Meet Rasoa - a local supplier
Womens Association members in Ambohimahamasina tend to the vegetables in Rasoa’s (center) field
Rasoa, who has worked with Feedback Madagascar for many years, is the president of the women's association in Ambohimahamasina. The association helps supply our school feeding programme.
My name is RaZAFINDRASOA Blandine called Rasoa.
In 2006-2007, I worked with Feedback Madagascar for the first time learning to read and write. It made a big difference to my life because I could not read and write before. When I finished the training, I joined the Soamiray Women's Association where I was the secretary at that time, and received further training in management and weaving.
Since then, our standard of living improved because I was able to earn money through the handmade goods that I made. This was the same for my friends in the association.
Since the COVID 19 pandemic, supplying vegetables has become our primary source of income as there was little demand for the handmade sewing we did before, so our association suffered badly from a lack of money. In the beginning, the income from supplying vegetables was just for the association but now the members who participate in the production of the vegetables get their profit too. There are now 16 people in this association who participate in supplying vegetables. I'm responsible for the collection of the vegetables from the members and their delivery to the central storeroom. We have a big meeting before every cultivation season, to discuss how many vegetables we have to produce depending on the needs of the schools.
Rasoa with her handmade goods
Now, I am the president of the Soamiray Women's Association, and my wishes are to continue to promote our association and to find business opportunities abroad, not only in Madagascar.