In Togo, an entrepreneur with a passion for environmental protection launched her business of biodegradable paper bags. Karèle Aurore Kondo is the founder of “Butterfly’s bags”, a company that offers paper bags to preserve the environment.
Interview by LAWSON Gilles
Togo, like many other countries around the world, faces a growing plastic pollution problem. Widely used in everyday life, including food packaging, bags and water bottles, plastic use is a public health concern.
Pour Karèle Aurore Kondo, a 5th year medical student at the University of Lomé in Togo, other alternatives exist. A tireless advocate for women’s economic empowerment, she is the brand promoter Butterfly’s Bags, biodegradable paper bags. Excellent in studies and manager of a successful business, her story can inspire more than one!
Dear Aurora, who are you?
I am Aurora Dora Karèle Afi KONDO, future doctor in 5th year of medical course at the University of Lomé in Togo, first aider at the Red Cross, passionate about dance, photography, languages as well as ecology, which leads me to promote the use biodegradable bags and packaging to reduce that of plastic bags. Nutrition being a passion, I am interested in catering.
I am involved in different associations to learn more about community life, better interact with others in society because these positions help me to acquire the spirit of teamwork, leadership and also the development of my soft-skills.
And writing on the different platforms allows me to acquire more experience and skills in terms of writing so that in the future I can be a doctor who publishes enough articles in my field but especially in nutritional well-being.
Nutrition and public health interest me a lot, and I got involved in the Standing Committee On Public Health (SCOPH) in order to develop my skills and competences in these fields. In this perspective, I would like in 5 to 10 years to be a health professional who has an impact in his field, to work for international organizations such as the WHO, to contribute to making decisions that will impact my society in the field of health, but above all with their participation for the improvement and promotion of well- be.
Can you tell us about your academic career in medicine at the University of Lomé and what inspired you to become a medical student?
Yes it started in October 2018 with entry into the first year at the Faculty of Health Sciences, just after obtaining the second part baccalaureate. The first year consisted of a competition at the end of which only the first 80 (the numerus clausus at the time) were selected to continue the adventure of becoming a doctor. I took this step by the grace of God and I have been studying this noble science for 5 years. The course is made up of hospital internships in the mornings and classes in the afternoons. We do practical work (TP) from time to time and we are assessed by homework and exams each semester.
At the very beginning, it was a childhood dream where I wanted at all costs to save lives to be “the superwoman” who heals the ailments of others. Then gradually, I refined my passion and my choice towards the promotion of primary health which goes more in the direction of prevention than towards secondary and tertiary health aiming more at treatment and palliative care.
How did you develop your interest in health promotion and good food and nutrition practices?
I have always thought that our food is our first medicine, as Hippocrates said, and doing everything to preserve a good state of health is essential. So all this goes through a good diet and respect for the rules.gand good feeding practices. Since the two notions are intrinsically linked, I very early began to ask myself questions about “how to educate the population on simple good gestures of good food practices” that they could adopt to promote health and thus avoid falling in healing.
And that’s just how my interest in health and good nutrition and food practices was born. But you don’t have toIt isgliger that it is a rather vast field and I still learn a little more every day!
What motivated you to create the Butterfly’s Bags brand of biodegradable bags?
I had three sources of motivation, in total I would say:
- First, in reality the proliferation of plastic bags around me has always bothered me a bit. Even at home, there would come a time when we tried to use less and less of it for shopping and other needs…again I would say “mom thank you”.
- Secondly, it goes back to my earliest childhood, when my mother, a real cleanliness and tidying fanatic, instilled these values in me. And above all, everything that must be given to someone deserves to be put back in its own packaging; aesthetics matter a lot, hence my love for the packaging, and the cleanliness of the thing was born chez me.
- And thirdly, I had the chance to follow the training and to be motivated by an elder in medicine who told me: ” if it’s your passion, then go for it and don’t waste this potential to do good to those around you. And if it brings you money then it’s useful and so much the better, you kill two birds with one stone. »
How does your background in medicine help you promote health through your products?
My training in medicine allows me to put forward the notion of asepsis, of cleanliness, which is instilled in me to carry this project high. Indeed, the popularization of the use of these bags but also their adoption in the habits of my community over time, will have several results. This will first allow us to have aesthetics and class in the presentation of benefits and services, but it will also preserve the environment around us, since these bags reduce pollution and allow us same opportunity to reduce the risk of occurrence of certain diseases, which are linked to the excessive use of plastic bags and which represent public health problems.
How do Butterfly’s Bags biodegradable bags work and how can they help preserve the environment and promote public health?
These bags are based on the use of papers. Compared to plastic bags, they destroy quickly once in nature, because they decompose naturally in an environment with adequate conditions (humidity, oxygen and/or heat) and the action of micro-organisms. This rapid disappearance will make it possible to preserve the environment from pollution and the proliferation of microbes caused by the accumulation of plastic bags, but also from the pollution of the basement and the air. This considerably reduces the occurrence of certain diseases related to insalubrity but also to pollution and therefore it helps to promote the public health of the population.
How can people get Butterfly’s Bags?
We are located in Lomé. The telephone contact is +228 70391125. And you can follow us on our different social media pages:
Facebook : Butterfly’s Bags
Instagram : Butterfly’s Bags
WhatsApp : Butterfly’s Bags
Do you intend to sell them internationally?
Yes, this is one of our greatest aspirations.
What are your future plans for your business and your commitment to promoting health and good food and nutrition practices?
For the company, train more people to expand production capacity, diversify into the services and offers offered to customers, use recycled materials.
And for the commitment to promoting health and good food and nutrition practices?
I will first continue in writing small articles on the subject of food and nutrition as already done on AFEBIA, ERUDYX and my page Aurore’s Journal.
The creation of a blog on the subject is in sight. I intend to open the second branch of the project which will be the promotion of organic catering with materials produced on Togolese soil.
How do you see the future of medicine and health promotion in West Africa, and what role would you like to play in it?
In recent years, the notion of health promotion and prevention has really gained a great momentum in West Africa, if it continues like this, we will have a bright future for medicine as well as for health promotion. .
J’aimerais aussi, comme je l’ai dit plus haut, pouvoir avoir un poste décisionnel qui me permettrait de prendre plus de décisions allant dans le sens de la promotion de la santé pour le bien-être de la population. Mais le plus important pour moi c'est de pouvoir mener des actions sur le plan local dans la promotion de la santé pouvant impacter positivement ma communauté et y apporter un changement.
Do you have any advice for students who would like to get into social entrepreneurship and health promotion?
I would simply say that no business is easy but believe in your dreams, be persistent, pay attention to those around you and follow your heart. You will definitely get there. And in the field of health promotion, there is a lot to discover so you have to be very open-minded and like to read a lot!
Share with us a quote or a mantra that inspires you in your professional and personal journey?
I have a motto for you and a quote :
Leitmotif: STAY FOCUS, BE STRONG, WORK HARD, YOU ARE MORE THAN CAPABLE
Quote: If your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s not big enough.