An interview with Aly Diarra, a Tree Aid Project Officer
07th August 2023
Share
Aly Diarra is a Project Officer for Tree Aid in Mali. As such, his role is to coordinate different projects and work closely with project participants and partners.
Working for Tree Aid
When Aly is in the field, a typical day looks like this: “I wake up at 5am, wash, say my prayers, have breakfast, check my email to respond to emergencies. I leave to do activities in villages around 8.30am to 9am and return to my base around 4pm. I wash and rest. After evening prayers, I check my email to respond to emergencies.”
Some of these activities could be monitoring the progress of a nutrition garden or facilitating training on soil and water conservation with project participants.
What projects is Aly working on?
Aly is working on two projects: Empowering 1,000 women in Mali through improved access to forests and businesses – also known as She Grows – and Promoting forest governance for resilient ecosystems and communities in Segou.
The She Grows project – which has now been completed – was implemented in 10 villages and we are currently doing the final evaluation. Aly told us about challenges he faced on the She Grows project such as gender inequality: after seeing that women beekeepers were frowned upon in the community, Aly and the rest of the team trained and sensitized men on gender so that they could understand that women can do the same activities that they do.
What are Aly's highlights at Tree Aid?
Nutrition gardens offer a way of improving women's living conditions. In one project, vegetable seeds like tomatoes and onions were introduced in baobab and moringa nutrition gardens. This gave women a variety of food to grow and eat.
In the She Grows project, Tree Aid built a processing unit for honey and beeswax. For the women who do beekeeping, it has meant that the previously complicated task of processing honey has been improved and simplified.
Finally, Aly talked about the solar-powered watering system implemented in nutrition gardens. By digging boreholes, installing a pump and linking solar panels to the pump, communities are able to water their gardens effortlessly.
I am most proud of improving women’s living conditions. - Aly Diarra
What are Aly’s hopes for the future?
Aly hopes to expand the work in Mali and implement new projects which will help more communities.
He also wishes for political stability and security in the country.
A few facts about Aly
A child of two teachers, he grew up in the village of Dogo in central Mali.
After completing his education, he became a shepherd for a while and worked in his family’s fields.
Aly’s favourite food is tiontion, a dish from his local region consisting of fish and rice seasoned with sauce and hot oil.
What he loves the most about his city is having a “few green spaces that allow for relaxation.”
His favourite part of the day is going home to his family.
A few facts about Mali
• The capital of Mali is Bamako
• It is the 8th largest country in Africa
• There are many languages spoken, including French, Bambara, Dogon, Fulfulde and Arabic
• These are two famous sayings: “The forest comes because of the tree” and “Water is life.”