The man behind the mission:

Salma was born in Lome, Togo in  1974 to father Houssou  Bougoune and mother Abra Dele. After the death of Salma's father, six-year-old Salma moved to northern Togo to live with his uncles while he completed primary school. Here, he was introduced to a subsistence farming lifestyle and the difficulties that come with it. Salma eventually joined his mother in central Togo where he completed secondary school. Salma attended the University of Lome for two years, leaving in 1998 to learn how to repair electronics. After receiving a certification in electronics repairs, in 2001, he launched a successful home appliance repair workshop.

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However, Salma's real passion is for helping people improve their lives sustainably. Using his knowledge of the electronics business, Salma launched in 2018 a company called OSMER SARL that aims to produce and distribute solar energy based solutions to rural communities. One project of OSMER SARL worked to distribute solar lanterns to students in rural areas, and improved the test scores of over ten thousand pupils, winning Salma the D-prize competition award and gained him traction in international development communities.

 

In 2021, Salma began collaborating with Cal Poly professor Pete Schwartz in the construction and dissemination of ISECooking technology in Togo. Since 2021, Salma has been developing and disseminating ISEC in conjunction with access to sustainable water for irrigation. He began developing the Demo Farm in 2021, and has so far raised about 60000 USD from ARE-TOGO NGO members and has started growing apples, moringa, dragon fruit and  vegetables. 

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Salma is married to wife Beatrice and has two sons: Ovide and Gortane. His family lives in Atakpame in the Plateau région of Togo where Beatrice manages their electronic shop. He says that Beatrice is always his first supporter and offers him advice on the Demo Farm.