Speak Up Africa in Action : The voix EssentiELLEs’ advocacy in Rabat
By Farida Tiemtoré, Founder of Héroïnes du Faso, Essential Voices of Burkina Faso, and Member of the Global Fund Youth Board
Sport, health, and community leadership came together in Rabat on January 17, 2026, as part of Speak Up Africa in Action. This meeting brought together world football champions, decision-makers, health leaders, and communities. I was there as a female community leader, Voix EssentiELLES, but also as a committed champion of #SpeakUpAfricaInAction, with a clear mission: to give a voice to those who take action every day on the ground, often without being seen or recognized.
A panel at the intersection of sports, health, and communities
I had the honor of speaking on a panel alongside committed figures such as Dr. Michael A. Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Fatma Samoura, former Secretary General of FIFA, and Mr. Mohamed Amine Zariat, President and Founder of Tibu Africa. This diversity of profiles perfectly illustrated the spirit of Speak Up Africa In Action: bringing together sport, health, decision-makers, and communities around the same table to move forward together.
During this panel discussion, I reiterated a reality that we are well aware of on the ground. In our neighborhoods and villages, it is women who educate, care for, mobilize, and protect families. However, when women-led, community-based organizations are not recognized as true partners, the solutions proposed often remain disconnected from the reality on the ground.
Community trust is weakening, particularly on sensitive issues such as vaccination and malaria prevention. Women and children remain underserved. Programs exist, but their impact remains fragile because they are not sufficiently supported from within.
Conversely, when these organizations are recognized as true Essential Voices, everything changes. Actions become more appropriate. Trust is established because the messages come from well-known and respected women. People are no longer just beneficiaries: they become agents of change.
Since 2022, I have been proud to be a product of the Voix EssentiELLES initiative, which has given me the space, legitimacy, and strength to carry this voice further.
The condition for succeeding together
When I was asked what I believed was the key to achieving success together, my answer was clear: recognition and investment in Essential Voices. What we ask for, as women community leaders, is not just to be invited to the table. It is to be recognized as true partners.
As in sports, you can never win with just one player. Every voice counts, and it is together that we can go all the way. This is precisely what Speak Up Africa In Action demonstrates: a platform where community voices are visible and heard. Here, we don’t speak for communities, we speak with them.
By drawing on the power of sport and the commitment of champions, this initiative demonstrates that promises can be turned into concrete actions, particularly in the fight against malaria and for the health of communities.
I leave Rabat with an even stronger conviction: empowering women means investing in sustainable leadership based on experience, legitimacy, and the capacity for transformation within communities.
With them, the last mile finally becomes achievable.
