Protecting Women from Violence: A Soldier’s New Mission
By Miléquêm Diarassouba | Photojournalist West Africa
Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain poses for a portrait in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on June 29th, 2024.
In Zokoguhé, Côte d’Ivoire, Digbeu Zézé Sylvain, a former soldier and village advisor, protects adolescent girls and young women from gender-based violence and HIV. In June 2024, I collaborated with USAID to photograph his inspiring work with the DREAMS initiative, capturing his impact in the community.
Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, advisor to Ziza Boli Jean Jacques, village chief, attends a meeting in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Ziza Boli Jean Jacques, village chief, listens to his advisor, Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, during a meeting in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, advisor to Ziza Boli Jean Jacques, village chief, attends a meeting in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, advisor to Ziza Boli Jean Jacques, village chief, attends a meeting in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, advisor to Ziza Boli Jean Jacques, village chief, attends a meeting in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Domestic abuse drives 76% of gender-based violence in Côte d’Ivoire, and women account for 63% of new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. Power imbalances often block access to healthcare or safe practices like condom use.
USAID’s DREAMS initiative—Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe—aims to reduce HIV and gender-based violence among adolescent girls and young women. Part of PEPFAR, it tackles harmful norms. In 2021, Sylvain joined a USAID program to reshape gender dynamics. As a DREAMS godfather, a role unique to Côte d’Ivoire, he mediates conflicts and challenges harmful behaviors, leveraging his advisory role to the village chief.
“I go into the community every day—I don’t wait for them to come to me,” Sylvain says.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, talks to Digbeu Cecile, a friend and DREAMS Godmother, in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, talks to Digbeu Cecile, a friend and DREAMS Godmother, in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, talks to Digbeu Cecile, a friend and DREAMS Godmother, in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain is in Zokoguhé, his village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
My photos capture his discreet approach, shaped by USAID’s training and the SASA! violence prevention model. He resolves conflicts by speaking to household members separately, preventing escalation. Survivors of intimate partner violence face a 50% higher HIV risk, making his work vital.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, walks towards a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in her village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, walks towards a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in her village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, a DREAMS Godfather, came to talk to a woman who called on him to resolve a conflict in the village of Zokoguhé, 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on 29 June 2024.
As he nurtures his cocoa, cashew, and rubber fields, Sylvain cultivates a safer, healthier future for his community, one step at a time.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain works on his plantation in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire on June 29th, 2024.
A cocoa pod on Digbeu Zeze Sylvain's plantation in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire on June 29th, 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain works on his plantation in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire on June 29th, 2024.
A cocoa pod on Digbeu Zeze Sylvain's plantation in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire on June 29th, 2024.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain, smiling and holding a cocoa pod on his plantation in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire on June 29th, 2024.
View the full story by Jenny-Christelle Debrimou, Emily Reitenauer, and Cassie Vasiloff on USAID’s Exposure website.
Digbeu Zeze Sylvain poses for a portrait in Zokoguhé, a village 18 km from Daloa in western Côte d'Ivoire, on June 29th, 2024.
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