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Chad: Achta Mahamat, from "Maman Lumière" to solidarity-based entrepreneurship
As the conflict in Sudan forces thousands of families to flee to neighboring countries, host communities in eastern Chad are mobilizing to build resilience in the face of often precarious living conditions.
Publié le 22/04/2025 | Temps de lecture : 2 min
Becoming a “Maman Lumière”
In the Hayadjabal district, attached to the Salamat health center in eastern Chad, Achta Mahamat, in her thirties, lives with her mother in modest conditions.
Thanks to a project run by Première Urgence Internationale and its local partner BASE (Bureau d’Appui Santé et Environnement), aimed at strengthening access to healthcare and improving nutrition for children and women, Achta Mahamat has discovered a new vocation: that of “Maman Lumière”. This essential role within her neighborhood enables her to raise awareness among her neighbors of good nutritional practices for themselves and their children, and to accompany them to health facilities to consult professionals as soon as the first signs of illness appear.
Achta Mahamat was elected president of the Groupement des Femmes pour le Changement de Comportement (Women’s Group for Behavior Change). This recognition paved the way for another form of autonomy: solidarity-based entrepreneurship.
A community initiative
In partnership with three other women, she set up a small-scale production of enriched flours, made from local ingredients, to combat malnutrition among children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Thanks to a loan from the group’s internal fund, their initiative is part of a sustainable approach: profits are reinvested, and part of the income goes into a solidarity fund that supports other women in the neighborhood.
“I’m proud of how far I’ve come. Thanks to this project, my life has changed. I’ve found my place in my community” admits Achta Mahamat.
By focusing on community mobilization, this project is helping to create local relays for change. It illustrates the concrete impact that collective commitment and women’s leadership can have in building sustainable responses in fragile contexts.
This activity was made possible thanks to funding from the 11th EDF (EU).
