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People of different religions and cultures live side by side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us with very different groups. We can love what we are, without hating what – and who – we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings.  ~ Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

 

  • Summer 2016 – Fifth Grinder was bought

  • March  20 2016 – Fund raising evening “My Sister’s Closet”
    Contributors cleaned out closets of clothes still of good quality. All the clothing, in all sizes and styles, was organized into many rooms. Everyone who came, donated at the door and then was free to roam from room to room and try on and take with them any items of clothing they fancied . There were also drinks and food available, door prizes from many talented and generous women in our community! plus an opportunity to socialize . It was a great evening….put clothes and many women in a room together and it is a winning combination! We raised enough that we are now close to the cost of another grinder.
  • January letter from Fatou – Update on Sanankoro Djitoumou women “The women in The Commune in Mali would like to partner once again with the women in Agassiz/Harrison to get a 5th grinder for the most remote area, an area where there is no grinder at this point. The grinders are so successful that individuals in different villages in the commune have now bought more grinders ( through family who live away from the commune, overseas) So now some villages have 2 -3 grinders. They have discovered so many other uses for the grinders ( for mining gold… but not using one of the grinders we purchased with the women!) .

2014

  • Teryia Article Nov. 20140001 
  • November, 2014
    Created Shea soap with shea butter from Fatou’s mother to sell at Craft MarketWe sent the money we had raised through fundraisers over the past year to Sekou in Bamako. He has received it successfully, and it will be used to purchase a fourth grinder. We have been told that all 3 grinders in the commune at this time, are working and are very much appreciated by the women. They will hold a meeting and decide in what direction they want to go now. One grinder needed some maintenance, and some men in the villages, put money together, towards fixing the machine. It is now in use again.

    We are continuing in our fund raising efforts, through our sale of the soaps, and the sale of a few other Malian crafts that we have. There was a recent Social Justice Film Festival in Agassiz, and along with other groups, we had a “Teryia” display table and raised a few funds through sales at the table.

    Now have enough funds to purchase another nut Grinder. We are waiting to hear from people in Mali before we proceed with this. The women in Mali are going to meet to discuss the direction they wish to go with this. We made some soap out of the shea butter sent us from Fatou’s mother and will package it soon.

    Fatou was living here in Agassiz for awhile and it was great to have her as a neighbour. Presently she is working on a Micronutrient project in West Africa. She is at present, in Cameroon but will be based in Mali.

    Girls club from Agassiz Secondary School raised funds thru a bake sale which they donated to Teryia. They are also interested in being part of any other fundraising in the future. Many thanks to them!

    September, 2014

    We recently had a Teryia gathering in Harrison to relax, socialize and share where we are at. Fatou let us know that all 3 grinders are working well and everyone is happy. There had been a problem with the first grinder in that a few men in the village where it is situated, felt that they should be in control of it. This problem had emerged earlier and we had thought it had been solved. The women stopped using it, it was not maintained and everyone was discouraged. Fatou told the women that this was something that they ( as a community) would have to discuss and solve. And it appears that they did. The men put money towards fixing the grinder, gave it back to the women and Fatou’s uncle called her and said that the women are very happy as this is saving them time and labour. Two steps forward, one step back…one step at a time?

    Sekou has suggested to the women that they now do a “Bilan”…an assessment of where they are at.  Are they doing well with the grinders? Are they making money? What next?

    Here in Canada, the other side of Teryia, we are doing well. This women to women partnership  is a great benefit to us as well. We come together to have fun, come up with ways to partner with the women there, and thru this, get to know each other better.

    We sent money off this week towards a 4th grinder. After this, the women( in Mali) will need to decide in what direction they wish to go.

    We have made soap with the shea sent us by Fatou’s mother, and at an upcoming Social Justice Film Festival, we will have a table and sell the soap, and some fabric ( from Mali) as a fundraising for future projects.

    We are all hoping of course that Ebola does not get a foothold in Mali…but our thoughts go to everyone throughout West Africa….

  • April 11 2014
    Shared what Teryia is, at the South Granville Seniors Center in Vancouver.  Three of us went in to Vancouver to do this including Fatou with us as a representative of the Mali side of things. We were really impressed with the patrons, staff and volunteers of this centre. They were very enthused and curious about everything and asked great questions. It was a great cross section of seniors and people in general.
  • February 2014
    We have been in touch recently with Sekou in Bamako about things in the Commune of Sanankoro Djitoumou.
    At this point there are three grinders placed throughout the villages in the commune. Two of them are in use all day, and the women are making a lot of shea butter and trying to put aside whatever money they can in a small credit union within the commune ( to put towards another grinder).
    The third grinder has posed a problem, but not all that surprising. It seems one of the men in the village it was placed in, felt that he should be in control, that men in general should be in control of things. The women stopped using it in discouragement, and also it was not well looked after.
    The community got together for a meeting ( with no influence or involvement from those of us in Canada), and decided as a whole (men and women) that the women should have complete control and operation of the grinder. This is a very positive shift in thinking. Two technicians are coming from Bamako to fix the grinder, and then it shall be run by the women.
    We now have almost enough for a fourth grinder. The women in Mali will be contributing to this financially as well.
    Locally here in BC, we are going to try our hand at making some shea cream ( with the remainder of the shea butter sent us from Mali) with any proceeds from it’s sale going to Teryia. We have asked Sekou to ask the women if organizing in to a Cooperative is a direction that they would like to go and are waiting to hear back about this.We have also asked him to tell the women that we would love to receive a letter from them.  We are all  indebted to Sekou and all he does for Teryia both in Mali and Canada.

2013 – third grinder has been purchased and is now in use. We received some fantastic photos of the grinder after it was assembled. Funds were raised through a community showing of a film (see below), through other fundraising events, and by the women in Mali as well. We will raise funds together again for a fourth grinder. We also received a sample of some raw shea butter (results from one of the new grinders) .

February 22 2013 – Teryia volunteers hosted a Teryia fundraiser ‘movie, music and more’ night at Agassiz United Church, 6860 Lougheed Hwy in Agassiz. Doors open at 6:30-evening begins at 7:00 pm. The film The Road to Baleya, created by Toronto film maker Bay Weyman, follows musician friends traveling in Mali. This very musical, informative film will show us what life is like in Mali. This will be by donation only. Malian food and drink will be shared as well as a cultural display.

To date, Teryia has met its goal of purchasing two grinders that improve the lives of many girls and women in West Africa. Canadian Teryia volunteers have done this by seasonally getting together socially to decide what fund / awareness raising events we can pursue and then commit to them. We are a diverse group of local individuals who bring good humour, creativity and thoughtfulness to the projects we commit to as a group.

Watching closely as Mali goes through difficult times. We will try to keep up to date on the events unfolding.** For an excellent current overview of the situation in Mali, visit:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/why-mali-matters-to-the-west/article7347113/

December 2013 we gathered for a Christmas/Teryia celebration and discussed plans for next year. One plan is to get together to do something with the shea butter that is remaining from the sample sent us from Mali ( sample from the new grinders). We had made some soap which sold quickly and in the new year we would like to make some shea cream.

SUMMER 2012

  • July 23 – Funds were recently sent to the commune’s women to purchase a second grinder.   http://www.agassizharrisonobserver.com/community/163881356.html
  • July 8 – Intuitive Painting workshop  for local women in Harrison helped raise funds for the purchase of a 3rd grinder. Thank you Irene for sharing your gifts and to the artists who participated in this ‘art in the garden’ event!
  • July 12 – Sidi Touré, Malian musician and his bandmates Kalil, Malle, Alas and their lovely tour manager Karima joined local Teryia supporters for a pot luck BBQ. These Malian musicians were here as part of their North American tour, to play during the Harrison Festival of the Arts. They are on to many big venues so we were lucky to meet and ‘break bread’ with them. Thank you Monica! For more info about Sidi and his Malian music, visit http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Sidi-Tour/
  • May 12′s impromptu ’3-2-1 Perennial Garden Sale’ helped to raise funds for the second purchase of a multifunctional grinder for the people living in Sanakoro Djitoumou, Mali. Thank you to the local gardeners for donating their perennial extras and to the locals who bought plants!
  • June 21 – ‘Tea with Teryia’ found us getting together at the home of a Teryia supporter to share tea with other Teryia supporters and  conversation. We did not solve the worlds’ problems though we did enjoy a great cup of chai. Thank you Amerjit!

Spring 2012

  • On Saturday, April 28 2012, there was a Fundraising Dinner for Teryia.  Amerjit Akoo offered to cook an “Indian Dinner” for those interested. Proceeds went to the purchase of another grinder. This evening was something people enjoy, so we will try it again. Perhaps a Malian Dinner next time!January 2012 Update 

    A great way to start this new year, is knowing that the women in this one commune of  Mali are now using their new multi-purpose grinder. This is all thanks to the efforts of the women, both in our communities of Agassiz-Harrison and those in the Commune of Sanankoro Djitoumou. We received a message of thanks from the mayor of the commune and the chief of the main village, called…”Serimabougou”.This letter, which is in French, has been  translated as a  message to all of us :

The letter writer, on behalf of the women from Serimabougou and the chief of the village and also the new mayor of the commune of Sanankoro Djitoumou, is expressing gratitude for the grinder, and telling us that the women are very happy and joyful. They wish that this New Year be a year of success, joy and dignity for all the women from Serimabougou and for all of us as well.
They are now working with the grinder. Two women and a man operate it with the assistance from other villagers.
They also say in the letter, that the teachers (women and men) are asking us not to forget about them, and to help them ‘in any way’ . They have five classrooms with many students (the classrooms are overloaded with students.)
The chief of the village is sending  us his greetings with joy. The people from the neighbouring villages are sending us joyful greetings because they are also benefiting from the grinder. They would like to have their own grinder too.
Thank you from the women’s association «Giguiya»  (this means ‘Hope’ or ‘something people can count or rely on or trust’ in Bambara,  ) from Serimabougou.
The finger prints at the bottom of the letter are from the chief of Serimabougou village and the new mayor of Sanankoro Djitumu. It’s an old way to sign a letter and very orginal!

  ** We have also received a message from Kariba Samake who is the chair of  Teryia in the commune in Mali.  He also has let us know that the women are now happily using the grinder. He says that women in some of the other villages are  very anxious to have  a grinder also and that they are willing to help finance this.

The women of Teryia here in Agassiz-Harrison will gather together again, shortly, to discuss fundraising for perhaps another grinder.

The 2 letters (in french) can be found on the “letters” page on this site.
Stay tuned for updates on this.

Our next gathering will be on January 28 at 6:30 pm. at Earla’s house. Please  bring an appetizer, and we will share  food and wine . We will update and plan and have fun!

December 2012 update:

News regarding Shea Butter project and purchase of a grinder

We have received news that the grinder has been purchased for the women in the Commune of Sanankoro Djitoumou in Mali. Through a partnership between the women who are a part of Teryia in Agassiz Harrison and the women on the commune, money  was raised to purchase a grinder which will help immensely in the Shea Butter process. Fatou Diarrassouba who is one of our connectors with the women in Mali, sent us an email telling us that the women have been using the machine since the beginning of November. They are very happy with the machine, and it travels from village to village plus some of the women also come to the village where it rests (Sérimambougou) to make use of it.
Sékou ( our connection to the Commune) said that they had hoped to wait for an official ceremony with the mayor and the people from the Canadian Embassy to celebrate things, but as this was taking too long to arrange, the women did not want to wait any longer, so they decided to begin using it!

Sékou will be going to Sérimambougou soon and while there he will take many photos and give us an update on what’s happening on the commune.

November update:
A potluck was held on October 20, where we shared food, conversation and updates on where we are with the purchase of the grinder for the women in Sanankoro Djitoumou. We shared the  message and photos that had arrived from Sekou ( who is our connector to the commune in Mali) showing us that they have purchased the grinder for the women on the commune. They have placed an order for one, and should receive it soon. At that time, they want to hold a celebration, and will send us further photos.
At this gathering we talked about ideas for further fundraising , and some of those are:
holding an annual garage sale, holding a plant sale, renting a table at  the annual Agassiz Christmas craft Sale ( a year from now), and selling individual  crafts/etc., which we could work on throughout the year ( we could also use this occasion to  share  what Teryia is).
The 50/50 fundraiser is still active….tickets cost $10 each ( there are about 40 left),and once all are purchased, there will be a draw for the winning ticket….that person will win $500 and the remaining $500 will go to the women in Mali. We will gather together for the draw.  We also want to have a template for a card that could be available for anyone, in case you want to donate to Teryia in some one else’s name, and want to have a card to send them, to explain what this is about.
We will contact Sekou and the Women’s representative, Marietou,  to discuss/dialogue with them further about things….perhaps another grinder?..(as there are 27 villages). The women simply want to improve their shea butter business and work towards being more independent. We are very conscious of this being a partnership/friendship, and are aware that we need to keep it this way, so they don’t feel dependent on us for money….but are enabled enough to move toward being independent. This is what they want too.
As this is a friendship as well as partnership, we would like to send a letter to the women on the commune, sharing who we are. So we are asking any women who are interested in this  to please send something to be included in this letter. If you would like to contribute , please send  something about yourself…what you would like to share about your life. It could be whatever you would like to say about yourself…what you do,  where you live, your family, your lkes/passions…etc.

September 2011 Update
Teryia members of the local twinning group in Agassiz/Harrison and Mali were able to raise enough funds to help contribute to the purchase of a multipurpose grinder for the women in the commune of Sanankoro Djitoumou in  Mali, West Africa.
A very successful garage sale took place in August where many in our communities learned through an Observer article, of the Malian women’s hope to empower themselves  through the purchase of this grinder. This tool can  help  improve the quality of their shea butter, which ultimately  has the potential to improve  not just their own lives, but life within their villages.
Women in both Mali and the Fraser Valley entered into this project as partners, deciding mutually to raise funds together. This grinder, once purchased, can grind both nuts from the shea trees, used globally as a skin cream, and also food cereals such as millet, corn, peanuts and beans.
With the garage sale proceeds, and donations from individuals locally, close to $1000 was raised. Malian women utilized micro-credit funding to make crafts and sell at local markets, raising enough funds to put almost $400 to the effort.
Together with the funds raised by the Malian women themselves, by the proceeds from the garage sale, and by donations from local Fraser Valley women  who learned Teryia was just shy of its goal, $1400 was raised .
The funds were wired to Mali in early September, and they have contacted us to let us know that they have received them and  are in the process of purchasing the grinder, plus a cart and donkey ( needed to transport the grinder between villages).
Teryia would like to thank the Observer who initially ran the article that brought many local people  out in support of the Malian women’s efforts, and to those locals who donated money and  time to this project. Our thanks also goes out across the miles to both Fatou and Sekou ( our connectors and translators!)
Once the grinder is set up and operational in the commune, the women will begin to pay for the complete cost of the grinder so that they own the operation. The women plan to raise enough funds through their Shea Butter sales to purchase another grinder, as there are 27 villages in the area. Local Teryia organizers plan to continue to partner with them as it is a mutual benefit!
Email teryiacanadamali@gmail.com for more information.

August 2011 Update

The women of Teryia kicked off our fundraising efforts this season with a Garage sale –  223 Miami River Drive, Harrison – Sunday August 7 from 12 to 4. Many local people took the time to donate items and came out to support / learn about the women in Mali. Left over items were taken to Agassiz’s Thrift shop Monday so local community services benefited too.

July 2011 Update

District of Kent and the Village of Harrison Hot Springs councillors, representatives from local schools, businesses and cultural groups were a part of the group in 2006 that created a twinning relationship to raise awareness of Mali, West Africa and specifically the commune of Sanakoro Djitoumou.
Various community activities such as an ethnic dinner enjoyed by over 200 people,  Malian art sold in the local art gallery and an exchange of letters and artwork between schools, were some of the awareness raising events organized by dedicated citizens of the Fraser Valley.

In the first five years communication with the commune was difficult, due to the language difference, lack of telephones or internet in the villages and the time it takes with communication through the postal system. It became evident that embarking in a global twinning relationship between communities requires commitment from people of each sector to grow on a large scale. Changing circumstances is a constant challenge in maintaining the twinning as a community wide endeavor.

Today Teryia remains a small dedicated group working to sustain an interest in the commune and the ideals of twinning. Rather than organizing large public events, we are concentrating on connecting specifically with the women of the commune. Through her latest visit to Mali, Fatou connected with a business person and educator who is now the connector between the president of commune’s twinning group, the women of the commune and Teryia here in Canada.

Fatou, at present working towards her PhD at Quebec City’s Laval University has connected with an advisor who is working on a proposal for a project in the commune in Mali. This project would be to improve production of Shea Butter, a viable industry for the women in the commune. Here in Canada we hope to support this endeavor- women to women, in whatever way we can.

We hosted a social gathering of women who live and work in the Agassiz Harrison area on Wed., July 13. The social/fun evening raised awareness of this project with the women. An opportune time to meet Fatou, the women in attendance learned directly from Fatou about her home country, about the women in the commune and the benefits of us helping the women help themselves. We brain stormed ways we can work together to aid the Malian women in their efforts to form a productive Shea Butter cooperative.

Next season, we will again invite local women who may be interested to join together and learn about the lives of Malian women.

Many thanks to the people who lent their talents, energy and time to this project from its beginning,in particular Fatou Diarrassouba, Marg Hicks, Anne Ehret and Earla Legault . We also thank Earla Legault for her photos, Terrill Scott for the pamphlet design, Monica Little for many hours of translating, Mark Classen who introduced the Harrison Hot Springs Elementary school children to the project and Olivia Hughes for our logo.

the Mayors ( in 2006)

Lorne Fisher – District of Kent (Agassiz)
Leo Facio – Village of Harrison Hot Springs

the Kent-Harrison Arts Council

the Agassiz-Harrison Observer newspaper

In Mali:

Kariba Samake – Chair
Dramane Mariko -mayor of Sanankoro Djitoumou commune