{"id":6219,"date":"2025-11-12T11:56:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T10:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/?post_type=insights&#038;p=6219"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:27:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:27:52","slug":"in-their-own-words-sondo-cote-divoire","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/insights\/in-their-own-words-sondo-cote-divoire\/","title":{"rendered":"In their Own Words &#8211; Sondo, Cote d&#8217;Ivoire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    <div id=\"\" class=\"video-block-main-CMSp\">\n        <div class=\"video-block-innder-CMSp\">\n            <div class=\"video-top-img-CMSp\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/hero_top_img.svg\" alt=\"\">\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"container\">\n                <div class=\"row\">\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 video-block-in-CMSp\">\n                        <div class=\"video-box-main-CMSp\">\n                            <div class=\"video-box-img-CMSp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RCI_Client-Cooperative-Cacao-3_IMAGEO-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n                                                                                                                                <div class=\"testimony-video-btn-hp\">\n                                        <a class=\"video-btn tilt-shake\"  aria-label=\"Play video\" href=\"javascript:void(0);\" data-toggle=\"modal\" data-target=\"#testimony_video\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H-vEbgPqu7w?feature=oembed\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/right_arrow_icon_green_hp.svg\" alt=\"\"><\/a>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                                                                    <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"video-bot-img-CMSp\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/hero_bot_img.svg\" alt=\"\">\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <!-- VIDEO_MODAL_START -->\n        <div class=\"video-modal-main-hp modal fade\" id=\"testimony_video\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-labelledby=\"exampleModalLabel\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n            <div class=\"video-modal-close-hp\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/themes\/advans\/assets\/images\/close_icon_white_hp.svg\" alt=\"\"> Close<\/span>\n                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-dialog-centered\">\n                <div class=\"modal-content\">\n                    <div class=\"modal-body\">\n                        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" src=\"\" id=\"video\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <!-- VIDEO_MODAL_END -->\n    \n\n\n\n\n    <div id=\"\" class=\"IArticle-block-main-saip IArticle-block-main-saip--white\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 IArticle-block-in-saip\">\n                    <div class=\"container-1130\">\n                        <div class=\"IArticle-info-text-saip\">\n                            <p>Discover the story of Sondo and his cocoa cooperative in C\u00f4te d&#8217;Ivoire, the success story of an entire farming community that illustrates the<a href=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/our-impact\/\"> role of <strong data-start=\"457\" data-end=\"484\">SME financing in africa,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0supported by <strong data-start=\"498\" data-end=\"541\">international microfinance institutions,<\/strong> in strengthening agricultural communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy name is Mr. Yembie Sondo, and I am the President of the SOCOOPALAO cooperative. We are a cocoa cooperative. The cooperative started in 2009 with a group of 107 people. Today, we have grown to 1,500 members. So All of this means that, with all to the trust the cooperative inspires, everyone wants to join it. That is why we are making progress.<\/p>\n<p>At the beginning, it was complicated and difficult because to start, you need many things. First, storage facilities. Second, scales. And third, trucks to collect cocoa in remote areas. There were none. So we strated by renting trucks. Often we ended up with nothing, with no profit, because all the money we earned was spent on renting and storage.<\/p>\n<p>But we managed to stay afloat only because we found a partner to support us, like Advans, who is our partner, a strong partner who supports us. They give us the means to pay for trucks and the means for us to carry out our activities.<\/p>\n<p>I believe we will continue moving forward. I think we can reach a production from 2,500 to 5,000 tons of cocoa. Our partner supported us, and we grew. That is why we also give back to our community, which is growing too. It\u2019s a win-win situation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Discover the story of <a href=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/insights\/in-their-own-words-vicentia-ghana\/\">Vicentia in Ghana<\/a>, a determined trader and designer of fashion accessories.<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n    <div id=\"\"\n         class=\"simulator-block-main-hp simulator-w-img-block-main-hp image-text-button bg-white\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"row\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-12 simulator-block-in-hp\">\n                    <div class=\"row\">\n                        <div class=\"container-1130\">\n                            <div class=\"simulator-box-main-hp\">\n                                                                    <div class=\"simulator-box-icon-hp\">\n                                        <img width=\"431\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans.png\" class=\"attachment-advans-image-text-button size-advans-image-text-button\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans.png 2000w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo-advans-1536x1536.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 431px) 100vw, 431px\" \/>                                    <\/div>\n                                                                <div class=\"simulator-info-hp\">\n                                                                            <h3><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">About Advans C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">Established in 2012, Advans C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire is now one of the leading microfinance institutions in the country. Led by Mariam Djibo, it operates through a network of 25 branches and more than 700 employees serving over 230,000 clients. As the second-largest player in the market, it manages a \u20ac119 million gross loan portfolio and \u20ac107 million in deposits. Advans C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire also stands out for its strong commitment to agricultural finance, particularly within the cocoa and maize value chains, contributing to the sustainable development of rural communities.<\/span><\/p>\n                                                                                                        <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":6173,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"insights_types":[144],"insights_tags":[164],"class_list":["post-6219","insights","type-insights","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","insights_types-interview-en","insights_tags-interview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/6219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insights"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/6219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"insights_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights_types?post=6219"},{"taxonomy":"insights_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advansinternational.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights_tags?post=6219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}