A historic day in the sub-prefecture of Samana on 13 December 2025: Samana’s first cooperative, bringing together the 248 farming families of Samana, was founded in the presence of local authorities.
The 248 cooperative members were invited to gather at the Youth Centre in the commune’s capital. Such an event is exceptional in the region: most of the participants were very surprised to receive two good meals during the day as well as a daily allowance.
The Samana authorities were invited and the sub-prefect of Samana gave a very inspiring speech, which we recorded and broadcast on local radio. The main theme of the day was to explain ‘why create this cooperative’ (to better manage the reforested plots that are the common property of all families) and to prepare for the elections of the cooperative’s governing bodies at the next general meeting in March 2026.
The Samana Cooperative is already the second, following the creation of the Linko Cooperative in 2023.
201 participants gathered at the Samana Youth Centre. The building was just large enough to accommodate the assembly.
