Albertine Gnanazan Hepie
![[Hepie]](/graphics/hepie.jpg)
My parents were farmers in one of the provinces of Côte d'lvoire where I grew up....I had a very
early exposure to misery and poverty experienced by my neighbors, especially the female village
women. They had to rise very early every day to go to their distant fields-only to return late
evenings to pursue their chores in looking after the needs of the entire household.
In spite of all these efforts, these women make meager earnings from their fields only once a year
through the sale of their cash crops. From this single salary, all needs had to be met ranging from
food, clothing, school fees, medical care, etc. I have always been puzzled by the degree of
poverty of these women. This, in part, compelled me to vow to get as much education as possible
in order to be in the position to assist these poor ladies one day with the aim of re-establishing
the equilibrium of society.
...My dreams became true in my capacity as Cabinet Minister of Family and Gender Issues in the
Government of C“te d'lvoire. In this position, I still see poor women but I can now make
recommendations in order to improve their situation.
...In June 1997, I came across a newspaper article depicting the desperate situation of a married,
unemployed lady-mother of four children whose bread-winning husband had just passed away
while her fifth pregnancy resulted into the birth of quadruplets shortly after the death of the
husband, making a total of eight children to feed, clothe, and educate....
A visit was quickly organized for me....First aid was released to the children. Soap, milk,
clothing, and medical supplies were provided together with the equivalent of US$165.
Afterward, the lady was invited to my cabinet for counseling and assessment of her area of
interest, which led to a further assistance in the form of microcredit. It is worth mentioning that
the government has established an income generating project, entitled Women and Development
Funds, geared to sustaining various types of activities. You cannot imagine the happiness of this
woman whose children have been saved and whose own life has been changed. This is just a
story among [a] hundred others which strengthened my faith in the microcredit business....
...I believe we have the responsibility of re-establishing dignity to women through concrete
policies in their favor. This is one of the main objectives of my department.
...[S]ociety as a whole finds peace and stability when the poor become self-reliant. States are thus
strengthened. I praise microcredit as a powerful instrument to combat misery and poverty in the
world.
It is my wish that the next century becomes the century of poverty eradication through the advent
of microcredit. All governments and international organizations must adhere to this battle. We
must all unite together to give hope to some 100 million needy families, especially to those
women with thousands of ideas who manage to bring daily relief and smiles to their families
through their hard labors. Our own lives will bear meaning only when the removal of...misery
and poverty becomes a reality.
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