The Regional Committee of Women's Solidarity for Peace in Casamance (USOFORAL) continues its advocacy for female leadership and citizen inclusion in the communes of Boutoupa Camaracounda, Oulampane and Djignaki.

In these areas, long marked by the impacts of the crisis, USOFORAL is intensifying its actions to strengthen the socio-economic development of women and promote more participatory local governance.

After two years of operation, the organization is focusing on improving understanding of tax issues and increasing youth involvement. Thirty students have joined leadership clubs and received public speaking training. A speech competition, held in schools in Yango, Boutoupa Camaracounda, Djignaki, and Oulampane, allowed the finalists to showcase their skills before a large audience, illustrating the growing confidence of a new generation ready to get involved.

Beyond students, citizen consultation spaces, women's federations, and local elected officials were involved to strengthen this advocacy for inclusion. The training provided helped develop management skills and improve understanding of tax issues.

According to Sanoussy Camara Diédhiou, project manager at USOFORAL, awareness campaigns on paying the minimum tax have already yielded tangible results. "These activities have allowed young people to express themselves, elected officials to better manage their municipalities, and citizens to understand the importance of their tax contribution. In a rural context where resources are limited, this approach appears as a model of participatory and inclusive governance."

These achievements suggest a lasting transformation: active school clubs, better-trained elected officials, and an aware population.

USOFORAL thus opens the way to a new articulation between female leadership, civic engagement and local development in Casamance.