It’s always exciting to report the new things that Andando is doing, new projects, new partner communities, bigger impact numbers, etc. I want to take the opportunity today though to give you a little insight into what happens after the fanfare ends.
Celebrating our successes with the garden leadership from our Podor Region gardens.
We talk a lot about walking with the people of Senegal for the long haul and we mean it. Our programs are concentrated together both to maximize their impact and to make sure that we know about the challenges our partners face and can help them to find solutions. This is why after 15 years of doing this work 100% of Andando’s gardens, schools, and health posts are still operational. Our impact numbers are impressive but I’m equally proud that as we’re growing, we aren’t leaving any of our communities behind.
Keur Ngor Marone - our first-ever garden is still thriving!
To this end, after listening to the needs of our gardens, we are providing additional support this year to help modernize all infrastructure to our current designs. Over the years we’ve learned a lot about best practices for our projects, and sometimes that means that we need to go back and update older work so that it can stand the test of time.
Something as small as upgrading old valves helps prolong the life of infrastructure and conserve vital water resources.
This goes for all of our sectors, and we are also working this year to renovate one of our oldest health posts, Thiamene Taba. This post is heavily utilized, seeing over 2,000 patients last year alone, but their roof has started to leak making it difficult to provide quality care.
Visiting one of our very first health posts, Thiamene Taba, constructed over 10 years ago.
Thanks to the help of Altrusa International of Albany we are replacing their roof with a new stronger metal sheeting that is part of our standard design now.
By establishing and maintaining strong relationships, we work with the local communities to ensure projects are successful for the long-haul. Fatou Thiam is the midwife at Thiamene Taba, and first alerted us to the needed repairs.
We want all of our projects to last for many years to come so that they can create truly lasting change in our partner communities. Your continued support allows us to do this while still growing to reach more people in need.