Dr. Adele Noudjilembaye is Head of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department in Olam Agri/Cotontchad SN. After completing her Doctorate in Agricultural Entomology, she set up her own 100 per cent organic horticulture business, N Bio Solutions. She works in partnership with 10 women's groups, covering an area of seven hectares. Her long-term ambition is to become a benchmark on the international organic produce market, to be among the Top 10 African entrepreneurs, and to use her talents to shape the future of her community and Chad's place in the world through her company. Adele also created the Women of Sciences Initiative in Chad, an association to promote science among girls and women. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA)

Adele’s project implemented a village savings and loans association (VSLA) model based on member savings in Bebalem, in the sub prefecture of Lac Wei, Logone Occidental province. VSLAs offer their members low-cost financial services, based on the principle of pooling funds. As such, they make a decisive contribution to meeting the needs of men and women who wish to access financial services to manage their household cash flow, cope with life's events, or invest in income generating activities. The overall aim of the VSLA is to offer savings and credit opportunities to people with irregular incomes who are deprived of formal financial services, and to help improve their living conditions by giving them access to finance and economic opportunities.

The project provided two days of training on the VSLA methodology training and supported the two groups, the first of which consisted of 25 members who collectively pooled nearly $800 from their community funds by the end of the project. The second group had 32 members and amassed a fund of over $1,100 during the first five months of operation. An economic opportunities matrix was drawn up for the groups, along with action plans for each type of savings and loan according to the level of structuring of the organizations.

These groups have also accumulated a stockpile of cotton and rice, and members took out loans from their savings bank to trade, enroll children in school, and repay with interest. At the end of the savings cycle in December 2025, they plan to divide the shares and decide what to do with the interest: either they will distribute it back to themselves or carry out a social project in their community. One idea is to install manual water wells in their village.

"The existing financial system is very restrictive and, in some cases, exclusive. Through this project, I want to invest in a new dynamic of financial inclusion through Village Savings and Loans Associations, with a view to making up for the shortcomings of the traditional financial system and enabling households to have access to low-cost financial services." - Dr. Adele Noudjilembaye

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Adele participated in the IVLP Project Women and Entrepreneurship, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Mississippi Consortium for International Development, in partnership with Global New Orleans, International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles, Tulsa Global Alliance, and World Trade Center Institute.

Adele’s exchange experience led to the creation of her project: “All the skills and experience I acquired during my time in the U.S. will be used in training and coaching sessions to build the capacity of young people, particularly women, and give them hope that anything is possible, you just have to work at it. [The meetings on] the topic of the different funding models for budding entrepreneurs...the meeting with the State Department representatives who spoke to us about AGOA in Washington; the experience of the couple who created the Arnold Packaging company in Baltimore; the leadership training in Los Angeles, the meeting with the President of the Chamber of Commerce with whom we discussed the organization's efforts to increase and help black businesses in Tulsa; as well as other exchanges in Louisiana [were] very motivating experiences to share with [my] community...”

“IVLP is a major opportunity for me, as I aim to become a reference for sustainable development in Africa... The different themes and exchanges we had from Washington to Louisiana all inspire me and motivate me to go beyond my dreams.” - Dr. Adele Noudjilembaye

U.S. Communities Visited

Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; New Orleans, LA; Baltimore, MD; Tulsa, OK

Country: Chad

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