Oumar Barou Togola — Providing Malian Women with Meaningful Work Gives Them Time to Invest in the Next Generation
“Having been raised in Mali, I’ve seen first-hand the opportunity to build equitable and authentic relationships with women farmer entrepreneurs in Africa. That’s why we founded Farafena to provide women farmers with an opportunity to share their food with the world. My dream is for Farafena to set an example of how families like yours, can engage with and get to know families like mine, our communities and our authentic African foods and culture.”
These are the words of my guest today, the brilliant Oumar Barou Togola. Oumar was born in Mali, West Africa but raised in Canada, British Columbia. As Oumar grew up into a person who valued action over talk and someone who wanted to create solutions, he launched Farafena. Farafena which means ‘Africa’ in Bambara, the national language of Mali. Farafena’s vision is simple and compelling—to share healthy, sustainably farmed food with the world, while improving the lives of women farmers and their communities in Africa. They do this by partnering with over 850 African women farmers in nine villages, to bring nutrient-dense, African-grown products to Canadian tables. They’re in hundreds of store all over Canada and hope to be in the US very soon.
You’re going to love Oumar. I felt like I could talk with him for hours. For your sake, however, we did not talk for hours. But I know you’re going to learn from Oumar, you’re going to be inspired, and you’re going to be a better human as a result of this conversation.
Follow Oumar’s work with Farafena online, on Instagram, and on Twitter.
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Have an amazing week, friends! Love y’all!