My name is Oumou, I am eleven years old and I come from a family of twelve members. I live with my father, my mother and my brothers. I am currently doing the 5th year class at the primary school.

Before, I spent most of my time doing chores and also working in our family land. I went to pick fruits during the rainy season. I also participate in the cultivation of groundnuts and cotton. Concretely, I was planting cotton seeds. Part of my tasks consisted in keeping the animals, specifically the cows. I held them in front by the ropes to pull the plows.

We got up at dawn to prepare for departure. We left early in the morning to cover the great distance that separates the house from the field. Once there, everyone takes care of a specific task. With the women, we would come home around mid-day to bring the food back to the field. Around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. we would definitely come home and it was time for household chores. I often did the dishes.
Unfortunately, I was not enrolled in school although some of my friends were. I was not so lucky because I had to help my parents. My brothers were very small to help them. The years spent working were very difficult for me. I was barely resting. Holding the animals by the ropes hurt my hands. Cows can often be very aggressive. I once hurt myself being pulled by a cow, I ended up with a dislocated right arm. Following this accident, I was very afraid to approach the animals. I spent several weeks recovering.

In 2021, an aunt, my father's big sister, came to inform him of the presence of a schooling project for the children. This is how the idea of enrolling us in school appealed to my father. A few days later, I was taken to the preparatory classes with other children my age.
The first days, I discovered another world, that of the school, the teachers, the benches. I was very excited to start this new life as a student. I had always wanted to go to school and learn all these new things. Today, I continue to learn and frankly there is a big difference between my new life and that of the fields. I believe that all children should have the opportunity to have a normal schooling.

The Accelerated Schooling Strategy (SSA/P)

ACCEL Africa is an ILO project funded by the Netherlands to accelerate action for the elimination of child labor in supply chains in Africa through targeted actions in certain supply chains in Côte d'Ivoire. Ivoire, Egypt, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda.

ACCEL Africa supports the Accelerated Schooling Strategy (SSA/P) of basic education as a viable alternative for the withdrawal of children aged 8 to 12 from the cotton and gold panning supply chains. They have been collaborating since the 2019-2020 school year with their operational partners, in particular the NGOs GRAADECOM and CAEB, both accredited by the Ministry of National Education for the implementation of the SSA/P. The SSA/P is an accelerated educational formula allowing children (boys and girls) aged 8 to 12 who have not attended school or who have dropped out early to be transferred to the formal education after 9 months of learning in the centres.