Chilli?

No it's not chilli as I chat to a women's group in 40 degree heat...!

This is Ndiaya, she, like many of the women here, was not able to read, write or count. She was excellent at cleaning and cooking for her husband though, as well as taking his beatings. She never told anyone what was happening at home, until women in the village formed a women's circle, and invited her along.

These are the chillis she's grown and counted and is about to sell at the market. The group, formed in 2005, teaches women not only agriculture and reading, writing and arithmetic, but talks to women about their rights too.

This is not 'sticking plaster' development; this is real educational change for the future and it's being replicated all across villages in this area of Southern Senegal.

Since Ndiaya became more confident and has money to contribute to the family, her husband has stopped beating her. She also likes watching foreign white girls eat raw chillis...