Eloisa Mota, 35, became a fishmonger thanks to her mother, who taught her the profession when she was growing up.

“I ended up liking the work,” says Eloisa, who serves as vice-president of the Fishmongers Association of São Vicente, which is made up of both women and men.

She worked from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Mindelo Fish Market, which she says does not have good working conditions.

“The physical conditions of the market are precarious, and the women who work there are not motivated – they only go there from lack of choice,” explains Eloisa, who supports her two children, a girl aged 15 and a four-year-old boy.

Eloisa wanted more: with her business partner, Flávia Lima, she created a company called Lofla´s Food, which now has four employees – three women and one man.

They produce and market frozen fishburgers and fishballs, which are available in the main supermarkets on the island of São Vicente.

Lofla’s Food products are processed and packaged following Cabo Verde food hygiene regulations and are labeled with all the information consumers need, from the kind of fish used to the way it is conserved.

The company markets its products through social networks, with recipe suggestions to promote their seafood products.

Eloisa and Flávia acquired the skills and equipment they needed to set up their activity thanks to capacity building provided by the Coastal Fisheries Initiative in West Africa (CFI-WA) in collaboration with the FAO Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC) programme and the Cabo Verde School of the Sea (EMAR).

“Through these training courses, we developed our project to transform fresh fish into fishburgers and fishballs,” recounts Eloisa. “I learned many things: how to manage my business, including people and, above all, I learned a lot about production, good practices, labelling, traceability. These are all aspects that I really enjoyed learning about and that I was not aware of before. I also learned to understand the seafood product circuit and how fish exports work.”

While she still works as a fishmonger in the mornings to make ends meet, Eloisa says she’s very happy to run her own business as well. Now she divides her afternoons between the Fishmongers Association and Lofla’s Foods.

“It is an activity that I enjoy,” she comments. “With this business I have more autonomy and freedom and more opportunity for growth, with a different vision than before.”

Thanks to the capacity building from CFI, FVC and EMAR, Eloisa discovered abilities she did not know she had.

“I learned that I am good at being an administrator, and that I can be creative in terms of production. For example, now I explore new recipes and new products. We are going to launch a tasting campaign with customers, who will also have access to information about the products,” she adds.

Improving the condition of women

“I believe there is a lot to do to improve the working conditions of women,” says Eloisa. “Many are unregistered and have no social security coverage.”

Eloisa adds she would like to see women fishmongers expand their customer base beyond the Mindelo Fish Market, for example through online sales.

“I would like to see them use digital media to expand their business, and for them to be recognized and valued outside the market,” Eloisa explains.

As well, women need to take better care of themselves, she says.

“What I see is that they spend all their time working,” Eloisa points out. “Even when they leave the market, they keep working. I would like to see them enjoy life by engaging in leisure activities.”

As for her children’s future, Eloisa wants them to get an education and to be fulfilled both personally and professionally.

“I want to pass on to my children that they should study and dedicate themselves to a job that brings them happiness - not just financial rewards, but fulfilment. This way, their fatigue will be of the body but not of the soul, and they will have much more pleasure in doing it,” says Eloisa.

For World Food Day, Eloisa calls on the people of Cabo Verde to “value fish more as a nutritious and healthy food.”

“People should encourage their children and family members to eat more fish,” she says. “And my colleagues should add value to the fish so that they can earn more money.”

About CFI-WA

CFI-WA covers Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. The Initiative works with stakeholders and authorities to strengthen fisheries governance and management and improve the seafood value chain and working conditions, with a focus on empowering women. It is implemented by FAO in partnership with UNEP/Abidjan Convention and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).