 Hello everyone. This is Issues and Answers, a production of the Government Information Service on Primus Hutchinson. The issue today is Helen's Daughters, a non-profit agricultural organization that focuses on empowering rural women engaged in the agricultural sector. To provide the answers is Ms. Keflin Karoo, Founder and President of Helen's Daughters. Welcome to Issues and Answers, Ms. Karoo. Thank you for having me, Mr. Hutchinson. Great. Tell us a little bit more. I just gave a sneak preview of what Helen's Daughters is all about. Tell us a little bit more about Helen's Daughters. Well, Helen's Daughters is a non-profit organization that focuses primarily on empowering rural women in the agricultural sector. We started out in November 2016 when we got selected for a UN Women's Empowerment Project and from there we've continued our programs. So it's a sort of a UN initiative? What prompted it was that there was an open call for proposals for women's empowerment proposals and I decided to send out an idea, a pitch about advocating for, I guess, initiatives that support rural women in St. Lucia and we got selected for the Caribbean region. Why you decided that this is what you should be engaged in? That's a good question. At the time, that was my second year as a desk officer at the UN and I had joined because I, like most of the people they want to help their country and so on but what I found was that when I joined the organization, I was actually moving further and further from focus areas that affected the Caribbean region. So when I saw the call for proposals, I thought it would be a good way for me to have a job at the UN but still maintain a connection to St. Lucia and still help in whatever way that I could. So rural herons daughters is a solution based organization. How are we able to get it going here and get it in contact with the rural women and so on? I'm fortunate that everybody else on our board is based in St. Lucia so I'm the only one that's back and forth from New York and St. Lucia. Getting in touch with rural women, it's been a mix of social media and also I guess you could say offline canvassing, going to different markets and rural areas, using whatever would-of-mouth techniques that we could to try to market our programs to them. So you were at the UN at the time, you're still at the UN, but you're targeting rural women here on Ireland. How difficult was that? I mean you mentioned social media but in rural women how are you able to trigger the interest? I think that social media has helped even though I know a lot of people say well people don't have access to that but from my experience what it has done is that it triggers the second generation of children of rural women. Many of our members and partner farmers actually got to know about Helen's daughters because their son or daughter saw our posts online and so on and then registered them. Like I said we've also gone through the markets done the canvassing in rural communities and so on. So it's been a mix of would-of-mouth and also social media but through the children of farmers getting the without for us in essence. How easy it was to get them interested to have them to react and to at least follow your guidelines in that regard. I think it was actually easier than more people would think because in my experience rural women tend to be invisible in the agricultural sector when there are training programs and capacity development initiatives. When somebody thinks about agriculture they automatically think of a man and a farmer and what we started off was advocating for rural women. Highlighting the plight like market vendors and castries market and so on and I think they were happy to at least get some type of spotlight on the issues that were affecting them. What was the experience were you able to visit rural women on their field? How was it did you go from community to community and the on hand experience actually I mean engaging rural women as they go about their daily tasks? I have I'm actually tell us a little bit about that. I have because I'm actually from a rural community. I was about getting to that but anyway which is technically what I guess you could say pushed me towards advocating for rural women. I'm from Faso Babono so a lot of I'm surrounded by farmers and farmers families so it was easy for me to go from farmer plots that are near my family home but we have also extended to different areas for example Miku, Denry even as far as we thought actually going to their farms. Go ahead. You and I was planning to come up with this question a little later but now that you mentioned you're from a agricultural family as well. I mean your granddad one of the leading farmers at one time and grandmother as well from the Faso. How did that impact your interest and so on in the field and what was the experience like growing up with your your grandparents so as agriculture is concerned? As far as agriculture is concerned sadly my academic background is not lying agriculture at all. It lies in political science and international relations but like I said in a way my grandparents and parents sort of pushed me towards a different field like many other farmers because after the crash of bananas and so on I think a lot of farmers felt like why would I put my child or children into a profession that's that precarious so my mindset was never on farming but when I got to the UN and then I kept going back and forth and I started seeing the statistics of St Lucia's food import bill for example which is now at 360 million dollars. Seeing climate change and the hurricanes that are affecting us and just wondering how we would actually prepare for something like that like we're not due for a break I'm sorry about that we're not due for a break but we will continue just hold that thought just stay tuned issues and answers will be right back. I'm innovative. I am productive. I am creative. I constantly improve what I do and how I do it. I am output oriented. I never stop learning. I give off my best always. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council embracing excellence. Welcome back. This is issues and answers. We are talking Helen's daughters and the president and founder Miss Keflin Karoo is with us. Before we took the break you tell us a little bit about how your family background impacted your agricultural interests. I had the pleasure and honor of working with your granddad in my previous profession as an agriculturalist and I'm sure that they impacted your interests greatly because I know them very well and they have a strong history in the field of background in agriculture and you're telling us about that as well. So were you by any chance able to do a little bit of our cultural work yourself? Not withstanding the experience in international relations and so on. Now that Helen's daughters came about in the last three years now I got certified for example in agroforestry and so on but now I'm actually planting trees for the first time and doing little herbs and tree crops and so on but before that no I had never had any experience at all not even implanting a tree. How about the clusters, the various rural women clusters and how are they, how is it going now? What's the experience like? Well the experience is that it does take a while to get to rural women. There are definitely some helpful partners that we have for example the solution network of rural women the president is Robin Daryl and she's been quite instrumental in highlighting some of our programs and pushing their members towards our programs and so on so in that regard there are few rural rural women's groups that are linked to Helen's daughters. How has been the assistance from the authorities as far as helping them out the produce you know selling the produce markets and all of that how is that a bit challenging how is it working for them? It's challenging for us we started out with advocacy then that led to capacity development which our training programs like for example we just launched our six-month rural women's academy that's at alias forces and now what we're doing is we've created a social enterprise and in a sort of way a women's cooperative you could say that facilitates the sale of these women's produce to the hotel sector so we've been doing a lot of bootstrapping and and work ourselves on the ground to be honest. Okay gender equality is receiving lots of attention in recent times how does that impact women in the agricultural sector? I think that it's definitely gone a lot of spotlight or a lot of good media but I think that a lot of people at times use use that in gender equality just as a catchphrase because they know how important well they see how it how some people use it as important. I think in the agricultural sector in St Lucia to be honest I don't think it's really gotten to the point of opening the doors for as many women farmers as it should have. That takes me to the other question you and women do you believe they marginalize in the agricultural sector what are your views on this? I believe that they're marginalized but in different ways for example with women I think that the mindset is that a man is a farmer. Though they go people go to the market the castries market and so on they see most women but they think of them as river days as vendors but they don't realize that a lot of these women are actually doing both jobs farming and vending. For youth I think that generally in St Lucia you hear oh St Lucia and young people they don't want to do nothing they're lazy and so on but I actually think that with youth it's difficult because in the banana days the reason why most people went into bananas was because they saw a lucrative benefit to it. With youth they're not seeing that benefit at all so I wouldn't blame someone for wanting to go into a profession without actually seeing the money that they could make from it. So in that essence I think that they've sort of been marginalized but it's in a way not their fault because they don't see the actual investment or the benefit. But the trend of thought is is it changing maybe slowly? I think little by little you're seeing quite a few agricultural entrepreneurs that are popping up but it's still not something I think you could go into a room full of helens daughters has to be credited for that. I hope so I mean I wouldn't say that we're the primary reason for changing the mindset but I really do hope that we contribute a little to that. Has there been any data collected to determine women's input in agriculture? That's actually a great question and to be honest gender mapping in St Lucia there's not really much data that you can find in not just in the agricultural sector but overall. Have you been looking at that direction and seen how that can be rectified somehow? We are trying to do that ourselves. It's difficult because right now we're trying to do our capacity development on a small team that's mostly voluntary already. Are you all collaborating with the ministry of agriculture anyway? No we are not collaborating with the ministry of agriculture as yet. As yet? But are you planning to? We hope so. The expertise is there. Yes I mean we have we let them know what we're doing and our doors are very open for a collaboration so if they're watching then helens daughters is very open to collaborating with the ministry of agriculture. Okay so hopefully in the coming years one can look forward to you know greater cooperation with the ministry of industry and helens daughters working together. I definitely hope so. Okay do you believe women can do more? Are you satisfied that they're taking advantage of the opportunities available so as agriculture is concerned? And I said opportunities available I'm not sure if you believe that there are opportunities available. In agriculture? In agriculture. Oh absolutely I think agriculture is a very lucrative business. I mean 90 percent of every developed economy in the world one of them mean exports and internal markets is agriculture. Look at the Netherlands look at America and so on. I think in St Lucia we just with bananas it created a highly specialized economy and farmers were never given the chance or the information to diversify and to get access to different markets. So hopefully with a little bit of investment and some information sharing and so on we can actually change that. Okay so for a woman who may have heard of helens daughters but perhaps not have that much information and probably wants to be aligned or to work with you or to have contact with you or somehow what are they supposed to do to be part of that organization? It's quite easy they can reach out to us on our number it's 287 7700 they can also email us info at helensdaughters.org. We are also on Facebook and Instagram and we have our website as well www.helensdaughters.org. Do you have any specific produce I've got your produce that you have given priority to or just our cultural produce generally do you have specific ones that you believe are marketable as far as the organization is concerned? We do we are focusing primarily for our green gold initiative on fast cash crops so for example tomatoes cucumbers and so on. Okay and how how's that going successful? Well it's right now it's something that we're currently working on so in the next later down the line I'll be able to tell you. And most of the clusters you mentioned a few of the communities that are involved perhaps you may need to to just repeat that repeat the names of the communities and so on so that people. Well we invite women from all communities but primarily we're we have clusters in Babono, in Dennery, in Miku, in Viewfort and they all engage in fast cash crops. Yes they are. All right well we will speak a little bit about yourself we want to do that you tell us a little bit more about yourself but before we do that anything interesting as far as the getting the organization off the ground something that that may have you know how should I put this not probably disappointing as such but a few little challenges that you may have encountered. Yes. I think the biggest challenge for me and running a women's organization and for our partner farmers is that they see us first as women and as professionals. Okay just hold that thought we'll get back to that we do for another break this is issues and answers stay with us we'll be right back. Hey look at your breastfeeding I give him both just now but I don't think I can breastfeed. Why won't you breastfeed? The thing is my breasts are so small I don't think I will have milk for my baby. My dear you can breastfeed the size of your breasts does not matter the more the baby sucks on your breasts the more milk your breasts will make. People say your breasts will fall when you breastfeed I don't mind to fall. Eventually all breasts will fall once you wear a supportive bra it will help maintain the muscles of your breasts while you breastfeed. Breast milk is very important for your baby's health it is complete nutrition for your baby with the right nutrients. I did a lot of reading whilst I was pregnant and found out a lot of good things about breastfeeding. Really like what? You will lose the baby fat much easier when you breastfeed the baby is more intelligent and the baby gets sick less it is also cheaper and practical since you wouldn't have to buy artificial milk or boil bottles. Breastfeeding does all that now you make me want to breastfeed I want my baby to be healthy and smart. There's more in addition I saved a lot of money from not having to buy formula do you know how expensive formula is? No formula how is that possible the baby will go hungry. No the breasts adequate for the baby's need from birth to six months the baby needs no other foods or liquids during that period. Is that so my sister had a baby last year and my granny insisted she give the baby two normal and she was only three months. Nothing before six months the nutritionist will guide you on how to introduce foods to the baby. Wow I learnt a lot I had no idea breastfeeding was that important. Yes it is breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby do it and you will see you will also bond with your baby. I will my girl nice talking to you. I'm happy to hear that. Also encourage your friends and family too. Welcome back to issues and answers we discuss in Helens Daughters and we have with us the president and founder of Helens Daughters the organization a non-profit agricultural organization Ms. Keflin Karoo and before we break we tell us a little bit about the challenges that you have encountered as far as the organization is concerned you want to tell us a little bit more. Like I said it's generally you're a woman first a professional second when they hear about Helens Daughters it's more of a charitable organization that comes to mind and you generally get the idea that people think oh that's quite nice that's so sweet that you're helping your people but they don't actually think of the long-term effects of actually empowering women that are in charge of our food security. Now Ms. Karoo we can be discussing rural women in our culture and we can't say something in Kuiol. Okay. Well Helens Daughters say organization um we know about um um um um um um um um and um anything you'd like to say as far as the organization is concerned future plans and what have you. Future plans and organization I think we're just getting started and I just hope in the agricultural sector in the next few years that we'll be making our mark as women farmers in St. Lucia I think. And influence the direction that agriculture is going I'm sure that you can perhaps play a strong role in that regard. We really do hope so. Okay um well almost in that same trend of thought um do you see how do you see the future for women in agriculture here I mean apart from of course what you just said and your plans for develop develop in the agricultural sector playing a role in the development of our cultural sector but women in particular in that regard what is your better future for them in especially and Helens Daughters playing a serious role in that regard. Especially in this time and this current climate I think that agriculture is probably one of the most important emerging markets that has to be redeveloped in St Lucia and I just hope that Helens Daughters can be a huge part of that redevelopment. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me Mr. Hutchinson. I've been speaking with Ms. Keflin Karu who's the president and founder of Helens Daughters. This has been Issues and Answers a production of the Government Information Service. I'm Primus Hutchinson. Thank you for viewing.