In October 2025, Stake experts launched the second cohort of its Professional Exchange Program for Conflict Mitigation by CSOs, an initiative designed to support leaders of West African organizations navigating a period of profound upheaval. Over three months, participants receive intensive guidance to strengthen their institutions’ resilience and competitiveness through practical programme development tools. In this feature, we spotlight one of the four members of the second cohort: Salatou Ouro Adohi.
Salatou Ouro Adohi is a trained English teacher, holding a bachelor’s degree in English language and currently pursuing a master’s degree (Year 1) in Gender and Social Cohesion. Her journey, marked by resilience, determination, and social commitment, reflects a constant desire to improve the living conditions of women, girls, and children in Benin.
Before pursuing a career in teaching, she worked for nine years in a construction company, where she gradually rose through the ranks to become Head of Procurement. From 2011 to 2018, she served as an English teacher in several secondary schools. Through her daily interactions with students, particularly young girls, she became aware of a troubling issue : the lack of academic ambition among many adolescent girls, who are often directed too early toward marriage at the expense of their education and autonomy. This reality became the driving force behind her social engagement.
Convinced that education is a fundamental lever for transformation, Salatou founded the NGO ALOUGUEDOO, Woman, Pillar of the Home, which works to promote girls’ education, women’s economic empowerment, the protection of the rights of women, girls, and children, as well as environmental protection and road safety.
At the same time, she leads ZARA DESTIN, a company active in the construction and public works, public procurement, the production of improved cookstoves, and the processing of tropical products. This dual role, both associative and entrepreneurial, allows her to combine social vision with economic pragmatism in her community development initiatives.
Her personal journey has also been shaped by courageous life choices, particularly balancing professional engagement with family responsibilities. At one point, she faced a significant challenge that forced her to choose between her career and her marital life, a situation she overcame through dialogue and resilience. This experience strengthened her determination to promote peace and mediation within households.
By 2030, Salatou aims to inspire thousands of girls and women to believe in themselves, pursue their dreams, and become agents of social change. She is currently leading a citizen accountability project in the education sector, convinced that civic participation is essential for inclusive and sustainable development.
Her participation in the CSO Fellowship organized by Stake experts, is part of a broader capacity-building effort aimed at amplifying the impact of her work in conflict prevention, social cohesion, and women’s empowerment.
ALOUGUEDOO NGO: For Education, Peace, and Social Inclusion
Founded in 2012 and officially registered in 2015 in Djougou, in the Donga department, ALOUGUEDOO NGO is a civil society organization dedicated to improving the living conditions of girls, women, and children in Benin. The organization operates in the Donga, Borgou, Alibori, Atlantique, and Littoral departments. ALOUGUEDOO works to promote girls’ education, women’s economic empowerment, and social cohesion in response to challenges such as low school enrollment, early marriages, and domestic violence. Its vision is to build peaceful communities where family harmony, social cohesion, and stability prevail, through mediation, awareness-raising, and inclusion practices. The organization’s initiatives target young girls, women, community leaders, and local authorities and have already led to lasting reconciliations within households experiencing conflict. ALOUGUEDOO adopts a participatory and educational approach, particularly through the use of illustrated dialogue tools (“image boxes”), which foster sustainable awareness and behavioral change. Despite sociocultural resistance, the organization continues its mission with determination. Following the CSO Fellowship, ALOUGUEDOO aims at strengthening and expanding its actions, promoting social cohesion for inclusive and harmonious development.
For more information, please contact fellowship@stakeexperts.com.