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!

Planting Seeds for the Future

Volunteers from the community along with Andando staff after a very successful seed planting session.

Together with the help from members of the community, we have nearly realized our reforestation goal. Last year we started an ambitious goal of 50,000 trees that will be used as live fencing, shade trees, and for food production. Over 40,000 trees have been planted so far!

Over 40,000 trees have been started as part of our reforestation project.

Initially the seeds are planted in plastic sleeves that allow for proper watering and then they are grown under the cover of the greenhouse constructed on-site at our headquarters in Keur Soce.

Inside the greenhouse, Mandaw is holding one of the first trees we planted.

The greenhouse is covered with a special screen that protects the young plants from the scorching sun as well as from birds that would eat the seedlings before they could get established.

Trees inside the greenhouse are thriving (some are almost touching the ceiling) and are ready to be transplanted.

With the coming of the rainy season we have been able to start some trees directly in the ground, rather than having to start them as seeds, then later transplant them.

The Mayor of Keur Soce joined us for a ceremonial tree planting in honor of Senegal’s Arbor Day.

Recently, we celebrated Senegal’s Arbor Day with the blessing of the Mayor of Keur Soce and the Deputy Mayor who joined us in the ceremonial planting of two trees. In the environmental field trees symbolically are sources of vitality and sustainable development. The Mayor thanked Andando for our development actions within his community, especially the honor that he is granted through the planting of trees and watering them because “together these two elements are the source of life.”

The Mayor of Keur Soce along with his Deputy and the Andando staff ceremonially planting a tree in honor of Senegal’s Arbor Day.

We are grateful to have the support and collaboration with local authorities which enables our sustainable work. Your support allows our team in Senegal to continue to nurture these relationships and invest in the future of the communities we serve.

Forests for a Future

At a workshop led by Trees for the Future, our Lead Garden Technician, Mandaw, shares a sample garden plan incorporating trees. Trees serve as both a live fencing as well as produce food.

We have begun an ambitious and vital new Forest Garden project! Our initial goal is to reforest 50 acres in the Keur Soce region, with more in years to come. Trees not only provide a sustainable food source but also help with deforestation and soil erosion.

Last August, in a partnership with Trees for the Future, several of our Garden Technicians attended a tree planting and forest garden planning workshop. Our lead technicians expanded their knowledge and participated in practical, hands-on training to learn how to incorporate forest gardens into our existing vegetable gardens.

Recently we met with the local Department of Water & Forests and toured their tree nursery facility, gaining valuable insight into the specific needs in the region we work in most. By collaborating we gain buy-in from local leadership as well as the ability to pool our resources to maximize our impact.

This summer we constructed a tree nursery at our training facility in Keur Soce that will serve as the home base for the tree planting project. Our staff of Garden Technicians and Interns will propagate 50,000 seedlings that will be cared for at this nursery until they are strong enough to be replanted in community gardens, schools, and health posts.

Garden members learning how to transplant and care for young trees.

In the meantime, members of Andando’s garden cooperatives are participating in workshops where they are learning how to properly transplant and care for the seedlings once they are ready to be moved to their new homes. These women will serve as leaders and educators in their communities by demonstrating the benefits of Forest Gardens and their successful implementation.

This new project requires the addition of a Tree Technician to our staff in Senegal, who will serve as an invaluable resource for the individuals working with us and the communities benefiting from the Forest Gardens.