From the Director - Feb 2026

One of my favorite parts of this work is sharing success stories from projects we only just introduced to you. Development is often slow and tedious, but right now, Andando is building a level of momentum that is as encouraging as it is noteworthy.

We saw a wonderful reflection of this recently when Andando WON the .ORG Impact Award for Hunger and Poverty. It was a proud moment for our team, and the video produced for the event really captures the heart of our mission.

Andando WON the .ORG Impact Award for Hunger and Poverty. It was a proud moment for our team, and the video produced for the event really captures the heart of our mission.

In Keur Socé, momentum continues with the completion of our newest aquaculture integrations in the Keur Ngor and Saré Diouma women’s gardens. The joy and pride these women showed while stocking their first fish was incredible. Watching them master this new skill set with such focus is exactly why we keep investing in our partners.

The women of Saré Diouma stocked their new aquaculture basins in late 2025 and are preparing for their first harvest this spring. This is our 9th garden to feature integrated fish farming with more planned for 2026!

That same pride is palpable up north in Senobowal, where the new woodlot and women’s garden are up and running. The community is seizing this opportunity with gusto and has already planted more than 1,500 trees. Even more impressive, the garden is already yielding its first harvests after just two months, with lots more to come!

From dust to greens: Senobowal’s garden is already flourishing, providing the community with its first harvests of radishes and lettuce. In just a few short months this space will become a veritable oasis in the desert.

Finally, our partners in Guédé Village High School and Ndiédieng Primary School are hitting the ground running this school year with their newly completed classrooms and bathrooms! For years, students here squeezed into temporary shelters that were sweltering and crowded. Their beautiful, fully furnished new classes have reduced class sizes and created a positive learning environment for all.

Students at the Ndiédieng primary school in their new, fully furnished classrooms. These permanent buildings replace the temporary outdoor shelters the community used previously.

It’s thanks to supporters like YOU that we can keep up this level of momentum and impact year after year.

“Jéréjëf!” – Thank You!

- Garrison Harward, Executive Director
Garrison@Andando.org

From the Director - Sept 2025

Andando is now a two-time finalist, after being nominated in the Community Building category in 2023. This year we are a finalist in the Hunger and Poverty category. Wish us luck at the awards ceremony on October 7! (Pictured: Crystal and Garrison at the 2023 .ORG Impact Awards.)

Let’s start with some wonderful news. In case you haven’t heard, Andando has been named a finalist for the 2025 .ORG Impact Awards! Out of nearly 3,000 organizations worldwide, we are one of just 35 selected. This recognition is a powerful reminder that the work happening in small villages across Senegal is resonating far beyond their borders. What we are building together is world-class and deserves recognition.

This honor comes as we step into a new season of growth. With the support of Tomberg Family Philanthropies, we are breaking ground this month on new aquaculture basins in the Keur Ngor and Sare Diouma women’s gardens. These cooperatives only recently reached their savings goal, and it’s thrilling to be able to support their momentum by adding fish farming as the next step in their journey toward resilience.

Early construction on the new aquaculture basins in Sare Diouma and Keur Ngor.

Much progress has been made on the new aquaculture basins in Sare Diouma and Keur Ngor, with completion expected in just six weeks.

Further north, in Senobowal, the recent completion of the deep borehole well is unlocking a wave of possibilities. Women and children can remain home rather than migrating with cattle, which means kids can stay in school. We’re now able to move forward with a women’s garden there as well, along with a village woodlot and massive reforestation initiative. Thousands of trees will provide food, shade, and restored soil, helping this remote community on the edge of the Sahara to confront the worsening effects of climate change.

Before: Students at Ndiedieng Primary School sat four to a desk but with their new classrooms on the way this will soon be a thing of the past!

After: The new classrooms in Ndiédieng, along with bathrooms and water taps, are well on their way to being completed before school starts. These new additions will ease overcrowding and give every student a safe, supportive place to learn.

And in education, two major projects are nearly complete. The new classrooms at Ndiédieng Primary School and Guédé Village High School are on track to open before the school year begins, creating safe and inspiring spaces for students to learn and thrive.

None of this would have been possible without your support. Together we are saying yes to communities who are working tirelessly to build a better future for their children and the world around them.

---

Join us for Stories from Senegal - 11th Annual Dinner & Gala Fundraiser

Enjoy live music & a true taste of Senegal with a dinner designed with Senegalese celebrity chef, Pierre Thiam!

Can’t make it in-person? That’s OK! You can still participate ONLINE!

Andando Named Finalist in Prestigious 2025 .ORG Impact Awards

We’re honored to share that Andando has been named one of 35 finalists in the 7th annual .ORG Impact Awards, presented by Public Interest Registry (PIR). This year’s awards drew nearly 3,000 applications from over 120 countries, recognizing mission-driven individuals and organizations making a difference around the world.

Innovations like our aquaculture project are being recognized on the international stage!

Andando was selected as a finalist in the Hunger and Poverty category for our work helping rural Senegalese communities break the cycle of poverty through a whole-village approach. By integrating support in water, health, education, agroforestry, and financial independence, we walk alongside our partner communities to build lasting, locally led solutions.

Classrooms are nearly complete at Guédé Village
High School where enrollment is rising thanks in part to Andando’s layered interventions across the region.

As a finalist, we’ll receive a $2,500 donation and join other nonprofit leaders in Washington, D.C. this October for a celebration and awards ceremony hosted by artist and activist Common. Each category winner will receive $10,000, and one organization will be named .ORG of the Year and awarded $50,000.

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized for a second time among such a diverse and inspiring group of changemakers from across the globe,” said Garrison Harward, Executive Director of Andando. “It validates not only the dedication of our Senegalese team but also the tremendous work that our partner communities are doing to transform their own lives.”

About the .ORG Impact Awards

Andando is now a 2x finalist after being nominated in the Community Building category in 2023 as well.

The .ORG Impact Awards celebrate outstanding individuals and organizations within the global .ORG community. The program is led by Public Interest Registry (PIR), the nonprofit that manages the .ORG top-level domain, home to more than 11 million registered websites around the world. Click here to read their press release.

Thank you to PIR and the .ORG Impact Awards team for recognizing our work—and congratulations to all the other incredible finalists!

Andando is a US-based nonprofit working alongside rural Senegalese communities to build lasting, locally led solutions to poverty. Learn more at www.andando.org.

Beyond the Classroom: STEM Teaching Garden - Two Years Later

Students get first-hand experience raising fish in Senegal’s only aquaculture program at the high school level.

As the school year winds down, Keur Soce High School’s STEM Garden is marking its two-year anniversary, and the impacts so far have been outstanding! Students are mastering valuable skills and further solidifying their understanding of life and earth science, physics, and math ― preparing them to start a career or continue on to University. In addition to providing practical education, the garden is helping to strengthen the school as a whole.

Students and faculty work together to prepare the harvest for market, helping to teach practical business skills as well as evaluating yields.

Schools in rural Senegal face significant funding challenges, and Keur Soce High School (KSHS) is no exception. Fortunately though, the produce and fish grown here are now providing revenue to help bolster the school’s budget and provide scholarships for students who are taking on garden leadership roles.

Building Future Leaders: For students going into agricultural careers, the aquaculture and agroforestry lessons they’ve learned will help them to succeed in the face of worsening effects of climate change in Senegal.

“Even though we’re children of farmers, the methods of our fathers and the methods they’re bringing here, there is a difference.”

— Lamine Diop, KSHS Student and Garden President

Lamine (center, Garden President) with other students showing another of their substantial harvests.

Some students are even taking the initiative to use their new skills to start their own personal enterprises. Take Barra, for example, who now has a thriving garden at home providing produce and extra income for his family.

Barra with his mother.

“I know I can succeed in this profession because I really love it… During Ramadan I harvested a lot. My mother took it to the market to sell and some others even came here to buy.”

— Barra Ndiaye, Junior at KSHS

Barra’s garden is just one example of the amazing achievements the students at KSHS are making, and it’s clear that the support they are receiving now is helping to set them on the path to becoming successful entrepreneurs and leaders in their communities.

Barra (right) with his siblings who also help in the family’s new garden.

From the Director - May 2025

We have water! The borehole at Senobowal hit water at 152 meters and was cause for much celebration by the members of the community!

I’ve just returned from Senegal, and I am blown away by the incredible progress we’re seeing on the ground. Like many in our sector though, we’re facing a rapidly shifting funding landscape that threatens our ability to do this vital work. That’s why we’re working closely with our team in Senegal to share Andando’s impact, like these updates below, with a broader audience.

A big thumbs up from Maguette from the Haffé Garden! These women overcame many challenges to get to this point. We give them TWO thumbs up back!

Since our last newsletter:

• The borehole in Senobowal is complete. At 152 meters deep and long dreamed of by the village, this well will begin providing clean water to more than 5,000 people next month,

• Mbantou Croissement celebrated its first fish harvest with a homegrown meal made entirely from garden and local ingredients. Both of our new aquaculture gardens are seeing major improvements in vegetable yields as well, thanks to nutrients provided by the fish,

• Our newest partner garden in the village of Haffé is also in full production, with the first harvests already coming in. In Keur Soce,

• More than 200 farmers took part in a training to help bring trees back into their fields. Andando will be providing them with additional trees during our next microloan dispersal to help to jump-start their restoration efforts,

• Finally, construction is moving forward at our two new partner schools, which will benefit over 1,200 students this fall.

Students at Ndiedieng Primary School sit four to a desk but with their new classrooms on the way this will soon be a thing of the past! Classrooms along with bathrooms and water taps will be completed before the next school year.

This is just a sampling of the incredible progress happening through Andando. As we begin sharing more videos and personal stories, I humbly ask you to help amplify them and invite others to be part of this journey. Senegal is making real progress in the fight against poverty, but the need remains great, and this is a critical moment to increase not decrease international support. Thank you for supporting this work and for everything you do to help spread the word about Andando.

Help Us Spread the Word!

• Follow and Share our Social Media Posts

• Sign up for our Monthly Emails

• Request a Presentation or Meeting

• Volunteer with Us

• Make a Donation

Fish to Table: On the Edge of the Sahara

In only a few short months, the women’s cooperative garden of Mbantou Croissement is enjoying their FIRST fish harvest!

The Mbantou Croissement Garden was established in 2018 and has a storied history of firsts:

• Andando’s first garden in the northern Podor region of Senegal

• The first of our gardens in the region to reach 1 million CFA in savings (approx. $1,700 USD) and enter into our 50/50 cost sharing agreement

• One of the first two gardens in the Podor region to add aquaculture to their garden

• And finally the first of our new aquaculture gardens to harvest their fish!

Due to their continued success and dedication, and thanks to a generous grant from Tomberg Family Philanthropies, Mbantou Croissement installed an integrated aquaculture set-up in their garden in 2024.

Construction workers forming the basin walls for the Mbantou Croissement Garden fish tanks.

We learned a lot since our initial aquaculture pilot program in 2021! Using feedback from the women and our local horticultural technicians, we implemented a new basin design that facilitates a self-sustaining rotation of fish production and breeding.

The fish basin at Mbantou Croissement includes steps that make it easier for the women to monitor fish health as well as harvest mature fish and transfer juvenile fish.

While the women waited for the basins to be completed, they participated in hands-on training at the Andando Keur Soce Training Center. This included both technical lessons on water quality testing, and feeding schedules over the course of production, as well practical hands-on field visits to our existing aquaculture gardens where they could practice harvesting, sorting, and transferring fish.

Aquaculture training at Andando’s Keur Soce Training Center.

After completing their training and receiving all the equipment and supplies they needed, the women of Mbantou Croissement were ready, and eager to get started.

The women of Mbantou Croissement proudly showing their equipment and supplies. They are ready to start fish farming!

In November, they received their starter set of fish fingerlings from Senegal’s Aquaculture Authority. Equipped with the knowledge, skills, resources, and support they needed for success, the women courageously took on the new challenge of growing fish in northern Senegal, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.

Releasing tilapia fingerlings into the fish basins.

Just last week, they celebrated their FIRST fish harvest! Along with vegetables grown in the garden, they enjoyed a delicious meal of “yassa jënn” (rice and fish with onion sauce and vegetables) using all locally sourced ingredients! This really is “Fish to Table.”

A successful first fish harvest! The women clean the fish to make a delicious meal featuring vegetables from their garden.

Why is this important?
Aquaculture is a fantastic addition to our agroforestry model. Each of our pilot gardens have reported a dramatic increase in their harvest yields and profits - and all of this with a ZERO net increase in water use! That means they are growing more nutritionally dense crops, yielding higher volumes, benefiting from fresh quality fish, and increasing their household revenue without changing their water consumption!

Want to be part of the solution?
There are MANY ways you can support more projects like this in Senegal.

• Follow and Share our Social Media Posts

• Sign up for our Monthly Emails

• Request a Presentation or Meeting

• Volunteer with Us

• Make a Donation

How a School Garden is Transforming STEM Learning in Keur Soce

The construction of Keur Soce High School stands as one of Andando’s greatest achievements. Before this school existed, students faced a difficult choice: move to a distant city to continue their education or see their academic journey end prematurely. Today, nearly 1,000 students per year have the opportunity to continue learning close to home, contributing to Senegal’s national goal of “Access for All” in education.

Madame Marone teaching Geography and French to the freshman and sophomore classes at the new Keur Soce High School.

But access is only the first step, the quality of education is equally important. This year, Keur Soce High School’s faculty, in partnership with Andando, took a bold step forward by establishing a STEM teaching garden, designed to give students hands-on learning experiences that deepen their understanding of science, business, and leadership.

Keur Soce Schools Leadership along with Andando field staff determining the best location for the STEM teaching garden (January 2023).

Early construction on the integrated aquaculture basins, part of the STEM Teaching Garden at Keur Soce High School (May 2023).

A perennial challenge for schools around the world is finding practical, real-world teaching resources that connect classroom lessons to the environments where students live and learn. It turns out that a garden is the perfect teaching tool; it allows students to observe natural sciences in action, apply accounting and business principles, and develop leadership skills through managing production and collaborating with classmates. With this vision in mind, Andando secured funding from the International Foundation to make Keur Soce High School Garden a reality.

“Before, students had to rely on lectures and textbooks alone to understand science concepts. Now, they step into the garden and see the process firsthand. They watch as a seed germinates, observe how the soil interacts with roots, and connect theory to reality in a way that makes learning stick.”

— Mr Toure, Math and Science Teacher at Keur Soce High School

Recognizing the challenge of managing a new pilot project, we assigned one of our most skilled horticultural technicians, Seynabou Ndao, to oversee the project. Seynabou holds a degree in Physics and Chemistry from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and is not only an expert in the field but also a role model for students, especially young women, who may not have considered agriculture as a path to success.

“At first, many students thought agriculture was something for people without other options. But now, they see it differently. They’ve learned how scientific it is, how much potential it holds for business, and how they can build careers in it.”

— Seynabou, Andando Garden Technician

This happy student gives the STEM teaching garden a big thumbs up!

Both faculty and Andando staff wanted to make this garden a cutting-edge resource for students, so we decided to go beyond just a basic school garden and integrate aquaculture production into the design. Fish farming is a growing industry in Senegal, offering significant economic potential for those with the technical skills to succeed. Adding fish production was no easy task, but the effort has paid off—today, Keur Soce High School stands as the only high school in Senegal with an aquaculture training program, giving students a unique advantage and a pathway to opportunity.

Students receive hands-on training to learn the challenging skill of raising fish in the desert. Not only do these lessons cement topics such as science and biology into their learning, but they also provide practical skills, giving these students a unique advantage and pathway to career opportunities.

The new University of Sine Saloum El Hadj Ibrahima Niasse in the regional capital specializes in agriculture, and we are confident that students from Keur Soce will now be better prepared for admission and future careers in this growing field.

Surrounded by sand and dust, the Keur Soce High School STEM Teaching Garden is a lush oasis, full of life. In addition to being a vital teaching resource, the garden also serves as a source of revenue for the school.

From seed to harvest, students learn the life cycle of plants while also benefiting from the nutritious produce they grow in the garden. This student is proudly showing one of many cabbages harvested this day in the teaching garden.

Launching a new school garden with almost 1,000 students participating was a monumental undertaking, but by the end of the first year the results are already incredible. Students and faculty now regularly hold a local farmers market which sells fresh organic produce and fish grown right there on campus. In a demonstration of the incredible productivity of the garden, the school recently hosted a lunch using only ingredients grown and harvested in their own garden.

Farm-to-table: this delicious traditional Senegalese meal features produce and fish grown in the Keur Soce High School STEM Teaching Garden.

Sharing the bounty: students, teachers, and Andando field staff celebrate the first of many successful harvests with a shared meal using only ingredients grown in the school garden.

Farm-to-table at a high school? That would be impressive anywhere in the world—but in a rural Senegalese school where students and faculty face so many challenges, it’s extraordinary.

Profits from sales are being set aside for a committee of faculty, parents, and students to decide how best to reinvest the funds to improve the school while ensuring the garden’s sustainability. However, the school has already made its first investment: a new scholarship program. Students who demonstrate exceptional leadership in the garden will have their school fees fully covered the next year; a powerful reward that recognizes their hard work and invests in their future.

Some of the nearly 1,000 students participating in the STEM Teaching Garden at Keur Soce High School.

With this incredible first year completed, Keur Soce High School Garden is now a permanent fixture of the school, and it will only grow stronger and more productive in the years ahead. Andando is now refining this model with the hope of expanding to other schools in the future, bringing hands-on education and economic opportunities to even more students. We are so proud of everyone involved in this project and what they have achieved for themselves and the educational possibilities in Senegal.

From the Director - February 2025

People often ask us about Andando’s “magic formula”—how do we continue to succeed where so many development projects struggle? I wish I could say it’s pure talent, but in truth, more often it’s diligence. We are constantly listening, learning, and adapting.

The new aquaculture fish farming basins are complete in our Mboyo Walo partner garden. The women here are quickly mastering this difficult new skill.

Take our women’s gardens, for example. To ensure their long-term sustainability, we’ve recently focused on improving financial literacy and savings. Last year alone, these gardens collectively added nearly $8,500 to their savings accounts, bringing the total balance to an impressive $41,000. And that’s on top of individual profits! The addition of fish farming has helped contribute to these results, and we’re thrilled to report that our two newest aquaculture pilot gardens are thriving, with their first harvest just a few months away!

The new pharmacist at the Paymar rural health clinic proudly displaying their full stock of medications and supplies, ready to serve members of their community.

Another example of diligence is our partner health clinic in Paymar, where the community has pooled resources to hire a new nurse and pharmacist to expand services; however, their efforts are hindered by a damaged roof. By continuing to monitor past projects and listen to partners, we can now help to resolve this issue with a new roof and possible expansion of the facility as well.

The leaders of the Haffé women’s garden sitting on the newly constructed watering basin. Soon they will transform this degraded landscape into a verdant oasis to support their families.

Lastly, I’d like to introduce you to our newest garden partners in the village of Haffé, near Keur Socé. This community has faced immense challenges establishing their garden, from flooding that delayed the project to a well that partially collapsed right when production was set to begin. However, through close collaboration with the women, village leaders, and local government, we were able to assist them in overcoming each hurdle, leaving the group of 220 women more determined and empowered than ever to start their garden.

Your diligent support of Andando allows us to continue to do this work the right way and create lasting change.

A New Year of Hope

Dear Andando Supporters,

As we settle into the new year, and all that it brings, we want to say thank you again to everyone who gave to our year-end giving drive, which came hot on the heels of our most successful fall auction EVER! Together these two campaigns raised an incredible $98,427 to strengthen communities across rural Senegal!

The women of Korkadji are rebuilding their garden (and much of their village) after it was devastated by floods last year.

It’s this spirit of global collaboration, building a thriving world together, that fuels our hope for what lies ahead. Every day, I’m inspired by the resilience of our partners in Senegal, like the women of Korkadji, pictured above, whose garden and much of their village was devastated by floods last year. The unwavering commitment of people like you means that Andando can provide increased assistance to Korkadji this year to help them to recover and thrive.

From individual moments of support like this to our large-scale agriculture, education, healthcare and environmental initiatives, together, we are helping our partners to build brighter futures. We are excited to carry this momentum through 2025, and we can’t wait to share the new projects and opportunities on the horizon. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey.

With gratitude,

Garrison Harward
Executive Director

---

We couldn’t do this work without you. Help us spread the word by sharing our posts with your social networks:

LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram

In 2024 together we:

• Planted over 29,000 trees in partner gardens, schools, health clinics, and villages.

• Supported 39 women’s gardens and 1 school garden, producing over 450,000 pounds of produce and generating $152,000 in profits for over 4,500 participants.

• Extended aquaculture fish farming to two gardens in Podor.

• Constructed or renovated bathrooms at 3 new partner schools.

• 20 partner schools and over 7,000 students now benefit from improved infrastructure and sanitation facilities.

• Provided 300 microloans to farmers and small businesses, with 100% repayment!

• Constructed and equipped a new vital health clinic in the remote village of Mbida in Podor, expanding healthcare access for thousands.

• Supported 15 partner health clinics that provided 14,127 healthcare visits, including 288 babies born in a safe, sanitary environment with qualified health staff.

From the Director - September 2024

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly projects can progress once the preparations are in place and the funding arrives. We have a truly stellar team in Senegal, so it didn’t take long to move from breaking ground to opening the doors of our newest rural health center in the village of Mbida. I had the great pleasure of attending the opening ceremony on July 3rd and shortly thereafter the first baby was born there, a little boy whose healthy birth underlines the importance of this resource and the hope and peace of mind that it brings.

The entire village of Mbida, along with representatives from the regional Health Authority in Podor, turned out to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new health center.

More great news out of the Podor region where we are moving forward with the deep borehole well in our partner village of Senobowal. We announced this project in the article “Water for Aida” and have since raised almost half of our funding goal! This means that we can complete the borehole and solar pump system which will bring clean water to over 5,000 people. We still need more support though to add a women’s garden so please check out our GoFundMe campaign and help to spread the word about this amazing project.

Our partners in Senobowal met with Andando recently in the shade of their health center to finalize details for the borehole and garden.

In the first expansion of our pilot Aquaculture project, we recently broke ground on two new sets of fish basins in our Mboyo Walo and Mbantou Croissement partner gardens. Both gardens worked hard to join the project and we can’t wait to see the joy it will bring when they harvest their first fish right out of their own garden. We hope to expand this project in the coming years so more of our partners can gain access to improved nutrition and income.

Construction is nearly complete on our new aquaculture basins with fish set to arrive in October!

Andando is growing all the time, but we are still nimble and responsive to funding. Your support makes a difference and allows us to move projects like these forward to make an immediate difference in the lives of rural families in Senegal.

Aquaculture: A Game Changer for Market Gardens

The members of our pilot gardens have mastered the aquaculture process, from fish breeding all the way through to harvest.

After two years of diligent work on our pilot aquaculture project, our team and partners agree: it is an absolute game changer for market gardens! We went into this project with high hopes but a healthy dose of skepticism. Would we be able to sustain perpetual production, could we develop sustainable supply chains for fish feed, and what would the impact be on the gardens’ precious water resources?

Carefully tracking the number, weight, and health of the fish enables participants to maximize growth and use fish feed most efficiently.

Watching our partners master the process and slowly answer these questions over the past two years has been incredible. The hard data shows the success in numbers; each of our pilot gardens have increased their yields and profits dramatically, all with zero net increase in water use. More importantly though, the participant testimonials show the real impacts:

“Our children and everyone in the house eats fish from the project now. We get money from the fish, and we use the water to irrigate our crops which helps them to grow. We really see the effect in the garden.”

— Koumba Daga, Irasso Garden participant

“We don’t trust the fish from the market. It comes from the ocean, and we don’t know how old it is. Now we have our own fish right here. We can go now and have it right away and cook it immediately. We thank god for this.”

— Racky Ndiaye, Lamarame Garden participant

Keur Soce High School joined the project as well this year with two fish basins in their new STEM teaching garden, and due to their quick success and all the benefits we’ve seen, Andando is now seeking to integrate fish farming into all of our gardens over the next several years.

Students learning hands-on aquaculture skills at the new STEM teaching garden at Keur Soce High School.

Thanks to a generous grant from The Tomberg Family Philanthropies, we are taking our first steps in this direction by extending the project to two gardens in our Podor region this year. With your support, we can expand even further and help our partners to gain greater food security, nutrition, and financial stability.

A member of the Keur Wack garden shows off her lettuce seedlings. All of our pilot gardens have increased their production of fast growing high value crops.

From the Director - October 2023

·       A potential new partner school in the neighboring commune of Ndiedieng, next to Keur Soce.

40 gardens, 14 health posts, 65 classrooms, 45 latrines, and over 2,000 microloans to date.  These numbers are impressive but what is the real limit of what we can do together?  How many more people can we reach?  How can we grow without losing the personal touch and care that has made Andando so uniquely successful?  What is next for Andando? These are questions that I ask myself constantly and with the completion of our 40th garden this feels like an important moment to step back, take stock, and share our vision for the future.  

Some of the amazing Podor team standing in front of our newly completed tree nursery, which will drastically increase the rate at which we can build new gardens.

It is nothing short of miraculous what Andando has been able to achieve over the past 15 years, but there is still so much more work to do. We’ve been in the incubator together, so to speak, building a community of supporters and developing our methods and partnerships.  What we do works, and we have a moral imperative now to reach as many communities in need as we can.

The incredible Keur Soce team after a strategic planning training this past August.

To this end we are investing in our local staff, who have always been key to our success, building their capacity and giving them the tools and training to tackle larger projects in the future.  We are working with regional government leaders to assess our current impacts and develop long-term plans to address the remaining needs in Keur Soce and Podor. And we are looking for Andando’s next region, or regions, to expand into, where our unique and dedicated approach can impact even more remote and neglected communities.  

Podor Tree Program Manager Alassane Ba (Gorgui), taking our new office computer for a test drive.

We are poised and ready to expand and there has never been a better, or a more needed time to support Andando.  Whether through the auction, monthly contributions, volunteering, or spreading the word, your support is not just another drop in the bucket, it directly impacts what we do every day and how big our vision for the future can be.

“Jéréjëf!” – Thank You!

- Garrison Harward, Executive Director

Update from the Field

I have just returned from Senegal and there is far too much good news to wait for the next newsletter!  We were fortunate to have good weather during the trip, not a guarantee in the rainy season, so we were able to see most of the new projects that we’re working on and how they’re coming together.  This is just a quick overview so stay tuned for more in-depth information soon on all of these amazing projects!

Garrison and Gorgui standing with our new deep borehole well in the desert.

In the Keur Soce area work is nearly complete on our first ever school garden at Keur Soce High School.  The fence, basins, and storehouse are done, leaving only the water connection to our nearby Thiako garden whose members are generously contributing their water to the school.  We are so excited that this will be the first high school in all of Senegal with an integrated aquaculture training program!  Work should be completed here by the end of the month, and we will share more pictures when classes start in October and garden activities begin.

The completed garden storehouse stands in front of the beautiful Keur Soce High School classrooms.

A fish basin inside Keur Soce High School Garden with Mandaw, Garden Program Manager.

Watering basins will be connected to the aquaculture system so that nutrient rich fish water can be used to water crops in the garden.

Renovations begin at Mbadhiou Peulh Primary School.

Also in Keur Soce we got to see the beginning of renovations of three classrooms at Mbadhiou Peulh Primary School.  The local municipal government is constructing two new classrooms here this year but didn’t have the means to upgrade the existing classroom building which has a leaking roof and cracked walls. So at the request of the village Andando stepped in to renovate the current classrooms so that all students will have a safe and proper learning environment for years to come.  We will also be adding a new block of latrines hare as well this fall!

Students from Mbadhiou Peulh Primary School in one of the classrooms that is now being renovated.

Adjacent to the existing classrooms is a temporary classroom where some students have to study in difficult conditions.

Due to the collaboration between the community and Andando all students will now study in proper safe and secure classrooms.

Madame Sekk, the head nurse of the regional hospital, facilitates a community meetings in the village of Bida in preparation to start construction on a new health post there.

In Podor we finished the selection process for our next health post which will be built in the rural community of Bida.  This village is dedicated to community health with several healthcare workers already operating a seasonal clinic here out of temporary structures which must be rebuilt each year.  We are proud to be working with such dedicated partners and can’t wait to see the impact that a proper health post will have on their ability to care for their community. We will share more about the incredible story of this village when we start construction here in November.

A boy from Togane stands with the papaya tree he helped plant this spring.

We are also nearly finished with construction on our new tree nursery and agroforestry center in Podor.  Our borehole well drilling was a complete success, and we now have a high output water source with a solar well pump system which will enable us to produce a minimum of 50,000 beneficial native trees here each year.  With these tree we will be able to speed up the implementation of new gardens and provide trees to all of our schools, health posts, and partner communities to bolster their food security, improve quality of life, and help them to restore the ecology of their lands. 

Photo Descriptions: 1) Clean fresh water flows from our new well in the Podor Tree Nursery. 2) Fruit tree seedlings in the Keur Soce Tree Nursery, which has started over 15,000 trees this year! 3) Podor Tree Nursery complete with basins, storehouse, water reservoir, solar panels, and restrooms. 4) A woman from Togane stands proudly with her Moringa trees. This is the first time that this village has ever had access to this miraculous and nutritious tree.

The children of Wouro Kelle verifying the water system. This garden draws water from the local river which turns brown from runoff during the rainy season.

Last but certainly not least we visited the community of Wouro Kelle to see the completion of Andando’s 40th garden!!  We are privileged to have this dedicated and deserving community join Andando at such a wonderful milestone and we can’t wait to share their story with you. Stay tuned for the next newsletter where we will profile Wouro Kelle and tell you more about the impact that this garden will have there. We would never have gotten to this point, or be able to reach such remote villages as this, without the steadfast support of our dedicated community of donors and volunteers over the past 15 years. Our hats off to you!

The women of Wourou Kelle celebrate the completion of their new garden.

It’s hard to believe but it’s already “Auction Season” for Andando, and if any of these projects resonated with you, please consider contributing in some way to help make the auction a success! We always have many more projects up for consideration than we can accomplish each year, and the success of the auction is the deciding factor on much of our yearly programing.  Whether you can help by volunteering, donating auction items, spreading the word to new potential donors, or attending and bidding on some of our amazing auction items, we appreciate your support so that we can continue this vital work in Senegal. 

Please consider contributing through our annual auction fundraiser. Whether you can help by volunteering, donating auction items, spreading the word to new potential donors, or attending and bidding on some of our amazing auction items, we appreciate your support so that we can continue this vital work in Senegal.  More info at www.andando.org/events.

From the Director - July 2023

We are on a roll! It feels appropriate that with the lush growth of another rainy season, so many projects are coming to fruition for Andando. 

The inauguration of Seno Bowal Health Post, Andando’s 14th overall.

Our Seno Bowal health post, Andando’s 14th overall, was officially inaugurated on May 10th, and the first baby was born there less than a month later! This post was entirely funded by generous donations from Hub City Church, and we are so proud to be partnering with them to create life saving access to maternal healthcare in rural communities. 

Midwives and nurses standing outside the newly renovated health post in Thiemene Taba.

We are thrilled to report that the repairs of our first health post, Thiamene Taba, are complete as well! Altrusa International of Albany helped us to realize this rapid response to the damage that occurred here during the last rainy season, ensuring that this post will continue to serve the area for years to come.

Drilling the borehole in Podor for the new native tree nursery.

In Podor we successfully drilled our first borehole well in the desert last month, which is a crucial milestone towards building our new native tree nursery and agroforestry center.  This location will soon produce 50,000 beneficial trees each year thanks to a grant from Rick Steve’s Europe!

Workers frame up the rebar for the concrete aquaculture basin in the Keur Soce High School STEM garden. Construction is nearly complete on our first-ever school garden at Keur Soce High School, which will be the first high school in all of Senegal with an integrated aquaculture training program.

Back in Keur Soce work is nearly finished on our first ever school garden at Andando’s Keur Soce High School, which will be the first high school in all of Senegal with an integrated aquaculture training program.  We are still seeking funding to hopefully build a laboratory, classroom, library, and computer lab to continue to support this amazing school.

Breaking ground at Andando’s 40th(!!) garden located in the extremely isolated community of Wouro Kelle.

And last but not least, in the community of Wouro Kelle we just broke ground on Andando’s 40th garden!  Wow!! We never could have gotten to this point without the generous support of so many amazing people who partner with us year after year to help the people of Senegal. On behalf of all of our staff and partner communities,

Andando Receives Grant from The International Foundation

The International Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to Andando! The purpose of this grant is to build an innovative STEM focused school garden at the newly constructed Keur Soce High School, which we finished building earlier this year. The International Foundation funds “US-based non-profit organizations who partner with poor communities in the developing world to improve their health, education and incomes, while strengthening local capacity to sustain their benefits.”

The first photo of the fully complete Keur Soce High School. These 8 classrooms serve over 1,000 students who previously had to travel far distances to continue their education or, more commonly, had to drop out of school due to a lack of resources.

This grant will help to pay for the construction of a substantial one-acre teaching garden that will be used to facilitate practical lessons in biological sciences, mathematics, and business skills while substantially improving the food security of the student population. 

Selecting a site with community leaders for the first-ever teaching garden which will be incorporated into the new Keur Soce High School.

In a first for any high school in Senegal the garden will also incorporate an integrated aquaculture fish farming system.  Fish are a staple of Senegalese cuisine and increased dry land fish farming has the potential to greatly benefit inland economies and food security without contributing to over-fishing of coastal water or polluting watersheds.  

During a hands-on training, participants in our aquaculture project learn how to assess fish for health and growth.

Andando currently operates 38 women’s cooperative gardens in Senegal which produce over 500,000 lbs. of organic produce each year.  As with our other gardens we will provide the school with a trained local garden technician to help to establish the garden and fully integrate it into school curriculum.     

“The International Foundation’s support will help students at Keur Soce High school to gain invaluable practical experience and learn skills that will set them apart as they continue their educational and professional careers.”

— Garrison Harward, Andando Executive Director

Madame Marone and her students in one of the new classrooms at Keur Soce High School. 

Indeed, due to Andando’s continued investment in this school the Education Ministry has decided to designate Keur Soce High School as a science academy that will feed directly into a new Agricultural University in the regional capital Kaolack.  Andando is proud to be partnering with such prestigious institutions to substantially increase the quality of science education in the region for years to come.  

Andando is a US-based non-profit organization that works to alleviate poverty through community development in rural Senegal. Learn more about Andando at www.andando.org.

About The International Foundation:
The International Foundation was created in 1948. Like other early foundations, our purpose was “to promote, foster, encourage and further non-profit, non-sectarian and non-political educational, medical, philanthropic, humanitarian, scientific and literary enterprises of all kinds.”

In its many years of grant making, the International Foundation has worked with thousands of US-based 501(c)3 organizations to bring knowledge, resources and compassion to individuals and communities around the world. Our strategic mission has evolved in concert with the exponential growth in the United States non-profit sector and rapid evolution of the discipline of international development.

“At the core of our mission is the concept that charity alone isn’t enough. We must take charity to a level that delivers measurable and sustainable change that is “owned” by the project participants and that leaves broad, lasting benefits. We prioritize the principles of self-determination, local engagement, and sustainability, both as means to and ends of our philanthropic goals. More and more, this requires grant-maker and grantee to share a common view of the challenges, optimal solutions, and ultimate objectives of our partnering efforts.”

We Have Fish!

A basket full of fish after a harvest complimented by a hearty lettuce harvest, grown using fish water.

It is our absolute pleasure to report that our trial fish farming project is thriving! Earlier this year we reported on the beginnings of this process, but to be honest we really didn’t know how it would turn out. There were challenges but overall, our team has done a tremendous job and we couldn’t be prouder of them and the women in the gardens for picking up such a unique and difficult new skill! 

During a hands-on training, participants in our aquaculture project learn how to assess fish for health and growth.

On a recent visit we got to witness the first fish harvest and the results are incredible. There is nothing quite like seeing buckets of fish (over 250lbs) coming out of our gardens in the middle of the desert. It was a wonderful scene of excitement, singing, dancing, joking, everything you would expect at the culmination of a challenging but successful project. Here’s some of what the women had to say that day:

“We used to work hard before but now with the fish program, we really see ourselves succeeding in the garden.”

“Look at the eggplants!  We noticed for three years we haven’t had eggplants, but now we do because of the fish water.”

“There is a start, but there is no end to our happiness.”

Garden participants introducing the first new fingerlings produced in our own fish tanks.

It is hard to describe the importance of fish in Senegal and how meaningful it is for the women to be able to provide fresh, healthy fish for their families. This is of course the first and most noticeable benefit but the women also remarked on how watering with the fishpond water is improving vegetable production across the whole garden as well. Indeed, our aquaculture gardens saw an average 42% increase in individual profits this year compared to the same 6-month period last year! WOW!

During a hands-on training, participants in our aquaculture project learn how to harvest fish from the basins.

All four gardens that participated in this pilot program are continuing to raise fish and now that the tilapia are successfully reproducing in the basins, we are very close to having self-replicating, sustainable production that can continue for years to come.

From the Team - July 2022

A rare moment when three of our US-based staff (Lewis, Garrison, and Crystal) are in Senegal at the same time.

We had the rare pleasure of having three of our US-based staff in Senegal at the same time! This allowed us to dive deep with our team on the ground there and make BIG plans for the future.

We were honored to help cut the ribbon at the official opening ceremony for Keur Soce High School!

Keur Soce High School is finishing up its first year of classes, and with enrollment increasing we finalized plans with the administration to construct an additional two classrooms to meet their current need. We also discussed the possibility of adding a school garden in the future with an attached science classroom to help boost their science curriculum.

After only six months since launching the aquaculture program, the fish are big enough to harvest. Each of the pilot gardens received advanced training, which will help them move towards self-sufficiency and reap the maximum benefits from the project.

In the gardens, we got to witness the first fish harvest from our pilot aquaculture program! The women and technicians have worked so hard to learn this new skill, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate their success with them.

Fresh fish is hard to come by in these arid regions of Senegal. But now garden participants enjoy the nutritional benefits of fresh fish while also seeing their gardens bursting through the use of water from the fish ponds for their plants.

In Podor we met with local leaders to plan a permanent tree nursery which will allow us to grow thousands of beneficial trees where they are desperately needed.

These trees will become live fencing that will protect gardens from animals and wind. Over time metal fencing deteriorates, but live fencing is sustainable and provides long-term protection while helping to improve the soil.

These are just a few examples of the amazing things our team is working on, and we are so excited to see these programs continue to grow and thrive.

From all of us, “Jéréjëf!” – Thank You!

From the Director - Thank You!

Surveying a new garden site with Boubou, Senegal Country Director.

Visiting Senegal last month, I was able to see firsthand the impact that you all have made this past year. Despite the challenges, we made huge strides in our efforts with the establishment of new gardens, increased capacity at many schools, and broadened access to healthcare.

Racky (pictured center) is President of the Lamarame Market Garden, one of four gardens participating in our aquaculture trial project (see page two for more).

Last month, you heard the story of Racky (pictured above) and I had the chance to visit with her again. It is astonishing to see her strength and resilience, and there are hundreds more stories like hers. These folks are paving their own path toward a better future, and we are so fortunate to be a part of it. 

In 2022, we plan to build on these successes with five new community gardens, more classrooms to empower young students, and building a healthier population. Your contribution makes these programs possible, and the Senegalese send along a BIG “Jerejef!” – Thank you!

Lewis Kiker, Executive Director

Farming Fish...in the Desert?

Readying the basins for the fish, part of a trial aquaculture project in four of our well- established gardens.

During our latest trip to Senegal, Garrison and Lewis worked with our Senegal staff to add yet another exciting element to four of our gardens near Keur Soce - Aquaculture!  In a partnership with the Auburn University, that started in 2019, we are embarking on a trial fish farming project to raise Tilapia and Clarias Catfish in the gardens. 

Filling the two large basins that will be home to Tilapia and Clarias Catfish in the gardens.

Fish are an essential part of daily life in Senegal and while dried fish are readily available throughout the country, fresh fish can sometimes be scarce in inland areas.  Producing fish locally is a wonderful addition to food security and our nutrition objectives.

Adjusting the flow rate of the drain in the bottom of the basin.

Digging the pipline that will take water from the fish basin to the garden watering basin.

But where does one get baby fish in Senegal?  Well, as with most things, you gotta know a guy.  Fish farming isn’t commonplace yet in Senegal but it does exist and there is a small network of fish producers around the country.  Our coordinator from Auburn gave us a list of phone numbers and that’s all we needed. 

Transporting fish in the back of a truck to the garden.

Weighing one of the catfish to track growth.

Naturally none of those contacts had any fish available but believe in the magic of Senegal and our Country Director Boubou!  He connected the dots from one person to the next until just a few days later, as if by magic it seemed, we were driving into town with 500 fingerlings in the back of the truck!  We introduced the fish into the basins to the general amazement from everyone, ourselves included. 

The significance of what this could mean for the gardens wasn’t lost on anyone and both the technicians and the women in the gardens were eager and attentive as we explained the project. 

Testing and maintaining an appropriate pH level will ensure a healthy living environment for the fish.

Women of the Lamarame Market Garden

We left everything in their capable hands and a month later we are happy to report that the fish are doing great!  This is only the beginning.  We’ll keep you updated as the fish grow and we see the many benefits they bring.