Thanks to a scholarship awarded by the International Development Bureau, Cynthia Bergeron, a Master's student in regional intervention at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, carried out, from September to December 2002, the Créations de femmes project at the Bamako Detention Centre in Mali. Aimed at promoting and developing the creativity and expertise of Mali’s female population through a creative workshop, this project gave many imprisoned women the opportunity to experience a complete design process. Thanks to this intercultural project, the participants were able to build strong social ties which contributed to the economic emancipation of the community and, more importantly, to their social rehabilitation. It was in the fabrication of soaps, a traditional Mali product highly valued in West Africa, that the women found an incredible source of creative inspiration. Furthermore, the sale of these products during an exhibition held at the end of the project enabled the detention centre to obtain the financial support required to continue the production’s marketing process.