MMH 與 Durian 基金會在非洲農村的「非洲黑皂」故事

「農村不等於貧窮和邊緣化 」 -Tony Joy

Tony Joy 致力於打破農村社區長期以來的負面刻板印象。這些社區常被視為貧困、邊緣化，且缺乏發展。然而，Tony 堅信，農村社區蘊藏著未被發掘的巨大潛力——豐富的歷史、知識和值得分享的賦權故事。因此，她成立了 Durian 基金會，專注於賦予農村婦女力量，重新講述社區的故事。

從農村到地球村，從廢物到寶物

Tony Joy 的個人經歷深刻影響了她的信念：沒有任何東西是毫無價值的。 她的成長過程異於常人，經歷過霸凌，並被迫相信自己毫無價值。年幼的 Tony 離家後，面臨無家可歸、飢餓和匱乏的艱難處境，這段經歷進一步強化了她的負面自我認知。

在克服這些有害的自我敘事後，Tony 深刻意識到，對農村婦女來說，恢復尊嚴和身份尤為重要。她成立了 Durian 基金會，透過手工藝培訓、成人教育和農業吸引婦女參與，並創建公共系統，幫助社區重新發現他們的資源價值。

擁抱農村社區的力量

Tony 的組織致力於推動循環經濟，例如將可可廢棄物轉化為非洲黑皂，展現農村社區積極且永續地應對挑戰的能力。 透過將這些產品推向市場，社區建立了與全球市場的連結，進一步提升了自主性、自我價值和實現感。

Tony Joy 透過 Durian 基金會的工作，展現了重塑敘事的變革力量。她堅決不向對農村社區的刻板印象屈服，打破了邊緣化和貧困的循環，致力於創建一個未來——讓農村社區被視為充滿活力、富有韌性，並對全球社會做出不可或缺貢獻的地方。

REDEFINING RURAL COMMUNITIES

“Rural does not mean poor and marginalized” Tony Joy

Tony Joy works to challenge the negative stereotypes often associated with rural communities. For far too long, these communities have been unfairly labeled as poverty-stricken, marginalized, and underdeveloped. However, Tony firmly believes that there is untapped potential within these communities – rich histories, knowledge, and empowering stories that deserve to be shared with the world. Through her foundation, Durian, she aims to empower rural women to reshape the narratives surrounding their communities.

From rural to global, from waste to value

Tony Joy’s personal journey shaped her conviction that nothing is truly wasted. Growing up differently from societal norms, she experienced bullying and was made to believe that she was worthless. Tony left her home at a young age, only to face homelessness, hunger, and a sense of lacking that reinforced her negative self-perception.

In overcoming these harmful narratives about herself, Tony recognized how important it is to restore dignity and identity, especially to women in rural communities. She established Durian with the goal of engaging women through craft training, adult education, and agriculture – thereby creating communal systems that allow the communities to see value in the resources available to them.

Embracing the power of rural communities

By applying circularity principles in projects such as transforming cocoa waste into African black soap, Tony’s organization demonstrates the community’s capacity to tackle their own challenges in a positive and sustainable way. Through market access, she establishes rural linkages to global markets, elevating the community‘s sense of agency, self-worth, and self-actualization.

Tony Joy’s work through the Durian Foundation exemplifies the transformative power of reframing narratives. By refusing to bow to the narrative about rural communities, she is breaking the cycle of marginalization and poverty, working towards a future where rural communities are seen as vibrant, resilient, and indispensable contributors to global society.

Tony Joy
Founder/Director, Durian