Community in Crisis

Buedu is a beautiful, sleepy little town located in a remote corner of Sierra Leone near the borders of Liberia and Guinea, but it is also the region where the current ebola outbreak began, in a village in Guinea about twenty miles from Buedu. Andando has a long history with Buedu where, among other things, we set up a sustainable rice farming project with 168 families and supported a local school there. When we finished working in Buedu we left with the knowledge that the kids were learning and families were well on their way to self-sufficiency.

Ebola has changed everything in Buedu. Since May, the virus has been wreaking havoc in this isolated area of Sierra Leone. Schools are closed, crops have not been planted because of illness and now the community is facing severe food shortages. Buedu is not easy to get to under normal circumstances, but for the last four months the government has quarantined the area, only allowing emergency vehicles through.

We have been trying to get information for the last couple months and have only recently been able to understand better what is happening. We have a long-time partner who has informed us of the situation on the ground and the need for emergency food supplies.

Andando would like to send an emergency supply of food - mainly rice and oil - to this hard hit community. Through our contacts, we have arranged shipment and a fair distribution system. In order to accomplish this, we need your help. A 50kg bag of rice costs $40 including delivery costs, which are high because of the remoteness and difficulty of the terrain. Please consider donating for this project. There are multiple ways to donate through our website - any amount is welcome, just put "Buedu" in the notes. The goal for this effort is $5000. We know that this is not a long-term solution, but the seriousness of the situation demands a response.

You can also send a check to Andando at PO Box 542 Jefferson, OR 97352.

If you would like further info, email info@andando.org with ‘Buedu’ in the subject line.

Thank you for considering ‘walking together’ with the people of Buedu.

Building Success

At Andando, we often structure our programs around building the capacity to help people help themselves. But sometimes, additional assistance is needed in the form of small infrastructure projects to keep programs going and improve efficiency. Here are a few ways we are doing that in Senegal: Primary School Latrine

Like many rural Senegalese schools, Keur Soce Primary is overcrowded and underfunded. One area where that manifests itself is the lack of sanitary bathroom options for students and staff. The facilities at the school are pushed to their limits and children must find their own solutions, which can mean missing school due to unsanitary practices. The lack of hand-washing facilities and general lack of health and sanitation knowledge contribute to diseases such as diarrhea, causing more students to miss school.

To complement the latrine Andando built a few years ago at the school, we are in the process of constructing another latrine to lessen the burden on existing facilities. Further, this will give girls and boys separate options, which will encourage more use, especially among girls. Construction should be completed in the coming weeks before the school year starts in October.

To ensure success and sustainability, we will be increasing our efforts to educate students and staff on proper health and sanitation techniques. Collectively, this will boost attendance and enable a healthier student body to achieve more in their academics.

Mbouma Junior High School

We are excited to be breaking ground on the junior high school in Mbouma, Senegal this month! Over the summer months, you have helped make this school a reality for hundreds of kids in rural Senegal. We were excited by the response we received from people from all over and are well on our way to reaching our goal of $12,000.

We have recently met with the community leaders of Mbouma to secure proper supplies and materials to begin construction. They are excited to be a big part of the process and have committed to supplying anything they can. While not having much to give, we have asked the community to provide sand for the mixing of concrete and water for many steps throughout the process. They will also be contributing a great deal in the form of labor. We have committed to paying a mason who will work alongside the volunteers to guide them and ensure a quality job is done.

We believe that steps like this are crucial to the health of a project - getting people involved and participating. Not only does this reduce costs allowing your dollars to go further, but it also creates ownership among the community, resulting in a lasting solution that will endure. We do not want to build solutions that just patch over a problem, but rather create a sustainable answer that allows the community to flourish for many years. This school will help to educate generations of students in this area and we are hopeful that can bring real change.

We anticipate construction taking several months and will be keeping you up on the progress. The school (currently meeting wherever they can find room) is ready to move in whenever it is finished and make it their home!

Thiamene Taba Health Post

Rural health posts are absolutely key to village life in Senegal. They allow expectant mothers to deliver in a safe environment close to their homes and administer basic care to local populations, among other services. In rural areas, getting to a hospital is prohibitively expensive or time consuming, often resulting in a lack of attention paid to health issues with dire consequences.

In order to combat this, Andando has constructed rural health posts in several communities around Senegal, and we are nearing completion on our current one!

When finished, the government will staff this post with a trained mid-wife and a nurse providing basic services. This health post will serve over 3000 people in the area!

Weaving Success and "Le Projet"

We have another great field report from our intern - Miriam - on people in Keur Soce participating in our micro-loan program. We are excited to announce another round of loan disbursements will take place in the next week or two, which we hope will lead to more stories like these. Further, borrowers in Keur Soce will be participating in small business classes in the coming months as part of the program in an effort to boost productivity and profit.

Ndiaya Diasse

Ndiaya Diasse with her new baby 2

When Ndiaya Diasse first started buying fruit wholesale in Kaolack to sell in Keur Soce, she had to borrow money from family members to be able to afford the large bulk purchases. Her two loans from Andando for 50 000 FCFA each have helped her gain financial security and feel at peace with her finances, and her fruit business has been growing. Ndiaya used one of these loans to purchase a larger table, allowing her to increase her merchandise and thus her sales. She now makes about 5 000 FCFA profit from each bulk purchase she makes, and says she never runs out of clients but often runs out of fruit.

Ndiaya’s increased income has ameliorated other aspects of her and her family’s life. She uses her profits to pay for school fees and to buy schoolbooks for her five school-age children, which she often struggled to afford in the past. Her 6th child, Pape Kebe, is still an infant and slept soundly through our interview. She said he is nicknamed “Projet,” the French word for “project,” because Ndiaya was working in Andando’s gardens while she was pregnant with him; Andando’s work is often referred to as “le projet” throughout Keur Soce and the other villages where we work. Naming a child after someone is a great honor in Senegalese culture, and Ndiaya wanted to thank Anando for the support she has received.

Elhaji Modou Diouf

Elhaji Modou Diouf with his wife and new baby

After five agricultural loans of 60 000 FCFA with Andando, Elhaji Modou Diouf is proud of his fields. During a trip to Keur Soce, Elhaji took us to visit his corn, millet, and peanut fields and show off what he has been able to do thanks to Andando. Elhaji picked up Refilwe, Boubou, Mandou, and me on his older brother’s donkey charette to bring us to his fields in a village just one town over from Keur Soce. We passed through dozens of open fields planted with a variety of crops until we reached Elhaji’s area, which stand apart from the rest because it is surrounded by a fully-grown live fence. Live fencing is especially advantageous because it is self-sustainable, and Elhaji does not have to pay for repairs to maintain the fence. In addition, it is a very environmentally friendly option as opposed to typical fencing with wood or plastic.

Elhaji has luckily never had problems with crops failing or poor weather conditions, but in the past he often had trouble finding enough money to buy seeds for the new planting season. With his Andando loans he purchased seeds, allowing him to focus his efforts on other parts of his fields, like his living fence which took 5 years to grow to full size and the small hut he constructed in case it starts raining while he is there.

Elhaji Modou Diouf's fields 3

In addition, Elhaji’s wife, Syra Mbodji, has been sick for over a year and only recently regained her health. During that time, Elhaji had to grapple with the additional costs of her extensive treatment, as well as the loss of the income she brought in from her business selling soap. Nevertheless, with his agriculture strengthened thanks to his Andando loans, Elhaji has been able to manage and additionally has been saving money on the side to prepare for the construction of a new home on his own land. Elhaji currently lives with his older brother and his family, but he dreams of being able to build his own home for himself, his wife, and their 5 children. Currently, he has purchased the cement blocks needed and is now saving up to pay for the labor.

Yande Ndiaye

Yande Ndiaye

Yande learned to sew when she was growing up in Ndoffan, a village near Keur Soce. Every Thursday a group of Nuns would come to the Ndoffan church to teach the girls there how to sew with a machine and by hand. When she was about 18 years old, Yande started sewing to sell for a profit, and has been sewing since. When she got married at age 20, Yande’s husband bought her a sewing machine as part of her brideprice, but unfortunately now it is broken so now she mostly sews by hand. She uses a different type of thread, more like yarn, to create colorful patterns and designs on stark white bed sheets, pillowcases, and other materials.

Yande’s creations are very popular in Keur Soce and the neighboring towns, and she sells them too quickly to be able to stock a boutique. For now, she is happy to be selling from her home. Usually she makes merchandise for clients who order specific items, but sometimes Yande makes extra merchandise and is able to sell to people who visit her or hear about her goods. Yande reinvests her profits back into her sewing business by purchasing new items like needles and stencils. In the past she has also used profits to purchase a goat or a chicken, which provide additional income for her family. She can sell the goat’s milk or chicken’s eggs, as well as breed them and sell the offspring.

Yande’s loans with Andando allowed her to make her first foray into agriculture and diversify the income she makes to support her large family, which now includes grandchildren. She used her first loan to purchase peanut seeds and fertilizer, and she takes the peanuts to Kaolack to sell. Yande told me that her peanut fields provide her with extra monetary security; since her sewing sales are principally based on orders she is not guaranteed to have a steady income, but peanuts are sure not to fail. Though she has not had an Andando loan in years, Yande continues to cultivate peanuts to protect her and her family from hard times. She can now express herself creatively through her sewing without worrying about providing for her family.

Amazing Test Scores!

We have been working hard over the past year making a ton of improvements at Keur Soce Primary School. With 360 students, Keur Soce Primary faces many obstacles including overcrowded classrooms, lack of textbooks, and crumbling infrastructure. Many students are forced to stay home during seasons of the year to work in the family’s fields or take care of siblings. When they do come to school, a poor learning environment and an empty stomach often translate into poor test scores and limited opportunities for the future.

I did not get the chance to go to school, but I believe that it is very important. School permits students to have knowledge and to serve their community.  School teaches a child not to waste time, to work, and to be healthy. - Mother Aissatou Ndao

In working with the school and the community, Andando has helped rebuild this crumbling school and bring pride back to those who attend. We rebuilt crumbling walls, restored chalkboards and desks, and provided a small library for each classroom to get books in the hands of students. We established a nutrition program to draw back to school those who often go hungry and dramatically increased parental involvement as mothers got involved to cook the meal.

Previously, the students would be hungry by a certain time and unable to follow the lesson. Today, they are happy; they want to learn. - Teacher Magatte Thiaw Mbaye

So with all these efforts over the past school year, we were incredibly excited to see the change this caused – a 50% increase in test scores from previous years!!! We knew that there would be some kind of noticeable change, but this dramatic improvement is fantastic! The community, the school, and the parents were very happy with the students’ performance this year and are excited for the future. We are very proud of the students and excited to continue this partnership and hope to gain even more ground in the future.

The school looks after the good fortune of the child. School helps me to work and to succeed to help my parents. - Student Ibrahima Diagne

The Ministry of Education in Senegal has taken notice of these improvements and is very pleased with the progress at the school. Because of improvements in the facilities - coupled with increased test scores - Keur Soce Primary recently received three computers and a projector for students and faculty to use! In this rural corner of Senegal where even textbooks are hard to come by, this is a huge boost to the learning possibilities for the students. For these students, having access to technology was never even a dream. Now, they can learn new skills that can translate into real, applicable competencies for the rest of their lives.

Great things are happening in Keur Soce and we are happy to be a part of it

Micro Loan Success!

Djigo

We recently reported our most recent round of farmer loans going out into the Keur Soce community. Here are some success stories of women and men who have been involved in the program. It is a fantastic program that can really benefit families across the community and we are excited about where this is going. Special thanks to our intern - Miriam - for these great borrower stories. Faour Djigo

Faour Djigo comes from a long line of farmers. She learned how to farm when she was younger from helping her family in fields, and now she teaches the children in her family. Especially in rural areas, like Fass Tocouleur where Faour lives, farming may be a family’s primary source of income, so everyone, including women and children, help out in the fields.

With a loan from Andando, Faour has been able to increase her own plot in her family’s field. She is a peanut farmer and now, with her loan, can buy additional seeds to plant on more area. Faour earns a small profit from the extra harvest she is able to sell after she saves part for her family’s consumption. But Faour told me that life can be difficult, so she makes sure to put money aside just in case. Faour saves half of her profits to be used in case of emergencies, like if a family member falls ill or her peanut crop fails. The other half she uses to buy ducks or goats that she breeds and sells for additional profit. Faour is now on her third loan with Andando, and she always feels prepared to deal with life’s uncertainties.

Ndaw

Adam Ndaw

Adam (pronounced ah-dah-m) Ndaw, one of Faour Djigo’s daughters, lives in the village of Fass Toucouleur, not far from Keur Soce. Though Fass Toucouleur and Keur Soce are only separated by a few kilometers, they are composed of different ethnic groups who speak different languages. Fass Toucouleur is predominantly Fula and Pulaar-speaking, while Keur Soce is predominantly Wolof and Wolof-speaking. Though Adam is of the Fula ethnic group and speaks Pulaar as her mother tongue, she also speaks Wolof as it is invaluable should she travel to a neighboring village.

Adam is married, though her husband lives in Spain for work and she lives in Senegal with his family. This is an unfortunate reality for many women in Senegal, whose husbands must travel far for work and leave their wives and family behind. Adam and her two twin sons live with her husband’s family to help out with the housework and upkeep of the family.

Adam earns money from her small business selling soaps. She sells powdered soap and bar soap from her home. After her first loan of 25,000CFA (about $50) with Andando, which she used to purchase more soap, Adam used her profits to buy chicks that she raised for her family’s consumption as well as to sell in the village. Adam’s chicken business gives her family additional income from the sales as well as additional nutrients for their diet; in many rural villages in the area, meals consist of mainly millet with little other added ingredients to provide nutrition, as other additives like fruits and vegetables are relatively expensive when cooking for large Senegalese families. Adam has recently received her third loan with Andando, and both her soap and chicken businesses are thriving.

Ndiaye

Ibou Codou Ndiaye

On Tuesday, the market day in Keur Soce, I met with Ibou Codou Ndiaye among the hustle and bustle of buying, selling, and bargaining. Ibou is a peanut and millet farmer and also raises livestock, like donkeys that can help cultivate in the fields or pull carts to transport goods. Ibou is currently on his third loan of 60,000CFA (about $120) with Andando, which he used to purchase peanut seeds for his fields. Before working with Andando, Ibou often did not have enough money to buy enough seed. Now, he doesn’t worry about providing for his family with the income he earns from farming.

Ibou has even started to innovate his farming techniques to maintain a steadier profit throughout the year. With his most recent loan, Ibou purchased two different types of peanut seeds. One type of seed will germinate in two months, and the other in three or four months. A diversified harvest means steady peanut sales and a steady income for Ibou, his two wives, and eight children.

With his increased profits, Ibou has been able to purchase a small cow that helps him cultivate in the fields, which drastically cuts down on the manual labor that he and his children must carry out while farming. In addition, Ibou must no longer pay to borrow a cow to assist with cultivation. Ibou plans on using the profits from this harvest to purchase goats or sheep to breed in preparation for Tabaski, the Senegalese name for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha that will take place in October. Senegalese generally celebrate Tabaski by killing and eating sheep and goats, so Ibou is preparing early for the business that is sure to come.

Introducing Refilwe!

We are very pleased to introduce Refilwe Moahi, our new Program Manager Intern based in Keur Soce, Senegal. Refilwe is from Botswana, and has been studying the last several years in the US, most recently at Brandeis University where she is working toward a Masters’ Degree in Sustainable International Development.

Refilwe has a passion for and commitment to Africa’s sustainable development and social progress for women and youth in Southern and West Africa. Having studied the political and social climate of Senegal, as well as having lived all over the world and speaking many languages, Refilwe hit the ground running and has been a vital part of our operations in Keur Soce over the last month.

We are excited to have a full-time intern monitoring and evaluating our programs in Keur Soce and Refilwe has dramatically increased our ability to be efficient and effective in the work we are doing. With her background in Sustainable Development, we will be using her experience to implement initiatives to further sustain our programs in as we move forward.

Refilwe will be in Keur Soce through the summer before she heads back to the US to finish her studies. She was able to come on board through our partnership with Vibrant Village, and we are excited about the possibilities for this kind of cooperation in the future.

Introducing Penda Diop

Penda Diop struggled through primary school. Her father died when she was very young and left her mother as a poor housewife with a heavy load to bear. Her mother then passed away when she was in grade 3. She found herself alone, but was able to continue her studies through the generosity of a caretaker in the community.

She proved herself a very willing and clever student and passed the entrance exam to further her education at junior high school. However, the nearest school was many miles down the road and she would have to find somewhere to stay in the new community. Having no financial resources to pay the school fees and no family to stay with, she had to drop out of school.

Penda now must fend for herself and has gotten a very low-paying job as a maid in a nearby city. She has almost no hope of going back to school and very limited opportunity to get a better job and improve her situation. Consider helping kids like Penda by donating here.

There are many students like Penda in the town of Mbouma who have the capability and willingness to succeed in school if given the chance. If Penda and her friends had a school in their town, she would not have had to drop out and leave the village. There are many children like Penda who can have hope for a better future if we are able to help them build the school they deserve. Learn more and participate in her story visiting our fundraising site on Global Giving. Thank You!

Less Than a Week Left!

It has been an exciting couple of weeks for all of us here as we raise funds to build a school in the community of Mbouma, Senegal. We are getting close and there is just a week left to reach our goal. Consider walking with us and this community on the way to a better future. Click here to learn more! On our recent trip, we met with the leaders of the community of Mbouma and the principal of the junior high school – it was a compelling experience and illustrated just how badly a school is needed in this area. Andando is partnering with the local population to build a school in the village of Mbouma, where 250 motivated primary school students have no junior high school. Some students travel over 10km to go to school in another town, but only if they can afford transportation or lodging. Most are not so lucky, particularly the young girls, forcing them to drop out. Currently, some classes are held in this agricultural warehouse (pictured above). While it is a roof over their head, it is an open building with sheets between classes, resulting in a very loud and poor learning environment. Further, this building will be needed by the community in 2-3 months when it is harvest season, making it no longer available to the school. Other classes in are held in makeshift huts made from millet stalks (above), which have now burned down FIVE TIMES! These classes are also extremely hot, dusty, and wind-blown, providing a poor alternative to the traditional classroom. In the most recent fire, part of the adjacent primary school was damaged, leaving them with even fewer prospects of a proper place to meet. Above, you can see school administrators standing in the spot of a recently-burned makeshift classroom, with the damage to the primary school visible behind them. But there is hope as this community has rallied around its students and staff to try to continue to provide them with options for education and a better future, and you can help!

Please consider giving to the students and community of Mbouma. Just click the link to learn more about the project and check out the progress we have already made. Thank You!

Help Us Build A School In Senegal

We are excited to announce we are participating in GlobalGiving's Open Challenge during the month of June! With your help we will raise $12,000 to give the children of Mbouma hope for a better future. Click here to donate. Andando is partnering with the local population to build a school In the village of Mbouma, where 250 motivated primary school students have no junior high school. Some students travel over 10km to go to school in another town, but only if they can afford transportation or lodging. Most are not so lucky, particularly the young girls, forcing them to drop out. Currently, classes in Mbouma are held in makeshift huts made from millet stalks, which has twice burned down.How will this project solve this problem? 

The parents and students of Mbouma need a permanent structure that will provide a more comfortable, safe learning environment. Unfortunately, they simply cannot afford the building materials. Village elders have petitioned the government for a junior high school and have been deeded land by the community. The government sent teachers, but it is left up to the community members to build classrooms. Help us give this motivated community the school they need.Potential Long Term Impact 

In constructing a permanent school building with two classrooms, and the potential for more classroom space and a latrine in the future you will help provide students with a cleaner, healthier place to learn. The building of the school establishes it as a permanent, necessary part of village life for future generations of students. Our goal is not to simply put up a building, but to help put this rural community on a path to a more secure future.

Click here to donate and read more about the project.

Senegalese Garden Party

The recently completed solar pump installations at the two market gardens in Keur Soce was cause for great celebration.

On our last visit, the ladies organized a great party complete with locally produced juice, delicious homemade snacks, drummers, story tellers, and many, many speeches from local and regional representatives.

Thanks to our partnership with Vibrant Village, the 150+ women who work in these gardens can now grow three seasons of crops instead of one. This means improved health and income for them and their families, directly impacting around 1,000 individuals, and many more indirectly through their market sales.

Madame Diagne is in charge of one of the market gardens and is head of the women’s cooperative made up of 85 ladies.

Now that the water is pumping, there is ample water to irrigate the one hectare plot she is the lead on. She has convinced the ladies that instead of expanding immediately, they will go through a one year cycle to determine whether or not to expand.

“We have organized ourselves into groups of about 10, with one woman responsible for a bed,” she tells us. They determine collectively what to plant. If they use for own use, they must ‘buy’ it from their group at a reduced price with everything going into a collective pot. Madame Diagne has taught them to be extra frugal at this point as there is no guaranteed income. However, they already have one steady customer in town, a small basic motel for 30 kilos of produce a week! Diagne says, “We are excited to have customers and now want to develop relationships with more and keep it steady.”

They will have three harvests per year instead of one and they hope this can translate into the ability to constantly be supplying customers. For the rainy season they are planning lower maintenance crops such as bissap, okra as they will be busy in the millet and peanut fields providing for their families. During the other two harvests they will plant higher cash crops to make money.

Diagne says, “We have already learned things like storing some water overnight in barrels because if we come early to the garden, there is sometimes not enough water as the sun has not been up long enough to fill the tank.” Overall there is always a surplus of water. They allow women to take water for home use but only in the late morning after watering, because then the sun has enough time to replenish the tank for the evening watering.

By working closely with the Garden Manager, Mandou Ba (picutred above), the women are starting to bring their own soil amendments, manure, peanut shells, etc. Some of these practices will take time as change does not come easy and the Senegalese (like anyone else!) are skeptical of new agricultural practices at first. Some of the crops being grown include, lettuce, carrots, onions, tomatoes, okra, corn, peppers, eggplant, radish, yams, potatoes, and cabbage. Diagne tells us that she already has plans to collectively purchase a scale to weigh their produce before it’s sold and keep better track of what is going in and out.

Overall, the garden has exploded with life and is a constant flurry of activity. We are confident that with strong leaders like Madame Diagne these market gardens will continue to grow and be a huge success.

We would also like to acknowledge the wonderful, professional, timely work done by FlexNRJ, a Dakar based solar company led by Pathe Diagne (no relation to Madame Diagne above). We are impressed by their work and professionalism and hope we can collaborate again in the future.

Keur Soce Primary School Upgrades

As part of our ongoing partnership with the Keur Soce primary school, we recently completed the rehabilitation of all the desks in the school.They look absolutely amazing! Before, there were 3-4 kids to each small desk, making for distracted kids and uncomfortable learning conditions.

Now the kids all have a place to sit and are not in danger of getting cuts/slivers or worse from using broken desks. The entire job was completed on site while the kids were on spring break. Wish we could have been there to see their faces when they got back!

The desk project was done in partnership with Legacy International who run a vocational training school in a nearby town, giving young men the tools and training they need to learn woodworking and welding.

We have now rehabbed all the classroom floors, painted the entire school, installed secure windows, instituted a very popular breakfast program and started a school garden.  

Next up, small classroom libraries - and a playground!

The Water is Flowing!

The solar pumps in the market gardens are now finished and the water is flowing. With months and months of preparation and weeks of work, the pumps are complete and planting has commenced! We are very excited about the immediate transformation we have seen in just a few days. Several months ago, preparation began as our Garden Manager and the market garden ladies began clearing the land getting it ready for planting. Several weeks ago, in anticipation of the nearing completion, seedlings were started in the garden in specially prepared beds and carefully tended. About a week ago, water was on its way and the panting started! The ladies, who are all working together, have done amazing things in such a short amount of time. It is truly inspirational and we are so excited for this next step. This is the completed structure. The solar panels on top create energy to power the pump that is down in the well (to the right), which pumps the water into the holding tank. From the tank, the water is gravity-fed to any of the taps and reservoirs distributed around the garden. Under the tank is a lockable room that houses the electrical work, as well as acting as a storage shed to safely store the garden supplies. A mother taking the time to show her children how the system works and what it takes to make the vegetables grow.

Some of the prep work that was done ahead of time in the difficult soil conditions. Transplanting the first seedlings.

More seedlings going in.

The ladies working together.

Keeping them watered and watching them grow!

Training Center is Nearing Completion

We have now been working in the Keur Soce area for 5 years, and we decided to really put down some roots! Through our partnership with the Vibrant Village Foundation, we are nearing completion on our training center on land that was given to us by the village. We will utilize this space to conduct classes with local and regional Senegalese partners. In addition, we will establish a demonstration garden as well as featuring other creative and sustainable living solutions for the often challenging rural setting. We can also use this space to stay over as we continue to implement programs in and around Keur Soce. There's even a space for you when you come and visit! The front approach, porch, and front door. The roof is reinforced to allow additional gathering space and also allow guests to sleep on the roof under mosquito nets - a common practice in Senegal when the rooftop breeze at night is very pleasant!The front gate looking into the Training Center View of the two-room structure with plenty of windows to keep it cool in the hot Keur Soce sun. Looking at the compound from the roof. You can see the main road heading to Kaolack in the background. Also note the initial plants we have started, as we hope to get some good vegetation going before we move in to spruce up the place! This growing season, we hope to develop a solid beginning on a demonstration garden to introduce new agricultural techniques to the area. Another view from the roof, looking back towards Keur Soce and the primary school. In this section of the compound, we will construct a rudimentary 'classroom' and shade structure for conducting classes and hosting events. A view from the back of the compound. We built the structure right into the wall of the center to conserve space and materials. Keep checking back with us for more updates and the initiation of classes and training events.

Construction of the Solar Pumps Has Begun

As part of our partnership with The Vibrant Village Foundation, we are installing two solar pumps for use in the market gardens in Keur Soce, Senegal. These will be fully self-sustaining units that will provide ample water to the gardens and the women who run them.Partnering with an experienced Senegalese company, these pumps will allow the growing of vegetables all year, dramatically increasing output in this arid region. This will not only provide these women with improved nutrition and diet for them and their families, but also allow them to grow enough produce to sell the surplus for a much needed profit. This program will directly benefit 150 women and their households and provide a boon for the local economy. This is Mandou Ba, our recently hired Garden Manager. He has extensive experience working in permaculture in Senegal and will be providing assistance to the ladies of the cooperatives. He has also been assisting in the construction of the solar pumps and will provide basic maintenance and assistance.

Here we see the well and solar pump in the background, and the seedlings and their covered beds in the foreground. These seedlings are quickly growing and will be transplanted by the end of the month when the pump is up and running.

Many of the women and community members worked hard to shore up the fence and secure the garden and the new installations.

Making plans for the future of the gardens. You can also see here the clearing that was done by the women to prepare the soil for planting, as well as the healthy and mature cashew trees throughout the garden.

This is an example of a finished solar pump, next to a well. Our two installations will be similar to this and provide ample water all year around. Stay tuned for more news as we get closer to completion.

December in Senegal

We have been running around Senegal for the last week lining up several projects for the next few months. Hitting the ground running, we journeyed to the town of Keur Soce where most of our future projects are taking place. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we toured several surrounding villages where we have just finished wells and have plans for several more. Along with some of these wells, we are installing solar pumps that will aid people in drawing water, making it easier to water their garden plots that surround these wells. This will make it easier to grow vegetables all year around and have far better nutritive options on their plates and cleaner drinking water. We made arrangements to renovate a community building in one village and turn it into a rural health post where mothers can deliver babies and minor medical treatment can be provided. We met multiple times with the elementary school teachers and administrators to discuss our projects there. At Keur Soce Elementary we are initiating a nutrition program to jump start the students in the morning with a daily breakfast as many of them receive nothing. In addition to the school building repairs we have just completed, we are also rehabilitating desks and chairs that are in pieces and starting a small classroom library for each class. These investments will be protected by security measures we are putting in place.

Stay tuned for more updates as we return to the States this week!

Trip to Senegal

Several of us gathered in Senegal over Christmas and New years and in to the second week of January. We weren't all there together all the time but we were all together some of the time.... Scotty and Crystal were there first arriving Christmas day. They had a great reunion with old friends. You may recall that Scotty and Crystal spent a year in Senegal helping Andando with miscellaneous projects. Then on the 30th Lewis and Ruby arrived from Swaziland. They also had previously spent time working for Andando in Senegal. I joined them later that day. Then on the 30th Ken, Mary and Kevin arrived to complete our group. We worked on a variety of projects while there and also spent a lot of time catching up with old friends.  Our first couple of days were spent doing a kids camp for over 60 kids. The kids came and spent the day. Our theme was Christmas, and we played games, read stories, did crafts, watched movies, and ate lots of good food.

100_8638

100_8688

100_8694

Our next few days were spent in the Keur Soce area, visiting several projects, including the construction of a health post in Thiawandou. We are excited about what a huge difference this building will make in the life of this community. More about this soon in its own post.  We also visited some new wells, and water projects.

100_8717

100_8720

100_8732

IMG_1462 - Copy

Another part of our trip was spent checking out some micro loans. We are consistently pleased and encouraged by the ingenuity and hard work of our loan recipients.

100_8799

100_8805

A good trip!

Micro loans in Swaziland

Our first round  of micro loans in Swaziland was initiated on April 1. On October 1 the loans were repaid and we wanted to share just one of the loan recipients stories with you. Thanks to Ruby for this report.

Khanyisile Simelane was an inspiration from the start. Her affability was contagious and proved to be one of her best business assets.

Khanyisile Jele

She received her loan to start a small business out of her home on April 1. Almost immediately she suffered a setback  when the freezer she was using broke down. She learned one of the first rules of business- flexibility. Rural life is demanding and highly unpredicatable and she quickly realised she would need a business partner to share the responsibility of running her small store. This proved to be her best decision.

A partnership was built with her neighbor and they were off and running. The store was moved to a more central location to maximize traffic and the product mix was improved to reflect needs in the community. They have been diversifying and improving their selection weekly and are already a social hub. Her friendly nature has transformed their small enterprise into the perfect gathering place for community members and her shared business responsibilities has proved highly sustainable.

Her 6 month loan was repaid 100% and on time and the business has not skipped a beat. This small business has allowed her a feeling of stability, a few small luxuries and most importantly, pride in what she has accomplished.

The Hungry Season

In Senegal, and in much of Africa, every year there is a season that we do not experience. It is the time in between when last year's food supply runs low and there are still several months to wait for the next harvest. The Hungry Season. In many rural villages, families are reduced to one meal a day, some not even that. This hardship  goes largely unnoticed because it is not a widespread famine like the kind you see on the evening news. It is just a slow, gnawing, debilitating hunger that robs people of their energy and strength at  the hottest time of year, and makes young children especially susceptible to disease and vitamin deficiency that will affect their development for the rest of their lives.

In the areas of Senegal where we work,  this is a fact of life this year. Last year's harvest was not great and farmers did not receive a good price for their crops, resulting in almost empty storehouses and no ready cash for emergencies.

 We consulted with our local partners about what  Andando could do to help. Teachers at local village schols were consulted and they identified around sixty families that were particularly needy.  Each of these families received 50 kg of rice which will help see them through until harvest time. Fortunately the rains have been plentiful and this year's harvest looks more promising.  In another area we work in, the local church is coordinating a food distribution for us.

The lack of food security in Senegal is an ongoing problem. We at Andando hope we can be a small part of the solution. We are working at creating an environment in rural villages where people have enhanced abilty to grow their own food, through micro lending, water security and education.  There are no quick solutions, but village by village we hope to make a small difference along the way.

Ronkh Health Post

Back in January 2012, Andando visited a recently completed water project in the remote town of Ronkh in Northern Senegal. This project was facilitited by Peace Corps Volunteer, Sarah Kopper. Sarah shared with us the need for rehabilitation of the local health post. This health post is supposed to serve over 5000 people but because of it's poor condition- broken latrines, septic tank exposed, parts of the roof needing to be replaced etc, people were forced to travel far for care. We asked Sarah to provide us with a proposal, which she quickly supplied us with.  Along with 20% contribtion from the community, work began in April and was recently completed.  The result is a facility that is sanitary and very usable.

The new health committee has conducted  a survey of the community and has organized several public cleanups in the area.  Sarah is confident that the newly rehabbed health post will serve the community of Ronkh well for years to come.

The town's doctor sees over 250 patients a month and delivers around 100 babies a year at this facility.

Thanks to Sarah for her good work in implementing this project!

Worldbeat!

This coming weekend, June 30 and July 1, we will participate in the 15th annual Worldbeat Festival at Riverfront Park in Salem. if you live within 100 miles you should come-it is a lot of fun!

There will be music, dancing, food, from all around the world.  And on Sunday thrilling dragon boat races on the river!

Come visit us, we'll be in the African village with lots of new merchandise from our Senegal artisans.

www.worldbeatfestival.org