky Madilo, an assistant at UCGB and our Director of Administration and Finance, local faculty members received support in mentoring student-run businesses. The sessions for students were organized as co-taught classes, fostering the exchange of experiences between local and international faculty members.

Brainstorming sessions were held with first-year students to discuss launching their own businesses. The new class of student entrepreneurs is already standing out with innovative ideas, ranging from producing chalk and providing photocopying services for schools to baking milk bread, cookies, and cakes.

It is also encouraging to see that second-year students are directly applying customer feedback to improve their products. As part of this effort, a “young entrepreneurs’ circle” has been established to enable students to continue sharing their experiences and developing their entrepreneurial initiatives, even after graduation.

Through these initiatives, our organization continues its commitment to sustainable development, local entrepreneurship, and capacity-building for young people and rural communities in Idiofa.