(31 Dec 2017) LEAD IN:
In Cameroon, Muslim women earn money thanks to neem trees that grow in the streets.
They have learnt to extract oil from the seeds of the trees which they then sell.
STORY-LINE:
Zeinabou Abassi is very proud of her dishes and she shows them off with a wide smile: plates, glasses and even pots.
She bought all the dishes within two years, after becoming a member of a local NGO.
The organisation is called Wassakay and teaches women to transform the seeds of the neem tree into oil.
Months ago, all the women in the NGO were jobless. Now they have the opportunity to earn money thanks to the processing of the seeds. The tree is also known as Azadirachta indica, its scientific name.
The women were trained into this activity by Oubborre Aissatou, the President of the NGO who learnt the processing in another town.
They now transform seeds into oil, butter or flour. The products are sold at home and at fairs.
Abassi says she can make up to five litres of oil a day with this simple process of grinding the seeds and heating them over a fire.
The women carefully scoop up the oil from the pot and funnel the precious liquid into bottles.
"We sell it and buy things we need. For example, we buy goats, our sheep, our plates, even the bed," says Aissatou.
Years ago, the neem trees had been planted in all the villages of the Far-North region of Cameroon to bring shade to this very hot place.
In the past, these seeds were exported to other regions, as locals did not know the value of them.
But now they have found they can earn a living from the trees, the women want to use the seeds themselves.
"It's a good oil. We use it as a medicine, and also to cook," says customer Mairamou Kouatere.
The oil can also be used as body and hair milk, for skin care and even as a cooking oil.
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