When she was a young girl, she and her family lived in the mountains, but they later moved down to Yemouna where it was easier to farm. There is, in fact, a natural water source in her village, but the water ran out and into the ground, and villagers were unable to capture it to use for potable drinking water. The problem became even more acute, says Tata Soumah, as the village population began to grow. Tata Soumah will tell you that the Souti Yanfou forest which is highly degraded must also be restored and protected.
Women take an active role in forest co-management meetings.
After the meetings, Tata Soumah takes the co-management messages back to her community of Yemouna. We need the forest for all that we do. We need the water to survive. We need the forest for water to irrigate our fields. During the meeting of villager representatives to elect the Forest Committee, she declared that the Souti Yanfou forest needed to be restored and protected for the benefit of her children and grand children.