« All the flowers of the future are in the seeds of today. »

Certain events affect us more than others.

The Covid 19 pandemic is one of them. Besides its immediate consequences, which are all too dramatic, it has raised a question - on an individual and on a collective level - about our relationship with others. About our choices and priorities.

More than ever, it has brought to light our vulnerabilities and how much we need to construct a supportive society today to build a better tomorrow.

Armed with this awareness, we are confident that the Foundation made a fundamentally sound choice in committing to human values from the outset. 

Since 2011, we have consistently reached out to families and communities, listening to them, sharing, and reviewing, in order to find sustainable solutions for their needs.

And although health restrictions caused us to temporarily change our modus operandi, we resumed these enriching opportunities in the second quarter of 2022.

What a pleasure to be on the roads again, to inform and encourage people, to recreate our “Pink Village” at every foot race in Gabon, to raise awareness for screening and come together to fight against women’s cancers!I

In 2022, our commitment towards Education and Solidarity hasn’t wavered. 

We continued to focus on young people and women in vulnerable situations, as well as on people living with disabilities.And we were lucky enough to witness first hand and with great emotion how lives have been positively transformed and fulfilled.

Furthermore, building on the activities we carried out last year, our human rights work has diversified and intensified. We have established partnerships with associations so we could expand the scope of our information and action.

So, from North to South and East to West, in schools or markets, in urban or rural communities, the Gabon Equality Programme has been promoted, disseminated, and explained, aiming to lay the foundations for a society that is just and based on gender equality.

However, we are aware that there are still barriers, especially mental and cultural ones.Resistance to these notions is creeping in and spreading insidiously. 

And sometimes families, or even educators, are their unwitting disseminators.

In the words of Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We tell them ‘You should aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man.” Tearing down these strongholds is our priority. 

We have therefore initiated a programme for the entire educational community called “Seeds of Equality”, which is available from primary school onwards.

Yes, equality is a seed. And like all seeds, it requires patience, perseverance, and vigilant attention. If it is sown in the right soil, at the right time, it will bear good fruit a few years later.

“All the flowers of the future are in the seeds of today.”

This Chinese proverb urges us not to minimise our actions and, most of all, to look ahead with confidence as we anticipate their germination and the harvest.

In 2022, together we have sown seeds of love, compassion, and solidarity. Our work together, in harmony, will produce a good crop for us all.

Thank you for your invaluable presence by our side.

Sylvia Bongo Ondimba