Jeanne Goidje, Chad : a life dedicated to others
Jeanne Goidje, who is a nurse, founded the Chad Artemisia House in 2017 to fight malaria and spread knowledge about the plant throughout the country. At the age of 70, the indefatigable ‘Maman Jeanne’, as she is known to the families and children she cares for, continues her mission and vocation to help the most disadvantaged. Read our interview below.
You are a nurse. What led you to discover Artemisia?
I started out as a young nurse in the bush, working with women. I travelled all over the Moundou region, teaching them how to give birth and providing them with basic healthcare.
I then trained as a physiotherapist and worked for 35 years as head nurse of surgical missions in the Moundou health centre set up by Father Michel. This centre takes in young people with disabilities and operates on children and teenagers with clubfoot, hare lips, burns, etc. I specialise in preoperative care and postoperative rehabilitation. These young people arrive several weeks before their operations, sometimes alone, sometimes with their families, to prepare. Then they have rehabilitation to do with their new devices (orthotics, walking sticks, crutches, etc.). They are very vulnerable to germs and infections. We had many cases of malaria outbreaks before and after operations, with a significant number of deaths.
In 2016, Patrice Bouyghes, an anaesthetist from the association Maison Notre Dame de Paix France, who regularly came to our centre on surgical missions, brought us Artemisia capsules produced by the Artemisia House. It changed our lives. We gave them as a preventive measure before and after operations and noticed a significant drop in the number of cases of malaria.
From that day on, I had only one thing in mind: to continue my mission as a caregiver by spreading knowledge of Artemisia. Dr Lucile Cornet-Vernet then came to meet us in Chad in 2017. I am now retired, but I still occasionally help out in the surgical centre when needed, and I dedicate my life to the development of Artemisia in my country.
How did you set up the Chad Artemisia House and how does it operate?
We created the National Artemisia House in 2017 centred around several producers, located in Moundou, Sarh and Mongo. The beginnings were difficult because in 2020, just as we were starting to produce Artemisia successfully, the government banned the promotion, outreach, sale and use of Artemisia annua. Fortunately, in 2023 this ban was lifted and our leaders understood the need to authorise the production and distribution of this plant, the importance of which is well established in the fight against malaria.
Today, we have 1.5 hectares available for growing Artemisia in Kamgorio. We collect manure and recycled waste to prepare compost that is useful for growing Artemisia. We have a drying, grinding and storage room, thanks to the support of the French Artemisia House. We are responsible for the production, processing and packaging of Artemisia herbal tea, the distribution of Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra, as well as training and awareness-raising. I am assisted by numerous volunteers, by young people who stay with me, and by a gardener.
Who are these awareness-raising and training sessions aimed at?
We invite people to come and visit our Artemisia field and discover our work. We also organise awareness-raising events in different neighbourhoods of Moundou, at the church, on the radio, on World Malaria Day, on World Traditional Medicine Day, and on International Women’s Day on 8 March. We explain the benefits of Artemisia for human health, against malaria but also against painful periods and muscle pain. We sell Artemisia herbal tea in Moundou, in N’Djamenah, in various sales outlets and in food shops, and we distribute it at the health centre. Everyone here takes it, especially those most affected by malaria: children, infants, disabled people and women.
I also do a lot of awareness-raising about the virtues of the plant in terms of animal health and the environment. I give Artemisia powder to my animals (cows, sheep, goats) when they have diarrhoea, for example. I also use this plant as a mosquito repellent. During the rainy season, I plant Artemisia all around my house and people come to take cuttings to plant in front of their homes. I also make Artemisia-based products such as hard and liquid soaps.
The training courses are aimed at small-scale producers from the different provinces in the Moundou district and sometimes also from N’Djamenah, to develop their skills. People come to learn first-hand how to grow Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra, how to set up seedbeds, how to transplant the plants to their gardens, and how to carry out the different stages of composting.
What is your driving force to stay so active?
I am happy because everyone now knows about this plant in the province and in a large part of the country. In the street, people call me Mrs Artemisia. What motivates me, supports me, gives me the strength to continue, are the testimonies of the people. I am happy when young people, children and families come to tell me that they no longer have malaria since taking Artemisia, that their animals are no longer sick since giving it to them, that they no longer have mosquitoes in front of their homes since planting it. I feel like I have accomplished my mission on Earth.
